Cedia... SPIRIT.... Staying Ahead of the Herd...

My Cedia... The Power Machine... 2 Liter engine. 15" All Alloy Wheels... All four disc brakes... Leather upholstry... Full Options...In our lingo, Fully-Loaded...

Thats my Final choice after my car-hunt which lasted for more than 5 months. 
It all started in May 2007, when I decided to come back to India for good. Web Browsing all the car models available in India, I approached a bit systematically.

First of all, the small cars sector was ticked off. (Clustrophobic and I didn't want to drive an auto-rickshaw at this age for sure...) So, Zens, Santros, Indicas - off.

The next bracket, (C+ or B or B+ which sounded more like blood groups,) was the Honda-City, Ford Fiesta, Mahindra Logan, Suzuki SX4. I zoomed in these four models, which are a bit luxurious (by Indian Standards) and yet affordable. My budget was just around 8 to 9 Lakhs, if I were to be really impressed, I was prepared to squeeze my wallet a bit more too. That threw the Civic, Corolla and Skoda out of my bracket. Many don't know that This 'bracket' cars are being 'over-sold' in India, while these cars should cost under 10 lakhs if you compare the same cars abroad with the same specifications and options. Of course, the price tag depends on who buys and not what is being bought. Market driven pricing..!!!

So, First I visited Honda City show room. Impressive show room and sales girls. Good experience. THe combination of Honda and TVS brands. But, the car, to be frank, I didn't like the shape of the car in the first place. For that shape it should have been a bit bigger, which is the Civic. To fit to Indian Roads they have cut flesh here and there and it looks out of proportion compared to other cars. The ground clearance in particular in the front seemed to be too low. Interiors were not impressive (the twin glove boxes..!!! Peculiar). the interior color combination is dull and the dash board dial layout has no taste. Round moulded dials and vents gives me crampy feeling, as if sitting inside some sub-marine console. The same applies to most fo the other models like Fiesta, Elantra, SX4 being the worst layout inside. I was particular with the Red color (Ruby Red) and to my disappointment, they said, No More Red... Red has been phased out and they were sorry they could not make me happy. I said thanks and left the show room. All other colors were dull, light shaded and unimpressive to me.

My Next stop was SX4. Looked somewhat good from outside, trendy side and front, dump looking rear layout. But, interiors, space inside, shoulder room, head room, color combo - Zero marks from me. The tin work and inside plastic work was so average looking.

Then on my way home, Stepped in Logan show room. Unbelievably disappointing. That car was some second rated model of Renault, with the worst finish inside and outside, I dint even ask for more details. Didnt even spend 15 minutes in the show room.

Well, you are wondering why I am talking all along about other cars and no mention about Mitsubishi. Yes, I didn't have the Mitsubishi in my selection process, because, the old Lancer was kind of out of date looks and the the new Cedia was price tagged at 10+ Lakhs (information I got from the Websites). So, I didnt even consider the Mitsibishi, even though it was one of my favorite cars, while I was in Gulf.

Now comes the twist. As I was not entirely satisfied with any cars, my driver-friend who accompanied me for all my visits, had been to the Mitsubishi show room to visit a friend and casually he obtained the brochure and price list of the Lancer and Cedia... SURPRISE SURPRISE... The Cedia basic version SELECT costed only 8.3 Lakhs ex-show room. Damn me. Jumped into his car and drove straight to the Mitsubishi show room the same eve and God Bless Me... never looked back.

Absolutely impressed with the All New Cedia. It had everything I was looking for and more for the price tag. ABS, EBD, All disc brakes, 15" Alloy Wheels, leather seats, Blaupunkt stereo, Color I wanted, High ground clearance, neat and simple Merc/BMW/Lexus style dash board layout.
 
Man, Thats the car I wanted to own and now I do...

To be honest, this Car doenst compare with any other car in the market. It has its own class. Better than All other rivals, City, Fiesta, Elantra, SX4 and has got all that Civic, Corolla, OCtavia has to offer for much less price.

Thats why my Cedia is Staying Ahead of the Herd...

Style, power, pick-up, braking, interiors, everything is top classNone as I know