I just want to give an actual owner’s perspective on this car. Overall I would say that my experience has not been very good. With the price being asked for, I was expecting a better car. There are simply too many problems with the car. The owning experience is bad. I have owned 3 cars in the past (2 from Maruti and 1 Fiat), and none of those created this bad an experience. Sometimes I just feel like selling off the car, even at a big loss. And this after just 2 months of buying it ...
So, I would not recommend this car. I suggest waiting for Hyundai Getz or Honda, Toyota B segment cars, if you are not interested in any other current car. Else, upgrade and buy a C segment car.
Anyway, here are some points about the car.
Strong points of the car :
Weak points :
Car delivered 50 days (!) after booking. Why ? GM says too many people ordering. I say bull. I hardly see this car on roads in Delhi.
Performance weak when A/C is switched on - It is definitely sluggish with A/C on. Since the engine and powertrain is same as Corsa, I expected more.
Niggling problems - Considering the fact that this car has very little that’s new, it is surprising how many problems it gives. I have the following major problems :
Fuel smell inside the car after 25-30 kms with A/C on. Smell is really powerful. May be an isolated incident on some pieces only, but is a definite worrying sign.
Heat emanation from the driver side footwell after 25-30 kms, quite powerful. After some time it is not possible to drive without proper shoes on.
Exhaust pipe setting not correct. With average load, the pipe was bumping loudly with connector between rear tyres.
Fuel indicator not stable. Gives different reading at times, varies between 3-5 ltrs at least.
A/C not very powerful (here I compare it with Palio and Indica).
Low ground clearance. Even average speed breakers cause a bump if car has average load.
Too much engine sound. At times I feel like I have a quiet diesel car !
Too much noise inside cabin. Mainly engine noise can be heard inside the cabin.
Price too high
Staid design
Dealer performance/response is very bad. Bad servicing is the norm. Again, I just might be unlucky.
Company seems disinterested - Surprising, considering the fanfare with which it was announced. However, I feel that GM got preoccupied with Optra, and just ignored this car. As I said, I was waiting for 50 days to get the car. Reminders/complaints to GM on this and dealer response evoked nothing at first. Later, they just gave an excuse that there was too much demand and washed their hands off any responsibility.