Tata Manza Road Test Drive Review

[Zinam]

• Car Tested : Tata Indigo Manza
• Variant : Aura (ABS)
• Fuel Type : Petrol

The Story of Indigo : Back To History

2002



Wayback in year 2002, Tata Motors introduced the cheap and affordable 4 door sedan in India named "Indigo" which was derived from Tata's popular hatchback - Indica.

Like Indica, Tata Indigo won hearts of many but few of the audience was not still ready to accept Indigo as a proper sedan due to its Indica'ish looks, All the difference made was the sedan boot stuck on it.

Tata Indigo initially came with a 1,405 CC Engine producing 85 Brake Horse Power and 11.2 Kilograms of Torque, The car had 5 speed manual transmission and fuel options of Petrol as well as diesel.

2005



To make the Indigo even more exciting and Value for Money, Tata motors thought of some action and launched it in a new version - Indigo SX. The changes outside were small but the feature list went much longer which included Beige Interiors and wooden trims to give upmarket car feel, LCD Screens on front seat headrests (First in Class!), Power Steering, Power Windows, Central Locking etc. These features made Indigo a worth buy at mouth watering price.

2007



2 Years Passed and Indigo's popularity wasn't declined yet. Infact, This time Tata Indigo became VFM than ever. Tata Motors came up with the long wheel base Indigo XL version at Rs 7.5lakhs which was an irresistible product.

The XL noticed some changes on outside such as new headlamps, Tail Lamps, Refreshed Bumpers and the interior changes were Front Power Seats, Rear A/C Vents, Rear Armrest, Inside car connectivity, Airplane like Trays, DVD Player etc which were not even seen in any car in C+ segment.


2008



As the cost of materials,labour,transport and taxes etc was reaching sky limits, Tata showcased the Indigo in an all new avatar at previous Auto Expo held in January 2008.

This new avatar of Indigo is known as Indigo CS where "CS" stands for "Compact Sedan", That is because they chopped the boot of Indigo so that it falls under the norms of 4 meter length, resulting the company to pay much lower excise duty and in the end, Making buyers Happy.

However, As a Tata some nitpicks regarding quality and After Sales Service were commonly found in most of these Indigos.

2009



After making a big suspense through a teaser website, Advertisements etc. Just 4 Days back Tata Motors finally revealed an all new generation Indigo christened as "Manza", (based on Indica Vista) and gave it a new lease of life.
Many people are twerling their minds to know what actually "Manza" Stands for (Means Steer in Italy), But it doesn't matters much!

All we need is a Perfect, Affordable, Feature Loaded Vehicle from Tata Motors that is why The Automotive India team has test driven the newly launched Manza to find out where it stands in the class and to provide many people waiting out there for an un-biased, Detailed and an Exclusive Report, Check it out!

 

[Zinam]

The Manza



Manza is another example of tough built, Value For Money package from Tata's stable. The car almost created buzz from the day it was launched. Manza holds many up market features which are first and unique in the class. The mind blowing aspect is nothing but the price which makes a real competition in C-Segment.

Exteriors & Styling





From the first impression of Manza's front, You can likely fall in confusion because it very much resembles to smaller sibling - The Indica Vista.
However, Headlamps and grille have a bit of change which you can spot only if you are a close observer. If you're thinking that Manza is just another model of Indigo which is actually the Indica with boot stuck on it, Then you are wrong this time because Manza is much much improved than its previous models and doesn't even look like it is derived from a hatchback because of the very neatly integrated boot, But those rear doors provide some clues that its the sedan version of Indica.

This Tata has masculine looks and the bonnet has a sleek finish, Also there is a thin line splitting the hood which we all have observed in vista. The broad smiling grille in the front, Showcasing the "T" logo of Tata makes front makes the bonnet look much wider than actually it is. Double barrelled clear lens headlamps stretches from the bumper and goes upto the front side quarter panel. There are no sudden cuts between the body & bumpers which result in clean looks, Also thanks to those chrome inserts which splits the body from bumper & gradually declines to give a neat look when seen from side view.

Move to the side of Indigo Manza to the chances are that you will be impresed with the "Big Car" type design and the wheelbase of 2520mm. Manza is perfectly designed to take out those odd looks which usually exist in sedans made from the hatchback counterparts.



