I own the Vista VX Quadrajet(Cavern Grey) which I had purchased in Nov 2011 and am planning to sell it shortly for an upgrade. This is the second Tata that I have owned. Have done a total of 44000 kms till date. Let me tell you all the details which I have gone through ownership of this vehicle:
The mileage was 15 km/L using A/C in the city(I had fitted 195/60 R14 Michelin XM1+ tubeless tyres with EVO Alloys and yet the mileage was not affected). And on the highway I used to get 20 km/L using A/C. I have always predominantly tried to use IOC diesel only because I have an Indian Oil CitiBank Platinum credit card(4 turbo points for Rs. 150 spent; 1 turbo point= Rs. 1).
Maintenance was carried out every 5000 kms and it does not exceed Rs. 5000 which include engine adjustments, all oil changes, air & oil filter change, wheel balancing and alignment, washing and shampooing interiors. This may increase if you have any dent repair or painting work to carry out which is also not that expensive or replacement due to general wear and tear.
I adore the Quadrajet engine fitted to the Vista. I love the feeling of getting shoved into my seat after the turbo kicks in. I have taken her up to 120 km/h on NH66 and am amazed at the stability with only a few vibrations creeping through the steering.
The boot is spacious. Adequate for 2 medium trolley bags and few small soft packs. The interior space is much more than its direct competitors like the Swift, Grand i10, Brio, etc. You can easily seat three 6-foot adults in the back with plenty of room available for the front occupants.
It tackles bad roads with aplomb. Very few rattles are evident in my car even after 3 years of use on rough roads.
Interior quality is decent. The in-built interior car audio and Bluetooth telephony system is good enough(Upgraded the 4-door speakers to Polk Audio)
Just remember that all cars require your love and attention. Treat her well just as you would your wife and she will keep you happy till her lifetime.
All is not rosy in this world. So here are a few negatives I would like to point out:
It takes time to get used to the size i.e. width. Turning would have been difficult had it not been for the hydraulic power-steering. Requires loads of space for parking.
The A/C is not very powerful. It has adequate cooling most of the time. However, if you have left your car out in the sun, it struggles to cool down the interior and takes its own sweet time(may also be due to the expansive glass area).
It cannot be revved high like a petrol car. There is no performance gain above 3500 rpm and it is also not recommended as it may damage the engine. Regular over-revving also leads to incomplete combustion of fuel causing drop in mileage.
Though NVH inside the car low from out the engine is sounds rough especially compared to petrol cars but it hushes down after warming up during run-in.
Parts replaced till date: Back suspension bushes; Tail-gate hydraulic dampener; two engine glow plugs(total four are present); Brake shoes; Exhaust with assembly(got nicked during one trip due to bad roads which was my fault completely)
A good dealer for servicing your car is as important as the car itself. I had bought my vehicle from one dealer but was not satisfied with his service as all my problems were not sorted in one visit. After I shifted over to another dealer showroom, the problems were rectified in one go. Remember, that is the key. No use of blaming a car because of poor mechanic support or inefficient staff. Also it helps if you pay attention to your car and are able to identify the problem and inform the service engineers.
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