Chevrolet Optra Magnum

I am writing this review after the news has arrived that GM is going to discontinue this car.   I bought Optra Magnum D 2.0 TCDI on 31st Dec 2011. Pros Value for Money, (if you ignore the resale value, which I think is not at all good compared to Maruti or Hyundai or Honda).

You touch 2000 rpm and you can experience the power of turbo charger Feels confidence even at high speeds touching 150+ It has excellent stability and control. And road presence. Lots of rear room and if you happen to use driver then you can get all the luxury feel.

Good fit and finish with all leather interiors, although it lacks high end gadgets like Hyundai  Verna and other cars.  Hey but who wants Gadgets, I wanted power so no comparison. Good Mileage I clocked 13 kmpl, in city traffic, considering the fact that its high end, 2.0 ltr diesel engine, it was good.

Cons Some issues with dealer(workshop) post sales Expensive parts, and I had to get repainted because of minor bruises and it cost me 10k Not good resale velue, per GM deciding to discountinue such a wonderful car.

14-Feb-2016: After 4yrs and 2 months, I got Engine belt replaced, and refilled A/c Gas.   It cost me 32.5 k.   But the beast is still rolling.

26-Jan-2018: Still going on the best is roaring still.

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I has bought this car during 2011 May. After comparing with other cars with the same segment , I had a few worry about no music system remote, no usb port. I felt small things to worry about for a Rs11 Lakhs car. Within 2 month the service station closed down. given to the other service station with a waiting period of 15 days service pick up. even though no proper service provider or in charge.

During my travel to Coimbatore alone for a function. Could not see a pot hole measuring 1/2 -1 feet deep. My left front wheel punched, when removed, I could find alloy wheel broke. replaced the wheel and drove to Coimbatore and returned to Bangalore.

I had given for service to a service centre, asked for claim for the wheel. they refused, I went easy with their reply. After service I saw it was dirty interior, got wild and sent back for re service. During that time the service in charge said the rear wheel is too cracked. I got wild and asked for a claim. then they took the matter seriously and got me 1/2 claim. for that I need to mail the service center , GM and the Insurance co finally it happen after 20 days.

Now I had been to ooty with my family during. To avoid a two wheeler in the hair pin bend I had to go on a pot hole to a deep of 1 feet deep. Again the front alloy wheel is bent.

Its ridicules, is this vehicle need to go only on a plan roads or is this wheels are made substandard or we shouldn't drive on pot holes. why are the car company take seriously on the wheels to manufacture which suits indian road conditions. To give an example I have a car (Swift) which is done 1 lakh KMS, I have never ever faced this kind of problem in the worst conditions.

Company officials should take it too serious about this.

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Cars owned in the past. Maruti 800, Indica DLX, Maruti Esteem, Honda City, Maruti Wagon R, Volkwagen Vento.

I bought and sold Vento petrol highline in a period of less than one year. The main reason was the rising petrol prices, otherwise barring some niggles Vento was phenomenal. The only major grief I had against the car was constant need to downshift for overtaking and acceleration. The ride was comfortable but the driver had to be constantly active tweaking gears. On the backdrop of Honda city this was a major source of discomfort. Also the claimed maximum power was available at very high RPM, so under normal driving conditions the power was often inadequate.

On a trip to Solapur the average was mere 12 kmpl under very adverse driving conditions.(Hot sun, constant diversions, traffic jams.). That started me thinking about the diesel cars. So far I did not want to go for diesel vehicles as a responsible citizen, what with the pollution factor and unfairness of using subsidized fuel for private means. But with this kind of average and petrol prices, finally the self control snapped. I thought why I alone had to be Shrimaan Satyawaadi.

My first thought was to sell Wagon R and buy a diesel hatchback. I reached this decision very unwillingly because I like Wagon R. It's an excellent vehicle for city driving.

To cut a long story short, after weighing options like Ford Figo, Maruti Ritz, Nissan Micra, Skoda Fabia, finally settled down on Chevy Beat. Trendy looks, driveability were some of the factors that went in favour of Beat. And also availability ex stock was also an important factor.

After taking couple of test drives with M/s Pashankar Auto had almost decided to write a cheque. While we were waiting for the paper work, the salesman mentioned casually that Optra diesel is also available. Since we were not really thinking of selling Vento in a span of less than 1 year, we were not serious. But what auto enthusiast can resist a free test ride?

