Just got to know that Tata has launched 90HP Quadrajet Vista with Manza dashboard! I think Tata definitely has a winner on its hand! It must be much more exciting than the current 75 PS QJT model. The sad part is, the tata vista website does not have even a single line about this launch!!!!! Why are TATA product launches so quiet all the time? Why no advt campaign! I am even hooked on to the Tata Vista facebook page, but hey, i do not remember seeing anything there either! A unrelated google search threw up a third party automobile website which spoke about this!!!! I think TATA needs to change their publicity guys or do something about it immediately.
Friday, December 14, 2012
Fourth Free Service Update
Gave my inddie for 4th free service on 5th Dec. Two issues i reported to my service advisor:
1. Clutch judder in first gear while releasing the clutch
2. Not the feeling the turbo kick the way i used to feel in 3rd gear at 2000 RPM.
Car was promised to be ready by 5 PM. Car was indeed ready before 5 PM. Both the issues i had reported are well taken care of. The clutch judder has greatly reduced. The turbo kick is back. The whole experience was good. I think I must say that Tata customer care and service has greatly improved and is in the same league as that of my previous experiences with Hyundai and Maruti. I have always dealt with Concorde and not sure if the experience varies with other dealerships - but Concorde is getting better with each visit. The service cost me 1900 - this includes 2 full wheel caps which fell off when the car encountered the mega crater and wheel alignment and wheel balancing and other minor things.
By the way, i also got a follow up call from Concorde Customer Care asking me if everything was ok with my car two days after the service and she also mentioned that if i need any tweaking with the recent service, they will send out the mobile squad to my residence or office and have it set right. Wow! now that is really gooood.
So far, no reason to regret my choice; all reasons to feel happy about the choice so far. I think what I have is a most value for money hatch, cheap to maintain, with decent road manners - handling, braking, acceleration etc.
1. Clutch judder in first gear while releasing the clutch
2. Not the feeling the turbo kick the way i used to feel in 3rd gear at 2000 RPM.
Car was promised to be ready by 5 PM. Car was indeed ready before 5 PM. Both the issues i had reported are well taken care of. The clutch judder has greatly reduced. The turbo kick is back. The whole experience was good. I think I must say that Tata customer care and service has greatly improved and is in the same league as that of my previous experiences with Hyundai and Maruti. I have always dealt with Concorde and not sure if the experience varies with other dealerships - but Concorde is getting better with each visit. The service cost me 1900 - this includes 2 full wheel caps which fell off when the car encountered the mega crater and wheel alignment and wheel balancing and other minor things.
By the way, i also got a follow up call from Concorde Customer Care asking me if everything was ok with my car two days after the service and she also mentioned that if i need any tweaking with the recent service, they will send out the mobile squad to my residence or office and have it set right. Wow! now that is really gooood.
So far, no reason to regret my choice; all reasons to feel happy about the choice so far. I think what I have is a most value for money hatch, cheap to maintain, with decent road manners - handling, braking, acceleration etc.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Tale of 5 Days, 1975 KMs
Excellent roads, very good roads, good roads. Bad roads, worse roads, no roads at all. Seen all of that, been through all of that in my recent 5 days 1975 Kms trip to north karnataka.
We started (my wife, father and mother) @ 5:45 AM on 15th Aug. Reached Bangalore back @ 9:30 PM on 19th Aug. The route covered was bangalore-tumkur-chitradurga-haveri-hubli-naragund-bijapur-sindagi-jeratagi-ganagapur. A short trip from ganagapur-gulbarga and back.
On the return journey the route was Ganagapur-jeratagi-sindagi-bijapur-naragund-hubli-yellapur-ankola-kumta-honnavar-bhatkal-kundapur-udupi-mangalore-puttur-sullia-madikeri-mysore-ramanagar-bangalore.
15th Aug, 5:45 AM we started from bangalore in my inddie and stopped at Kamat at Dobbspet by 7:15 AM. Left Dobbspet by 7:45 AM and reached hubli by 11:45 AM. In between, took one break to stretch legs which lasted 10 mins. Had light food at Kamat Cafe @ Deshpande nagar and left Hubli by 12:45 PM and refuelled to tankfull which consumed 22.2 Ltrs (1000 Rs) and reached Bijapur by 4:15 PM. In between, took one break to stretch legs lasting about 10 minutes. Stopped at sindagi for one more 10 mins break and reached jeratagi by 5:30 PM. Made the left turn and reached Ganagapur which is 22 KMs from Jeratagi by 6:15 PM. Entire journey was with 100% AC on.
Roads were Excellent from Bangalore to Hubli, Very Good from Hubli to Navalgund, Bad in few stretches upto Naragund and Very good from Naragund to Jeratagi. Jeratagi to Ganagapur is a single road but well surfaced. Went over atleast 4 unmarked mega speed breakers at 60-80 KMPH and my inddie held up well. Blr to Hubli, easily 120 KMPH can be held consistently. Hubli to Jeratagi easily 80-100 KMPH can be maintained but the unmarked speed breakers will give you your gotcha moments.
Next day, started from Ganagapur to Gulbarga for a silly reason - the nearest ATM to withdraw cash is available only in Gulbarga. This stretch there are no roads :) It took me 1 Hr30 minutes to cover 40 KMs while going to Gulbarga but on return journey took me only 1 Hr 10 minutes as frustration took over and i did 60 KMPH on virtually no roads. I comfortably passed Boleros, Trax and NEKRTC buses :) :). Inddie's underbelly got hit once, stopped to check for damage, found none, continued with 60 KMPH.
On 17th Aug, started at 6:15 AM from Ganagapur and reached Bijapur at 8:00 AM. Went to a hotel called Royal Comforts in front of Gol gumbuz and had good breakfast. Left Bijapur at 8:30 AM and reached Hubli at 12:30 PM. Went to my brother's in-laws place had lunch and left Hubli at 2:30 PM. Reached Ankola by 4:30 PM. Stopped at Kamat for a quick tea break and started back at 4:45. The worst roads we encountered in this stretch from Ankola to Kundapur. In April End, it took me 2 Hours 15 Mins to cover the same distance, however, this time it took 4 hours to cover the same. Reached kundapur at 8:30 PM. Had dinner at a hotel just outside kundapur. Continued journey towards Sullia. Got good stretches albeit with detours after kundapur. Around 10:30 PM, when i reached NMPT panambur, the excellent 6 lane stretch started. Felt happy. This happiness lasted only 5 seconds as this "Excellent" stretch managed to do what the "No Roads" did not do. There was a mega crater, well cut using man made tools, left open with no signage, into which my inddie's left wheel landed directly at 80 KMPH. There was a swift dezire taxi ahead of me, which swerved at last moment and I could not avoid the 4'X4' square hole. The car came out of the ditch with a loud thud which woke my wife, father and mother who were sleeping blissfully, and the worst happened. The front disk bent beyond repair and the tubless tyre blow went off. The rear left tyre disc had a small dent but the tyre still held the blow. Pulled over, changed the front left wheel with the spare one and continued and did not want to take a risk of continuing beyond mangalore, stayed at mangalore. The time was 11:30 PM. Next day, 18th Aug, went to automatrix, had suspension checked up, it turns out all was ok, bought a new disk and the whole thing cost me Rs 1381/-. Cant believe, this is cheaper than maruti. The impact with which the car hit the edge of the ditch was so huge, that i was thinking that the front struts would be gone. I was super pleased with Inddie. This repair took about 4 hours as the engine guard dent due to the grounding near gulbarga was also fixed. Then continued the journey and reached sullia on 18th. Dropped my parents in sullia, took rest over night and started back to blr on 19th.
