Chana Benni

[drey]

Suzuki Alto?! Then pimp it out nalang... hehehe...

Or wait for the Hyundai i10 with it's 5 year/100,000 warranty and at the same price or competitively with the Benni... Choices gets tougher. But the i10 is already a good choice. Hyundai has been insanely optimistic these years... There's no doubt that their cars are safe, comfortable, fuel efficient and most of all reliable. Oh, the service centers are always there to serve you too!

If HARI speced the i10 properly. At least with Side Impact beams, ABS and driver-side airbag... It's going to be a real bargain and it'll win your heart in a just one beat.

[elemental]

Or wait for the Hyundai i10 with it's 5 year/100,000 warranty and at the same price or competitively with the Benni... Choices gets tougher. But the i10 is already a good choice. Hyundai has been insanely optimistic these years... There's no doubt that their cars are safe, comfortable, fuel efficient and most of all reliable. Oh, the service centers are always there to serve you too!

If HARI speced the i10 properly. At least with Side Impact beams, ABS and driver-side airbag... It's going to be a real bargain and it'll win your heart in a just one beat.

uuyyy, with this kind of optimism coming from you, probably it would be better to wait for the i10. Then again when will this materialize "the coming of the i10" search ko din sa net ito thanks

[drey]

You can also visit the i10 thread for this one. It's under the Hyundai Forum in Car Talk.

[JJCarEnthusiast]

i heard the base model of i10 is priced 420k. not bad..

[elemental]

huwaooow, ganda pala! the i10 might probably be worth the wait comparing this with the Benny but the Benny still has the advantage of horsepower. anyway, i'll wait and see na lang muna.

[Vincevill]

I went to test drive the chana benni earlier today. I would just like to share my experience with it, note that I drive a '98 Mits Lancer GLXI and a '96 Honda Accord VTI.

The good:
A real looker, great paint job.
Price - 438K
ABS, EBD, Airbag, Keyless Entry, Rear wiper, Aluminum Alloy Wheels
cool aircon
Good Acceleration/Braking
Roomy Interior - Rivals Jazz

The bad:
The interior feels cheap so does the radio
the clutch kept on sticking, uneven pressure on the clutch - hard to get a grasp of
the rear latch does not automatically lock - you have to manually lock and unlock the rear hatch. You could easily forget to do this since we are all used to closing hatch and by default it locks.

My conclusion:
Its as good or better than the Picanto or Getz for the exterior looks, but when you get inside the tables are turned, but with all its bells and whistles the Chana Benni is still good value for money, given that they are able to address the latch problem and implement a better clutch.

[JJCarEnthusiast]

some entry level hatchbacks doesn't include the hatch in power locks.. like the alto maybe you can place actuator motor in the hatch for it to be locked when you lock the driver's door..

[G01]

Chana Benni Engine posted by Overboost:


My Swift's 1.3 Engine:


My 2005 Swift is still running like new so I believe the Suzuki engine is good. The liftgate of my Swift doesn't lock also. It automatically locks when the central door lock button is pressed.

[overboost]

I went to test drive the chana benni earlier today. I would just like to share my experience with it, note that I drive a '98 Mits Lancer GLXI and a '96 Honda Accord VTI.

The good:
A real looker, great paint job.
Price - 438K
ABS, EBD, Airbag, Keyless Entry, Rear wiper, Aluminum Alloy Wheels
cool aircon
Good Acceleration/Braking
Roomy Interior - Rivals Jazz

The bad:
The interior feels cheap so does the radio
the clutch kept on sticking, uneven pressure on the clutch - hard to get a grasp of
the rear latch does not automatically lock - you have to manually lock and unlock the rear hatch. You could easily forget to do this since we are all used to closing hatch and by default it locks.

My conclusion:
Its as good or better than the Picanto or Getz for the exterior looks, but when you get inside the tables are turned, but with all its bells and whistles the Chana Benni is still good value for money, given that they are able to address the latch problem and implement a better clutch.

The CD/radio does look cheap but you will be surprised that it has nice DSP settings and can play CDR/CDRW MP3 discs that you burnedon your computer

The factory setting of the clutch is a bit too high and it would stick when you are used to a vehicle with a clutch thats adjusted low. I was having this issue also but after a few kilometers, I was able to adapt. This coming 5k PMS I'll have it adjusted lower.

There is no remote latch for the rear hatch, so yes you'll have to lock and unlock with a key. A hassle really if you enter a building that requires you to open the hatch for security purposes. BTW there is a remote hatch for the gas door.

[overboost]

My 2005 Swift is still running like new so I believe the Suzuki engine is good. The liftgate of my Swift doesn't lock also. It automatically locks when the central door lock button is pressed.

They say that the Benni has a Suzuki engine but I was not able to confirm that.

Do have any info about this G01?

[G01]

They say that the Benni has a Suzuki engine but I was not able to confirm that.

Do have any info about this G01?

The Swift in China is also made by Changan. The horsepower is almost similar and the torque is the same. The engine on the pics also look very similar so I think the 1.3 engine on these two cars is the same.

The following article says that the 1.3 engine of Benni is an improved version of the engine used on the Swift (http://www.changan.com.cn/20070307/1053327.shtml).

[JJCarEnthusiast]

oh they look the same..

does swift have a 1.3 engine? 1.5 lang ata ah.. ang jimny ang may 1.3 m13a

[G01]

oh they look the same..

does swift have a 1.3 engine? 1.5 lang ata ah.. ang jimny ang may 1.3 m13a

Yes, my Swift in China has the "old" 1.3 engine, just like the Maruti Swift in India.

[JJCarEnthusiast]

ah ok.. cross country po pala kayo.. hihihi

[overboost]

The Swift in China is also made by Changan. The horsepower is almost similar and the torque is the same. The engine on the pics also look very similar so I think the 1.3 engine on these two cars is the same.

The following article says that the 1.3 engine of Benni is an improved version of the engine used on the Swift (http://www.changan.com.cn/20070307/1053327.shtml).

How about the suspension configuration are they the same for the Swift and Benni?

If they are then this Benni si really good value for money. Japanese mechanicals with Chinese body design.

[G01]

How about the suspension configuration are they the same for the Swift and Benni?

If they are then this Benni si really good value for money. Japanese mechanicals with Chinese body design.

I don't know yet if they share the same platform. But coming from the same group that makes the Swift and the Suzuki engine installed on the Benni, it makes it worth considering when buying subcompacts.

[elemental]

*GO1, lets say if we take your word that both cars have the same engine, what's your real world fuel consumption klm/liter being that you've been driving this platform for sometime, just curious sir kasi taas na ng presyo ng gasolina ngayon.

[G01]

*GO1, lets say if we take your word that both cars have the same engine, what's your real world fuel consumption klm/liter being that you've been driving this platform for sometime, just curious sir kasi taas na ng presyo ng gasolina ngayon.

My consumption is in the range of 14-18 km/liter. The benni should consume more as it has a taller body compared to the swift.

[drey]

Our Philippine Swift is being powered by a 1.5L engine which I believe is being sourced from Toyota.

Guys, can you correct me on my statement above? I am not sure.

RE: Benni

Honestly, I am not overly impressed with the Benni's performance.

[overboost]

My consumption is in the range of 14-18 km/liter. The benni should consume more as it has a taller body compared to the swift.

we're getting 12-14 km/l city driving and around 16 km/l hi-way. good enough I think for a 1.3 engine with 80++horsepower