We had a look at rear and those three split tail lamps are not something to write home about, Seems like just chopped off from rest of the parts left from the tail lamps found on previous Indigo.
Moving the eyeballs to center of tail lamps and a big chrome strip above area where registration number plate sits, Reminding us of Indigo Marina(Station Wagon version of Indigo). Open that squarish boot and we see huge space of 460 litres which should be enough to accomodate your shopping bags and some suitcases if planning a visit to airport/railwaystation.

Interiors & Comfort


We stepped inside the car and found a big surprise this time! Though the car has received typical DNA of Tata Brand but you won't be upset for staying in overnight. Tata has concentrated more on the luxury feel which buyers in this segment usually demands and car maker mostly missed in the older models.
Indigo Manza has extremely abundant space, You will never demand more than this keeping aside the factor if you are not XXL Sized.

We sat on the driver's seat and found some useful bits like height Adjustable Front seats so that short drivers can find them self convenient and the seats are well sculpted, Therefore it makes your task easy to find perfect seating position. The thigh support, legroom & head room is actually adequate. Lumbar Support & Tilt steering makes the long drives more comfy, Glove box is illuminated & it’s deep enough to hold a Sony Vaio inside. The Illuminated Key Ring Insert is another welcome feature.

Big four spoke steering wheel helps you in taking out the tight traffic easily. You don't need to take eyes off from the road while driving to operate music system volume because mounted controls on steering wheel comes as standard which is a bonus. Tata Motors has learnt from its small mistakes that is why we notice Speedometer console in its original place unlike Indica Vista which makes iteasy to read how fast you are accelerating.

Instrument cluster is designed in a plain, simple manner and matches to our taste. The center console comes with a very decent look with three splits having AC vents, Dual DIN Audio system and of course the A/C Controls. Placement of all these buttons is in a comfy and easy to reach position. Air Conditioner is very effective and cools up the cabin quickly and we found its fan to be silent even at full speed.

Manza has a real timer mileage indicator which works nicely & shows up the external temperature & time. Quality of plastics has been drastically improved from earlier Indigos, the overall fit & finishes of the interiors is great. However, There are still few cheap touches that was noticed, for Eg; The Power Window buttons, Hand Break Plastics Quality and Plastics used for boot opener and the bonnet should have been improved. Front passenger seat comes with a vanity Mirror with lights so that your beloved one can get ready or do make-up when on move. The 2 DIN factory Unit has Front USB ports & Aux in for plugging in your iPod. Like Fiat's Linea, Tata Manza has useful Blue & Me feature named as Blue5. It helps you to make & receive calls once you pair up the Bluetooth enabled Phone. There are double charging ports - one in the Centre console & other near the rear Head Rest to charge both your cells at one time.





The rear seats have been ergonomically designed & it has got the best in class travelling comfort. Push the front seats completely back and you knees will never touch the front seat. Perfectly reclined rear seats make long distance travel an ease. The gas pedals are leased from Linea, The clutch is quite deep and releasing it up to 60% might not successfully move the vehicle. Gear stick is nicely placed but we missed front armrest, there are enough spaces to carry your little things like wallet, cell phone & water bottles.

 

[Zinam]

Engine & Transmission


Italian brains under the hood makes the car more powerful in this segment. Indigo shares the same 1.4 Fire engine, one seen on Fiat's Punto & Linea. Under the hood of manza, A 90 bhp and 1368cc DOHC(Dual Overhead Camshaft) Engine Unit powers its wheels.

Handling & Performance



Fiat’s 1368cc Engine doesn’t lag much, considering the size & weight of the car, We can say Manza does the job pretty well and we managed to reach 0-100kph in some 16.5+ Seconds, Please note that these aren't professionally tested figures, So may differ. Turning the car "ON" doesn’t make much noise inside the cabin and we also couldn’t feel any vibration which is found in other Tata vehicles. The gearing ratios are really good which makes the city driving much more comfortable. Just move the gear to 4th & never even worry changing until you reach lesser than 15kph which makes you to cruise easily at such low speeds on higher gear.



