Mar 13, 2006 03:55 PM
12679 Views
(Updated Mar 13, 2006 03:55 PM)
I bought the latest version of Tata Indica Diesel (DLX Turbo) on 3rd March 2006.
I was going to be the first time car user and it was really tough to decide which car (Small segment of course) to go for.
I wanted a car which would yield me higher mileage as I travel between Mumbai and Pune almost weekly and I wanted the car to be sturdy and stable on the highways. (So, The small segment petrol cars were ruled out)
I visited Tata dealer in Pune (B U Bhandari) and test drove Indica Xeta (Petrol version they recently launched) and Indica Turbo.
I got very professional treatment at B U Bhandari and got good test drives and a few good suggstions about finalizing the model.
Frankly speaking I liked the look n feel of Xeta but economy and Tata's prestige for Diesel cars made me go for Turbo. The sales team tried to market Xeta over Turbo (as Tatas want to make their presence felt in the petrol market as well) but
I decided not to experiment too much by going for Xeta as Tata's were always famous for Diesel cars.
I enquired about maintenance a Turbo car would require and came to know that it is a painless job now a days with Turbo, unlike earlier versions of Indica.
I also got a lot of help from the reviews here, at mouthshut.com and so I thought of penning down my first cut impressions about my Indica Turbo.
The car is only two weeks old and I have driven it for almost 850 kms. (with AC ON always). I drove under 65 Kmpl (for first 500 Kms) and now am driving under 80 Kmpl on express way.
Below are my observations:
I got mileage of 14 KMPL in the city conditions and 18 KMPL on Express way. (These are precise figures as I have maintained the KM readings and quantity of diesel I filled in every time). Note that I have always used Turbo (Xtra mileage) Diesel.
The overall performance is very good, the mileage figures are pretty impressive.I have heard that the car would still perform better after first servicing.
It's a little heavy and has slow pick ups on second gear in city conditions. But it is better than the older version of Indica.
The vibrations are also less (though they are not totally removed).
The firing sound of the engine is still the same as the older version of Indica (Again, I was told that it would smoothen gradually).
The A/C unit, in the first impression is good and powerful. I did not find much of difference in the pick up for AC on and off, the engine noise increases a bit with AC turning ON.
On higher speeds, (65 and above), the car looks pretty smooth and stable with no vibrations and the steering also feels stable.
One problem I have is the front wiper washer does not function properly as the water supplier pipe inside the Bonnet has a loose connection to the sprinkler hose. Also, the Cardboard sheet cover inside the Bonnet has some loose connections. I am going to get this problem corrected in the first servicing.
Overall, so far so good, I have not evident complaints about the car and looking for even better performance from my dear Turbo.
I will post my experiences after the first servicing.
would also request any Xeta users to write their views as well.
