My Hunt for a new Car
My search for a new car started in late 2010. I owned a 1999 Matiz, which was at its time, one of the most beautiful, powerful and sophisticated, in its class on Indian roads.It never gave us a problem except once, when the alternator went down.Anyways, as it was over 12 yrs old & we aspired like all middle class Indians, to transition to a mid size saloon. We test drove Tata Manza, Maruti Dzire, could not test drive SX4 diesel, as the test vehicle was not available on that day. When we went to Tata showroom, a second time, one look at Linea and we thought we found our dream car. The looks were amazing, interior very plush, diesel engine with superb mileage, a range of accessories(since then all these accessories are standard with most cars, but they look amazing when you are transitioning from a small car to a saloon).The price was a little steep at 7.8 lacs on road. We came back home, working in our minds, how to stretch to that price, but we were positive that Linea would be our next BIG CAR and envy of others:) As happens with our middle class, the new purchase got postponed for a few months. We were hopeful that we would be able to fetch that extra bit of cash to get our new purchase. It was Aug 2011, and also my wedding was around the corner, and we were now desperate to acquire our new Linea.
It would be great to flash a brand new car at our wedding, we thought. We straightaway went to Linea showroom(Tata) and oops the price for the same model was 9 lacs on road. How can they do this to our dream . Went to VW and Ford showroom to test drive a HATCHBACK . These hatchbacks annoyingly were costing the same as a mid size car about a year ago. I liked both Polo and Figo but found the former to be better due to brand value, so coerced my father to finalize it. My father still hoping to acquire a mid size car, asked me to enquire about Tata Manza. It was costing 7.1 lacs on road(not bad considering Polo was 6.75 lacs on road).Dzire was almost the same price. Honda City was over 8 lacs and that too petrol version.We did not like Dzire much as it was not as spacious, comfortable and the looks of Manza was better. So we finally realized our dream to acquire a Mid Size Diesel Saloon in Aug 2011 and my splanking new BIEGE colored Tata Manza was ready for my wedding:) 1 year and 10500 kms Driving Experience (AURA model)= Tata Manza is a very reasonable car. Tata has made a sincere effort to make it a very comfortable family car, equipped with a world class 1.3L Fiat diesel engine, producing 90 BHP of power, and very unlike a Taxi, which tata is usually associated with. The following are my observations and experiences of 1 year and 10500 kms, which include a 70% city driving and 30% of highway driving.
The odometer read 10440 at the time of 2nd service, just 4 days prior to 1 year. SPACE: The space is enormous. 5 people can sit very comfortably, with 510 litres of boot space. No problem with headroom(my brother-in-law is 6’3", and he finds the space very amusing). Not comparable with any other car. COMFORT : Comfort is reasonably good. Adjustable and Leather seats may be better in city conditions, though wont matter much on highways. Seats are comfortable. ENGINE : The 1.3 litre Fiat engine is exceptionally quick, reasonably quite and produces 90 BHP of power in tata manza. Add to it that it gives a decent mileage of 12 kmpl in city and exceptional mileage of around 20 kmpl on highways, all with AIRCON on, all the time except in winters. It may vary though depending upon driving habits and speed. INTERIORS: Interiors are good. Cant compare with a city or high end models but in its class, I found them good. Cant ask for too much in this segment and price. The glove compartmet is spacious and very handly with a lock. 2 cup holders, space for magazines etc. The Driver Information System is very handy. There are 2 lights in front and rear roof for interior lighing. AIRCON: The aircon is powerful, but during peak summers, its not very cool. Not sure, if to blame the AC or the Delhi’s heat in summers. Otherwise on most occassions, I do not go beyond 2 point of AC. EXTERIOR : Better looks than some models like Verito, Dzire etc.(some people may disagree which I whole heartedly respect). Though not a head turner as well. The rear is a box, the front is forgettable, looks good only when you look at it from its side. It looks good from an aerial view though, so it would look great to someone watching from their balconies. HANDLING: This is the worst part of this car. Manza is a heavy car with kerb weight of 1300 kgs. Steering is heavy and not very nice when you are turning. I can feel the weight of the car all the time, on my right hand when I hold the steering. Also not a very small radius, so handling is difficult. The clutch is heavy and I can feel the pain in my left leg, if I am driving in City conditions. The gears are not very smooth and again they are heavy. So your hands and feet would be very tired and paining if you are driving in city conditions with slow traffic. In this respect, Maruti which uses the same engine in Swift and Dzire, have tweaked their transmission and clutch plates very well, to make it a driving pleasure. Overall, its not a drivers car, it would be better chauffer driven and you can experience the comfort siiting in the rear. SERVICE : Another big negative. The car is a good intention with wrong Service backup. I had bad experience with Service people right from the start, though no problem with the car. Tata service responds, but slowly and does the job only when you tell them to do. The performance is satisfactory. I will devote another review for my service experience.
Overall a reasonable car within budget, but if your budget is higher I would advice to go for a City or VW. I apologize as my review is a long one. But would be glad if it helps someone.:) Thank you all