Roads from Hubli to Ankola are very good, ankola to kundapur is worst. Kundapur to sullia is good but laden with diversions and few stretches of bad roads.
Complete journey was with AC on and the mileage i got was 18 KMPH.
- Aravind
We started (my wife, father and mother) @ 5:45 AM on 15th Aug. Reached Bangalore back @ 9:30 PM on 19th Aug. The route covered was bangalore-tumkur-chitradurga-haveri-hubli-naragund-bijapur-sindagi-jeratagi-ganagapur. A short trip from ganagapur-gulbarga and back.
On the return journey the route was Ganagapur-jeratagi-sindagi-bijapur-naragund-hubli-yellapur-ankola-kumta-honnavar-bhatkal-kundapur-udupi-mangalore-puttur-sullia-madikeri-mysore-ramanagar-bangalore.
15th Aug, 5:45 AM we started from bangalore in my inddie and stopped at Kamat at Dobbspet by 7:15 AM. Left Dobbspet by 7:45 AM and reached hubli by 11:45 AM. In between, took one break to stretch legs which lasted 10 mins. Had light food at Kamat Cafe @ Deshpande nagar and left Hubli by 12:45 PM and refuelled to tankfull which consumed 22.2 Ltrs (1000 Rs) and reached Bijapur by 4:15 PM. In between, took one break to stretch legs lasting about 10 minutes. Stopped at sindagi for one more 10 mins break and reached jeratagi by 5:30 PM. Made the left turn and reached Ganagapur which is 22 KMs from Jeratagi by 6:15 PM. Entire journey was with 100% AC on.
Roads were Excellent from Bangalore to Hubli, Very Good from Hubli to Navalgund, Bad in few stretches upto Naragund and Very good from Naragund to Jeratagi. Jeratagi to Ganagapur is a single road but well surfaced. Went over atleast 4 unmarked mega speed breakers at 60-80 KMPH and my inddie held up well. Blr to Hubli, easily 120 KMPH can be held consistently. Hubli to Jeratagi easily 80-100 KMPH can be maintained but the unmarked speed breakers will give you your gotcha moments.
Next day, started from Ganagapur to Gulbarga for a silly reason - the nearest ATM to withdraw cash is available only in Gulbarga. This stretch there are no roads :) It took me 1 Hr30 minutes to cover 40 KMs while going to Gulbarga but on return journey took me only 1 Hr 10 minutes as frustration took over and i did 60 KMPH on virtually no roads. I comfortably passed Boleros, Trax and NEKRTC buses :) :). Inddie's underbelly got hit once, stopped to check for damage, found none, continued with 60 KMPH.
On 17th Aug, started at 6:15 AM from Ganagapur and reached Bijapur at 8:00 AM. Went to a hotel called Royal Comforts in front of Gol gumbuz and had good breakfast. Left Bijapur at 8:30 AM and reached Hubli at 12:30 PM. Went to my brother's in-laws place had lunch and left Hubli at 2:30 PM. Reached Ankola by 4:30 PM. Stopped at Kamat for a quick tea break and started back at 4:45. The worst roads we encountered in this stretch from Ankola to Kundapur. In April End, it took me 2 Hours 15 Mins to cover the same distance, however, this time it took 4 hours to cover the same. Reached kundapur at 8:30 PM. Had dinner at a hotel just outside kundapur. Continued journey towards Sullia. Got good stretches albeit with detours after kundapur. Around 10:30 PM, when i reached NMPT panambur, the excellent 6 lane stretch started. Felt happy. This happiness lasted only 5 seconds as this "Excellent" stretch managed to do what the "No Roads" did not do. There was a mega crater, well cut using man made tools, left open with no signage, into which my inddie's left wheel landed directly at 80 KMPH. There was a swift dezire taxi ahead of me, which swerved at last moment and I could not avoid the 4'X4' square hole. The car came out of the ditch with a loud thud which woke my wife, father and mother who were sleeping blissfully, and the worst happened. The front disk bent beyond repair and the tubless tyre blow went off. The rear left tyre disc had a small dent but the tyre still held the blow. Pulled over, changed the front left wheel with the spare one and continued and did not want to take a risk of continuing beyond mangalore, stayed at mangalore. The time was 11:30 PM. Next day, 18th Aug, went to automatrix, had suspension checked up, it turns out all was ok, bought a new disk and the whole thing cost me Rs 1381/-. Cant believe, this is cheaper than maruti. The impact with which the car hit the edge of the ditch was so huge, that i was thinking that the front struts would be gone. I was super pleased with Inddie. This repair took about 4 hours as the engine guard dent due to the grounding near gulbarga was also fixed. Then continued the journey and reached sullia on 18th. Dropped my parents in sullia, took rest over night and started back to blr on 19th.
Roads from Hubli to Ankola are very good, ankola to kundapur is worst. Kundapur to sullia is good but laden with diversions and few stretches of bad roads.
Complete journey was with AC on and the mileage i got was 18 KMPH.
- Aravind
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Completed 3rd Service - 10000 KMs
Completed 10K KM service yesterday. Gave the vehicle to my regular service advisor. Following work was done:
- Oil Change (first time since buying the car)
- Clutch Bleeding to address clutch play. The clutch play is as good as before now.
- The plastic on the dashboard has been "pasted" back to the dashboard with some kind of glue. Not sure about the longevity. Looks like a substandard job :)
- Routine maintenance activity like air filter cleaning, lights checking etc etc.
- Wheel balancing and oil filter change
- Cost me 700 Rs as I am covered under AMC.
Overall impression, the service was great.
Have two long drives in the pipeline for the next month. One will be around 700 KMs and another one will be 1700 KMs
- Aravind
- Oil Change (first time since buying the car)
- Clutch Bleeding to address clutch play. The clutch play is as good as before now.
- The plastic on the dashboard has been "pasted" back to the dashboard with some kind of glue. Not sure about the longevity. Looks like a substandard job :)
- Routine maintenance activity like air filter cleaning, lights checking etc etc.
- Wheel balancing and oil filter change
- Cost me 700 Rs as I am covered under AMC.
Overall impression, the service was great.
Have two long drives in the pipeline for the next month. One will be around 700 KMs and another one will be 1700 KMs
- Aravind
Friday, July 6, 2012
High Beam issue is resolved!!
Tuesday 3rd July, night 11:03 PM, i put in a query @ customercare.tatamotors.com. I ask if this long pending high beam issue is something that I need to live with or is it something that can be fixed. 11:04 PM I get an sms with a complaint number for tracking purpose stating someone will get in touch with me soon.
Wed'day 4th July morning 10:00 AM I get a call from Concorde motors bangalore. My service advisor requests me to come down there at 4 PM. I show up at 4 PM. A senior mechanic from electricals dept is engaged. he brings in a screw driver and a set of hex bolts. Fixes the issue in 5 mins.
The high beam is really working as it should now! More importantly, I am really happy the way this whole thing was handled by tata. I got very good response and follow up too! Thumbs UP!
- Aravind
Wed'day 4th July morning 10:00 AM I get a call from Concorde motors bangalore. My service advisor requests me to come down there at 4 PM. I show up at 4 PM. A senior mechanic from electricals dept is engaged. he brings in a screw driver and a set of hex bolts. Fixes the issue in 5 mins.
The high beam is really working as it should now! More importantly, I am really happy the way this whole thing was handled by tata. I got very good response and follow up too! Thumbs UP!
