It was pretty simple, seemingly. A good friend of mine was interested in buying a car and his budget was about 10-12 lakhs. Not a bad budget that, you'll say. I said the same. And what followed was pandemonium. Why? I'll tell you.
He did not really have any particular car in mind and wanted something that would be comfortable, reliable, fast, value for money, feature-packed and would have a good ride and handling characteristic. I listened calmly and when he was finished, I said, "you have mentioned pretty much everything in that list!" and there was laughter.
But the determined blokes that we were, went about shopping. So, there was a list and there were cars on that list. We had penned down almost every four-wheel machine that came to our mind for that budget. From Chevy Aveo to Ford Fiesta. From Maruti SX4 to Honda City. From Honda Civic to Chevy Optra Magnum. From Skoda Octavia to Hyundai Elantra.
The C-segment cars were deleted from the list since he said if he were to spend such a moolah, why would he go in for a car that would offer lesser snob value? Now what we were left with were the D-segment cars like Honda Civic, Chevy Optra Magnum, Skoda Octavia and Hyundai Elantra. The Korean was dismissed immediately since my friend did not fancy the looks of that car and also said, "it's a Hyundai!" Now I don't know what's really wrong with that because the Elantra is a damn good car. I tried to reason it out with him. All my words like "it has got ABS, airbags and also traction control. And since the car is not selling well, you could negotiate a good deal with Hyundai." But seems like my words went to dead ears. He did not budge from his decision.
So it boiled down to the three big ones - Honda, Chevrolet and Skoda.
I presented the good and the bad points of each of the three cars. My friend also did not have any particular fuel type in mind. So we started with the Skoda Octy. The Octy, I said, has been around for a number of years but is still a very formidable car. It is the best handling car of the three but the ride quality is not upto the mark. The interiors too are plain but the steering and gearbox are a delight to use. Space at the rear is not comparable to the Optra and Civic. He said, "Hmmm, okay. How about the Civic?"
I have to tell you this - he was pretty inclined towards the Honda, owing to its looks and jazzy interiors. Also because it has been the fast-running kid and, according to my friend, has that "special something." So the Honda Civic then, it has, as said, jazzy interior and looks to die for. The low speed ride quality is bad but it increases as the car gains speed. The low ride-height too is a reason for worry. But it is a Honda, so the snob-value is guaranteed for sure. It also has a sweet-sounding motor which goes mad when it crosses 2700 revs. We drove the car, and he accepted that low-speed ride was dire.He deliberately took the car in a pothole once and the rear crashed, leaving no play in the suspension to absorb the impact.
Now we walked towards the Chevrolet showroom and requested for a test-drive of the Optra Magnum. I asked him to drive the diesel. "Goes like a bullet!", he exclaimed and all I did was smiled lightly. Then he went gaga over the ride quality and comfort of the seats. He was also mighty impressed with the look and feel of the interior. "It's not as snazzy as the Civic's, but looks cool. Elegant, sober and cool" Handling was something that he had no idea about and asked me to explain. I took over the wheel, entered a corner relatively hot and when the rear kicked out, asked him to notice the slide. He said "wow, that was fun!" But then I told him that the handling is a pretty important parameter of the car and then we went into intricate details. Some hours of conversation followed. "Man, now I know why you are an automotive journo", he said. And I smiled.
Finally, after 12 odd hours of driving and talking, my dear friend reached a conclusion. I know, I know, you must be at the edge of the seat by now, but hang on as the decision might take you for a surprise.
He went ahead and booked the Skoda Octavia. Yes, the same car that is the most dated of the three, has the most boring interiors and the ride is not all that plush. But why this decision? Well, he ostracized the ride quality of Civic and since he drives generally in Mumbai on broken roads, good low-speed ride quality and ground-clearance were essential. He loved the Optra Magnum - a car that had oodles of power, was the most comfy, had good-looking interiors and had good ride quality. What he did not like was the nose-job of the Optra. So, it was the Octy then - an elegant looking, subdued car that was as equipped as its counterparts. A good choice? For him it was. Congrats mate!
It left a thought in my mind however. Skoda, despite of being the most aged design still appeals and a product from Honda, that too bearing a tag like Civic has flaws which does not go down well with the buyer and Optra - an overall excellent car that would have made one more purchase against its name, but it could not. Why? Because of that nose-job! Indian buyers are getting smarter and auto-makers need to take them seriously. Very seriously.
If you find yourself in similar situation, reach us directly and we will help you out in whatever way we can. And to help some of you who are thinking of buying a D-segment car, here's a tool that will help you by a good measure!
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