I took delivery of my Indigo CS TDi less than a month ago. I chose this car over one of the more modern hatchbacks primarily because a sedan looks more expensive, and because the Indigo has been in production for a long time and most of the kinks have been ironed out. The delivery experience at Kulathunkal Motors, Trivandrum was not hassle free - but it was through no fault of the dealer. There were difficulties arranging finance and the car couldn’t be registered on the desired date due to power problems at the RTO’s office. The sales person was very cooperative, and did not try to push me into any decision.
I got a total discount of around Rs. 16000 through various offers, free remote locking, free mats/mudflaps and free teflon coating. The dealer gave me a voucher for 5 liters of diesel, which I forgot to claim that day and expired. When I went back the next day, the delivery person gave me a new voucher without batting an eyelid, and satisfactorily answered all my questions about the car.
Coming to the car, first of all, the space is enormous. The boot is deceptively larger than it looks from outside. There is enough room for three adults in the back seat. The LX comes with two tone fabric seats. They’re supportive, but a bit more cushioning would have been better. It is easily solved by getting padded seat covers which 90% buyers will get. The gear lever and steering are wrapped in beige leather to match the dashboard. They have a good feel. I wish that Tata would offer lumbar and heightadjustment on front seats. I’m a short person and the dash and steering feel a bit too high.
The plastics for the dash and switches look unfinished. The moulding lines can be seen clearly, and they don’t trim off the excess part, probably leaving it for the customer to do. But nothing feels flimsy. The combination switches and levers are very tactile. Gaps between plastic panels are big. It’s nothing that hinders day to day use, but it does lack a quality feel. The cabin feels built to a price.
In my car, the shut lines were good for all panels except for the right rear door. That door also wouldn’t shut as easily as the other three, and it is expected to be solved by the first service, for which I’ve given the car. I liked the looks of the CS, especially since the new model has the dual headlamps and grille from the full size Indigo. It looks much better proportioned than the regular Indigo.
Ride comfort is very good though not as good as Dzire. But the car can handle bad roads and potholes without feeling as if it will fall apart. There was suspension noise from the car’s rear, which was solved by the dealer within twenty minutes.
The engine is very powerful, especially for someone who has been driving an 800. The turbo spins up at about 2000rpm, and pickup is sluggish before that. So, you have to learn to keep the engine above that rpm for good pickup. The gearshift is not very good. It feels notchy, and the second-third shift needs to be done precisely or it will gnash. Clutch is lighter than my 800, and the brakes are excellent. Power steering is very effective, and weighted, without any of the superlight feeling of the Marutis.
Vibration is felt through the pedals and the gearshift. If you hold the gearknob for too long, your hand will start tingling, it’s that bad. Effort required to shift is not bad though.The car is easy to crawl through traffic. The trick I found, is to let the engine idle and use the clutch and 2nd or 3rd gear to move along. Even with the Ac on and 4 people, the car will not stall easily.
The car has been reliable so far, but I feel i’ts too premature to judge.
I would recommend the Indigo CS and the eCS to anyone.