Exalta Grandeur 03 or City type Z 01?

[arkiyore]

Guys, 'Would be very glad if you can help me out.

We're planning to buy our first car, pero 180k max lang ang budget. We are leaning towards the mentioned choices. Pero di kami masyado familiar with cars. Ang main concern namin is fuel efficiency and availability of parts and syempre cheaper parts sana. Prefer ng wife ko is AT. First time driver kasi sya and natatakot pa kasi talaga sya mag drive ng manual. Everyday service lang naman and occasional out of towns. Di naman namin prefer ang mabilis na car. We're not into hardcore car enthusiast, but ofcourse we want to keep the car well maintained kahit 2nd hand na namin kukunin.

Salamat po sa mga mag aadvise!

[vinj]

Between the two, i'd go with the Exalta. Bigger and beefier car; 1.6L, body is more solid, nicer interior, etc.The City however will have an edge on fuel consumption I would believe. The problem you'll face really is finding a vehicle in good condition so you also have to set aside another 30K or so just for a general service and repairs.

[arkiyore]

Thank you Sir for the advise. Actually I only estimated 20K for possible repairs and conditioning. Hope to find a really good consition unit.

[1D4LV]

exalta will be the better choice here, except perhaps on the fuel consumption aspect.

[arkiyore]

Thanks! Do you have any idea how bad the fuel consumption of the exalta? some says it can go 9-10km/l on city driving. is this info accurate? very much interested to know. 'hope someone can give insights.

[tr1ck5h07]

City driving would be closer to 7 km per liter. Especially in Makati traffic

[1D4LV]

Thanks! Do you have any idea how bad the fuel consumption of the exalta? some says it can go 9-10km/l on city driving. is this info accurate? very much interested to know. 'hope someone can give insights.

my bro in law has one.... matic.
averages 8 kpl, city, 10 kpl, highway.

[basti08]

Go for the Exalta because although it consumes more fuel, it is bigger and safer for having airbag and ABS, important lalo for novice drivers. The City has NO airbag and ABS. And the Exalta has more features than the City. You get more car for your 180K. Parts are abundant too.

[arkiyore]

my bro in law has one.... matic.
averages 8 kpl, city, 10 kpl, highway.

Ah, thanks! That's not bad at all for an AT right?

How's the performance of his car? Does this model has costly maintenance and spare parts? compared to honda/toyota?

Sorry for too many questions. I actually prefer honda but my wife really likes the looks of the exalta. :-)

[arkiyore]

Go for the Exalta because although it consumes more fuel, it is bigger and safer for having airbag and ABS, important lalo for novice drivers. The City has NO airbag and ABS. And the Exalta has more features than the City. You get more car for your 180K. Parts are abundant too.

Thanks! Nice to hear this. I think I will be going for Exalta.

[1D4LV]

Ah, thanks! That's not bad at all for an AT right?

How's the performance of his car? Does this model has costly maintenance and spare parts? compared to honda/toyota?

Sorry for too many questions. I actually prefer honda but my wife really likes the looks of the exalta. :-)

the performance is good daw....
nope, maintenance is really reasonable.... parts are sufficient.

[vinj]

I used to own a 2001 Sentra Exalta Grandeur:
- Performance is quite good (even with no mods, kayang-kaya niya ang 180kph on a flat highway... which is it's speed limited top speed).
- FC was around 7.5 to 8+lkm/L in the city and around 11km/L on the highway.
- Suspension is soft and the car has good insulation. Problems is that the suspension is too soft that when your shocks are old/soft already, there is a tendency for the rear to bottom out at road humps, dips or climbs.
- The engine Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor should be cleaned with electric contact cleaner every 10,000kms or so (not that hard as long as you have the proper hex screw/wrench); it's sensitive to dirt so when the MAF is dirty, engine response at the higher rpm range is noticeably nonexistent (hirap) and you'll encounter engine detonation or tope. you might encounter this with some units you test drive so it's good to know that it's a simple fix.
- The weakness of this model was that the power door lock actuators and antenna were easily broken.

As for the City; i find that model just too plasticky and thin when i look at the build and finish. The 1.5L VTEC models were fast and peppy though, if i recall correctly.

Keep your options open and test drive several units of both the City and Exalta. Go with what you feel would be the best for you and your wife.

[Egan101]

What specific model of the Exalta Grandeur are you looking at? There were 2 GS models introduced - the Exalta Grandeur with the Panasonic pop-up VCD player plus leather seats and the Exalta Grandeur Superio with the moonroof plus soft clothe seats. Both models have the QG16 engine mated to a 4AT tranny plus a whole bunch of safety features like ABS, airbags, etc. Please take note that Nissan recommends 95RON fuel for the QG16 engine.

My old ride was a Exalta Grandeur Superio. It was doing about 8 km/L on city driving conditions and about 12 km/L on the highway. It has a comfort-oriented ride and a stable cruiser on the highway. Don't expect a zippy drive with the N16 chassis as this is a bit heavy for a compact. The QG16 does offer good low-end torque (below 2k rpm) to get that heavy chassis to cruising speed. The Exalta Grandeur series has good insulation and it serves well on long highway drives or if you are into car audio, the additional cushioning inside the doors help eliminate unwanted vibrations on speaker installations. The car is quite stable even at high speeds (as stated by vinj above) but be sure to use good tires.

Another major concern for this chassis is its propensity to eat front suspension bushings. The heavy body puts a good amount of stress on the front suspension that you need to check it every 6 months when used within Metro Manila conditions. Make sure to test drive the car and open the windows to hear the metalllic noises from the front as the car's insulation can hide the sounds sometimes. Though this concern can easily be attended to with a constant checkup routine with a good suspension shop like Cruven or Zee.

[vinj]

^ i personally like the GS Superio model (moonroof) over the Grandeur. We had the Grandeur and the LCD TV display started to malfunction after several years. the only mods we had was an K&N intake and 15 inch rims on 195/55R15 tyres.

[arkiyore]

the vcd and/or the moonroof is actually not important to me. i'd prefer none of these features. i think 03 models doesn't have these anymore. I might be wrong.

thanks for the replies guys. really appreciate it!

[Egan101]

I miss the moonroof/sunroof of my Exalta. The glass on the roof has a built-in shade and internal matting. I like the amount of sunlight it allows to come in but not much of the heat. Another thing, the Exalta Grandeur has auto climate control so make sure to check the controls and temperature settings are working.

[mda_]

Thanks! Nice to hear this. I think I will be going for Exalta.

try to look for the 1.6 a/t models without the LCD screen/ electronic borloloy. they probably won't be working anymore anyway. maybe it's just me but it's annoying to have these things tapos useless rin.

sold mine a few years ago and i think it's a pretty good car.

[arkiyore]

try to look for the 1.6 a/t models without the LCD screen/ electronic borloloy. they probably won't be working anymore anyway. maybe it's just me but it's annoying to have these things tapos useless rin.

sold mine a few years ago and i think it's a pretty good car.

noted on this! thanks!

if ever i got one with these features still working, i'm afraid it won't last long. so its ok not to have these na lang.

[Egan101]

If they do work, you won't have use for them anymore. These electronics were still in the VCD era. It will be much better to take them out and replace them with better/newer car audio players with DVD, USB, Bluetooth, and SD capability.

[arkiyore]

If they do work, you won't have use for them anymore. These electronics were still in the VCD era. It will be much better to take them out and replace them with better/newer car audio players with DVD, USB, Bluetooth, and SD capability.

Exactly! I hope to get a good deal soon. I'll give feedbacks later para din sa iba na interested kumuha nito.