Replacement For My Spark - The Search Ends: Bought Figo Ford Titanium

[AppU]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Appu, pls let me know what is this and how it is useful for you. I have this doubt for long time. Pls explain.

Blue tooth is used to connect the Phone with the musicplayer.

First we need to pair our Phone with Musicsystem with the help of Bluetooth.then the Musicplayer fetch the songs from the Mobile & play via speakers. sometimes I'm playing Video songs too.

then the important advantage of Bluetooth is " we can answer the calls without taking the mobile from its place, we have a button attend & to end the call in steering itself and the Mic is present behind the IRVM. If we recevied any call. the phone will ring Via speakers of the car. We can attend the call by using streeing control button. then we can start to speak directly. the caller will receive our voice through Mic and we will hear caller voice via speakers of the car. And we can sync our Mobile phone book with the car.because of this feature we can attend the call without any distubance while driving"

 

[sethumurugan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Blue tooth is used to connect the Phone with the musicplayer.

First we need to pair our Phone with Musicsystem with the help of Bluetooth.then the Musicplayer fetch the songs from the Mobile & play via speakers. sometimes I'm playing Video songs too.

then the important advantage of Bluetooth is " we can answer the calls without taking the mobile from its place, we have a button attend & to end the call in steering itself and the Mic is present behind the IRVM. If we recevied any call. the phone will ring Via speakers of the car. We can attend the call by using streeing control button. then we can start to speak directly. the caller will receive our voice through Mic and we will hear caller voice via speakers of the car. And we can sync our Mobile phone book with the car.because of this feature we can attend the call without any distubance while driving"

thanks. good feature. when talking from car wont it echo?

 

[visran]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Fantastic review buddy, so what is your decision? is it Vista or Punto?

 

[AppU]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

thanks. good feature. when talking from car wont it echo?

Even I too thought the same before using Bluetooth. But, to my surprise there is no Echo inside the car and to the person who is calling to us. Even after speaking in Vista's handsfree bluetooth, I called to my friends and asked about the voice clarity during the conversation in bluetooth. they said that they not found any differnece in Voice

 

[chayan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Punto should be considered when,
your motive is too keep the car for next 20 years
Not a regular driver but occasional cruizer.
You just cant live without owning it and situations are favorable.

Hope it helps.

Well my father kept our Maruti Omni for 26 years (bought in 1986 and sold in 2012). Took care of it and maintained it like new. Lots of fond memories in it as I was growing up. Learnt driving in it. Sold it only because in later years usage was very low and there were problem with parking space. Sold it for Rs.65K. But I am not my father. Though I have inherited many of his traits, I will probably find it difficult to for a car for 20 years .
Lets see, final decision has to be a balance between needs, wants, money, mental and driving pleasure.

 

[jayadev]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

At this present moment you should act more practically than emotionally and you are just on right track !!
Cheers!

 

[chayan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Went to the Times Auto Fair in Kolkata on Sunday. Did find the Maruti, Ford, Mahindra, Honda and Chevrolet stalls. VW, Skoda were some how missing.

Wanted to check out the Ritz (in my budget). Found the car but not a single SA in sight. Yes, not a single one.. totally deserted at 8 PM. I guess they dont need to be present as Maruti cars sells themselves.

Most of the action was in the Ford and Mahindra camps. Under the lights and blaring music, the Ford cars really stood out. Checked out the Figo and Fiesta. Good amount of space in the Figo, probably better than any of the rivals (in the price range) except the Vista. Only downside is the low ground clearance (168mm) but probably OK for city use as most cars are in this segment come with 170 mm. There was good deal of crowd around the Classic too. Anyway spoke to the SA and asked him to call this week and arrange for a TD for the Figo. There was additional 5K discount if one booked a car in the fair, apart from the current Ganesh Chaturthi offer.

Moved to the Chevrolet stall. Not much crowd. SA present but informed that all materials/brochures were wet due to the rains. Not much interested to sell either. Probably reason is that Chevy's target of 5000 beats /month is being achieved with ease.

Then was practically high-jacked by the Mahindra folks. Very enthusiastic and willing.. in short forced me to TD the refreshed Verito. The Verito is not within my budget and also not what I am looking for, but went ahead for the experience.. and was pleasantly surprised. Long back I had TDed the Logan and did not like it at all. This car was like something different. The clutch was super light, the gear shifts quite good and the ride plush but not compromising on handling. Engine noise was barely audible inside the cabin with the windows rolled up. I more thing I noticed is that there were no gear stick vibration when the car was idle (there was vibration with the Vista). Pick-up is good and though I don't have the comparative figures, I think it would be at par with any petrol sedan in its class. Though the Verito is not within budget, still collected the price list, however there are no offers, which is understandable as it has been just launched and doing good numbers.
The SA also informed me that the Quanto is being launched on 23rd Sep and probably starting at 5.5 L for the base version. Asked him for a TD, which he said he will arrange (the M&M showroom is very near my office).

