Jul 04, 2011 02:10 PM
14490 Views
(Updated Jul 04, 2011 02:24 PM)
I owned Zen VXi since 2004 and it was about time to replace my ageing horse. moreover with marriage and kids, Zen was getting cramped duing family outing.
By now, it was confirmed that im'Not' looking at hatchbacks anymore. It has to be a sedan or SUV. My hunt started in Aug 2010. Also I was purely looking at Diesel models only. My budget was 7 Lakhs to 12 Lakhs.
What was I looking for?
Safety(No compromise).
Diesel engine(No compromise)
Space(No compromise)
Reliability(No compromise)
Dealer Network(Kinda particular)
Overall ownership cost
Resale Value(Not too particular)
Looks(Kinda keen but not very particular)
Driving pleasure(to an extent)
Practicality - Should be a no-nonsense and value for money car.
The cars that I shortlisted are: Chevy Magnum Optra, Ford Fiesta, Hyunadi Verna, Logan
Dzire, Xylo, Safari, Linea.
Vento was not launched then, so that wasn't on my list.
Started taking test drives and quotations. the elimination happened one after another - Let me start from Optra Magnum
Optra - Shattering Diesel engine, refined, feels classy and great build. The only reason I didn't consider this was due to the fact that the resale value of Optra was terrible and there were rumors that Optra is planning to announce a slash in their price, wasn't sure when. So kept this on Hold hoping for price cut.
Fiesta - I had already driven Fiesta for a couple of thousand KMs since I use to take a self-drive from Avis during family outing. I pretty much knew how the car drives and other options. I wasn't too happy with the cramped space, remember my needs are to have 5 adults sit comfortably which wasn't the case in Fiesta. the rear bench is good for 2 adults but not for 3.
Dzire - Ruled out the moment I heard it has 7 months waiting period. Gosh. Im not waiting for Fourtuner you know;)
Logan - Liked everything about the car but somehow the engine lacked the punch and I wasn't willing to compromise on safety. As you remember im not too keen on looks since the practicality mattered a lot for me.
Hyundai Verna - Must admit that the customer service from Huyndai was one of the best. Got the test drives to my home 4 times and they never cribbed about it. I liked the new grill since it added to the character a lot. Almost everything I wanted and more was in Verna. Great engine, excellent acceleration, comfortable seating at rear, etc. BUT I wasn't willing to compromise on safety. Hyundai Verna never came ABS/2 Airbags. That kinda put me off.
Xylo - My first drive with Xylo in the driver seat almost sealed the deal with Mahindra. I was too happy with the way it accelarated and all the goodies it was packed with. The front passenger seat can be stretched full to make it a proper bed for long drives.Wow. more so the dealer was throwing 40K discount. I was very happy with Xylo. Safety, Space and everything I wanted was in Xylo. BUT all of these changed the moment I sat in the Middle row asking the showroom person to drive. The body rolling was as much as Scorpio. I wasn't too happy with the body roll since that space will be occupied by my parents/kids most of the time. The 10 mins I sat in the middlerow almost made me throw up! Phew. thats it. Xylo was out of my list.
Safari - Old, ageing but still handsome, just like Bishma:) Safari was my childhood dream and I was always awed at the look at safari. It may not be as good as Fortuner or other expensive SUVs, but man it had a character of it's own and what a road presence. Though my heart was sold to safari, my mind wasn't. I knew how much of it is a trouble to use safari as a day-2-day commute in bumper-2-bumper traffic. Moreover my wife found it tough it drive. With heavy heart, I parted ways with Safari. But one good thing happened with Safari since thats when I saw Manza in Concorde showroom for the first time. Was I pleased, NOPE.
Manza - I wasn't expecting anything from Manza before the test drive. somehow the bulky hump made the whole vehicle look disproportionate! My wife insisted on a taking TD for Manza. The moment I sat inside, my 6th sense told me that this may be my next car(remember, Optra and Linea was still on hold). Right from the word go, the car didn't fail to impress me at all. The Engine is the National Engine(Fiat Multijet), tested and proven in our condition.
There was acres of space inside. the beige interior made it even more pleasant, . the feature list looked like Udupi Hotel menu(so many features). the drive itself was very smooth and the engine was very responsive. Once the needle crossed 1800 -2000 rmp, the turbo kicks in and the old lady picks up her skirt and runs like ostrich. It did feel powerful enough. The body roll was minimum. Drives well on indian potholed roads. The top end had all the features that you would ever need and more. all this for 8.2 Lakhs(on road, bangalore)! It looks the best from front, there is bit of aggression with a wide grill.
So after 3 months of hunt, I finally signed up for Manza on 4th Nov 2010(Diwali period). Since then I have driven this car mostly in city for over 7000Kms and below is my feedback on the product.
I wanted to choose pearl white but my wife insisted on "Gothic Olive" and that was a well made decision.'Gothic Olive" was the new shade introduced by Tata in Sept'10. The Gothic Olive looks magnificent and improves the overall looks. It looks very rich without being too bright! With 3M paint protection, the color quality is now A+. Remember, its the same paint factory that caters to Mercedes and Fiat. the paint quality on Tata Manza is brilliant.
No rattles or niggling issues found so far. Car drives perfectly as it's designed.
There are noticeable space and gaps.
ABS works great. High speed drives are no longer nervous. Airbags are available for any untoward incident.
The city drive may get a bit irritating due to frequent gear shifts. the low end torgue isn't great.
Overtaking isn't a problem at all. down shift to 2nd gear and you can easily surpass most of the cars around. Looks like most of the power sits at 2nd to 3rd gear.
-The highway driving is brilliant. can easily cruise at 140-150 Kmph without any issues. The car is heavy and it induces confidence for sure. But once you cross 150-160, it gets a bit nervous. Power runs out at 165+.
The space can easily fit 5 adults without hurting body. Good headspace, legroom and back support.
The driver's lumbar support isn't really usable since the difference is negligible.
The build quality is not the best but isn't bad either.
The boot can hold 3 big suitaces+ few small bags as well.
When fully loaded with 5 adults, the underbody scrapes most of the road gumps. The GC isn't as good as on paper.
I get around 13-14kmpl within City and 18+ on highways with some spirited drive.
During the 2nd servicing, got the 3M paint protection and underbody protection.
-The maintenance cost so far has been less than 500Rs. Yes, thats how reliable this product is.
- With Synthetic Oil from Mobil1, engine oil replacement is needed only once every 10000 Kms. Dealer says that Synthetic Oil can go upto 20000Kms without replacement, however im not comfortable.
My decision to spend 8.2Lakhs on Manza was made purely from Mind and it's a good decision. overall I would like to tag Manza as "Well Rounded Family Sedan".
