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Opel Corsa had been with us for more than 8 years now, have had really long drives (one time we did 800 kms in a day), she had never failed us. Sitting in Corsa on a highway always gave a safe and @home feeling. We decided it was time to let go of our Corsa and have a new companion. Our requirements were
So grand finale was between Vento Highline , Rapid Elegance and Rapid Ambition( Other variants of both don’t have ABS). Searched internet, youtube, talked to couple of Vento owners and got very good feedback about Vento. Our mind was for Vento considering A.S.S. stories of Skoda but heart said Rapid. Rapid has much better looks in my opinion and seems to better at NVH.
Finally we went with the heart and the competition now narrowed down to Rapid Elegance and Rapid Ambition. I was not satisfied with stock music system in Elegance. Elegance was around 1.5 lakhs more than Ambition. We compared the features which we will miss in Ambition (Alloy wheels, Tyre size, Auto AC, Front seat adjustment lever, Electrically adjustable Rear view mirrors, front passenger airbag).We decided to Ambition with custom music system and Alloy wheels / tyre upgrade.
Buying Experience – The overall experience from test drive to delivery was pretty good at Mahavir Skoda , Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Accessories had to go to Somajiguda and the person in charge there was also too helpful
Modifications / Fittings – Alloy wheel / tyre size upgrade, Caska HU unit( costly but I love it), Seat covers, mats & flaps - Everything got it done from Dealer.
Have driven around 150 kms till now and the feeling is still sinking in. Trying to get used to the diesel beats
Few things which we like
Caska – I went in for a Caska HU which has following features and am loving it.
Jul-13 - Read about Chinese Caska in thread on 4th page - WILL NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO BUY IT
We plan to do a highway trip once we cross 500 kms. Some people say that for Vw/Skoda “run in” is not required, whereas the manual says its required till 1000 miles, so trying to go by Rapid manual.
- New car should be equal or better in sturdiness & comfort.
- We were accustomed to a nice suspension in Corsa, hence want equal or better suspension
- Should have a Diesel heart.
- Budget around 10 lakhs
- Hyundai Verna – It’s loaded with amazing features at this price point. We test drove a new vehicle and the steering started shaking at speed of 60 kmph. Even the sales person told that there are steering problems above 120 kmph. Also rear window size is quite small , kid didn’t like that.
- Fiat Linea – A good package overall but there is some confusion on Fiat opening separate stores ( currently have JV with Tata), so decided to skip this. Also was looking for a 1.6 ltrs engine
- Renault Duster – Couple of plus point – Feels you are sitting high above the road and gives you a “high” of sitting in SUV. However it’s a 5 seater, huge turbo lag, ABS which is a must for me comes in 13+ lakhs version, so dropped this from the probables.
- Vw Vento – Loved the acceleration when turbo kicks in, suspension was good, however the ABS comes only in Highline which was over budget for me.
- Skoda Rapid – Looked to be refined version of Vento, priced less, ABS version in middle as well top end version. However read lot of A.S.S stories at a different auto forum. Enquired with the dealer about A.S.S. stories, he told yes for Octavia, parts were imported, were expensive and took time. But now Vw and Skoda are focusing on localization and hence that problem will not be there (made sense to me).
- Tata Indigo Manza – Slightly low on pocket but heard about frequent leaks etc , so skipped TD part.
- Honda City – Have heard very nice reviews by owners in office, but doesn’t come in diesel , so skipped .
- Maruti SX 4 – Had a ride in SX4 a year back, was left unimpressed by the suspension, so skipped.
So grand finale was between Vento Highline , Rapid Elegance and Rapid Ambition( Other variants of both don’t have ABS). Searched internet, youtube, talked to couple of Vento owners and got very good feedback about Vento. Our mind was for Vento considering A.S.S. stories of Skoda but heart said Rapid. Rapid has much better looks in my opinion and seems to better at NVH.
Finally we went with the heart and the competition now narrowed down to Rapid Elegance and Rapid Ambition. I was not satisfied with stock music system in Elegance. Elegance was around 1.5 lakhs more than Ambition. We compared the features which we will miss in Ambition (Alloy wheels, Tyre size, Auto AC, Front seat adjustment lever, Electrically adjustable Rear view mirrors, front passenger airbag).We decided to Ambition with custom music system and Alloy wheels / tyre upgrade.
Buying Experience – The overall experience from test drive to delivery was pretty good at Mahavir Skoda , Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad. Accessories had to go to Somajiguda and the person in charge there was also too helpful
Modifications / Fittings – Alloy wheel / tyre size upgrade, Caska HU unit( costly but I love it), Seat covers, mats & flaps - Everything got it done from Dealer.
Have driven around 150 kms till now and the feeling is still sinking in. Trying to get used to the diesel beats
Few things which we like
- Acceleration after turbo kicks in
- Suspension
- Dealer interaction till now
- Dashboards are inclined in such a way that it’s very difficult to keep something on it ( e.g. tissue paper box)
- No switch to turn off rear A.C. vent
Caska – I went in for a Caska HU which has following features and am loving it.
Jul-13 - Read about Chinese Caska in thread on 4th page - WILL NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO BUY IT
- Touchscreen
- Bluetooth / Phone book
- Reverse camera
- GPS(MapmyIndia)
- Music / Photo / Movie / VCD/DVD
- USB / SD card / Ipod / Aux Support
We plan to do a highway trip once we cross 500 kms. Some people say that for Vw/Skoda “run in” is not required, whereas the manual says its required till 1000 miles, so trying to go by Rapid manual.
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