They brought out the car. The car looked magnificent from outside. Inside was like a luxury sedan. I was half sold nearly by the looks. And then the test ride. Harish the sales executive took out the car from the showroom in a burst of speed that pushed our backs against the seat. The exhilaration went nonstop. I took the test ride on the Katraj road. What impressed me most were the ride quality and the raw power. For the first time I was experiencing a performance car. I had never experienced such a brute power in any of my previous cars. They were all economy vehicles. For the first time understood the mystique of BMWs and Mercs.

The car hit me viscerally. After the test ride I was not prepared to look at anything else, so much so that I wanted to drive it straight home. My son dragged me out to look at some of the options like newly launched Ford Fiesta and Skoda Rapid. Looked at new Ford Fiesta. It has all the gizmos like voice activated control system and all. The looks are also very modernistic. But got a feeling of being an egg in the crate. The interiors are so busy. From every side the car clamors for attention. As against that Optra is spacious and unobtrusive. You sit in Optra like you sit in your office. No doubt the looks are little old fashioned for some like my daughter, but they hooked me with their simplicity. The car looks like the cars looked in their heydays.

Skoda Rapid is nothing but Vento Diesel at heart. I had also heard horror stories about the spare part prices. And once something clicks with you, you find all the right reasons to reject the alternatives.

Nothing in the competition offered 125 BHP and torque of 300+ at fairly moderate RPM, independent suspension on rear, all wheel disk brakes, all leather seats, and the refined feeling. I had sat in a 1980 model Merc once, and knew that I am not ever going to afford it. The spacious and understatedly elegant cabin of Optra reminded me of that car. Well sue me for saying that, but I was convinced that I am getting a poor man's Merc.

My son told me that the music system is very old fashioned with no blue tooth and USB connectivity. I said so what? If I want to listen to music I would do it at home. Look at the ride quality due to independent suspension. It also has ABS and airbags.

The horn buttons are smallish and you have to hunt for them. So what it is matter of getting used to. Look at the specious seats in leather. Look at the faux wooden accents in the cabin. Look at the excellent cabin insulation. Nobody sitting inside can imagine that the vehicle is diesel. The cabin is totally vibration free.

The only thing that surprises me is why the kind product managers of Chevy want to hush up this car? Probably they want to push Cruze, which is a phenomenal car but in a different price bracket.

So undeterred by my son and son in law I went ahead and booked the car.

Now it is almost a month. I held on writing the review till I got to know the ‘beast’ quite well. I must say that the three cars that I bought delivered more than what I paid for them, Maruti Esteem, Honda City and now Chevy Optra.

Because of the independent suspension the ride quality is smoothest of the cars I listed. The air conditioner meets all the demands that Pune weather can place on it. Even when you switch the A/C on in the middle of a steep incline, there is no hiccough like other under powered cars. On the highway there is never any need to downshift to either accelerate or to overtake. People have talked about the turbo lag, but for me that is hardly noticeable. Other than cars like Superbs or Mercs nothing, nothing can leave this car behind. The monstrous SUVs are also frustrated considering the weight to power ratio.

In city I could hardly ever drive the Optra in the 4th or the 5th gear, that is something that was possible in Honda City. Their gear ratios are just optimum for city driving like the name suggests. When driving on the highway I never felt any need for additional power. I never had to think twice before accelerating as there is always reserve power.

The headlights are just adequate. For a car of this class, Xenon lamps would have been super.

There are no rear seat vents as Vento has but the cooling is so impeccable, I never missed the rear vents.

The front seat adjustments are such that I get excellent lumber support. The driving posture gives good road visibility even though the car is low slung. While driving one has to make adjustment for the looong bonnet of the car.

The A beam does not occlude the visibility in the ghat section. I drove to Baramati in full sun amidst heavy traffic. Never felt like a business drive but like a pleasure jaunt. I could get an average of about 15 kmpl with A/C on all the time.

There are no niggles that I experienced in the car so far. Cabin insulation is excellent.

What can I write more? Now my son and my daughter are contrite souls. They now grudgingly admit that the old man was right.

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My Optra Magnum Diesel has completed 3 years. I was facing slight jerk while applying break and gave the car to an authorized service center. They checked it, repaired something and returned it saying that it is perfect now. However, after around 10 days the steering failed while I was driving the car. I and a pedestrian survived of what could have been a fatal accident. The car was towed away by GM helpline.

Now the regional service head of the company says that it might have happened due to some pot holes or extreme turning movement by you, your warranty period is over so we are not responsible.

I live in Mumbai and am not sure which city in India has no pot holes on the road. and do you know anyone in Mumbai who does not use extreme turning on city roads?

