First and foremost I would like to say that this vehicle belongs to my friend. I am driving this vehicle for the last 2 months since he has gone on an official trip overseas.
This review is purely based on my driving experience and doesnt encompass any figures with respect to power , torque etc.
First the good things.
On looking at the vehicle its tall stature almost equals that of an Innova. Loads of head room and the seating position is so commanding that the driver feels that he is driving a bus. You get a very good view of the road ahead and in my opinion makes city bumper to bumper drive a breeze. The power steering is so light and ease to drive. I have been told that its an electronicpower steering. I feel that the gear ratios are designed on the shorter side to make city driving effortless and hence we dont need to shift gears very frequently in city traffic.
The space is enough to seat 4 moderately to more than moderately built adults. Seating a 5th person wouldbe a squeeze. Definitely wont be comfortable on long drives. Gives decent mileage of around 16 kmpl in bangalore city without A/C. A/C cooling is good. Since I drive in bangalore I feel I amnot the right judge. Someone from Chennai or hyderabad would be a better person to give feedback on A/C. Boot space is decent for a car which belongs to entry level hatch backs although not comparable to the likes of palio or getz.
Bad things. The gears are designed tobe very short in ratios. So the car feels peppy and while doing a test drive anyone might feel the car is very powerful. But once you push the car beyond 80 to 90 kmph speed the power starts going down.
Hence this car in myopinion is not for the long distance drive lovers. I feelit is excellent for city driving and might be a good choice for people who drive predominantly on hilly areas / ghat sections. The suspension is pretty soft and when the car drives over even small to medium pot holes makes loud thud noises. The car feels very light and fails to provide a safe kindof sense. Its never confidence inspiring for the driver to drive this car at high speeds. The engine vibrations can be felt inside the cabin and even the inside rear view mirror vibrates andhence the vehicles at the rear can be seen with a kindof blurred vision.
Lights are moderate for pitch dark confitions. The doors and parts of dash board rattle. The car is almost new and has just done around 4000 kms. To summarize. If you want a car that will fetch you great value formoney and above average fuel economy please go for this. But forget about driving pleasure and build quality.