 

[chayan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Need some info on how to shift your no claim benefit (ncb) from your old car's insurance to the new one.
What happens if I exchange my car/ or sell it myself and then buy the new one. Since there would be a gap of days (or even weeks) before the new car is even registered, how do I claim the ncb from my old insurance policy? Also do I have to stick with the old insurance provider or can select a new one and still benefit from ncb?
Would be grateful for some guidance.

 

[sethumurugan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Need some info on how to shift your no claim benefit (ncb) from your old car's insurance to the new one.
What happens if I exchange my car/ or sell it myself and then buy the new one. Since there would be a gap of days (or even weeks) before the new car is even registered, how do I claim the ncb from my old insurance policy? Also do I have to stick with the old insurance provider or can select a new one and still benefit from ncb?
Would be grateful for some guidance.

First of all I do not know why you want to transfer NCB to your new car's insurance. In that case, you might need to pay extra for your old car. Hope am right.

In case if you have ncb option I think You might need to stick to your old insurance service provider

Pls let me know if am wrong.

 

[chayan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

First of all I do not know why you want to transfer NCB to your new car's insurance. In that case, you might need to pay extra for your old car. Hope am right.

In case if you have ncb option I think You might need to stick to your old insurance service provider

Pls let me know if am wrong.

Hi Sethu, I am selling the old car, so the insurance will be of no use to the new owner as its in my name (and non-transferable).

When I transfer the ncb to the new policy, I will have 25% redn in premium from first year itself. It is a very common practice and dealers help you do it all the time if you exchange your car through them.

 

[sethumurugan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Hi Sethu, I am selling the old car, so the insurance will be of no use to the new owner as its in my name (and non-transferable).

When I transfer the ncb to the new policy, I will have 25% redn in premium from first year itself. It is a very common practice and dealers help you do it all the time if you exchange your car through them.

Iam sorry I did n't know that the insurance is non-transferable, but normally wont it be transferable? if you want to get non-transferable will there be any difference in premium. Why am asking this is, this month I need to renew my spark insurance [19-10-12].

I will not down the second point. Might be useful when Iam changing my ride

 

[chayan]

re: Replacement for My Spark - The Search ends.. booked Figo Titanium (D) Kinetic Blue

Iam sorry I did n't know that the insurance is non-transferable, but normally wont it be transferable? if you want to get non-transferable will there be any difference in premium. Why am asking this is, this month I need to renew my spark insurance [19-10-12].

I will not down the second point. Might be useful when Iam changing my ride

Hi Sethu, my earlier response was not entirely correct. Insurance is transferable, however you have to fill up a separate form and submit to Insurance company and then they transfer it to the new owner. NCB is non-transferable. There are extra charges and payments. In this case since NCB is not transferred, the new owner would have to pay for the difference in premium.

 

[chayan]

The search continues -- TDed the Micra

Kolkata has only one Nissan dealership and thought I take a test drive of the Micra just to be sure I don't regret it later after I have decided on something else. Micra was not on my original list because it was a little over priced than my budget at that time (6.5 L OR) and due to absence of ABS on the diesel model. Anyway since I was trying to sell the Spark on my own (and expecting a higher price), I though I could go upto Rs. 7 Lakhs.

Anyway sent a query to Nissan and though the SA called me up within a day, the TD could only be arranged after 2 weeks (both are to blame). So yesterday the SA arrived with a mint green Micra. He told that this was the demo car, however the stickers and markings were missing and the default music system was replaced by a high end GPS enabled LCD system, which made me doubt if it was a demo car at all.

Anyway, my wife took the wheels and took it through the back roads from our office and later I drove it back. Following are my observations:
1) Styling is OK, looks cute but will not be to everybody's liking. My wife did not like it at all.
2) Front seats are comfortable and spacious. Driving position is good with nice visibility. Less storage space near the gear console, but otherwise OK.
3) AC is good and at par with the segment
4) Back seats are too narrow, though there is average legroom -- under thigh support is non existent, just like sitting on a broad bench
5) Start Stop button is OK, a good gadget but you will soon out grow its charm
6) Handling is good, not at par with say the Punto or Figo, but better than the Beat. Suspension is a little soft and is good for city roads with small bumps but not sure how this will act on the highways at greater speed. Very little turbo lag and hence very good for city driving
7) SA said that GC is 165 mm, which I doubt as it seems a tad low than other cars in the parking space. The diesel has 15 inch wheels which I guess is required for the heavy diesel engine.
8) With windows rolled up, there is minimal engine noise but a lot of road/tyre noise.
9) Good size boot (I think 210 lts)

The biggest positive I think for the Micra is the engine. It does not have the usual diesel clatter that the other diesels have. The sound is loud, but its type of petrol loud. Probably the reason why Micra does not have the usual insulation layer underneath the bonnet that the others have.

Biggest negative (and reason why I will not probably buy this) is the brakes. Totally inefficient. At 60 km/hr, you brake and its nearly 4-5 seconds it takes to come to a stand still. My current Spark does comparatively better. Absence of ABS does not help either. To Nissan (if you are listening).. the heavier diesel needs ABS+EBD. Drop the auto climate control and put in ABS+EBD.