There is some problem with the breaking system and steering of the car, even earlier I had to change all the tyres because they got damaged due to some mechanical failure in steering and alignment, incidently even at that time the car was just back from the service.

My car has impeccable service record and is well maintained, I also paid more than 35, 000/ that GM charges to service the car after completing 36 months. However, it looks GM-India looks the other way after the first 3 years of warranty are over. Where is the Chevrolet promise?

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I bought the 2.0LS in March, 2011. I have clocked about 4500KMS and my first 5K service is due next month.

After a lot of deliberation, checking Fiesta, Linena & Accent, I narrowed down to this - style wise, value wise & money wise and I have not yet got a chance to regret about the decision. Just then was the SX4 Diesel was also getting launched, but I ran away kms after checking the interiors of the car, probably I was expecting more. I am 6.1 and to my height in the rear and driver seat, I find it really comfortable to sit.

Anyways, like everyone's observations, I am extremely pleased with the car. The first 1000kms I found that at 2nd gear the car wont move. In the 1K Reassurance checkup, I checked with the technician about the correct speed-RPM-gear change equation. He pointed that, if I will be perfectly good, if I change gears at near 1900-2000RMP. While following the advice, I noticed that in 2nd gr @ 1900RPM reaches 35-40km speed on the odometer - good to change to 3rd gr, 3gr @ 1900 reaches 50-60km - again good to change the gear to 4, and @ 1900 reaches 80km - good for 5th gr. This worked out very well, exteremly good control, no knocks, nor large turbo lag and above all a good KMPL - I am getting anywhere between 12.5 to 13 on a full tank.

Earlier I was driving a petrol car and this learning was important for me to control this beast.

On the HW, I had did Bangalore - Bellary. Did hit 170 on the Blr-Anatapur HW. Did not feel the speed that I was driving until at 170 heavy when wheel noise inside the cabin forced me to deaccelerate. The noise is really heavy, it was like sitting in a plane at 35000ft - infact louder than that and I got about 17KMPL for the entire travel. Its was an amazing ride I experienced @ high speeds - to have a good brake/steering/turning control. I was really pleased with my decision. I have no complains on the cars behaviour/control in Blr city conditions, just that I am not able to rev it up, with so many many speed breakers all thro the city, even late night drive I can hit 100.

However, I find the vechile drifts to one side of the road and it requires some extra attention. I did check this on one another car and it too seemed to have the same probs.The owner of that car said it was due to wheel alignment problem, I was not ready to agree to it. I did report this to the dealer, but he too has brushed this off, saying its due to road slant. The reason why I feel hard to agree is, I did not find this prob in my previous car(Indica-Petrol) on the same roads. I will check this with GM and update.

Apart from this I have no complaints. I wish they could have illuminated the car audio system controls and the added a bit more electronics in a better way - seems very naive.

If you are planing to get a car check this one - LS @ 9.85 on-road, Blr this is a far better value for money.

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I bought some where around in the month of May'2010 Chevrolet Optra Magnum LT petrol version with lot of excitement. My excitement din't last much time as the Air conditioning and Breaks started giving trouble. Air conditioners, during long drive, after around 4 hours of continuous running are not working and we need to stop the car for some time and restart.

Major area of concern is breaking system. The breaks fail to work when the Car is at 100 kmph speed. This makes me so worry and I dont know what to do. This is despite the service attended the complaint. I suspect there might be a design issue in failure of breaks it might be a perinial problem. Guys, some one can help me get rid of this issue?

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My parents bought this car after nearly a month of scouting....Now, both of them are not avid car lovers but t it was the classy look of the Optra Magnum that clinched the deal for them...The Honda city looks good too..but it somehow lacks the class that the optra has. Though I did not personally test drive the car, I rooted for this car after reading the reviews here...

And finally when I did go to my hometown and drove the car, it was an absolute pleasure..I took it for a long drive on NH5 and it just zoomed on the highway...I was given a strict orders by my parents not to drive at speeds over 70-75KMPH...but once u start driving this car, u can never check urself...110 and 120 seem lik 60 on this car...The only bad part is the fuel efficiency...It hardly gave me 12-13 kmpl even on highways...but that was before even it reached a 1000kms...So probably after the 1st service, the mileage should go up...

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I was a little bit disappointed with Chevrolet Optra Magnum drive train. I did test drive on necklace road , Hyderabad for a full half an hour sometime in the month of November

13th , 2010 if I remember it correctly.

