So I finally received delivery yesterday. Called in the morning they said abhi gaari wash ho rahi hai phir pre delivery inspection ho gi. So I just went there around lunch time and forced them to get on with it. I still had to spend nearly 3 hours there. Anyway have driven around 40 km since then, removed the plastics, wrapping etc and placed new mats I ordered through Pakwheels which luckily also got delivered yesterday. Here are my first impressions:
Paint quality. I got the Panthera Metal colour and I have to say the quality and finish is outstanding. Like one can just stand there and admire the beautiful paint job. Really well done.
Drive: Extremely smooth, soft, quiet. There is no audible difference between 30 km/h and 90-100 km/h. Handling is actually great, there is very little body roll even on hard turns and the power steering is very comfortable.
Build quality: Everything about this car screams "NOT CKD". It's really the little touches that say a lot. The stitched steering. The soft touch dashboard. The clickiness of the dashboard button and the dials. The consistency of the font across meter cluster and infotainment. The quality of the wiper, lights, indicator stalks. Illumination in each and every button. The rubber attachments on the stand inside the hood (for the record the stand in my BRV's hood does not even fit the hole in the bonnet), the sound proofing/vibration dampening in the bonnet and the neat layout of the engine. Dust caps on the insides of headlights (local cars just leave them open). The quality of the floorboard in the boot. Welcome lights and mirrors, quality of the key fob itself. Customisation settings in the MID. Just little things here and there that you only ever saw in foreign cars. All the Hondas and Corollas I have used till this date feel incomplete and half arsed in comparison. This feels like a finished product.
Fuel average: Not overly concerned about this, but so far within city is 9-10 with 80 km on the ODO. I am sure it will get better as well.
Infotainment: I must say it actually feels like a luxury to have an infotainment system that is actually part of your car, and not some external unit that exists only for playing music. The infotainment enhances your driving experience rather than distract you from it. All the controls are at your steering, with Android Auto you even have a button for Google Assistant and voice commands which is great. Bluetooth calling is hassle free. These are things that are basic features worldwide, yet over here we still get shitty Tracking World screens in other cars because hassle free and safe driving is not a priority, but watching music videos while driving is. The screen brightness adjusts automatically and displays temperature/AC settings as well.
Seats: Very comfy, I also like how the headrest is so soft (yet firm), just one of those small things that strike you when moving from previous CKDs in this country to this. Only thing I am missing really in the Alpha version is lumbar support, but the seat contouring makes me feel like I don't need any further lumbar support. Comparing to Corolla where it seems I always have a gap between my lower back and the seat.
One weird thing (as reported above by @gryphus113) is the constant switching to outside air on defogger or even when just using the fan, it somehow keeps going to outside air. With our air quality that's a big no. Will try the fix proposed above by @omer.akhtar.
Overall, many times I have seen people ask the question, Grande, Civic or Sportage Alpha? And many times I have seen people answer Grande or Civic because Alpha has 'nothing', no features etc. If you are one of those contemplating this choice, the answer is Alpha hands down. The difference is night and day. Sportage is an upgrade in every aspect, even if you feel like you are missing out on a sunroof or a brake hold feature. It is the overall experience that matters and I am quite happy I made the choice to upgrade.