The gear shifts are super silent and engage properly without any hassles. The Automotive India Team managed to drive at 140+Kph on highways & all we can say it is a great speed handler, because of the broader tyres but in personal opinion it would have been much better if 205s have been given instead of 185/60 ones. Speaking about the travelling comfort, Manza has independent suspension, lower wishbone with McPherson struts, in Front while the rear comes with Semi-independent twist beam with coil springs and Hydraulic Shock Absorbers which results in comfortable drive. Also, The rear suspension easily eats up potholes with no jerks at average speed. Rear Seat can accomodate 2 Full Sized Adults + 1 Teen Ager and there is no chance for cramping leg room & shoulder room, Thanks to the wheel base and width of car.

Safety & Fuel Efficiency


When it comes to safety, Manza has Anti - Blockier System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) and dual front Air Bags. 100-0 halt in ABS version gives a neat 4.5 seconds stop which is decent figure. Fuel Efficiency of the Safire variant is around 9kpl -10kpl in city driving & 13kpl -14kpl on Highway drives depending on the driving style.

 

[Zinam]

Top 5 Things We Like in Manza!

• Price– Most Value For Money car available in segment.
• Design - Simple & Sober.
• Blue 5 technology & good music system, comes standard.
• Space & comfort.
• Extreme handling & best gearing ratios.

Top 5 Things We Dis-Like in Manza!

• Poor quality of Plastic in few places.
• Tiny Front Door Pocket
• Tail Lamps design not to everyone's taste
• Wheels could have been bigger
• We still doubt Tata's After Sales Service.

The Automotive India's Verdict



The top sellers in this segment especially the Maruti's dZire is surely going to face sleep less nights from the car like Manza. Tata Indigo Manza is an absolute feature loaded package with up-market looks and design at down to earth price, If you are looking for a perfect family car with most of the features at tight budget, and want to avoid the un-ending waitlist of cars like dZire, Then we highly suggest you to take a look at Manza.

 

[Zinam]

The Ratings :

Design & Quality - (4.5/5)
(Impressive looks and design, Need we say more?)

Comfort Levels - (4/5)
(The interiors are quite comfortable and space is adequate enough)

Performance - (3/5)
(Good Performace levels)

Ride Quality - (4/5)
(The soft suspension eats most of the potholes in city at average speed)

Handling -(3/5)
(Manza is a good handler overall!)

Fuel Efficiency - (3.5/5)
(Good Fuel Efficiency but not the best)

Safety - (4/5)
(Dual Airbags, ABS, EBD etc Thats much more than we can expect in a 5+ lakh vehicle)

Value For Money - (5/5)
(The ultimate value for Money Product from Tata Motors.)


Variants & Pricing :

Petrol / Diesel

Aqua: Rs. 4,80,000 / Rs.5,70,000
Aura: Rs.5,15,000 / Rs.5,99,000
Aura Plus(+): Rs.5,90,000 / Rs.6,75,000
Aura ABS: Rs.5,40,000 / Rs.6,29,000
(All Prices Ex. Showroom New Delhi)

Quick Summary :

Engine :

Options
1) Quadrajet (Diesel) :
4 Cylinder, 1248 cc CRDi producing horse power of 90PS at 4000 RPM and Max. Torque of 200 Newton Meters.

2) Safire (Petrol):
4 Cylinder, 1386cc MPFi petrol engine with IPR producing horse power of 90PS at 6000 RPM and 116NM of torque.

Layout:
FF Layout. Front Engine and Front Wheel Drive.

Transmission:
5+1 Speed Manual
5 Front, 1 Reverse

Suspension:

Front
Independent Lower Wishbone, McPherson Struts with Coil Springs.

Rear
Semi-Independent, Twist Beam with coil Springs & Hydraulic Shock Absorbers.

Brakes:

Front / Rear
Ventilated Discs / Drums

Steering:
Hydraulic, Power Assisted Rack & Pinion.

Turning Circle
5.1 m (Company claimed)

Tyres:
185/60 R15 Tubeless Radials.

Designer:
I.DE.A Design (Institute of Development in Automotive Engineering), Italy.

Dimensions:
Length - 4413mm
Width - 1703mm
Height - 1550mm
Wheelbase- 2520mm
Ground Clearance -165mm
Boot Space - 460litres

Official Website: Click Here

 

[Zinam]

Where to Buy a Manza?

Impressed with our report and the Manza? The Automotive India will help you to locate the dealers in your Area!