I was sitting with my wife, daughter and a showroom driver, show room sales guy.

I switched on A/C though it was not necessary because I wanted to see the power of engine when A.C was on and working.

The test driving was also done by my daughter who is a professional architect. All on the same necklace road at the same time.

The car was brought to our house, in Somajiguda by car dealer Orange motors for test drive.

It was a very new car, the seats are very plush, with excellent leather. The interior gives an immediate luxury sedan feeling and put you at ease and make you feel proud.

When you start the motor, the sound is almost negligible or you don't hear it. I had even stopped the car on the sideby necklace road and opened the bonet. The sound for such a big diesel engine is very smooth and not very much audible under the hood.

How I tested it?

I tested the car pick up by suddenly slowing down in a gear and then shifting to an upward gear.

My experience is this.

It has a heavy turbo lag which was to me very unaccepetable.

I had suddenly slowed down in second gear and put the car in third gear.

I pressed the accelarater. It was good, it picked up in third, it did not make me wait or irritate me at all.

Then I increased and immediately slowed in third gear and shifted the gear to fourth .

Believe me , when I declare this. I found it very irritating because , it did not pick up speed , inspite of me pushing the accelarator down. It took quite sometime, and slowly picked up.

In real situation of an opportunity to overtake , you would find losing such an opportunity. You would

resign from overtaking and shall have to be contented with running behind a bus or truck for example.

I had increased the speed in fourth gear and suddenly slowed only to put the gear in to fifth and final gear.

It took very long time even to gain any respectable speed. I pushed the accelarator to the bottom and held it there under my feet , without fear of its power.

The time it had taken to pick up from such a low speed of 40kmph is very long and very boring as well.

I could not stop from camparing it with Fiat Linea , which I had test driven on the same road just a few hours ago. Fiat Linea was far better , in this type of test and comparison.

I would like to write separate review on Fiat Linea test drive but here I can say that in the same conditions and test described as far, the Linea picked up from 3rd to 4th instantly , though sound of the engine was a little bit audible.

Linea also had takan sometime to pick up from 40 kmph in fith gear but very clearly it was much faster when compared to Chevrle Optra Magnum diesel.

There is difinetely a knocking when the car is slowed down to 30kmph in fifth gear , and when foot is taken away from clutch pedal.

When Linea was tested in the same manner , there was no knocking of the engine, at 30kmph in fifth gear it went on without complaining at all when feet is taken from all, clutch, brake and accelarator.

At 40 kmph I put Linea in fifth gear and took my feet off the clutch as well as accelarator.

The car slowly picked up speed and the speedometer needle moved slowly from 40 to 50 to 60 and then it picked up speed very fast even I did not even touch the accelarator.

Linea's engine tuning seemed to me far better than Optra Magnum.

There is one more big negative which finally put off our plan to buy Magnum.

That is body roll. When I sat in the back seat, I had instinctively leaned on the door armrest

and even did held on to handle on the ceiling above the door. The body is roll is quite high and obvious.

Some people like my wife, can get vomiting sensation. My daughter , after driving optra magnum for half-an hour got serious headache.

Another negative is a/c vents gave a high noise of air flowing.

So we decided never to buy Magnum.

The positives are it has a very smooth ride, smooth engine and classy interiors giving you a feeling of sitting in a Mercedes Benz. But for this leather and except nothing , we have to pay Rs.One lakh more for Magnum than Linea.

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I had bought this car, Magnum Diesel LT on 6th April 2008, now its 2 years 50000 km and I must say one thing, take in the car for a service every 5000 kms, take any car for that matter, and this car is a beast, I have touched 190 Km, and its a rocket that gives average, power is too much and one can handle on roads, turning at 150 on a highway is stable, and great handling, fully featured car at a reasonable  price, cabin space is like a bed room.

Support from my dealer is great, but one must demand that from the dealer, as thats a birth right, i would recommend minimum a magnum diesel to all, I was the first cleint to drive Cruz in the Factory, and its a great car too, but no experience on Mumbai traffic as yet, but Magnum is a 9mm Magnum, its a bullet, a rocket, UFO. Buy it always.

Never say a no to magnum, its a car REDEFINED

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I bought the Optra Magnum Petrol this year in january, The car is purely executive class car, with lot of comfirt for the passenger as well as the driver.

