Aug 31, 2008 10:57 PM
4377 Views
My first car was a Mitsubishi Mirage bought long time back for $1500 as a grad student (and sold for the same amount to a grad student ).
Since the time I came back to India, I have been driving a Maruti - 800 initially and then the refined Maruti Alto (courtesy the generous place I work) for the past 4 years.
We decided to buy a car other than the Alto and shortlisted on the Hyundai Santro Xing, Zen Estillo and the Indica Xeta. I drive less than 500KM per month and the occasional long drives of around 1000 KM every 3 months. The choice was made to go with Petrol than Diesel.
I checked out the Estillo first - The looks were good and I have high regards for Maruti products having driven them for almost 8 years. We called two dealers, one of them came the same day, and the next called up last month, almost 4 months after I bought the car! How poor an impression that leaves!
Driving wise, Zen estillo was good - It was comfortable for my wife to drive as well.The car was smooth but the interiors were a big turn off. Somehow the finish and the overall internal layout and design didnt appeal to us -we felt that the Alto was more comfortable inside compared to the estillo. We checked out the WagonR as well, and felt the same compared to an Alto.
The Xing was a quick decision - two calls to different dealers were met with lackadaisical responses - one guy remarked that the estillo was a failed model in Japan and suggested not to buy it, and recommended the Xing - bad salesmen are a turn off too. Indica was our next choice. Some people recommended us against going with a Tata product. I had heard about stories but decided to give an Indian brand a shot.
The initial test drive created a good impression - the engine was so silent that I started the car again when it was running. Space was a huge leap from the Alto, and the overall quality of the ride felt good. Add to this beige interiors, a stylish dashboard, power front windows, good space in the rear seats, decent boot space, and a total price of 3.5L - we decided on the Xeta GLG.
The Concorde sales guys at Bangalore showed poor ethics - made us wait for about 1.5 hours and then said that they are anticipating a price change in the next few days and hence cannot sell. I bought the car in the next 3 hours at Prerana motors. The Prerana guys gave a fair deal on the car, but messed it up in delivery. Again, another example of how an image of a Tata product is being tarnished by poorly organized distribution channels.
The sales guy promised delivery in 5 days and when I called on the 6th day, he said the wrong car was shipped, and the next week it was the wrong color, and some stupid excuse every time. I spoke to the sales manager, and he put it back to me saying that I should try with Tata Motors directly. I was thoroughly disappointed. Finally when the car came, I was asked to pick it up one fine day.
After waiting for 2 hours, I was told that the car has gone back to the shed due to some minor damage - a basic courtesy of calling and informing me ahead of time would have saved me 3.5 hours of time that day. During the sale, the sales guy had promised to give a free case for the steering wheel - the delivery guy didnt provide that and when I asked, he said there is no way a case can be fit into the steering wheel - sheer lie, just to get home quickly.
It was fitted the next day since I managed to get all the sales offer in writing. I am worried for the Tatas. Though they manage to bring out good products, the inefficiencies in the distribution and service network might eventually eat up their brand. When the car came finally, I managed to forget the bad experiences with the dealer, In the past 4 months, my car has done about 3600 KMs. The long drives were a pleasure. The steering wheel tight compared to the Alto,
It does stress my wrist a bit.. Mileage has been decent. 10kmph in Bangalore hellways. In the first trip on the highways, I managed to getabout 17.5Kmph since I was driving around at 80Kmph during the running in period, but it has dropped to about 15 in the subsequent trips at higher speeds (100-120Kmph). It does get noisy at high speeds, but I guess thats common in most Indian cars. The gear shift isnt as smooth as the Alto, but this is something that you get used to.
I should say I am very pleased with my decision. There are nagging issues, there is a squeaking noise - dont know if its the back seats that are not sitting properly or if its coming from the suspension, but the Prerana service guys were not able to find it out. When I make sharp turns, there is a noise from the front suspension for which I have yet to take it to the service center. The fitting of the audio system was also done poorly by Prerana, but this is not an issue with the car. The car does wobble a bit.
Despite these issues, I would recommend the Indica Xeta to others - just understand your own expectations and then look at this car. My initial impressions are that this is a value for money package. Only time will tell how reliable the product is in the long run.