- Aravind
Saturday, June 23, 2012
8500 KMs Update
Inddie is holding up well. have clocked 8500 KMs so far. The only thing i noticed was that the engine oil looks really dirty. As per TATA service schedule, the engine oil change is due at 10000 KM. Not sure if all diesel engine oil will look so dark/charred after 8000+ KM running, but in petrol it never used to look charred. No issues though - NO black smoke (except during hard acceleration - which is normal of any diesel engine), no engine overheating. But the oil has turned black. The long drives have dried up. So I think it will take another month to reach 10000 KM.
Monday, May 28, 2012
1600 KM Round Trip, Second Service Update
Gave the car for second service on 17th May 2012. The darn full beam is still not fixed. On the verge of giving up on the full beam. Very very very disappointed with that. The problem with H1 and H7 bulb assembly is i cannot go for 100/90W setup. The best i can do is 80W each and that would be slight tricky.
Anyways, over the last week end, completed a 1600KM round trip on my inddie.. The ride was supremely comfortable for my parents in the rear bench and was truly sedan class. The car behaved very well on the highways.. With 100% AC, keeping inddie between 80 and 100 KMPH returned a FE of 18.75 KMPL. With 100% AC, pushing inddie upto 120 KMPH, sudden acceleration and deceleration to accommodate the two lane NH 17 from mangalore to goa yielded a healthy 17.5 KMPH.
Anyways, over the last week end, completed a 1600KM round trip on my inddie.. The ride was supremely comfortable for my parents in the rear bench and was truly sedan class. The car behaved very well on the highways.. With 100% AC, keeping inddie between 80 and 100 KMPH returned a FE of 18.75 KMPL. With 100% AC, pushing inddie upto 120 KMPH, sudden acceleration and deceleration to accommodate the two lane NH 17 from mangalore to goa yielded a healthy 17.5 KMPH.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Cracked Bumper, Shattered Tail Light - Fixed
Got the second service done. Along with that showed the cracked bumper and shattered tail light. I was given an estimate of 2500/- for replacement of the tail light (right lower) and rear fender refit with brackets etc replaced and bumper touch up. The split was something like 1100 for tail light assembly including labour and 1300 for bumper work. Gave the car at 9:30 AM and got the car back at 7 PM. But, a job very well done. Will post pics later. Sad part is that the high beam is still not aligned to my satisfaction.
Two and half months into the ownership, I think I can say that so far, the car has been fantastic. I dont regret having made the choice. The small "niggles" I have listed before were not something that I lost my sleep over or not something that made me mad. Most importantly, none of those niggles were on the critical path of the car's basic function - moving from point a to point b.
Let me continue to share my experiences as we go along. For now, 1700 KMs trip is just round the corner. Will update soon.
-Aravind
Two and half months into the ownership, I think I can say that so far, the car has been fantastic. I dont regret having made the choice. The small "niggles" I have listed before were not something that I lost my sleep over or not something that made me mad. Most importantly, none of those niggles were on the critical path of the car's basic function - moving from point a to point b.
Let me continue to share my experiences as we go along. For now, 1700 KMs trip is just round the corner. Will update soon.
-Aravind
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Cracked Bumper, Shattered Tail Light and Tint Removal
Today, I wanted to remove the tint as the cops have set May 19th as the deadline to remove the same. Instead of giving it to Service Center to remove the tint, I decided to do it myself. I successfully pulled out the sun film but the glue residue was still present on the glass. The easiest way of cleaning the glue from the glass is to use some paint thinner which is available in any hardware shop and use a old toothbrush to clean the glue. Dip the brush in the thinner and just rub over the glue stuck to the glass and it works like magic.
However, after this was done, i wanted to start to office and was backing my car and lo, it crashed against the pillar. Inddie's rear bumper got cracked and the RHS tail light glass was shattered.
Will have to get this fixed during the second free service next week. Btw, May 24th, Inddie will start on 1800 KM journey to Goa and back. Will update post second service.
- Aravind
However, after this was done, i wanted to start to office and was backing my car and lo, it crashed against the pillar. Inddie's rear bumper got cracked and the RHS tail light glass was shattered.
Will have to get this fixed during the second free service next week. Btw, May 24th, Inddie will start on 1800 KM journey to Goa and back. Will update post second service.
- Aravind
Friday, April 20, 2012
The Elusive Full Beam
OK, I have news and not a great one. I am frustrated. Simply, the 4 headlamps of Vista dont necessarily translate to better night vision of the road ahead. The headlamps suck, and bigtime. Yesterday was my 4th Visit for the same issue. Instead, now, the low beam alignment is also gone and high beam continues to focus on tree tops. I feel the previous alignment was better!
Very frustrating. Night time, i dont think i can cross 40-50 KMPH safely. The other problem is, headlight alignment switch only applies to low beam and not to high beam.
Next service, I will give it another shot. If these guys (Concorde) are not able to do it, I will take it to AutoMatrix and give it a shot.
My experience yesterday was sub standard too! I go to concorde and the security tells me to pull into the workshop. Cars are parked so hapizardly, that to reach the workshop I lost 20 mins from the entry gate. When I reach workshop, they just ask me to drive to QRS (Quick Repair Service) bay for which I did not have to drive through all this mess. Finally once I am in QRS, the guy tries to adjust beams and screws up low beam as well. I was able to realize only when i drove in the night that it was messed up. He claimed that it was perfect now.
Whoa.. I think following are the options in front of me:
1. Give two more tries to have the headlights focused and aligned properly - one at concorde and one at AutoMatrix.
2. If that fails, I have two options:
2a.Go for some really powerful foglamps (is that what you call them? the ones installed on the bull bar like Hella etc)
2b. Go for a mod on the original and get a pair of projector headlamps.
- Aravind
Very frustrating. Night time, i dont think i can cross 40-50 KMPH safely. The other problem is, headlight alignment switch only applies to low beam and not to high beam.
Next service, I will give it another shot. If these guys (Concorde) are not able to do it, I will take it to AutoMatrix and give it a shot.
My experience yesterday was sub standard too! I go to concorde and the security tells me to pull into the workshop. Cars are parked so hapizardly, that to reach the workshop I lost 20 mins from the entry gate. When I reach workshop, they just ask me to drive to QRS (Quick Repair Service) bay for which I did not have to drive through all this mess. Finally once I am in QRS, the guy tries to adjust beams and screws up low beam as well. I was able to realize only when i drove in the night that it was messed up. He claimed that it was perfect now.
Whoa.. I think following are the options in front of me:
1. Give two more tries to have the headlights focused and aligned properly - one at concorde and one at AutoMatrix.
2. If that fails, I have two options:
2a.Go for some really powerful foglamps (is that what you call them? the ones installed on the bull bar like Hella etc)
2b. Go for a mod on the original and get a pair of projector headlamps.
- Aravind
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Summary of Issues and Good things faced so far in the One Month of Ownership
Issues First:
- A/C Vent not moving up and down - Fixed
- Grinding noise from Front right wheel - Fixed
- Dashboard plastic sheet has come off - New Issue, will fix in second service.
- Full beam is a sore point in Vista. The headlamp level adjustment is only for low beam. All my enthusiasm about 4 headlamps fizzled out because the full beam adjustment is still not to my satisfaction. Even with 2 or 1 person in the car, the full beam will blind the pilot of the aircraft flying in the sky but not light up the road ahead. With 4-5 persons, dont use the full beam, it is of no use. This is a very very irritating thing for me, because spotting a speed breaker at 80 KMPH in the night and slowing down in time is simply impossible with these high beams. I think H4 bulbs are better or TATA should have head lamp leveler adjustment for full beams too.