The Car is Value for money, it's really spacious and has got good leg room too. The Engine is very smooth. The interiors are very decent(No jazzy looks)

I had option of Honda City New model(fully loaded) as both cars were costing 9.43 Lakhs, The City is 1500 CC compared to 1600CC Optra. Additionally General Motors offers huge cash discount(Approx 65K), where Honda clearly told me that they cannot offer me anything as they are launching new car. This statement clearly states Honda has raised the price just because of it's Brand Name.

Performance:

Ride quality is very smooth.

Engine is very much silent.

Stable at high speed

Gear shifting is not as smooth as expected(Compared to Daewoo Matiz)

Less pickup compared to Hyundai Verna 1600CC, but it's not a racer's car so that's fine. However you can definitely expect high speed with no vibrations.

Company Fitted stereo has got only CD/MP3 option and no USB which is there in all latest players

Do not expect a good fuel economy when buying such a big sedan, but still I can get 13-14 kmpl on Mumbai - Pune Express highway while cruising at 140 Km/h speed.

Some Facts for those who think buying US based auto manufacturer's car is not a good option.

Chevrolet Optra was orginally designed in Korea and it was renamed by GM from it's original name Daewoo Lacetti with few modifications.

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A few months ago- In June 2009 to precise - I decided I need to replace my old warhorse Scorpio 2.6 Turbo (it was getting on to 6 years).

So I started doing the usual rounds of Test drives and I settled on one of either Honda Civic, Corolla Altis or the Optra Magnum.

What impressed me most in the test drive was the pickup- This car was miles ahead of any other car in its class. That coupled with the legroom at the back and the solid Thud the doors gave when closed were the final clinchers.

Its been three months of absolute driving bliss with my new Chevy Optra Magnum 2.0LT diesel- sparkling diamond colour.

The Engine can barely be heard inside the car. The interior has leather seat covers and is of good quality- but could be better, I guess- it did not have the same feel as the Skoda Superb I test drove.

But the comfort level is high and thats what matters. It took a bit of adjusting though. The low seating is way different from the high altitudes of the scorpio. Too, the indicators and Wiper controls are opposite to the settings on the Scorpio (Indicators on the left of the wheel). The clearances are less than what you find on honda City- so you need to be slow over the speed breakers

Long drives are not tiring. Its a drivers car. The seats are adjustable. Both Mirrors can be adjusted from the inside. The Goggles holder is a necessary addition.

The Automatic climate controlis superb. No complaints.

The 6-cd changer Stereosystem Sound is just about OK- nothing to rave about- but does not jar either. The stereo console lacks a remote- a big minus, since my kids need the songs changed every minute. The console is also custom made for Chevy. I am not sure it can be replace by a normal stereo console. Too, there is no USB port. Hello...? Even the basic Audio systems have a USB port now.

Lots of Boot space. The back seat folds in to join up with the Booty- if more spce is required.

The Engine gives me about 12.8 to 13 kmph mileage in the city. On my trips to pune, I have got 15.5kmph, which is getting better all the time. The fuel tank has a 65 litre capacity. Wow!

I got a good deal from Nikhil Automobiles in Navi Mumbai. The model was a Dec 2008 model - so I wrangled a 1 Lac discount. It eventually cost be 9.3 Lacs ex-showroom and a final price of 10.8L on the Road. The three year free service was a bonus.

I would have liked the car to come with a rear parking sensor. I got one fitted anyway.

All in all- A fantastic car- thats very badly marketed by Chevrolet.

Update: 23rd Nov 2009

Completed 10000 Km on this car. On my drives to Pune, I get 17.5 km to the litre- which is the rated mileage. In the city, its still 13-13.5 kmph and I am hoping it will improve after the service. The Low clearance is bummer in Navi Mumbai, where the speed breakers are more like Car breakers.

Driving is such a pleasure. Sigh!

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I bought Magnum 1.6 LT last month. Though only clocked 1500 yet, but the car is really a beauty. It eats miles like anything...i drove at 120 at Mumbai-Nashik road, an dit was really stable at this speed, you dont feel like you are driveing at 120 kmph.

One thing I am sure none of the magnum owners  must have tried - I folded the real seats and turned the boot and rear seat space into a bed, and spread a thick quilt on it,  for my kids. Even after putting 4 strolly bags in boot, my 2 kids could easily sleep on the so-called-bed made for them.

And they really had a 3 hours nice sleep at rear. I think families with kids should use this option for long drives..Though I am not happy on the average part. I got 7 KMPL, but I was told that it will increase as I near 5000 Kms

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I bought an Optra Magnum LS 2.0 TCDi about 6 months back and have driven it for 6500 Kms now. Experience so far has been simply great. It feels great sitting in its huge cabin taking control of its well built and simple interiors.

