Great car

 

Exterior Good finish, smooth contours, aerodynamic styling, powerful headlamps, good frontal and real view. Not-so-great side view with the exagerated bulges.

 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) For the price, interiors can be termed as good, though not opulant. Instrument panel is clutter-free.  Music system is utalitarian and serves the purpose (noting to write home about). Could have done without the excess grey. Both driver and passenger seats are well designed and very ergonomic ( a blessing for someone like me with a slip disk problem).

Rear seats are average. Leg room is adaquate. Rear headrests are oddly positioned and are good only for tall persons sitting upright. Has great boot space of @ 500 ltrs. AC is good though it tends to behave odd at times and is indifferent to the climate control settings, while at most times it is perfect,  Noise is kept out effectively and ride quality is excellent in cruise mode. Does tend to get bumpy at low speads. The good ground clearance ensures there are no nasty thuds which I absolutely hate.

 

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Firstly the Engine: Once revved up, it comes into it's own and is truly built for high-speed crusining (touched 170 k/h without much sweat while being rock solid) The fuel effeciency is great on highways. I get 15-16 km/ltr driving Pune to Goa. In the city, peak traffic, it still manages a respectable 11 km/lts. When traffic is light, I have streatched a tankfull (@42 ltrs) to a good 520 kms. It has been two years since I bought the car.  Have done close to 30K so far. Have had no issues witht he gearbox whatsoever. I have heard folks calling the gear-shift  notchy, but never felt so myself. It is precise and definite, which is probably how I like it.

 

Ride Quality & Handling The ride qality has two parts to it. It is adaquate on bad roads (you hear the thuds on account of the vehicle weight) but when you are above 40 km/hr, everything gets a lot more refined and harmonic. The engine rythm and rev is good and indicates it has enough horses under the hood in case you need them. Also the ride quality improves dramatically at higher speeds.The handling at tight corners is probably not as good as the Civic, but it is not bad.

 

Final Words Great car.  Has my complete endorsment for a family man who likes to travel and craves some excitement and refinement along the way.

 

Areas of improvement None!

 

Aerodynamic styling, good fuel economy for it's size/engine capacity, rides well on highwaysNot very agile from stand-still. ride quality in city roads could have been better