Drive it to know it

After 2 days of test driving sub 1000 CC cars which need to be pushed to the limit on the 3rd gear so that they atleast have some air left in them after reaching 100 kmph, it was an absolute thrill to get behind the steering wheel of a 2000 CC monster!!!

The exteriors of this car are nothing radical like the Honda city  nor dated like the Baleno. The sparlking diamond may be a good choice for color.

The interiors are quite roomy with appropriate elbow and leg room at the back. The drivers seat is comfy too, but i would have preferred an electronic multi way seat adjuster.

Lets come to the main part, the engine, it is one hell of a beast, with 121 horses waiting to spring at your command!!! This engine has a lot of "oomph" factor and is a real thriller to drive. There is little or no noticeable turbo lag, and it kicks in at around 1500-1700 rpm. Chevy has done a good job with the transmission, by replacing the notchy gearbox of the Aveo and optra with a cable driven transmission with just the right feel.

The handling too is pretty impressive at high speeds not as good as the Skoda(i took a steep turn at 120 and the car felt real solid). The gas filled shocks do give you a comfortable ride on city roads. It has better ground clearance than its competitors too.

One nice thing is that the Magnum has disc brakes on all 4 wheels in all variants, which is necessary to tame 121 horses.

Overall it is a value for money car and definitely a better buy than VERNA if you do not care much about the fuel efficiency, but with the GM tag and expensive spares and ABS and airbags available only on the top version, i am not sure why people would buy the two lower end variants especially with the price difference being insignificant

Beast of an engine, all 4 disc brakes, competitive pricing, roomyABS and airbags should have been at least an option in lower models