The car, I would say, unlike many others is both a driver's and the co-passenger's delight. Talk of driving, the pick up is simply supreme with its 121 BHP engine. Having upgraded from an esteem and a spark this level of pick up seems to me a great utility on Indian roads wile overtaking as the traffic is usually uncertain and indisciplined. The powerful feeling that you get on throttling the engine is like no others - not even a civic or a corolla !

The fuel economy is around 15 KMPL on diesel which is quiet okay for such a heavy car and so much of the space around.The space inside is a sheer pleasure and even 5 are seated with a respectable luxury inside with no compromise on the comfort and power / pick up with AC on.

Yes, the gear box sounds a bit rough sometimes but takes it all smoothly. Also, being new to usage of Diesel engines, it sometimes seems to inherit a few vibrations and sounds here and there.But, overall a great vehicle and an absolute value for each ruppee spent. Moreso the same comes at quiet an affordable price if you are looking to enter the D segment.

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Folks, I would like to put one very important point before anyone goes and buy a car. The Recurring cost of maintenance that needs to be done and How good the Customer or Dealer Service is.

It should be very well thought about and talked about with dealer may be write about. Its a regular business norm that people try to upsell and later just takes the hand off. And shows like there don't care after they have made the sale.

My dealer is from Nagpur and I'm not having even the ok service from him. They work on the basis of monopoly in a purely non competitive way. I've been ask to come at the dealership many time even for smallest things to replace.

But they don't take into consideration that I'm leaving 200km away from Nagpur and its not feasible to take the car for small repairs. Note to dealer, Come'on be smart and more customer focused. I'm not saying not to buy the car but to look for the dealer and how good he gives service and maintains the contacts.

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I bought new Optra magnum LS (2.0 TDI) in Oct'2008. I think it is a good car with a very powerful engine along with decent fuel economy. But here is the downside. When the car was delivered to me it had a prob with the wheel alignment. I returned it to the showroom the next day (Nikhil automoble, Navi Mumbai).

They kept the car for 2 days and returned it to me on the 3rd day saying everything was alright. But when I drove the car I found exactly the same problem again (car was pulling to left side). Again I went to the service centre and they apologised to me and again kept the car with them for 1 day. Next day again they called and told me problem was solved. When I took a test drive with their mechanic I found this time the car still had the same problem but now it was pulling to right side.

The mechanic told me it was because of the road on which we were driving was not horizontal and that on good road I will not have any problem. It took their word for it but found that there was still problem. In past 6 to 7 months I have got the wheel alignment done 4 times but the problem is still there. At last the service center told me that it is problem with the model itself and cannot be solved. Also at high speeds (above 150 kmph) a peculiar sound is heard from the front left side of the car which discourages you to speed up further. The steering wheel also feels quite light at high speeds which is not so good with safety point of view.

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Alright. I'm a person who would research enough before investing into anything. that holds good for my 3K DVD player and 1K Mp3 player as well!:)

Let me tell you the story that kinda went on for close to 4 months before I purchased Oprta and what made me go for this beauty.

I wanted to upgrade from my ageing Zen to a more bigger car. The following were the cars I considered. and I was particular about fuel effeciency and Power - Yeah, I know they both are far extreme. but as a buyer I wanted the best of both worlds.

1. Linea

   
   




2. Fiesta

   
   




3. Verna

   
   




4. Scorpio

   
   




5. Optra

   
   




6. Octavia

   
   




7. SX4.

   
   




8. Xylo(more recently)

   
   




9. Logan

   
   




10. Honda City iVtec

    
    

I had a budget of 10Lacs for the new car and started my research.

I quickly dropped Logan(Boxy looks, No boot release, moreover it has become a standard Cab option), Octavia(Expensive Spares - Bumper costs 50K! and not worth 12 Lacs+ it's a decade old model) from my hunt-list.

So I was left with Linea, Fiesta, Verna, Scorpio, Oprtra, SX4, Xylo and Honda City. started taking test drives of each. one on every weekend.

Again dropped the following cars - 2nd round of elimination

Linea - sluggish engine, TATA dealers are not friendly to Fiat customers.

Fiesta - Diesel wasn't powerful and it's kinda getting aged too soon.

SX4 - Poor Mileage though it was excellent on Space and goodies. I would have gone for SX4 provided it's mileage was 10+ in city.

