7 Feb 2011 Update:
I can confirm that the car is still going strong at 30, 000 km.
The A/C packed at 28, 000km. The car was covered under extended warranty. But at the 1st instance when my driver took it to RF, the "service exec"turned him away stating that such things are not covered under warranty. Then I took it to concorde. They kept it for a week and I had to pay about 1/3rd of the cost(about 3K in total - refrigerant is not covered under warranty and how do you fix the a/c without topping up the reg. after repair?) Anyway - the AC is working great.
The mileage slightly improved after the 3rd service.(maybe 12 kmpl city dr with full a/c)
So far so good - when compared with some of my peers who bought expensive "cars of foreign origin" which costs a bomb to repair while attending to routine city knicks & knocks.
20 Jan 10 Update:
The car is still going strong at 19, 000 km. Mileage is around 11.0 km/lit city driving, (petrol). No complaints except for the sticker which the dealer didn’t fix properly in the first place and then failed to fix it again during servicing.(Never collect the vehicle from your dealer if he states that minor issues will be fixed later)
The service at RF motors sucks big time. The place is understaffed and the staff does not appear to be sure of what they need to do. They try to dictate when to bring the car, when to collect etc.
Worst of all - how the service personnel greet you is - "Taxi or Private car sir?" - while you hand in the service booklet for checking in.
Good Car - Poor service.
The Tata motors QA dept or someone & JD powers whom TaTa has allegedly engaged for feedback survey called me a few times. I refused to answer the questions and replied that if they need my frank* honest feedback, they can provide an email ID and I’ll oblige with a written feedback, (They dare not.)
1 Jan 09 Update:
1st service at 2000 km. Only Rs 100 and the car came back after a good wash. It didnt look that good when it was delivered new
At 2800 km, some irritating noise started emanating from left rear. RF detected it as shock absorber problem and replaced it free(Rs 3000 item.)
Average mileage seems to be 11.xx km/lit petrol
-
30 Nov 08 - 1st post
I am posting this review since certain opinions from this forum helped
Factor considered in choosing the vehicle:
This is my car No. 2 since I am maintaining yet another one overseas. This is for my less than 1000km per month useage; need to dispose in less than 2 years. Petrol will be OK
Not concerned about snob values of the vehicles touted as premium brands; being well aware of the overseas stature of toyotas, hyundai’s, Skoda’s and the like.
I wanted "the one for the road" - or the lack it - Must be able to deal with pothole infested terrain and narrow roads and constrained parking spaces. Bolero could have been my alternate choice.
A driver will drive me around; hence I didnt want compacts+ need a small boot behind, since I had past 2 rear ended experiences
During my past visits in 10 years, I used Indica taxis and all the drivers did not have anything adverse to say. I had a few satisfied owners from the net and otherwise as well(The adverse comments were mostly from persons who never owned this particular car!)
GLX came with stuff the predecessor was lacking. 4.68 lakhs came with dealer fitted keyless entry and reverse sensor+ custom courdroy seat covers.(cost of stereo not covered since imported direct)
Petrol mileage at 760 km for those who may wish to know. It came with 40 km on the speedo.
100% aircon
10.76 city(360 km)
12.88 highway(360 km)
One con I have noted is that factory central lock activates almost immediately once the engine starts. Need to open again to let others in and re-lock. Yet to figure out a way around.
Thanks for the reviews and ask me if you need more info.