Vista Quadrajet Test Drive review. Review on Tata Indica Vista

I wanted to buy a Swift Diesel. When I went to a dealer he said it will take at least 3 months for the vehicle to be delivered and if you want it immediately got to pay 25K as premium. I got pisoff with this.

Then came to know that Tata is launching its all new Indica Vista with the same internationally acclaimed diesel engine as we have in swift. Vehicle came to Hyd showroom on Saturday night and I was there on Sunday for a test drive. After lot of persuasion (as the vehicle was not yet officially launched in HYd ) he agreed for test drive. Let me put the details separately for interior, exteriors and Drive

Exterior:

What can I say no match to the existing Indica. Bigger and well built. Lights are good. Top end comes with fog lamps also. Tail light looks like that of Indigo marina. I find them suited to the car design. Other things which you dont get to know from a brochure are..

-- metal used is same as that of Indica (gauge, heaviness etc)

-- Paint work and finish is good

-- Finishing of under body is not good. you find lot of nuts and bolts coming out

-- Gaps at the joints is more and not uniform. what I mean here is for example the rubber frame below the vipers has move space to the left when compared to the right side, is not uniform. But you can make it out unless you look at them very keenly.

--The plastic quality of the bumpers is not good.

Interior:

Very roomy...more than swift or any other hatchback. dual tone interior with beige is great. I also have i10 most of the beige interior has many dirty marks on it (thanks to my kids) and needs regular cleaning. But in Vista Beige is used only upto the shoulder level rest is dark grey...which is good not much cleaning required. height adjustable drivers seat and tilt steering are really helpful to have that correct posture based on your height and comfort. back seat comfort is better with good back rest angle. I think long journeys should not be a issue. Enough to seat 3 medium size people. Played a CD in the 2din audio which is a standard in the high end model. very impressive has 4 speakers in the 4 doors, 2 tweeters in the dashboard together produce good sound and should be enough for a normal day 2 day listening.

Drive:

Steering: Better than any existing Indicas. Is not a EPS but a Hydraulic. I had a santro before and this steering more or less gives same feeling. What I meant is steering is good enough for city and Highway.

Gearbox: Smooth. This was the very first thing I noticed when I sat in the drivers seat. Even at 4000 RPM no vibrations at all (could not accelerate above that in city so not sure how it will be after 4k RPM). believe me guys....Tata has improved a lot on this.

Acceleration: Good pickup. this was expected with the engine it has. What I noticed is that in 2nd gear you can drive between 10 to 35 and in 3rd from 20 to 55. this means fewer gear shifts in city so can expect more mileage. next good thing is that you will not feel that sudden increase in power once your cross 1800 RPM as you will feel in swift. Uphill in no time I reached 80 with ease with 4 guys sitting in the car.

Suspension: Good again, as I was accelerating at High speed I did not slow down at the Pot holes (which are every after the monsoons) but the car did not did not throw you out. took them smoothly as if you were moving at 15 KM speed. I do hear that 'Thud' kind of noise when ever you hit a pothole or a speed breaker but is not as much as it was in previous versions

Vibrations and Cabin Noise: As all my previous cars were petrol variants I was kind off used to silent cabins and no vibrations. Vista even though doesn't match a petrol vehicle, should say is very silent and you can hardly feel any vibrations inside. It is very silent considering it to be a diesel version. Would give full credit to Tata guys for this.

Is a good alternative for those who are planning to buy a swift Diesel and not willing to wait for long periods and don’t what to pay more for premium. Also a good buy if you are looking for a good Diesel hatchback.

After 3 Weeks of Purchase

KMS driven : 900

OK....not sure how to say this but I am very disappointed after buying this vehicle.

There is some rattling noise in the cabin all the time as if some plastic is loose and rubbing against something. Tried a lot but no one unable to identify. As told earlier there are uneven panel gaps and even huge gaps where in one can put a pen or pencil inside.

Pathetic plastic quality. Door handles come into your hand if u pull door with strength, which we do as doors are very heavy.

NOW THE WORST EXPERIENCE OF MINE. Thanks to the Corporation there was a manhole open and my tire had a fight with it and boom....tyre burst, rim bent and there was a bend in the front lower arm. This happened on the 3rd day after I purchased :-(. Malik Cars service guys placed the order immediately for a left lower arm, Tyre and rim. Today when I enquired they said that they have received full assemble i.e both front lower arms along with all other rods connecting them. But not the rim and tyre. Even after 15 days they are not able to supply spares. Now the insurance guy will not pay for complete assembly and tata guys do not supply left lower arm seperately. When I asked why is there such a delay and confusion spares guys told that TILL DATE THEY DO NOT HAVE THE CORRECT SPARE PART IDS FOR VISTA. Even though they have few spares they are not able to log and bill as the ID's are not correct.

Mileage is again a disappointment got 17 on highway and 13 in the city.

THIS MIGHT BE THE WORST DECISION IN MY LIFE .... TO BUY INDICA VISTA. WILL I RECOMMEND IT TO OTHERS?...BIG NO.

OK.....IF YOU HAVE READ THE ABOVE STUFF GOOD...NOW THE GOOD THING IS THAT I HAVE SOLD THIS DAMM CAR AFTER USING IT FOR 8 MONTHS. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY A TATA CAR AGAIN