May 23, 2008 12:37 AM
12043 Views
Hi,
I bought my first car - Tata Indica Xeta GLG (2008 model) in April' 08 and recently clocked my first 1000 kms. I wouldn't glitch a bit to say that it is one of the best cars in hatchback category, also considering that my family also has a Santro which has clocked more than 85K kms and is still going good.
Just like others, and those who are planning to buy a first car in hatchback segment, I had several options at hand - Santro, i10, Indica, WagonR, Alto, Swift, Palio, Aveo-UVA, and Spark. My budget was 4L, for which I had remove the options of i10, Swift, Palio and Uva. I skipped the santro as well since we already have one - just to have different car. I would certainly recommend a santro. Now, I was left with WagonR (Duo + only petro), Alto, Spark and Indica Xeta. I test drove all of them and found that Xeta was much more comfortable than the rest. Also, since I am almost 6 feet, my knees touched the steering of the Alto, and had to move the seat right at back on the Spark and WagonR.
The Spark and Alto also lacked power on slopes with AC on. The pickup and driving comfort of WagonR and Xeta is almost the same. WagonR has just a little bit more viewability than the Xeta due to the later's high mounted dashboard. But that is no prob for me. One can also use the seat foam which increase the seat height by a few inches. The fuel efficiency of WagonR (petrol and duo) was one important point that went in its favour. However, for the duo I would have to shell out around 20K more, for a 22 ltr tank, I felt it wasn't worth since refuelling would have been very often, as also the LPG gas station was quite far from my house. Even Wagon R petrol is said to give around 13-14kmpl in Mumbai city traffic, which I felt was very good. But then, considering the features, power, air conditioning, safety, looks and more importantly the price, I chose Xeta over WagonR. Xeta GLG is around 50-60K cheaper than WagonR Vxi, with almost the same features in both.
I selected the GLG version since I wanted power windows and power steering. I did not select GLX (the highest version) since it was costing me around 40K more than GLG. GLX has a more powerful engine of 1.4L which I believe is not needed for a hatchback, as also some other features like rear wipers, rear power windows (GLG has only front power windows) etc. The features are good to have but not worth for an extra 40K.
In my first 1000kms, which was mainly from Thane to Andheri and back, in average traffic time, and 70% AC on, my car is giving me around 10.5 to 11 kmpl, which I believe is fair enough. The engine is surprisingly smooth with almost no noise. My first car service is done and I have refuelled it to full tank. The odometer has passed 210km mark and the fuel gauge is still at half tank mark - expecting around 11.5 - 12 kmpl. Will check the latest mileage and update soon. The AC is powerful and cools the cabin in no time.
My car cost me around Rs. 3.4L on road Thane. The dealer provided me with sun-control film, one layer of polish and steering wheel cover. I bought the auto-cop with standard security features for an additional 4.5K from the dealer itself. I installed a pioneer music system panel with usb, and Blaupunkt speakers which are simply awesome. The music system cost me 11K including labour from a local blaupunkt dealer.
Ten tips for improving the fuel efficiency and increasing engine life:-
Do not rave the engine unnecessary.
On highways, drive at around 60 kmpl @ 1800-2000 rpm.
Try to follow the gear change instructions mentioned on the windshielf - it will become a habit soon. It does help for better FE.
Drive your car in such a way that you have to apply lesser brake. The more you brake, the more you are lossing unnecessary power applied earlier.
On steap slopes, put the AC off as it reduces the load on the engine. Switch off the AC at red signal, and put it back on once in 3rd gear.
While driving downslope (eg. downslope of a flyover), get to the middle lane and reduce the accelerator. A car or 2 may overtake you, but this will help improve the FE of your car.
In bumper-to-bumper traffic, avoid sudden pickup and braking. Use as little accelaration as you can since MPFI engines are designed to run even when the accelerator is not pressed. Just de-clutch your vehicle slowly and the car will move a few meters easily.
Check all the oil levels atleast once a month. It takes you only 30mins to do so.
Service your vehicle every 6 months or 5000 kms, whichever is earlier.
Folllow the above 9 tips, and see the difference. Many of them may sound stupid and obvious, but then we need to follow them to make them obvious, right!
All in all, I would certainly recommend Indica Xeta to anyone who is planning to buy a hatchback with a budget of 3.5L. With a higher budget of 4.5 - 5L go for an i10 or a Swift!