XYLO - Cheap and cheap and cheap. thats all you feel when you sit inside. Air circulation is very poor with AC, all the goodies are made of 3rd grade plastics, Music system was horrible, Rolling was too much. though it had excellent power and reasonably good mileage.

Now, I had to choose between Optra, Honda City, Verna and Scorpio.

Scorpio

GOOD - Great power, Muscular Looks, Good road presence, Reasonable mileage, Excellent resale value, refined engine.

BAD - No Luggage space, 2nd and 3rd rows are cramped, Engine Noise, Far away from comfortable Ride.

Honda City:-

GOOD - Everything. killer looks. Amazing Brand value, great dealer service, Excellent refinement in all aspects.

BAD - Too expensive. No goodies. Mileage isn't great if you push beyond 80KMph.

*Verna:

*GOOD - I liked it's unique design with small boot, POWER, Excellent finish.

BAD - I got a bigger budget and wanted to explore Optra as well.

Finally OPRTA MAGNUM Diesel variant

GOOD- EXTRAORDINARY POWER - thanks to it's massive torgue. EXCELLENT MILEAGE, RICH INTERIORS, BIG BOOT SPACE, EXCELLENT REAR LEG ROOM, POWERFUL AC SYSTEM, CLASS BEATING VALUE FOR MONEY, 3 year service plan by GM is a killer deal, CANTAKE ON OCTAVIAS AND CIVICS.

BAD - DEALER, LOOKS AREN'T EXCITING. THATS IT.

I was thoroughly overwhelmed with it's Pickup and power on highways. It can overtake literally any vehicle under 20Lacs range in India. and it's ride is too comfortable - thanks to all 4 wheels independent suspensions.

it's drive in traffic isn't bad either, I was able to comedown from 80KMph to 20KMph in 3rd gear without needing to change the gears.

No body rolling. Car stays stuck to road at 170KMPh. Sterring doesn't vibrate upto 182KMph. thats the max I could touch on Bangalore-Krishnagiri highway.

ground clearance isn't as massive as SX4 but it's good enough for bangalore bumps. You feel safe with dual airbags and ABS.

Excellent Braking. I was able to stop the car within 20 mts from 120Kmph to 0Kmph and the Car didn't Jerk or anything. it's stayed in it's line and lane.

Though my budget was 10K, I stretched it by 1 Lakh to go for a fully loaded Optra Magnum LT 2.0

Now I'm enjoying my drive thoroughly. all those other cars feels really under-powered when I pass them.

Optra is one the most underrated cars in India - Though it has everything that an indian consumer would look for in 10Lacs range, it still couldn't make its presence felt.

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After studying, reading reviews and comparing cars I finally chose to buy a Cheverlet Magnum LT, white colour.

Being a top end model, it has most of the basic features.

The car is good, But Unfortunately I landed up in a manufacturing defect of tyre and the trouble began.

The problem is that car vowels at low speed of 30-40kmph(this started at 2000km)

I first checked the alignment and balancing but it didn’t worked so I registered complaint to the dealer.

Later came to know that this is a problem of Goodyear tyre.

So the respective engineer checked the tyres 2 times, when I was asked to bring the vehicle to the service station.

All in vein.

The service station is 100km from my place and I am asked to bring the vehicle again and again for checking.

Once I sent the vehicle and the engineer didn’t turn up.

No one is bothered to take care and you feel angry after paying 11.75lacs.

Or otherwise the car is good.

Good Points:

Good exterior. Leather upholstery. Excellent power and pick-up.

Bad Points:

Noisy engine at low speeds. service support! lack of 6th gear.

This is a big drawback. Company should have provided 6th Gear. At 140 car is at 3000rpm and I don’t feel like stretching it further.(My Scoda Laura instead catches up 160 to 180 easily because of the 6th Gear.)

.

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I am Sivashankar from Tamilnadu. I Purchased My New Optra Magnum Diesel(LT Model) on October 2007. I have also given the 2 start(**) rating as JD Asia pacific Customer.

Now my car passed 35000kms till date(1/9/2008).  On 27th August, 2008 I just parked my car in a place and went to a shop, came back in few min's and started my car. The car did not start. I tried three four time nothing happened.

Immediately I called the Coimbatore GM service center regarding this issue. They said the Diesel Pump failed to pump the fuel to the engine as it has become heat, you need to wait for 10/15 min the pump will cool down and then you can start. The same way it happened the car started. The GM service person assured they will replace the Fuel pump with a new one in warranty. Still the pump has not changed. They say the pump has to come, they don't have it in Stock.

