Apr 23, 2009 03:15 PM
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It’s been quite a long time that since I wrote in Mouthshut. First I got too involved in work [recession time you see :)] and then there were a couple of things which didn't go well for me with mouthshut.
So here again, I am entering into the season 2 of my mouth shut reviews. Hopefully I will stay longer :). well hopefully. It was in Apr 08 that I sold my good old Wagon R and thanks to couple of wrong entries in CIBIL, StanChart & ICICI ensured that I don't get my loan processed. Damn!. I wanted to get a Logan and almost got it..
Well almost! The next six months was very troublesome fire fighting with the banks to get the correct entries done in CIBIL. Did I say correct entries? Yes.Lesson learnt.. Never fight with the Bank even if you are not at fault. I fought and got things corrected in six months [ but only with ICICI] , but with lots of mental torture.
Enough, this is a car review and yeah not about Raj's trouble. So when things cleared out, my loan was finally processed in September 08. I had paid the advance for Logan and waiting for loan disbursement. My boss then informed me that Tata was running a campaign at out office and its worth a look. So we went together and man at the first look of Indica Vista, I loved the design. I initially wanted to get Swift, but didn't press for it for want of rear space and the waiting period. Vista is equipped with the same engine as with Swift, Dzire and Palio. [ Now Linea].
Though it look a little similar like the older Indica, Tata did make significant difference to the design and ensured that both are seperate breeds. [ Heard that Tata is desperately not allowing it to be sold as Taxi. I then had a test drive done and even the slightest doubts went off. And ppl, it was a pleasure to drive even on the narrowest roads with lots of potholes. And at 5.37L on road for the top end, it was a good deal. The waiting period was three to four weeks.
A lot of comical stuff with the sales guy at concorde and subsequent complaint by me to his team lead followed later and I had my car a week before the promised time. A good thing to add here is that I got the insurance outside the dealer at a whopping Rs.2300/- less. Check out first before you confirming the insurance with the dealer. I have done 6500 kms with my Vista till date and I should say 'it’s six months of sheer driving pleasure'. Given some of the know issues with tata like poor rubber beadings and can-be-improved plastics, guess the car has tons to offer.
Seating
The biggest comfort in Vista is the seating space. Three ppl with 6ft height can seat comfortably and switch places even when the car is moving without any discomfort. Vista beats its competition comprehensively in this department. Also, there is an option to adjust the height of the front seats.
Engine & Handling
The Multijet engine has established itself over the years as the leader and does the duty in Vista in the name of Quadrajet. The engine is very smooth and very silent with a quick response. I touched 140 kmph [max 155kmph] with ease and didn’t feel like it was 140. There is a little wobble between 100 and 105 but once I cross this mark, it silky smooth. It’s a pleasure to drive this car both in the city and on highways. When you pass through through bumpy roads you just hear a thud sound and that’s it. Vista has much improved insulation and the cabin noise is very less. The gear box [ sourced from fiat] too is very smooth.
The brakes are sharp though an ABS would have been much better. I have done three to four long drives and numerous week end drives with this car and my vista didn’t have any issues in negotiating all kinds of roads. The tubeless tyres ensure that you are not stuck on the road changing tyres.
Build & Design
Tata has taken care that the resemblance to Indica should be minimal and as a result Vista sports a sporty petal shaped headlight and the overall appeal of a European car. The dashboard with two tone beige interiors increases the overall appeal. The speedometer console is mounted at the center of the dashboard with a clock and the trip meter. It was a little difficult to adjust as I was more used to traditional placements, but got used to it. The blue back light is cool to the eyes and adds to the appeal.The steering wheel looks a little bigger, but you will get used to it as you drive. As with many cars, the A-Pillar is a concern with Vista too. The pillar is wide and blocks vision some times. Got to be very careful with this. There are panel gaps but more improved than Indica v2. The boot space is bigger compared to Indica V2 but good enough to hold a couple of medium sized bags. No complaint from me on this as I am not a frequent visitor to the Airport. :)
The top end Aura comes with a factory fitted two din music player. The speakers are of average quality, strictly average. I don’t think we can change this as the warranty will be void. The glove box is bigger and there is a tray to keep bottles under the front seat. It’s a good idea
Accessories
If you had opted for wheel cover, do ensure to tie them to the wheel rims. The wheel cover just flies even when it hits a small stone at a minimal speed and you need to shell out ~500 for a new wheel cover. The seat cover provided by the dealer [Concorde motors, Velachery] was around Rs.6500/- which I managed to purchase outside for Rs.2500/-. The art leather seat holds good till date and I have zero complaints on
that.
Mileage
I am able to get a mileage of 17kms per ltr /diesel on city with AC on most of time and around 21 kms on the highway. Not much of a surprise here as the fuel efficiency has already proved by the engine in Palio and swift. One thing that I ensure is to keep my rpm around 2000 and drive at 40-60 with strict shifting of gears as per instructions [while driving in the city].
Service
I am not really impressed with the service of Concorde. When I got the car, the AC wasn’t really good. Had to go to their service center to get it checked. Not once but twice. Finally they found that the gas was not filled [damn! Surprised to see how it passed the QC]. I have a little problem in the wirings. Many times as soon as I switch on the indicators, the high beam light is pressed. I was told this was rectified in the 1st service, but sill the issues persists.
After the Ist service, when I took my car back home, I was shocked to see my bonnet not fully closed. I was half way through and could have ended up in serious trouble if I had not noticed this. Tatas should learn from Maruti in this dept. No one beats Maruti in service. Setting aside these small issues, the car as an overall package is true value for money spent. The Tatas have managed to come out of that “truck car” image and Vista will be the platform for their next generation cars
Thanks for your time!
