This June, we decided to sell our 9 years old indica and look for an upgrade.After the magnificient fuel economy of the old indica V2(19kmpl), we were looking for a new age car with economy of the same standard at a range of 4 - 4.5 lacs.
our options were - wagon R duo, I 10 , swift lxi, indigo cs,
First of all, it was decided, that we r going for the Wagon R duo, whose gas economy is great(my uncle uses one).but after riding the indica, u ll never be wanting to compromise on space.and Wagon R cant seat 3 people comfortably in rear, though the head room is excellent..
i-10, though has batter space, but the milage is not upto the mark(as stated by the mouth shut members).....same goes with the swift vxi......again the swift has great leg room in front, but at rear, its cramped.....
After using a no problem TATA vehicle for 9 years, we finally decided to go for the indigo cs(diesel TDI)
So went to the showroom, for a test ride.There v came across the indica vista......we first thought that it might look like the old indica, but it looked more trendy, and felt more spacious.....
took the test ride and bought it immidiately.....
Now comming to the pro’s and cons.....
Pros:-
1>SPACE:- thats somthing, you just cant ignore, sit inside it, and u will feel like a sedan....the dual tone interiors also makes it look more spacious....just like a "ford feasta"....3 people cant sit comfortably at the back, and if there are slim people, then even 4 can manage easily...so that is the main USP of TATA.....
2>COMFORT;- the seats are so well heighted, and the leg room is so large, that "WOW" is the word that comes into your mind, when you sit in it.
Here even the driver feels the comfort, as the drivability seems compared to the swift, or may be even better than the swift...The suspensions are world class.....fiat has really helped TATA, in improving in this department.
3> More over there are some great improvement over the indica v2....The noise in the cabin is almost nil.......even though, from out side, it is still noisy and smoke comes out from the silensor, like a typical deisel car.......but from inside, u fell no noise.
AC is decent-it cools at a gud rate.....though not very powerful, but quite good.....
The steering is much better than the old TATAs.....
The gear box has improved a lot......here also the fiat has helped the TATAs, but it is still not in comparision with the SWIFT level(i feel, swift has the smoothest gearbox among all hatches)
The breaking is also descent, i have heared a lot of times, about the absence of ABS or EBD.but I dont think, they are a big issue....i have stopped the car from 110 kmph-0kmph, without much problem....though the SWIFT felt much more safe, but how often you wld cruise at 120-130 kmph on indian roads, to feel the effects of ABS/EBD....At this price, the quality of breaking we are getting, is quite acceptable.....
The handling is excellent......even the sharp turns, feels too confident at higher speeds..
The fuel consumption , though not as great as the older indica, but quite gud -- 15-16 kmpl(much of time with AC)
Now comming to the cons;-
1>POWER:- Let me tell you, this car is not a driver’s delight....This mammoth is too heavy for the engine, it is planted on.the 135 NM of torque feels too less, while picking up in traffic....the quadrajet engine is much more a driver’s friendly......well thats compensated on highways to some extents though, I have touched the speed of 125 kmph once. and it will surely go higher....bt after 110 kmph, the accelaration slows down and it will take some time, before reaching the top speed..........
2>PLASTIC QUALITY:- this is an issue.....the plastics just feels too cheap....put some extra force, and the will break.....the window switches, the door knob......
But look at the positive point here......the quality being not so gud, one can not use it as taxi, like the old indicas.......because it would definitely cause more maintainance....so the exclusivity would be maintained to some extent....
More over, using the vehicle personally, one wouldnot feel any problems.you just have to be a bit carefull, and thats all....
Now summing it up,
Another reason for buying the vehicle is that, the service here is quite descent....U always need good service, to maintain a TATA product....it demands a bit more...but if the service people are gud, then TATAs are always value for money...
If one is looking for a hatch with descent milage, and lot of features, this is the car for them...
Those who are looking for more power and fun, go for the Vista Quadrajet....you will never repent..
But again I should say, your service station must be good, else never buy a tata....
And do take the extra 2 years extended warranty offered by them, because u will always need it...
-----------------------------------------
After 40000 kms(2 and a half year)
------
Faced an ugly accident, car Changed the front bumper and left side headlight assembly......
The (left)power window switch needed 2 b replaced(under warranty) and the steering is feeling a bit hard like somthing stuck in it, ill get it checked at next servicing...
Fuel consumption now is still around 16 kmpl...
But car is still in an excellent condition... will keep it for 4 more years...