Till 1/9/2008 morning I dint come across the same problem by 12.00pm when I was passing the city the same thing happened that to I was in driving. As the engine stopped I could not even stear the car to move to the corner of the road as the Hydraulic pump requires engine  support to operate. I was very badly put in  deep trouble in the public.

The American GM-General Motors getting Rs.1000000/- and making the Indian Customers to suffer to this extreme end is very bad to say. What GM is going to do for this. Even if they replace the faulty component now, what is the assurance that this will not happen again after 30000kms again.

Latter I came to know, this not only in my car, An Optra Magnum Diesel with a driving Kms of 17000kms also faced the same complaint.

Is it the "?" situation of the one who buy the GM Optar Magnum Diesel.

I am preparing list of in issue in the Optra Magnum which I will plant to submit it to the company and to the Public which holds some 60 pages.

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I have just purchased an Optra Magnum and much to my surprise infact the surprise of anyone buying a new car, I had to pay for my 1st Service. You heard it right the dealer got me stuck saying that the car had not been purchased from here and therefore I cannot service it for you. I tried convincing but I failed and despite my various calls to GM India it failed to find a solution and I had to ultimately pay and get back my car. My Ac is not working and there is a bulge in my tyre to add to my woes.

They just dont seem to bother and I have no clue why are they in Business if they cant take care of thier customers. After spending over 9 lac I was aghasted with GM. Friends dont ever buy a GM car if you want to be happy after purchasing the car. The product is good but you need support throughout the lifetime of the car which this company is not capable of doing.

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I was impressed by the specifications of the Optra Magnum Diesel 2.0.

On paper it showed 121 PS and all kinds of amazing specifications.

Hence, when I decided to upgrade from my Wagon R Premea to a larger

car, I set my sights on the Magnum.

I had already read a lot of

horror stories of GM and their customer(un)friendliness but then there

is the medal that went to GM. I thought maybe GM was not that bad after

all.

I booked a test drive on their website and sure enough got

a call from Bangalore that the local dealer would be notified & I

would be given a test drive. The same was scheduled for a Saturday

10:30am. I stay in Dwarka, New Delhi and there is a dealer about 3 Km

from my residence. The Saturday came & went, no call, & no test

drive car arrived. I did not give much thought to it and booked another

test drive on the website, another test drive was booked for the

following Saturday 11:30am. No test drive arrived this time too.

This happened 4 times

in a row, so I complained on the Chervolet website. Somebody called from

Bangalore & apologised, another test drive was scheduled for today

(16.08.08) 11:30 am by Auto Vikas, Moti Bag, New Delhi. Again, nobody arrived to give the test drive. I

complained again, and this time the guy had to say that this is the

first time they have registered a request from my side, with a

complaint that I have already requested for a test drive and not got

one! So he'll try to do do something on Monday.

Friends, all of

you who either choose to own a Chervolet or who have one, is this

something of a routine types behaviour from GM? Do they sincerely

believe in not selling their cars, then why all the advertisements

& where did the medal come from? After all this I'm seriously

considering not buying any Chervolet car ever, Honda Civic looks like a

better option to me.

THIS IS AN UPDATE:

After all this happened, I posted another request on the Chervolet website and another test drive was scheduled for 23rd August at 11:30am by dealer Auto Vikas, Moti Bag, New Delhi. Nobody turned up with the car! Mind you the response call had come directly come from GM office and then the lead was handed over to the Moti Bag dealer, New Delhi.

Next test drive was scheduled for the 31st from the same dealer, and this time the car arrived. After test driving the car I was very impressed. It was very hard to believe I was driving a diesel car, it gave the feeling of a petrol car, complete up till low engine noise & very quiet cabin. The factory fitted speakers are pathetic quality(local types) though the player console of the 6 CD changer looks impressive with all contoured buttons. The shock absorbers are simply mindblowing. The build quality felt good, the driving was very controlled, cornering good, road grip almost exceptional.

After the test ride, I told the sales rep. that as an prganisation we are looking at 20 cars in the next month, so kindly send me a quote in my official email, so that I can forward the same to Admin Dept. and they can take it forward with you. Till date there is no quote in my mail. Simply put, either the Moti Bag dealer or the promotor of the product in india does not want the car to sell.

The car is a wonderful product and priced correct also. It's a value for money car. But, beware of GM. Chervolet has made a very good car in the Magnum but GM is destroying the image of Chervolet in India. From my experience, I've decided not to purchase a Chervolet. I'm going in for a different car.

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