So far so good. I’ve earned quite a lot of things after starting my online business. Macbook Pro, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, Galaxy Tab, a Nikon DSLR, just to name a few. From the end of last year, I was thinking of buying a new car. Everything got worked in order, and now I have beautiful Hyundai i20 1.4L CRDI Asta in my garage.
It did not took much time to settle on for a diesel car, especially after considering the continually rising petrol price. I Initially had Maruti Suzuki Swift, Volkswagen Polo and Hyundai i20 in the selection list. Friends and Maruti loyalists insisted me to buy the Swift and some-the Polo. Swift comes with a widely accepted DDis diesel engine, but I felt it as an outdated model. Polo has a great design and offers superior driving comfort but the poor service network and below average interior features turned me down. After reading reviews in Indian auto blogs and forums I finally decided to go for the Hyundai i20 1.4L CRDI model.
Then I approached the Hyundai dealers Popular and MGF in Thodupuhza, Kerala. The MGF guy offered me few free accessories, including a reverse sensor, so I fixed them and booked the sleek silver Asta with RS 10000. On 16th May, I took the final DD amount. My HDFC bank relationship manager contrived me to use their car loan scheme instead of paying full cash. His point was that I can use this amount for starting a high yielding fixed deposit, equity investment or further development of my business. But I cordially declined his offer as I was not that confident in taking a 5 year long burden. The final price of the car at the dealer was 7. 45L which included car rate, insurance, and additional accessories I had asked for; a spoiler and leather seats. Registration, tax and other miscellaneous charges brought on road price to around 8L. Finally the car arrived on 24-05-2011.
I am not an expert in the automotive sector but from my little experience, I believe that this car, the Hyundai i20 CRDI fully worth for the money spent. The safety features and some of the interior facilities are first in this segment. The 2011-2012 model has inbuilt Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the Air bags, ABS, Internally Adjustable OVRM, Glove box cooling and other features. Currently I am getting a mileage around 15-16 kmpl in city and suburban areas. I hope this will improve after the first service.