Delhi & NCR

1) A-ONE MOTORS
38, RAMA ROAD, NAJAFGARH ROAD INDUSTRIAL AREA NEW DELHI -110015 , DELHI Phone : 011 - 42650000 / 25922222 / 9210988414

2) HIM MOTORS
D-9, UDYOG NAGAR, NEW ROHTAK ROAD, PEERAGARHI NEW DELHI 110041 , DELHI Phone : (011) 25487001-9

3) 12. RAMA MOTORS
A-87, PHASE-2, OKHLA INDUSTRIAL AREA NEW DELHI -110 020 , DELHI Phone : 011 - 66133000

Mumbai

1) OM SAI MOTORS
JYOTI PLAZA, S.V ROAD, KANDIVALI(WEST) MUMBAI -400067 , MAHARASHTRA Phone : 022 - 28663737

2)CONCORDE MOTORS
LLOYDS CENTRE POINT,APPASAHEB MARATHE MARG,PRABHADEVI MUMBAI -400 025, MAHARASHTRA Phone : 022-67471900/01

Chennai

1) TAFE REACH LIMITED
ADDISONS BUILDINGS,803 ANNA SALAI CHENNAI -600 002 , TAMIL NADU Phone : 044 - 42282000 / 28290515

2) CONCORDE MOTORS
NO. 79-80, AMBATTUR INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, WAVIN BUS STAND, AMBATTUR CHENNAI -600058 , TAMIL NADU Phone : 044 - 64541912 / 64541913

Living in some other location? Contact Us and we will help you to locate a dealer or take advice to choose a right car for yourself! Also, When enquiring from a dealer, Please mention "www.theautomotiveindia.com" and help us to spread the word!

Once you've bought the car, We're still here to assist you. Post your queries in our forums and our team will help you for sure!


Credits :
Road Test & Photography: Adam Aniz (Zinam)
Text & Format: Vibhor Tyagi (350Z)

(Due Credit to Concorde Motors, Chennai who managed to give us the car on time.Thanks!)


(C) 2008-2009, The Automotive India(www.theautomotiveindia.com), All Rights Reserved. Don't copy this article without owner/author's written permission.

 

[350Z]

More Images to be added soon.
It took a lot of effort to put up this exclusive review online which any other online community hasn't done yet except 2 Magazines. Please let us know if there are any mistakes or typos.

Our team is looking forward for your honest views regarding Test Drive Report and the Manza.


Drive Safe!
350Z

 

[Zinam]

Exclusive Pics - Manza

Here are few Exclusive Pics!

 

[raj_5004]

great write up zinam. Kudos TAI.

i absolutely loved the head unit, it's beige colour matches the rest of the interiors & its design is good too. also, the instrument console is great.

and i see a mobile charger behind the rear seat. great stuff tata.

congrats for such a detailed report again. zinam, you deserve a

 

[whackedonce]

Detailed and excellent report Adam and Vibhor! Great going

Loved the interior and dash pictures! Looks way more luxurious than any other Indian car ever produced!

one small correction - wrong URL in the first pic!

 

[RSM]

This is one of the best review i have ever seen.
Congrats to both of you!!

Yes Manza looks to give tough time to Dzire, Accent, Ikon etc.. This is a nice car for that value.

One of my colleague is going to test drive after reading this review.

 

[350Z]

Thanks from our whole team whackedonce and RSM.

one small correction - wrong URL in the first pic!

Thanks for pointing it out, Will be corrected next time.

One of my colleague is going to test drive after reading this review

Glad to hear that RSM!
Tell your colleague that we would like to see him on board.

@ Zinam,
What do I see there in last pic? No Alloys on top end Aura?


Drive Safe!
350Z

 

[Shynish M]

Excellent work buddy! This is a 100% complete review.

Regarding the rear design of Manza, I saw one car yesterday early morning (Around 5.30 AM) when I was at the bus stop. I could immediately sense the origin of boot design for Manza ! Unfortunately I couldn't identify the model / make of the car I saw, but its not TATA for sure as it was registered in Denmark, nor it was test car. I will do a reaserch on that one and keep every one posted if I have any findings on that one.

 

[Neil.Bhujbal]

Excellent report guys. You have actually made me like this car without even seeing it in real.

THE FIRST EVER TATA car i have liked till date. Nice job by TATA.

 

[type-r]

ecxcellent review zinam!!
really enjoyed reading through it!
i am also impressed with the car itself.
like neil, this is the first TATA i like!