Good Things:
- Good riding comfort
- Ability to take on bad roads
- Feels stable at 140 KMPH (on a straight road)
- 80 - 100 KMPH feels stationary and absolutely free of stress
- Good mileage
- Super duper A/C which chills in peak summer.
- A/C Vent not moving up and down - Fixed
- Grinding noise from Front right wheel - Fixed
- Dashboard plastic sheet has come off - New Issue, will fix in second service.
- Full beam is a sore point in Vista. The headlamp level adjustment is only for low beam. All my enthusiasm about 4 headlamps fizzled out because the full beam adjustment is still not to my satisfaction. Even with 2 or 1 person in the car, the full beam will blind the pilot of the aircraft flying in the sky but not light up the road ahead. With 4-5 persons, dont use the full beam, it is of no use. This is a very very irritating thing for me, because spotting a speed breaker at 80 KMPH in the night and slowing down in time is simply impossible with these high beams. I think H4 bulbs are better or TATA should have head lamp leveler adjustment for full beams too.
Good Things:
- Good riding comfort
- Ability to take on bad roads
- Feels stable at 140 KMPH (on a straight road)
- 80 - 100 KMPH feels stationary and absolutely free of stress
- Good mileage
- Super duper A/C which chills in peak summer.
Tale of 140 KMPH, One Grounding and Dashboard Plastic
On 31st Mar, my drive to sullia was progressing as usual. Suddenly my wife tells me to take a look at the speedometer and the speedo is showing 140 KMPH. RPM is 3000+ . But car was stable and did not realize that we were cruising at 140.
FE from that trip (90% A/C) was 18.9 KMPL. In the previous trip, my nephew and niece wanted to play in the river at Sullia and i was ferrying them to the river. I drove over a sand dune and lo, the car scraped the ground right at the center, but luckily on the frame where the jack is normally placed. Thanked stars for that.
Hmm, Now to the "niggling" issue: Yesterday I observed that the dashboard plastic (black color) has come off from the dashboard. I realised that the black plastic feel of the dashboard was achieved by gluing the black textured plastic material and was not part of the mould itself. Will have to fix this in the next service (5000 KMs). Car has already clocked 3300 KMs in one month.
So far so good, nothing major to worry about..
- Aravind Kamath
FE from that trip (90% A/C) was 18.9 KMPL. In the previous trip, my nephew and niece wanted to play in the river at Sullia and i was ferrying them to the river. I drove over a sand dune and lo, the car scraped the ground right at the center, but luckily on the frame where the jack is normally placed. Thanked stars for that.
Hmm, Now to the "niggling" issue: Yesterday I observed that the dashboard plastic (black color) has come off from the dashboard. I realised that the black plastic feel of the dashboard was achieved by gluing the black textured plastic material and was not part of the mould itself. Will have to fix this in the next service (5000 KMs). Car has already clocked 3300 KMs in one month.
So far so good, nothing major to worry about..
- Aravind Kamath
Thursday, March 22, 2012
First Service Update
Completed 1st Free Service on Mar 21st. Got engine compartment waxing, 3M paint protection done. Cost about 3500/-. Asked the high beam adjustment to be done, it was done, but I need to have it adjusted again. It is not to my satisfaction. Car runs great as usual.
Monday, March 19, 2012
First Long Trip - 650 Kms Covered Over the Weekend
Indie completed the first long drive from Bangalore to Sullia via Mysore, Madikeri and back. Here are some of the highlights:
- I struggled to get the synchronization going between me and the machine. The turbo would kick in and the car would take off but negotiating the traffic on Mysore road with the turbo coming in was a challenge initially.
- Once the turbo kicks in, the car simply develops phenomenal power
- Completed the entire journey with A/C on, absolutely no power drop
- topped up about Rs 800/- worth of normal diesel in sullia. Premium Diesel is NOT recommended for Vista.
- During the onward journey, the time taken was 6 Hours and 5 minutes to cover 325 Kms. Started at 7 PM and reached at 1:05 AM with two breaks of 10 Mins each.
- While coming back, I was completely in sync with the car behaviour and the journey was really amiable. We completed 325 Kms in 5 Hours 25 Mins with one break of 25 Mins. Man, this was my best ever from Sullia to Bangalore.
- Comfortably passed Innovas, i20s, Swifts and loads of other makes without having to sweat it out. Not to say that those vehicles are not capable, may be individual driving style, but Indie was able to cruise at 120KMPH at about 2500 RPMs and the cabin noise was very minimal. The car did not feel stressed.
- During my onward journey, it was quite unnerving while manouvering the car at 100+ speeds. I realized that the steering wheel of indie is tuned differently as compared to my A-Star. Indie steering wheel is hyper sensitive where as A Star steering wheel is not so sensitive. I feel Indie steers more for the same rotation of the steering wheel as compared to A-Star. This steering behaviour during my onward journey was part of the "did not feel in sync" with the car experience. However, on my way back, I got used to it and was steering it appropriately without going through "Oh My God!" moments.
- Headlights are not meant for night driving : went over one speed break each during my onward and return journey at 40-50 speeds as the poor headlights ensured that the speed breakers were visible only at the last moment. Not to mention that the speed breaker warning signs were not placed on the shoulders as well. Upgrading to Philips ExtremeVision +100% 55W H1 and H7 today!
- Overall, the experience was super.
- I struggled to get the synchronization going between me and the machine. The turbo would kick in and the car would take off but negotiating the traffic on Mysore road with the turbo coming in was a challenge initially.
- Once the turbo kicks in, the car simply develops phenomenal power
- Completed the entire journey with A/C on, absolutely no power drop
- topped up about Rs 800/- worth of normal diesel in sullia. Premium Diesel is NOT recommended for Vista.
- During the onward journey, the time taken was 6 Hours and 5 minutes to cover 325 Kms. Started at 7 PM and reached at 1:05 AM with two breaks of 10 Mins each.
- While coming back, I was completely in sync with the car behaviour and the journey was really amiable. We completed 325 Kms in 5 Hours 25 Mins with one break of 25 Mins. Man, this was my best ever from Sullia to Bangalore.
- Comfortably passed Innovas, i20s, Swifts and loads of other makes without having to sweat it out. Not to say that those vehicles are not capable, may be individual driving style, but Indie was able to cruise at 120KMPH at about 2500 RPMs and the cabin noise was very minimal. The car did not feel stressed.
- During my onward journey, it was quite unnerving while manouvering the car at 100+ speeds. I realized that the steering wheel of indie is tuned differently as compared to my A-Star. Indie steering wheel is hyper sensitive where as A Star steering wheel is not so sensitive. I feel Indie steers more for the same rotation of the steering wheel as compared to A-Star. This steering behaviour during my onward journey was part of the "did not feel in sync" with the car experience. However, on my way back, I got used to it and was steering it appropriately without going through "Oh My God!" moments.
- Headlights are not meant for night driving : went over one speed break each during my onward and return journey at 40-50 speeds as the poor headlights ensured that the speed breakers were visible only at the last moment. Not to mention that the speed breaker warning signs were not placed on the shoulders as well. Upgrading to Philips ExtremeVision +100% 55W H1 and H7 today!
- Overall, the experience was super.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The Grinding Noise - Terminated!
In my earlier post I had mentioned about the grinding noise emanating from the front right wheel. Today I showed up at Concorde and as usual had a tough time parking the vehicle. Once I found the parking spot, I went in and met the lady who had helped me last time around. She promptly took me to the express service bay and asked the mechanic there to help me.
