Look no more..!
TATA Indica has come up with a wonderful combination of power and mileage with its Turbo Diesel versions. Gifting yourself a new car:When I was planning to buy a new car, I started looking at what impresses me on the roads. Well, Indica is all over the place in the form of taxi and personal car. I started my little survey of cars by hopping from one manufacturer to other to convince myself and give no room of doubt after purchase. Options I had that would fit my budget: Maruti Alto all versions, Maruti Wagon-R all versions, Maruti Swift standard version, Hyundai Santro standard version, TATA Indica Xeta, TATA Indica DLS/DLG, TATA Indica DLS/DLG turbo...
Well, I took a test drive of almost all in about a month and I had narrowed down to three: Maruti Wagon-R or TATA Indica Xeta GLX, or TATA Indica DLG Turbo. Analyzing all the factors such as whether petrol or diesel, maintenance we need to do, frequency of maintenance, roominess, power, driving pleasure and all such, I sought opinions from my friends too. Well, what I heard was that Santro will always be expensive when it comes to maintenance because you cannot get their spares elsewhere and their genuine spares are priced sky-high. Maruti was very good when it comes to maintenance, price and availability of genuine spares. TATA Indica too was to a certain extent not so expensive in terms of maintenance, but was advised not to go for a petrol version as TATA is known for its diesel engines.
Financing and Booking:I looked no further and booked a TATA Indica DLG Turbo. This is a rare combination of luxury (defroster, HVAC, both-side rear-view mirrors, power windows, power steering), power and price. I took a loan from SBI which gave me the lowest interest rates but well by the time I got my loan sanctioned, the interest rates had moved up by 0.75% and that was my bad luck. It took about a month for SBI to approve a loan after submission of all documents. What followed was a delay by the dealer too - After full payment and booking, I had to wait for more than 45 days to get the information that Indica DLG/DLX has some problem and will be delayed further by another 15 days. I heard from the dealer about TELCO strike and the strike of supplier who gives components to DLG or DLX. The dealer came up with another option and asked me to go for DLS turbo which was readily available. The color choice was just three - Silver, Smoked metal, cherry red. Smoked metal was a new color and was different.
Delivery:I finally compromised for taking up a DLS turbo with a refund of the difference amount. The compromise involved giving up on HVAC and settling for a normal one, less-wider tires, no defroster or fog lamp, no LHS rear view mirror, no power windows...! I was given a lot of freebies like floor mats, sun-control film, steering cover, seat covers, Autocop, etc. but I had to pay for getting it look like a DLG - I went for power windows, fog lamps and LHS mirror.
Driving:Indica DLS Turbo has a 1405 cc turbo diesel engine giving out a power of 62 PS @ 4500 rpm. Combined with its power steering and power brakes, it is a pleasure to drive at 120 kmph with no vibrations. I have driven 6500 km so far in the past 7 months and I was in absolute control at 120 kmph. The mileage was superb on highways - I got a 18.5 kmph with 20% AC usage. In cities, you get a decent 14.5 kmpl. It comfortably seats 5 people with kids and is ideal for long drives with good leg room space. Well, if you have luggage and only 2 are, you can always use the somersault feature of the rear seats to carry as much luggage as can fit. The stability is very good in the curves. The turbo power is felt at high engine speeds when the RPM crosses 1800 in any gear.
Negatives:The only problem I faced was poor visibility when it comes to spotting potholes from a distance. I had to overcome this difficulty by using pillows on the seat cushion to raise the height. However, even when you are turning, the visibility is very poor. If there is a pothole just after you turn, well, you will be caught unawares..! Not so with other cars that I have driven so far. You will never get to see the front edge of the bonnet or at least the surface of the bonnet for you to judge how far it is from the bumper of the car on the front. You get it only with experience by which time your bumper would have got a few scratches..!
Recommendation:I will recommend this car for the middle class who want to go for a combination of power and economy, and of course as they rightly claim, TATA Indica brings value for money...!