My Indica Vista SAFIRE. Review on Tata Indica Vista

Back to review writing after a long time. Well, I was myself searching for Vista safire on the net, but saw that most of the space was devoted to the Quadrajet version. Expected, since QJ just seems to be too good. But fact is that it is also 90000 costlier than Safire, hence not justified till you have big distances to cover daily. Back of envelope calculation showed that it would take me at least 6 years at my running to recoup the cost, and thats too large a time frame.

Coming back to the point, anyone looking at a Vista SAFIRE is left with few reviews to go through. Hence my effort, which I hope would be helpful.

Well, I recently purchased a Indica Vista Safire. Had done a bit of checking on the options before going ahead with this car. The cars I mainly checked out were Swift, I10, A Star and Ritz. The factors that I wanted were space, leading to a big car feeling, decent mileage for the occasional long trips, looks, and good quality interiors. And of course, price mattered to me. Let me start off by the process of elimination I used and the cars thus eliminated.

Now the first choice for anyone in the range that I am is Swift. Amazing to drive, sporty, literally asking to be accelarated, good looks, maruti AS being good etc. And of course it was the first one I considered. But the only con it had was the price. At Rs 70000 more than Vista Safire, it suddenly dint seem like a logical buy, for someone who has played enough (I owned a Fiesta before), and was now into sensible, sedate driving. Though I still maintain it is a superb, albeit a slightly smaller car, maybe the best of the lot.

The I10, for me doesnt look great. Though it was ok to drive, sitting inside you still felt you were in a small car. Even the specs are similar to the vista, though mileage might be slightly better. Also, you pay similar to a Vista for a much smaller car, and it did not make sense. The power and all are similar to the Vista, so are the features. Also not too comfortable for 3 people in the rear seat.

The A Star, on the other hand is a really good looking car. But it is good looking in a cute way, not in a sporty way like Swift, or in a Macho way like my erstwhile Fiesta. The car has amazing mileage (Goin by what I read), but then it was just too small. I dint want to pay all that money for a car that was slightly bigger than an Alto.

Ritz was a No No cos I find its unconventional looks to be ugly, the abrupt cut of the back looks completely out of the flow of the design. Also, there was the matter of if at all I was going for it, why not put an additional 15k and buy a Swift??? Similar was my reason for rejecting the car that maybe the best looker of the lot, the Grande Punto. And Punto engine was anyway the same as Vista's.

So we have the Vista now. I like the car design a lot, from the front, it looks like a really big car. It defenitely is not the front that you see in small cars. A real bold, open design. The style is enhanced by the crease on the bonnet, and cues like the small protrusions in the headlamps, and indicators near the mirrors. Get inside, and the space really overwhelms you, in a pleasing way. Sitting at the wheel, you could think you are driving a BIG car. The spacious boot, under seat trays, and glove box are all thoughtful additions to the car. I have not driven the car much, but from what I have, it is quite a comfortable drive. The power is adequate at least in the city limits. I read it is underpowered, but have not experienced it, maybe cos I have not taken it to the highway yet. Contrary to what many people said, I found the AC to be quite strong, in fact positively chilling.

Three people sit comfortably at the back, and the front two seats are also quite accomodating. The seating position is quite high and gives a clear view of the road ahead. The adjustable steering is a nice touch too, usually seen in much more expensive cars. Cabin noise while driving was also quite low and the cabin was very comfortable. The Fiat petrol engine lives up to its reputation.

I purchased the Terra version, and then added up whatever features I thought were necessary, like power windows. Will add a music system (Kenwood for sure, this part has to be real good, very important to me).There are many more features, really excellent to anyone looking for them (sayin so, cos I think power steering, windows and seat cover are all you need, rest of features are good, but used rarely). The Aura version has more features than any of the other higher priced competitors in the same class, some of them being tilt adjustable steering wheel, 60:40 rear seat fold, rear defogger, fog lamps, even rear obstacle indicator/beeper. It also has a music system.

All in all, it is a very sensible buy for anyone looking for a decently sedate city drive at most times. Though it may be a little underpowered to play. It is actually a good point for someone like me, makes the driving more sedate and safe (In my Fiesta, revving was the order of the day). All in all, a good buy, and thats my opinion.

Impression after driving 2000 odd kms. There are a few things I noticed in this time frame.

1. The car feels a little powerless at lower RPMS. But on highway, when I pushed it, I could touch a top speed of 160 KMPH.

   
   




2. The plastic quality is not up to mark. The portion under the driver seat had peeled off. However, even after I got it fixed by visiting Tata Motors, after 3 days, it has come out again.

   
   




3. Slight issue with the viper, cleaning not adequate at low speed, and some clouding on the windshield from outside, even in low intensity rain. However, this issue disappears once the viper speed is increased to level 2.

   
   




4. Above 130 Kmph, the vehicle does not feel very planted, when you have to take sharp turns and cuts, maybe due to the design and high seating.

   
   




5. Got a mileage of 16.8 kmpl on the highway, without AC, driving and accelerating constantly to 110+ speeds.