The first mechanic takes the car for a drive along with me and is kind of not sure whether he is hearing the noise or not. He said it is coming from the engine and that is a normal sound. Actually, I told him that it is not normal and it is coming from the wheels. He then puts up the vehicle on the hoist and they lift my Indie. He rotates the wheels and it does not make any noise. But the noise while driving was so loud that I simply did not agree that there is no noise.
Then shows up this guy who helped me last time with the A/C vents. I should make a special mentioned about this person - John, he walks up to me and smiles and asks me what the problem is. When I described the problem to him, with the vehicle being on hoist still, he just walks out, comes back with a screw driver and pulls back a L shaped metal cover which is protecting the CV joint. He pulls the vehicle down from the hoist and says "Let's drive". We go for a test drive and Lo! the noise is gone.
The noise was coming due to this L shaped brass cover touching the Brake Rotor from the inside (the engine side).
This guy John seems to be a fantastic guy who kind of knows where to look for things based on the description of the problem. This guy gives me confidence that I will have a decent ownership experience all the way upto the extended warranty period - 4 Years/1,50,000 Kms whichever is earlier. 4 Year looks to be realistic to me :P. I think whenever I go there for service, I will specifically ask for John!
My Indie is learning to rock, actually rocking, again!
- Aravind
The first mechanic takes the car for a drive along with me and is kind of not sure whether he is hearing the noise or not. He said it is coming from the engine and that is a normal sound. Actually, I told him that it is not normal and it is coming from the wheels. He then puts up the vehicle on the hoist and they lift my Indie. He rotates the wheels and it does not make any noise. But the noise while driving was so loud that I simply did not agree that there is no noise.
Then shows up this guy who helped me last time with the A/C vents. I should make a special mentioned about this person - John, he walks up to me and smiles and asks me what the problem is. When I described the problem to him, with the vehicle being on hoist still, he just walks out, comes back with a screw driver and pulls back a L shaped metal cover which is protecting the CV joint. He pulls the vehicle down from the hoist and says "Let's drive". We go for a test drive and Lo! the noise is gone.
The noise was coming due to this L shaped brass cover touching the Brake Rotor from the inside (the engine side).
This guy John seems to be a fantastic guy who kind of knows where to look for things based on the description of the problem. This guy gives me confidence that I will have a decent ownership experience all the way upto the extended warranty period - 4 Years/1,50,000 Kms whichever is earlier. 4 Year looks to be realistic to me :P. I think whenever I go there for service, I will specifically ask for John!
My Indie is learning to rock, actually rocking, again!
- Aravind
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
And One Design Flaw
Today, I went to the gas station to have the diesel filled up and then routinely wanted to set the tyre pressure. Just figured out that those plush looking wheel covers hide the air valve and to fill air, he had to remove the wheel covers. Hmm, I think the design needs to be changed or I will drive without the wheel covers.
I think, I need to wipe out my previous car ownership mindset and kind of retune my mind for Vista Ownership!!
- Aravind Kamath
I think, I need to wipe out my previous car ownership mindset and kind of retune my mind for Vista Ownership!!
- Aravind Kamath
Grinding Noise from Front Right Wheel
Hmm, it is too early, but my mind is starting to wander in the wrong direction. Barely 6th Day into owning Indie, I start to hear a grinding noise from the front right wheel. It is like some metal rubbing continuosly and it vanishes when i turn either right or left. When the vehicle is moving straight, the grinding noise is back. I can hear my heartbeat racing now. My trusted old fella Maruti 800 did not make this noise. My i10 Sportz Kappa Automatic did not make this sound. My froggie (the one that has been driven to the limits) did not make this sound. Our Blueyy did not make this sound. Why is my 6 days old indie making this sound? Absolutely no hard braking so far!
The sound that I hear appears to me is coming from the front right disk brake. Looks like the brake pads are rubbing against the rotor. No, it is not the hand brake because Hand Brakes only lock rear wheels. Anyways, I will have this checked again at Concorde tomorrow! Gosh, this is getting ominous and I kind of dont like this. A/C Vent first and now the grinding noise!
This friday I am scheduled for the first long haul with my indie to the tune of ~ 350 Kms one way with almost 5 hours of the journey in the darkness and the grinding noise is not inspiring confidence. May be I am just freaking out a little bit, but kind of started missing my froggie already. May be I am over-reacting, may be, just may be, these are common while my indie is trying to settle down but whats for sure is I wont sleep tonight.
First thing I am having Indie checked tomorrow.
Will share the outcome tomorrow.
- Aravind Kamath
The sound that I hear appears to me is coming from the front right disk brake. Looks like the brake pads are rubbing against the rotor. No, it is not the hand brake because Hand Brakes only lock rear wheels. Anyways, I will have this checked again at Concorde tomorrow! Gosh, this is getting ominous and I kind of dont like this. A/C Vent first and now the grinding noise!
This friday I am scheduled for the first long haul with my indie to the tune of ~ 350 Kms one way with almost 5 hours of the journey in the darkness and the grinding noise is not inspiring confidence. May be I am just freaking out a little bit, but kind of started missing my froggie already. May be I am over-reacting, may be, just may be, these are common while my indie is trying to settle down but whats for sure is I wont sleep tonight.
First thing I am having Indie checked tomorrow.
Will share the outcome tomorrow.
- Aravind Kamath
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
A/C Vents and Headlamp Adjustment
Today I visited the concorde service centre to have a couple of minor things to be fixed/adjusted.
First: I had earlier observed that the A/C vent flaps on the passenger side was not moving up and down. The control that moves the inner set of flaps left to right was functioning properly. However, the control that moves the outer flaps up and down was not functioning and the flaps were stuck in a position.
Second: The high beam alignment was not satisfactory. I had to get it adjusted.
Now, I talk to my sales executive and he asked me to come in today but he informed me that he is out of station and some other lady would help me out. I show up there at 3:45 PM. The only grouse I have about that place is that there is absolutely no parking space and I have to be extremely watchful as about every nook and corner is occupied by cars. Once I found the parking space, I stepped in and was attended to promptly in less than 15 seconds. I explain the executive that I am in to have the A/C and high beam fixed, she takes me to the express service bay immediately. Then, begins my first service experience.
All the mechanics are busy attending to other vehicles and without this lady, I just realized I stood no chance of talking to any one out there. The executive finally managed to grab attention of one of the mechanics after 5 mins and then he takes a look at the A/C vent and declares that this needs to be done by the electric department and that this would require the player and A/C panel to be removed. Then after another 5 mins, they take my car inside and the car came back after 15 mins and yes, both the high beam and the A/C vents were indeed fixed.
Now, I was not treated the way I am treated in Hyundai and Maruti Service Centers but it was not bad either. It was simply different. There are not much niceties, but the executive was polite while dealing with me. She managed to get the job done. Thats about it. And honestly, I think that is what really matters at the end of the day. While I would certainly like to be treated as king, I would not complain as long as the issue is fixed.
Coming to the overall driving experience so far, the car has been simply exhilarating when the turbo kicks in at 1750 RPM and with the truck loads of low end torque it provides for city driving. The gear shift is not as precise as it is in my froggie and blueyy. The froggie gear shift is damn precise and the gears slot with so much of surety. Indie gear shift is less precise and at times tentative but I think is what we have come to expect of a diesel. The car is loaded to the gills with gizmos and will enhance the driving experience. The A/C is an absolute chiller. So far, I have driven 190 Kms in the last two days and I am expecting the first servicing to be due sometime early next week. But, owing the sheer number of vehicles I see at dairy circle Concorde and the difficulty in parking the vehicle, I think I will give the vehicle for servicing at AutoMatrix at Mangalore later next week when I have to visit there on a personal trip.