In summary, for approx Rs. 6.7L for the base model and Rs.7.12 L for the top end, its an expensive hatch with certain glaring limitations for the Indian market. The engine is the only saving grace but that is not enough.

Again my personal opinion and not trying to offend anyone (Micra owners or otherwise).

 

[chayan]

TDed the Toyota Etios Liva - mix of emotions

Today the Toyota people finally turned up (after nearly 3 weeks of 'today Sir, coming Sir, sure Sir, confirmed Sir'). Its good that they turned up today as luckily I was a little free and could devote some time for a test drive. Will try not to repeat the points that people already know of the Liva but will try to discuss based on my feedback alone.

1) Front and back seats are good with good amount of leg space. This was expected since 3/4 of the car is same as the Etios sedan.
2) None of the versions (in Diesel) come with Audio system (mentally added Rs.20K to the on-road price.
3) AC is good with effective chilling within minutes.
4) Ride quality is good and sorted both at high speed and low. Suspension easily takes cares of bumps and potholes.
5) Boot space is comparable to competition (~250 lts)
6) GC is 170 mm which evidently is not enough as the back mudlap was hanging broken. Probably due to softer suspension.
7) 1.4 lt Engine is the positive aspect, but has a bit of turbo lag at lower gears. But since this is similar to the Innova (difference is FG Turbo) I think that was expected. A little loud perhaps with some sound filtering to the cabin.
8) Single wiper but effective for the entire windscreen.
9) Both models come with ABS + EBD. Top model comes with dual beige interior and airbags. No alloys in either variant.
Now the bad part and absolute deal breaker. This car has major design flaws and probably designed with shorter height Japanese in mind. With the tilt steering pushed to the topmost position, and the seat pushed back as much as possible, the steering still rubbed against my thigh. And I am 5ft 10' and stature wise would be comparable to the average Indian. Not sure if this has been identified by other people before.
Secondly even if you decide to put in a music system; all the 4 speakers are in the front of the car, two on the dash and two on the front door. What about the people in the rear? Well seems like audio system was the last thing Toyota thought that people who bought the Liva would want .. probably provision was added as a after thought.

Current offer is cash discount of Rs.5K and Rs.5 K exchange bonus. SA tried to impress me by telling that they provide a special type of insurance that covers plastic parts as well and when I told him that he is referring to 0% depreciation insurance which now practically all insurance companies provide he was taken back.
So in summary; quite a good car, good engine and good handling. Price is a tad high (say about Rs.40K) given that cost cutting is very evident, design flaws and marketing needs to be looked into. I wish Toyota looks into these points as 30% of their sales currently come from these two models (Etios & Liva).

 

[sethumurugan]

Re: TDed the Toyota Etios Liva - mix of emotions

Today the Toyota people finally turned up (after nearly 3 weeks of 'today Sir, coming Sir, sure Sir, confirmed Sir'). Its good that they turned up today as luckily I was a little free and could devote some time for a test drive. Will try not to repeat the points that people already know of the Liva but will try to discuss based on my feedback alone.

1) Front and back seats are good with good amount of leg space. This was expected since 3/4 of the car is same as the Etios sedan.
2) None of the versions (in Diesel) come with Audio system (mentally added Rs.20K to the on-road price.
3) AC is good with effective chilling within minutes.
4) Ride quality is good and sorted both at high speed and low. Suspension easily takes cares of bumps and potholes.
5) Boot space is comparable to competition (~250 lts)
6) GC is 170 mm which evidently is not enough as the back mudlap was hanging broken. Probably due to softer suspension.
7) 1.4 lt Engine is the positive aspect, but has a bit of turbo lag at lower gears. But since this is similar to the Innova (difference is FG Turbo) I think that was expected. A little loud perhaps with some sound filtering to the cabin.
8) Single wiper but effective for the entire windscreen.
9) Both models come with ABS + EBD. Top model comes with dual beige interior and airbags. No alloys in either variant.
Now the bad part and absolute deal breaker. This car has major design flaws and probably designed with shorter height Japanese in mind. With the tilt steering pushed to the topmost position, and the seat pushed back as much as possible, the steering still rubbed against my thigh. And I am 5ft 10' and stature wise would be comparable to the average Indian. Not sure if this has been identified by other people before.
Secondly even if you decide to put in a music system; all the 4 speakers are in the front of the car, two on the dash and two on the front door. What about the people in the rear? Well seems like audio system was the last thing Toyota thought that people who bought the Liva would want .. probably provision was added as a after thought.

Current offer is cash discount of Rs.5K and Rs.5 K exchange bonus. SA tried to impress me by telling that they provide a special type of insurance that covers plastic parts as well and when I told him that he is referring to 0% depreciation insurance which now practically all insurance companies provide he was taken back.
So in summary; quite a good car, good engine and good handling. Price is a tad high (say about Rs.40K) given that cost cutting is very evident, design flaws and marketing needs to be looked into. I wish Toyota looks into these points as 30% of their sales currently come from these two models (Etios & Liva).

I do not know whether this was said earlier or not. In my last Auto expo, I just sat in [can not analys as you people did] checked and found the dash plastics are not so good. could be cost cutting steerage.