I had 4 cars on my list to choose from, Getz, Santro, Indica V2 Turbo, Indica Xeta. We owned a Maruti 800 for over 10 years, with not many issues. I wasn’t keen on any of the current Suzuki models as they didn’t fit some my criteria. 800 and Alto ruled out due to space in the rear seat. Swift definitely looks pretty, with enough space in the rear seat, but the inside looks are pretty ordinary. Moreover, boot space isn’t big enough and seats have only 1 fold. Why can’t Maruti learn from Santro and Tata in terms of having 2 folded seats that’ll give plenty of room for dumping your luggage? Wagon R doesn’t look like a car, it feels more like a mini-van.
Anyways coming down to comparing from the above list:
Getz - Test drive was absolutely fantastic, very smooth ride enough on a rough road, gear box shifting is the best among all these cars, there is ample leg room BUT not as much as Indica, power steering too is very smooth, rear seat’s back rest has 2 adjustments which is pretty useful, good power. Drawbacks are cost (more than 1L dearer than Indica with same features) and read reviews that it has poor fuel efficient.
Santro - Test drive was good, smooth ride, gear box shifting is not as smooth as Getz, better fuel efficiency than Getz. Drawbacks are not enough power with AC on lower gears, shortage of leg room is a big disadvantage when you have a big family and some of them overweight!, costs (30-40K) dearer than Indica Xeta with same features.
Indica V2 Turbo - I always wanted to buy the diesel car for the higher fuel efficiency than petrol, cheaper cost of diesel (in India) and as I enjoy travelling long distances. Test drive was very good although pick up isn’t good until 2000 rpm, but then comes the thrill. As soon as you cross 2000 rpm, there is sudden burst in power, and you can easily overtake other cars on a highway. Gear box shifting is worst of the whole lot, power steering isn’t smooth. But the advantages are plenty of leg room (more than even Getz), cheaper than Getz, comparable to Santro with same features. There are some additional features which you won’t find in Hyundai like the RPM meter, 2 digital trip meters, etc. I was about to book the Turbo when the salesperson asked me to test drive the Xeta. Until then I hadn’t heard much about the Xeta. I thought Tatas only made diesel cars!!
Xeta - Test drive pretty smooth, comparable to the Santro, maybe not as smooth as the Getz. Power at lower gears was average, driving was comfortable, almost no sound during idling, must lesser sound while running compared to the Turbo (which sounds more like a wild beast). Rest of the features are exactly same on all Indicas. The advantages over Turbo was the cheaper cost (70-80K), especially with the 25K discount it was working out nearly 1L saving. So decided to go with it.
Here starts the disappointments
As I’m given the keys for the new Indica Xeta 1.2L (fiery Salsa red), I start the engine and pull away from the showroom, I heard a rubbing noise from the rear of the car. This could be heard only at low speeds. I drove it back to the showroom a couple of days later to fix the problem and I’m told to take it to the garage. It took them 2 days to resolve the problem - they’ve now replaced both the rear suspensions. How can one expect a brand new car to give a problem in the rear suspensions??? Apparently, 3-4 cars (all new Xetas) had gone to the same garage with the same problem within a week’s time. One of the mechanics said that one of the parts in the suspensions wasn’t manufactured correctly and all cars that have been fitted with the suspected part which have come from the same lot could have the inherent problem. I feel Tatas should recall all cars that have been fitted with the suspected part. Although the problem has been rectified, I can never be confident that everything is fine with the car. Everyday when I walk out to drive my car, I fear something could go wrong, like the wheel may fall off when I’m drive at 90kmph, or engine could burst into flames, etc!
I don’t think that I can recommend anybody to buy a Indica, but at the same time, it all depends on one’s selection criteria. If only the Indica fits in their criteria then so be it. I’m definitely not having this Indica beyond 3 years, provided I and the car can survive that long.