- Aravind Kamath
First: I had earlier observed that the A/C vent flaps on the passenger side was not moving up and down. The control that moves the inner set of flaps left to right was functioning properly. However, the control that moves the outer flaps up and down was not functioning and the flaps were stuck in a position.
Second: The high beam alignment was not satisfactory. I had to get it adjusted.
Now, I talk to my sales executive and he asked me to come in today but he informed me that he is out of station and some other lady would help me out. I show up there at 3:45 PM. The only grouse I have about that place is that there is absolutely no parking space and I have to be extremely watchful as about every nook and corner is occupied by cars. Once I found the parking space, I stepped in and was attended to promptly in less than 15 seconds. I explain the executive that I am in to have the A/C and high beam fixed, she takes me to the express service bay immediately. Then, begins my first service experience.
All the mechanics are busy attending to other vehicles and without this lady, I just realized I stood no chance of talking to any one out there. The executive finally managed to grab attention of one of the mechanics after 5 mins and then he takes a look at the A/C vent and declares that this needs to be done by the electric department and that this would require the player and A/C panel to be removed. Then after another 5 mins, they take my car inside and the car came back after 15 mins and yes, both the high beam and the A/C vents were indeed fixed.
Now, I was not treated the way I am treated in Hyundai and Maruti Service Centers but it was not bad either. It was simply different. There are not much niceties, but the executive was polite while dealing with me. She managed to get the job done. Thats about it. And honestly, I think that is what really matters at the end of the day. While I would certainly like to be treated as king, I would not complain as long as the issue is fixed.
Coming to the overall driving experience so far, the car has been simply exhilarating when the turbo kicks in at 1750 RPM and with the truck loads of low end torque it provides for city driving. The gear shift is not as precise as it is in my froggie and blueyy. The froggie gear shift is damn precise and the gears slot with so much of surety. Indie gear shift is less precise and at times tentative but I think is what we have come to expect of a diesel. The car is loaded to the gills with gizmos and will enhance the driving experience. The A/C is an absolute chiller. So far, I have driven 190 Kms in the last two days and I am expecting the first servicing to be due sometime early next week. But, owing the sheer number of vehicles I see at dairy circle Concorde and the difficulty in parking the vehicle, I think I will give the vehicle for servicing at AutoMatrix at Mangalore later next week when I have to visit there on a personal trip.
- Aravind Kamath
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
New Car - Delivered
As promised, my new "Indie Jones" (fond nick name of our new acquisition) was delivered on 8th albeit with some "oh no" moments.
My friendly sales executive tells me on thursday morning that they are still not in receipt of the cover note and hence, mostly, the car will be ready only on friday, 9th. I nod my head over the phone and get started with my daily chores a tad disappointed. I was scheduled to travel to Sullia on 8th afternoon anyways, so I told the executive that i will pick up my car on Monday, 12th Mar. Then i get busy with my work and at about 2:45 PM, I start to sullia on my A-Star(froggie). As I cross kengeri and almost near Bidadi, the executive calls me and tells me that my indie jones is ready and all paperwork completed. He pleads to come and collect the car right then. On one side, is the new found excitement of bringing home Indie Jones, and on the other side, I am already one hour into my journey and I have beaten all city traffic already! Boy, he pretty much sealed the conversation when he said "Sir, we are running tight on space here and it is unnecessary risk" and first thing that comes to my mind is scratches! I tell myself that there is no way i will let my indie jones stay there for a minute more than absolutely necessary and I made the first available U turn back to bangalore, park froggie outside my apt, hop into my wife's i10 (blueyy) and reach concorde by 4:10 PM.
Overall Process of Handover:
My executive who is smiling from ear to ear greets me. After the initial niceties, we get into paper work. As usual my experience with Concorde has been top notch. The paper work is arranged and is all ready. The cover note apparently came later in the day after our phone call and executive was not aware of my plans to drive out of town. I sign on atleast 10 different papers (delivery note, gate pass, invoice, ext warranty, amc etc etc) and we now head to the delivery bay. There it stands, glittering and shining all the way to glory with art leather seat covers. I look around the car and i have the PDI checklist printed in my mind. Although i had checked one round before registration, i validate the car from exterior, the First Aid kit, warranty papers, battery warranty, duplicate set of keys, fuel coupon, warning triangle, jack and tools, spare wheel and i tell him everything looks alright. One thing I notice is that the number plate is still not fixed. I ask my executive and he says he will have it ready in 2 mins and it was indeed ready in2 mins. It took another 5 mins to fix it. And, I am all set to drive away with my new car.
I take a couple of mins to adjust ORVM, seat recline, height etc and I crank the engine and engine springs to life with low fuel warning indicator on. Executive assures me that there is atleast 3 lts of diesel and i move my car, and head towards exit of Concorde and the security validates the VIN number of the vehicle before letting me out.
Now, one key thing i want to mention here is 10th digit of my VIN is C and 12th Digit is A.
10th Digit stands for year of manufacture - 2012 (A being 2010, B being 2011)
12th Digit stands for Month of Manufacture - Jan (A being Jan, B being Feb and so on)
So, definitely I have got a spanking new car, considering I blocked the car on 22nd Feb by paying token booking amount. So nothing much to complain there and in fact, I am happy about it. I would not want a car that sat in the dealer yard for 5-6 months. The spice red with 50% tints looks really spicy with loads of chrome all around :)
So, the new car delivery was buttery smooth and so far so good. Only thing is that I had to return back from my hometown trip, which i again started at 5:45 PM but hey, Anything for the joy of driving home new car.
Couple of things on my mind at this time that needs to be done on priority:
- HSRP (High Security Registration Plate - the one with numbers embossed with hologram and so on)
- Immediate upgrade to Philips Xtreme Vision H1 and H7 (+100%) to aid night adventures.
- Steering wheel cover
On my way, near Subramanya Arcade, there is an IOC bunk, where i topped the diesel worth 1K and drove home and parked Indie safely in my parking lot.
Will post pics of my Indie sometime soon.
- Aravind Kamath
My friendly sales executive tells me on thursday morning that they are still not in receipt of the cover note and hence, mostly, the car will be ready only on friday, 9th. I nod my head over the phone and get started with my daily chores a tad disappointed. I was scheduled to travel to Sullia on 8th afternoon anyways, so I told the executive that i will pick up my car on Monday, 12th Mar. Then i get busy with my work and at about 2:45 PM, I start to sullia on my A-Star(froggie). As I cross kengeri and almost near Bidadi, the executive calls me and tells me that my indie jones is ready and all paperwork completed. He pleads to come and collect the car right then. On one side, is the new found excitement of bringing home Indie Jones, and on the other side, I am already one hour into my journey and I have beaten all city traffic already! Boy, he pretty much sealed the conversation when he said "Sir, we are running tight on space here and it is unnecessary risk" and first thing that comes to my mind is scratches! I tell myself that there is no way i will let my indie jones stay there for a minute more than absolutely necessary and I made the first available U turn back to bangalore, park froggie outside my apt, hop into my wife's i10 (blueyy) and reach concorde by 4:10 PM.
