May 17, 2007 11:10 PM
13285 Views
The quest for one's car is a task someone might have gone through or will have to in due course of time. Mine is on ... still :). I wonder my friends are reading this. They might kill me.
I have ben looking for a car since long, precisely about a year and a half. I currently drive an Opel Astra and believe me I would buy this car again if they launch it fresh or a newer version.
In due course of time throughout the search I also called the TATA representative from Manipal motors, Bangalore. This was a decision after checking the website and some issues from other car delaers (read the civic honda review).
Prabhu was on time. He had brought a burgundy colored XL. Looks wise the exteriors did not feel odd like the old Indigo which looks like a concatentation of the Indica and a Boot picked up from FIAT. The shoes worn are bright silver alloys which give a feel rich factor.
The overall contours are'nt much on the exterior which I think TATA could have worked upon.
The interiors are quite ok except for the wood like finish on the center AC console, the steering wheel and the door handles.
The leather, claimed, but I guess it is not original leather. It is imported leather but the feel is quite nice. The interiors like the door lining are not even and I feel the craftsmanship could have been much better (there is no reason to use such material).
The 6 way seat adjusting is a very good feature and quite smooth. This along with the submarine type seats help in adjusting the driving position according to the tall body design as well as the low seating (like opel astra :) ).
I had tried the diesel engine with all 5 people. We tried to make it touch on a scary speedbreaker near to our office but failed :) so the suspension seem to be in good touch. The comfort is also quite adequate in terms of the shoulder space. The AC also seemed to be quite affective. There was a difference of about 5-6 inches between the knees and the seat of the back-seat passngers when I was driving (both of us are 6 ft). The cabin is quite airy also.
The tachy dials of the AC console are repeated and could have been avoided by TATA.
There is also a bluetooth attachment (with a nokia phone) which we did not test.
The mileage claimed by TATA is about 15 Km/litre in cty driving.
Definitely in terms of the package TATA has done a good job but with a little bit of thought the improvements could have been majorly fo rthe benefit of the consumer. No air bags, no ABS I feel is not much of a problem as we have been living with it all this while.
The two cars we have finally come onto are the SX4 and TATA Indigo diesel Grande. The only edge XL has is that the seating space on the back is seat is quite excellent, whereas the SX4 cannot even fit me when I sit with my back aligned with the seat. My head touches the roof. If that was not the case I would have booked the SX4 there and there as it is much better in terms of the finish as well as the features but for the back space. :(
I feel if TATA wud have put in a little more effort in the interiors of the car when they were claiming lounge feeling but then we are contemplating even if we have to redo some portions (like the door lining etc) after 2-3 years also it wud be worth it.
Please give me your inputs on my thoughts on the car choice which I could evaluate. :)
Regards
Yash
