Jan ’05 update below
My budget was between 5-6 lakhs and I had the accent, corsa and ikon in my consideration set. test drove em all, did a fair bit of research on the net....
and what I found was :
If you want driveability and want a car for the sheer fun of driving-o for an Ikon
-If you want a flashy looking big car that does everything okayishly well-go for the accent
-if you want a really comfy car with really low NVH levels, the corsa should be ur choice....
the footwell on the driver’s side is a lil cramped and that’s only bad thing bout the car that I can say....
the pickup is okayishly good....
I’m gettin a mileage of 12-12.5 in Delhi/Gurgaon city conditions (haven’t been able to take it on the highway as yet)
the car’s rck solid....an idiot maruti van driver bumped the car on the rear side on a red light...the van’s bumper fell off, my corsa’s bumper didn’t show a teeny weeny scratch:-)
PS-Had posted this for 1.4 GLS earlier by mistake...
-The stereo (not the speakers) that comes with the car is a dealer fit (Blaupunkt long beach) and u can get a discount of 8K if u leave it...My advice is chuck this stereo and go for a sony xplod instead...u can get cd units for this price in the open market......I took the stereo and am regretting it now
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January 2005....1.5 years and 30000 Kms later:
hopefully a more objective opinion than last time....
let me think now...what isit that a prospective car buyer will be interested in knowing about?
Let me list out tha parameters
a) Power, Torque and pickup--- at 88 bhp, the power output is one of the highest in this class....however becaue of the 1ton + weight, it doesn’t translate into the best performance esp. in comparison to the Ikon...Still, you’ll never find the car lacking when trying to zoom off on a red light or overtraking a 16 wheelere on the highway
b) Ride Quality: 30000 kms and tehh suspension still feels good as new.....The ride quality is still as awesome as new...that despite running it over pathetic road surfaces over long distances...The ride quality is awesome and the Ikons/accents don’t even come close....
c) Mileage: I used to get 13-13.5 in Gurgaon with a/c on 50% of the time...I have shifted to Chennai now and given the awesome traffic conditions here ;-), mileage is around 10-10.5 now Not that the mileage has gone down becaue of age....I still get 16-17kmpl on Pondicherry highway drives (which is what it used to give me on Delhi-Ambala highway when new)
d) Interiors- Best in class....unlike the plasticky interiors of the Ikon
e) Chassis Rigidity: Minor rattling inside the cabin on potholes...attributable to a loose mounting of the audio system
f) Interior space: More than an Esteem....at par with Ikon, less than the accent....however, the interiors are far more spacious than what you’d expecte after seeing the smallish exterior looks
now to get on the nags I have about this car:
Low ground clearance....With four passengers in the car, it’s difficult to negotiate the tanker defying Breakers so oft seen on our conty’s roads
No Ciggarette lighter option: More than just a minor nuisance for smokers, it makes it difficult for you to power any DC powered device (say a discman or iPod) or to charge a cellphone from the car’s battery
No Cupholder
Antiquated rotary seat angle adjuster : painful to adjust the seat angle while driving -
Opel’s insistence on using high octane petrol or normal Petrol+system G additive: If yuo run the car on normal petrol without adding the prescribed Iftx system G additive, one can actually feel the relatively sluggish response of the engine....Many small town petrol bunks don’t have Power/Premium Petrol . The other option , systemG additive too isn’t available at small town petrol bunks All in all, 1.5 years later, I don’t regret the decision of buying this car..... Ride comfort
Hope this helps