Honest Opinion about Chevy Magnum

I recently bought the Chevy Magnum 2.0 TCDi LS.

First.. The positives:

I dont know what impresses me more -- The after sales service or the car itself.

I've got calls from the local delaer and from chevy HQ asking if I am happy with the car and have any complaints. I bought 2 cars from Maruti earlier and dont remember anyone asking me for my opinion about the car. I hope this enthusiam for service continues. I could get used used to this ;-)

The power, space, fit and finish is AMAZING..It moves like a rocket and handles well at high speeds. At 120 kmph, the ride was so smooth that I felt like I was driving at 60. The mileage is excellent, though I doubt if it gives the figures, the company promises. The diesel engine is a bit noisy but the interiors are well insulated from external sounds.

What could be improved:

1. The plastic quality -- The glass holder attachment is flimsy and often gets detached from the spring holding it in place. This can be refixed quickly myself though.

2. The 'artificial' leather seat cover provided by Chevy is not stitched very well. Some of the seams came undone after 2 months. (I bought the LS version so I thought seat covers might look better than the cloth upholstery.).

3. The car occasionally stalls in second gear at low speeds. -- No, I wasn't going too slow for second gear... The dealer said that this has been reported in a few other cars too. This however happens very rarely (perhaps once in 3-4 weeks).

4. The middle section in the rear seat is a bit uncomfortable, because the arm-rest when folded back is rather hard. This is the same for the skoda as well. The honda civic's rear seat however does not have this problem.

5. There seems to be a bit of rust forming on the ventilated disc brakes on all the wheels. I dont know if this is normal.

I read and compared dozens of cars over a period of 4 months, before I decided to purchase the Magnum.

I had originally intended to buy the skoda, but the skoda vs Magnum comparison booklet given by the chevy sales team and a review by AutoCar magazine in June/July 2007 (not sure of the mag name) convinced me.

Overall, I think this is a fantastic car to own with great value for money and would definitely recommend it to someone with a 10-12 lakh budget for a new car.