Finally after reading so many reviews about cars on this website and after more than a year of discussions and ’expert’ opinions from friends, I did it - I went ahead and bought the Maruti Versa in Aug-05.
I had searched high and low for cars which met these requirements:
a) Lots of space:
I wanted to travel with lots of family and friends and I did not want them to cram into any car.
b) Easy to maneouvre:
The streets leading to my house are not very wide. So I didnt want a car with big width. But I wanted lot of space too !
c) Safety features
Whatever the car, did not want to compromise on this one.
d) Budget of max 5 L approx.
e) Good service anywhere I go
f) Powerful engine
Should not have a problem when the AC is on.
Given these requirements, I found Versa, Scorpio, Innova, Qualis, Sumo and such vehicles addressing the space requirements. But the Scorpio and Innova were definitely 2-3 L over my budget of 5 Lakhs. Toyota has phased out Qualis. Sumo is too old. That left me with the Versa.
Now to test it out. This being my first car, I am not an expert on the technical aspects. But the one thing I found from the reviews here is that it should have enough engine power to pull along the large number of ppl it can accomodate. I found its a 1300 CC engine good enough, even with the AC on.
I decided to go in for the highest model available - the DX2 - which is an 8-seater with twin-ACs ( even for the back seat ). I’ve just completed one month and have to take it for its first service.
After 2-3 weeks of buying the vehicle, I even took it out to Nandi Hills ( on Bangalore-Hyd route ) with 6 adults and a kid. The car did exceptionally good on the 120 km ( both ways ) drive and my family and friends had a blast of a time.
Having said all this, I would point out two areas of concern:
a) The gear is not all that smooth. Maybe its bcoz its a new car. I drove a Wagon R for about a month and also my brother’s Zen. The gear in both these vehicles was much smoother.
b) The loan processing by the dealer was pathetic. Very bad service. It took 2 months to get my vehicle. Would not recommend it to my worst enemy. Pratham Motors is any day better. My colleague booked a Swift ( just 2 weeks before it started having a long waiting period ) thru Pratham and got it in 1 week flat !
But that aside, if anyone is looking for a nice car, I would recommend the Versa anyday.