I’ve had my Indica for just less than a year, and it still is performing as well as when I bought it. I think that Tata have ironed out most of the major flaws that were there in v1 and the finished product is something that we Indians should all be proud of.
Patriotic loyalty aside, I feel that there are still some problem areas. The main being that the car still sounds like like a Shaktiman to a person standing outside when it is idling. Of course, for the driver and passengers with the windows rolled up, and AC switched on, the noise is well muffled. So good luck to all the beggars outside - you can appreciate Mozart’s adagios and andantes on your Kenwood stereo inside without the background noise of a power saw!
The second glitch which Tata will definitely have to work on is the lack of power, especially when accelerating from stop. This is amplified with the AC switched on, doubly problematic when on a uphill slope, like Peddar road and trebly difficult when carrying a carload of passengers. I normally have to switch off the AC so that the car doesn’t stall. After owning a zippy Maruti 800 for over five years, this was one area where I took a long while to get adjusted. Having said that, it is only fair to say that once the car gets moving, the situation improves considerably and you can then feel the power of the 57 bhp engine.
The last glitch is in the gearbox. Though a lot of effort has gone into designing and redesigning the gb, the stick does not slot in smoothly all the time. Putting the car in reverse is especially irksome, and one has to manipulate the stick 4-5 times to engage the gear.
Yet these are all minor flaws in what I feel is a real world class product. The space inside is enormous for a ’small car’, the interiors tastefully designed and spacious, the fascia large and well lit and the best part of course - the fuel consumption is something that no other vehicle can match. A winner through and through!
Oh yes. Could someone tell TELCO to redesign their dashboard. Anything kept on it has a tendency to slide from port to starboard and back again as the car is put through the motions.