Features

Top Reasons to buy a BSIV DIESEL car and not wait for BSVI

08/08/2019
by Parichay Malvankar
Written by Parichay Malvankar

The Indian car industry is going to see a huge change happening in 2020. It is the switch from BSIV emission norms to BSVI. For this transition, not only do the car manufacturers have to make mega investments to get their car ready to meet the new and strict emission standards, but even the infrastructure like fuel availability, engine oil compatibility and other such stuff and the related industries have to be up to the mark.

So the question a few buyers have today, is if they should buy a BSIV compliant vehicle, or wait for BSVI. And the most noticeable change that will happen is between the BSIV and BSVI range of diesel cars.

First! The most important question is if it will make any difference from behind the wheel. The BSVI compliant diesel engines high pressure pumps and custom catalyst development with LNT and DPF. Here, LNT will reduce the NO and NO2 emissions and and DPF which means diesel particulate filter will clean particulate matter from the exhaust gases. All this will surely come at a cost, which will have to be born by the customers. But when you drive? Will this make any difference? Not really. The car will drive the same, just as it does at the moment. For sure, the tail pipe emissions would be cleaner and more greener for the environment in comparison.

Here Are Some Reasons Why You Must Not Wait For BSVI Diesel Cars and If Now Is The Best Time To Buy BSIV Diesel Cars?

  1. BSVI diesel cars are going to be expensive. Say for example you are considering to buy a Maruti Suzuki Swift at the moment. The same car would cost nearly INR 1 lakh or more when it comes with a BSVI compliant diesel engine. For that price, neither are you getting more space, more mileage or more features. Just reduced tail pipe emissions.
  2. Fuel efficiency is going to be less! Yes, with the focus to have the combustion process cleaned up when you run the engine, the fuel consumption could actually go up, resulting in higher cost of ownership.
  3. Resale! Many are worried that their BSIV diesel cars will be stuck with them and not fetch a good price when they wish to upgrade. This isn’t true. Worldwide, fossil fuel cars are not going anywhere, even though the EV revolution has started. When availability of electric cars is not hurting car resale, how can a new emission compliant motor deny you a good value for your used car? It won’t.
  4. Most manufacturers today offer warranty up to 5 years, or even more. When the company is backing up the vehicle with all the support it might need, there is no need to worry if engines are becoming future ready with emission compliance. You still get parts for a early-2000s Maruti Suzuki Esteem, and you will continue to get parts for a Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza in years to come. In fact, maintaining the BSVI diesel cars especially could be an expensive affair thanks to the additional hardware going inside the engine bay.
  5. The most important point to note is availability of fuel. When the transition happens from BSIV to BSVI, the fuel has to be made available. A BSIV car can run on BSVI fuel, but the BSVI compliant engine will not accept BSIV fuel. So this is going to trouble you when driving on roads unknown. Of course, oil companies are working towards this transition, but will this happen seamlessly without motorists being troubled? It remains to be seen.
  6. Government has already bumped up registration charges for cars in India. Back that up with additional cost of buying a BSVI vehicle, you will save a lot of money by just jumping the gun for a few months and getting yourself a BSIV car.

So the above mentioned points hint that you will need to spend more $$$ for the BSVI diesel cars, when they might drive just the same. So why not save a few bucks and get BSIV cars right away? They seem to work fine, just the way automobiles have in the past, run on four wheels!