Overall Process of Handover:
My executive who is smiling from ear to ear greets me. After the initial niceties, we get into paper work. As usual my experience with Concorde has been top notch. The paper work is arranged and is all ready. The cover note apparently came later in the day after our phone call and executive was not aware of my plans to drive out of town. I sign on atleast 10 different papers (delivery note, gate pass, invoice, ext warranty, amc etc etc) and we now head to the delivery bay. There it stands, glittering and shining all the way to glory with art leather seat covers. I look around the car and i have the PDI checklist printed in my mind. Although i had checked one round before registration, i validate the car from exterior, the First Aid kit, warranty papers, battery warranty, duplicate set of keys, fuel coupon, warning triangle, jack and tools, spare wheel and i tell him everything looks alright. One thing I notice is that the number plate is still not fixed. I ask my executive and he says he will have it ready in 2 mins and it was indeed ready in2 mins. It took another 5 mins to fix it. And, I am all set to drive away with my new car.
I take a couple of mins to adjust ORVM, seat recline, height etc and I crank the engine and engine springs to life with low fuel warning indicator on. Executive assures me that there is atleast 3 lts of diesel and i move my car, and head towards exit of Concorde and the security validates the VIN number of the vehicle before letting me out.
Now, one key thing i want to mention here is 10th digit of my VIN is C and 12th Digit is A.
10th Digit stands for year of manufacture - 2012 (A being 2010, B being 2011)
12th Digit stands for Month of Manufacture - Jan (A being Jan, B being Feb and so on)
So, definitely I have got a spanking new car, considering I blocked the car on 22nd Feb by paying token booking amount. So nothing much to complain there and in fact, I am happy about it. I would not want a car that sat in the dealer yard for 5-6 months. The spice red with 50% tints looks really spicy with loads of chrome all around :)
So, the new car delivery was buttery smooth and so far so good. Only thing is that I had to return back from my hometown trip, which i again started at 5:45 PM but hey, Anything for the joy of driving home new car.
Couple of things on my mind at this time that needs to be done on priority:
- HSRP (High Security Registration Plate - the one with numbers embossed with hologram and so on)
- Immediate upgrade to Philips Xtreme Vision H1 and H7 (+100%) to aid night adventures.
- Steering wheel cover
On my way, near Subramanya Arcade, there is an IOC bunk, where i topped the diesel worth 1K and drove home and parked Indie safely in my parking lot.
Will post pics of my Indie sometime soon.
- Aravind Kamath
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Update on Delivery Date
I called up concorde and the sales executive told me that they have received the insurance cover note and the vehicle will be registered tomorrow. So, at this time, looks like the car will be delivered on thursday, 8th Mar 2012.
- Aravind
- Aravind
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Latest Update
Looks like my vehicle was invoiced yesterday. Spice Red Vista VX QJT, waiting for rest of the formalities to be completed.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Selection Process - How the underdog managed to clinch the title!
Before I begin, I do not mean to pass generic judgement about ANY car. Car is a very personal thing and what works for one may not work for another person. Each car is good at something, so no offence to anyone, this is purely my personal experience! So, take a chill pill before you read on! :)
For quite sometime, I have been contemplating a new car purchase. I would just procastinate the new car purchase - primarily for two reasons:
1. Want of going with a 7 seater (likes of Scorpio, Innova, Xylo etc)
2. Trying to time my purchase considering the pros and cons of car lease v/s direct purchase
After much deliberation, I decided against a 7 seater (will tell about that story later) and decided to go with "another" hatch back.
The requirements were:
- It should be a spacious enough to carry 5 adults in comfort
- Diesel Engine COMPULSORY
- Overall ride quality should be very good, especially on long drives
- Able to handle speeds in the range of 100-120 without sweating it out on highways
- Should not cross INR 7Lakhs on Road
- Reliablility
The intial consideration was:
- Toyota Liva D
- Ford Figo
- Maruti Swift (top dog, favourite to win)
- Maruti Ritz (Ugly rear, but fall back plan for looooooong Swift wait periods)
- Chevy Beat (For those of you who understand Kannada - "Aatakkuntu - Lekkakilla"... Poor thing, out of competition even before it began!!)
- Tata Vista (for the heck of it - no real intention of buying this....a clear underdog)
- VW Polo (Charging me a fortune for the 3 pot engine and a mediocre interiors!!!?? )
Chevy Beat and VW Polo did not quite stand a chance because Beat is no where near to others in terms of space and engine size is not adequate for highway driving. Polo, i was not able to correlate the price and the package offered. Serviceability outside big cities was also a factor.
Then, one fine morning in the month of Dec 2011, my brother and me decided to check out the hatch backs. Right from the word go, there were a couple of contenders who were disqualified even without a test drive - Chevy Beat and VW Polo.
The previous night I had seen some ad about "Tata Vista Sedan Class" and thats how we decided to check out this car, though pretty much with a fixed mindset of not going in for this car.
We just called up Concorde Motors and they confirmed that the car is available for test drive. We landed there on a saturday morning. Frankly I did not have much expectations but, boy! I was pleasantly surprised. I was attended to immediately and we checked out the Spice Red VX QJT Vista on display.
We were pleasantly surprised with the interiors. Excellent trim level in terms of gizmos and features. The door closes with a nice thud. Lots and lots of space both in the front and back. My brother who is 5' 11'' was able to sit comfortably at the back seat without hitting his knees against the driver seat with my normal driving position which I push the seat back quite a lot. The sales guy was with us all the while and finally it was time for the test drive.
There comes the "Summer Sparkle" QJT VX. I get into the driver seat and the first thing I noticed was that the A/C was very effective. The summer sparkle colour is no where near the one they show in their website and looks very different in reality. I merge the car into Hosur Road traffic and the car is a breeze to drive in the traffic. The low end torque was simply awesome. The car was simply raring to go forward. The seating was super comfortable and the view from the driver seat was simply awesome. With three passengers and A/C on, the car could move on 2nd gear from stationary position at signals. Whenever turbo kicked in at 1750 rpm, the drive was simply exhilarating. I was really impressed. The Blue 5 player, steering mounted controls, good quality audio, Height adjustible driver seat and host of other features just put me at ease in the first 5 mins of the test drive itself. The car is equipped with ABS and that is a huge plus on my long drives. I did a good test drive of like 25 kms and the impression that the car left on me was remarkable. My brother and I are not TATA car fans, but both of us were pleasantly surprised and agreed that the car was truly "Sedan Class".
The only question I had on my mind was After Sales Service and reliability.
Then comes Toyota Etios Liva Diesel. The things that I noticed were:
Lacklustre interiors, lower seating position, poor low end torque and a price tag of 7 Lakhs + on road for ABS GD_SP model and lack of so many features including the essential tacho meter!
Then came ford figo. Honestly I liked the drive, I thought the engine was comparable but not as enjoyable as the national diesel engine - 1.3 QJT. I felt that the interiors were bland and the back seat seating was not as comfortable as Vista. The seating position was also slightly lower as compared to Vista. Now the seating position, I believe makes a lot of difference on my 650 KM two way week end trips.
Swift, definitely the car to go for even if the backseat comfort and space is not great, but....the ridiculous waiting period is simply not happening. The ritz, I never the liked the way it looked and add to it, the backseat space, was only a fall back option for swift. I never had my heart set on Ritz and i learned that even Ritz has couple of months of waiting for VDi.
In hind sight, I thought Vista was really good compared to the other rides but I am aware that it comes with the service rider. I just wanted to do a second test drive of the vehicle.
Fast forward to 20 Feb 2012, I revisit Concorde. The reception I get at Concorde is really consistent and good as my last experience. I said i wish to take a test drive, the vehicle was arranged immediately - the same "Summer Sparkle" VX QJD. The car had clocked a couple of thousand of kms from my last drive and looked soiled from inside, but I dont hold it against the car per se. The drive - was exactly the was i felt two months back! The salesperson said he wished to show some capabilities of the car and takes to the wheel.
There you go, he accelerates the vehicle, slams the break to demonstrate ABS, displays the suspension ability, ability to handle corners ...man! the deal was sealed pretty much there. Although the reliability and durability concerns are still there at the back of my mind, that is where I thought of starting this blog, which will record my Vista experience "AS IS" in the coming months and years.
Went to Concorde today and booked my vehicle!
- Aravind Kamath Posral
For quite sometime, I have been contemplating a new car purchase. I would just procastinate the new car purchase - primarily for two reasons:
1. Want of going with a 7 seater (likes of Scorpio, Innova, Xylo etc)
2. Trying to time my purchase considering the pros and cons of car lease v/s direct purchase
After much deliberation, I decided against a 7 seater (will tell about that story later) and decided to go with "another" hatch back.
The requirements were:
- It should be a spacious enough to carry 5 adults in comfort
- Diesel Engine COMPULSORY
- Overall ride quality should be very good, especially on long drives
- Able to handle speeds in the range of 100-120 without sweating it out on highways
- Should not cross INR 7Lakhs on Road
- Reliablility
The intial consideration was:
- Toyota Liva D
- Ford Figo
- Maruti Swift (top dog, favourite to win)
- Maruti Ritz (Ugly rear, but fall back plan for looooooong Swift wait periods)
- Chevy Beat (For those of you who understand Kannada - "Aatakkuntu - Lekkakilla"... Poor thing, out of competition even before it began!!)
- Tata Vista (for the heck of it - no real intention of buying this....a clear underdog)
- VW Polo (Charging me a fortune for the 3 pot engine and a mediocre interiors!!!?? )
Chevy Beat and VW Polo did not quite stand a chance because Beat is no where near to others in terms of space and engine size is not adequate for highway driving. Polo, i was not able to correlate the price and the package offered. Serviceability outside big cities was also a factor.
Then, one fine morning in the month of Dec 2011, my brother and me decided to check out the hatch backs. Right from the word go, there were a couple of contenders who were disqualified even without a test drive - Chevy Beat and VW Polo.
The previous night I had seen some ad about "Tata Vista Sedan Class" and thats how we decided to check out this car, though pretty much with a fixed mindset of not going in for this car.
We just called up Concorde Motors and they confirmed that the car is available for test drive. We landed there on a saturday morning. Frankly I did not have much expectations but, boy! I was pleasantly surprised. I was attended to immediately and we checked out the Spice Red VX QJT Vista on display.
We were pleasantly surprised with the interiors. Excellent trim level in terms of gizmos and features. The door closes with a nice thud. Lots and lots of space both in the front and back. My brother who is 5' 11'' was able to sit comfortably at the back seat without hitting his knees against the driver seat with my normal driving position which I push the seat back quite a lot. The sales guy was with us all the while and finally it was time for the test drive.
There comes the "Summer Sparkle" QJT VX. I get into the driver seat and the first thing I noticed was that the A/C was very effective. The summer sparkle colour is no where near the one they show in their website and looks very different in reality. I merge the car into Hosur Road traffic and the car is a breeze to drive in the traffic. The low end torque was simply awesome. The car was simply raring to go forward. The seating was super comfortable and the view from the driver seat was simply awesome. With three passengers and A/C on, the car could move on 2nd gear from stationary position at signals. Whenever turbo kicked in at 1750 rpm, the drive was simply exhilarating. I was really impressed. The Blue 5 player, steering mounted controls, good quality audio, Height adjustible driver seat and host of other features just put me at ease in the first 5 mins of the test drive itself. The car is equipped with ABS and that is a huge plus on my long drives. I did a good test drive of like 25 kms and the impression that the car left on me was remarkable. My brother and I are not TATA car fans, but both of us were pleasantly surprised and agreed that the car was truly "Sedan Class".
The only question I had on my mind was After Sales Service and reliability.
Then comes Toyota Etios Liva Diesel. The things that I noticed were:
Lacklustre interiors, lower seating position, poor low end torque and a price tag of 7 Lakhs + on road for ABS GD_SP model and lack of so many features including the essential tacho meter!
Then came ford figo. Honestly I liked the drive, I thought the engine was comparable but not as enjoyable as the national diesel engine - 1.3 QJT. I felt that the interiors were bland and the back seat seating was not as comfortable as Vista. The seating position was also slightly lower as compared to Vista. Now the seating position, I believe makes a lot of difference on my 650 KM two way week end trips.
Swift, definitely the car to go for even if the backseat comfort and space is not great, but....the ridiculous waiting period is simply not happening. The ritz, I never the liked the way it looked and add to it, the backseat space, was only a fall back option for swift. I never had my heart set on Ritz and i learned that even Ritz has couple of months of waiting for VDi.
In hind sight, I thought Vista was really good compared to the other rides but I am aware that it comes with the service rider. I just wanted to do a second test drive of the vehicle.
Fast forward to 20 Feb 2012, I revisit Concorde. The reception I get at Concorde is really consistent and good as my last experience. I said i wish to take a test drive, the vehicle was arranged immediately - the same "Summer Sparkle" VX QJD. The car had clocked a couple of thousand of kms from my last drive and looked soiled from inside, but I dont hold it against the car per se. The drive - was exactly the was i felt two months back! The salesperson said he wished to show some capabilities of the car and takes to the wheel.
There you go, he accelerates the vehicle, slams the break to demonstrate ABS, displays the suspension ability, ability to handle corners ...man! the deal was sealed pretty much there. Although the reliability and durability concerns are still there at the back of my mind, that is where I thought of starting this blog, which will record my Vista experience "AS IS" in the coming months and years.
Went to Concorde today and booked my vehicle!
- Aravind Kamath Posral
About this blog
Hello there! From my profile, by now you know that I am an Apps DBA and the description in my profile pretty much talks about Oracle Apps DBA things! Now, if you glanced my complete profile, One of the things I am interested in is CARS!!
So this blog is about my other interest - CAR.
This blog will be a log of my experiences with Tata Vista VX Quadrajet which I have booked TODAY. I will share my overall ownership experience with this car. Although I have owned other cars in the past like Hyundai i10, Maruti 800 and Maruti A Star, I have not written about them. For, they did not suffer from the generic negative perception that is prevalent about Tata Indica Vista. So my blog will try to give every minute detail of Vista ownership which will be from an user perspective rather than "Expert Car Review" perspective. This should help anyone contemplating an Indica Vista.
I still do not have the car with me, I will only get it sometime within the next 10 days.
Details of the car:
Model: Tata Indica Vista Quadrajet VX
Color: Spice Red
Watch out this space for more!
- Aravind Kamath Posral
So this blog is about my other interest - CAR.
This blog will be a log of my experiences with Tata Vista VX Quadrajet which I have booked TODAY. I will share my overall ownership experience with this car. Although I have owned other cars in the past like Hyundai i10, Maruti 800 and Maruti A Star, I have not written about them. For, they did not suffer from the generic negative perception that is prevalent about Tata Indica Vista. So my blog will try to give every minute detail of Vista ownership which will be from an user perspective rather than "Expert Car Review" perspective. This should help anyone contemplating an Indica Vista.
I still do not have the car with me, I will only get it sometime within the next 10 days.
Details of the car:
Model: Tata Indica Vista Quadrajet VX
Color: Spice Red
Watch out this space for more!
- Aravind Kamath Posral
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