Thread Starter
#1
Hi TAIans,
Disclaimer: All the views below are strictly my personal opinions and are not intended to hurt anyone's opinions or views.
This is how it all went. Being married and having blessed with a kid recently, felt the need for four wheels and hence started to search a used one at throw away prices. Searched online classifieds and decided to buy Opel Corsa. One suggestion to all is do not buy a used vehicle for its cheap price, which may end up burning a hole in your pocket later.
As my first vehicle, I fell in love with Corsa and started upgrading its parts like repairing power windows, upgrading headlights, ICE, floor mats, etc.,
This vehicle had weak pillars which I came to knew later and was never confident to take it to highway trips. Later I realized it is too expensive to maintain or even drive this car as it was a petrol one. A/C had too many problems and all this was making me mad. One fine day, Wifey and I had a casual discussion to buy a new diesel car and I went serious about it.
While watching TV the same day, I found TATA Indica Vista advertisement. This was the first time I ever looked at a Indica Vista. Never realized Indica Vista is different from regular TAXI Indicas.
The Search began:
After driving Opel Corsa, I thought I should buy a Sedan for the high speed stability they got but due to budget constraints had to settle for a hatch.
I am a lazy type guy who spends most of the time on the Internet and decided to shortlist cars by searching on the Internet. Found these B-segment hatches:
1) Swift, 2) Ritz, 3) Indica/Vista, 4) Indigo eCS, 5) Figo, 6) Fabia, 7) Polo, 8) Beat, 9) Punto, 10) i20.
My strict criteria were:
1) Price
2) Rear-seat comfort
3) Features (Gizmos)
4) Long-run maintenance
5) Mileage
Even if someone considers me stupid, I ruled all foreign breeds because I already had a nightmare with Opel Corsa, which was sold by GM and they are history
now in India. No parts available once the company is out of the country.
Straightway Polo, Fabia were out of my list. I was reluctant about Figo, i20, Punto though Ford, Hyundai and FIATs are around here for a while. Beat is mini-hatch in my opinion. Not at all a 5-seater.
Now more detailed analysis started on these cars. I started by sorting them by price. Immediately, i20 and Punto were out. I felt they were over-priced for me. Search narrowed down to Swift, Ritz, Indica/Vista, eCS, Figo. During my Internet search, I felt Vista, Figo, Ritz are the VFM vehicles by comparing feature-price ratio.
Decided to TD these machines. Went to TATA showroom at Malik Cars, Himayath Nagar. I found a flock of arrogant idiots over there and asked for a test drive.
It was Sunday and no security guard to accompany me for the test drive. I almost lost confidence in TATA for this negative answer and went to Maruti Suzuki at the same area.
Test drove, Swift. This was the first time I ever drove a Quadrajet machine. Found Swift to be priced at the higher side and brakes were scary. Good road manners and sharp steering response. My mother complained about the cramped leg room at the rear. Immediately, Swift was out of my list. A Car for me is a luxury and did not want my Mom to have a AUTO type experience at the back seat.
Test drove Ritz, and was quite convinced about the over-all package. Ingress|Egress was good and was the rear-seat comfort. Body roll was noticeable as I drove Swift very few minutes ago. I felt it was priced on par with Swift. Disliked its awkward rear design. I used to drove my old Opel Corsa at 150+ speeds and asked the Salesguy to TD Ritz again to check its high speed stability and he agreed. I felt myself lucky to have avoided arrogant TATA guys and chose Maruti at that moment.
Took Ritz to Nehru Outer-ring-road. Slotted to Top gear and slammed the throttle. Ritz was good until 120kmph and lost confidence above that speed. Still this was not a problem for me. Wifey and I decided to book Ritz.
BUT, the destiny was somewhere else. My close friend called me casually and I explained about our plans to buy a Diesel hatch. Told him about the TATAs and Marutis and he referred me his friend who works for TATA. Upon his reference, went to Malik cars, Banjara Hills. This visit made a lot of difference for me.
These guys at Banjara Hills showroom were way better than Marutis. Immediately got my hands on Vista and I fell in love with her. Here I fully understood the difference between Indica v2/ev2 and Indica Vista. Why TATA why? Why did you brand Vista as "Indica"? I felt Indica v2/ev2 like AUTOs after driving Indica Vista. I travel by Indica cabs to my office. Did not TD eCS as salesguy told me it comes with CR4 engine which works in Indica eV2. Disliked it.
Here is my short and crisp review on Indica Vista test drive. I can find the perfect driving position by adjustable driver seat and steering. Driving in 3rd gear is like A/T transmission. Loads of torque and climbs hills effortlessly. I felt like driving a mini-SUV and felt like a huge vehicle from inside.
Commanding view of the road ahead. Excellent high-speed stability. Was about to touch 150kmph with confidence. Noticeable body roll at corners.
Somehow I did not want to TD Figo because my heart already said it should be Vista. I disliked primitive looks like Figo though.
Decision making:
Came home that day and started weighing Pros and Cons between Ritz VDi and Vista VX. Here's what I felt:
1) Ritz and Vista were both practical in city and in my budget.
2) Ritz has a feel good factor over Vista. (Thanks to TATA's reputation as official TAXI manufacturer in India)
3) Vista had more airy cabin and interiors.
4) No discounts on Ritz and Vista had discounts.
5) More goodies in Vista. Vista comes with ABS as standard in VX.
6) Ritz had a awkward rear design and Vista had a boring rear design.
As I was price-conscious and kind of a frugal guy, decided to go for Vista. I was offered 60K discount flat on Vista. This was a December offer by TATA. 20K cash discount and 40K old petrol car exchange bonus. I was skeptical about buying Dec,2012 vehicle in 2012 but was pleased by the discount offered.
I exchanged my petrol Opel Corsa and backed 60K discount. Total on-road price was calculated to be 6.36L including all stamp duty and hypothecation charges.
Applied the loan with L&T finance and got all the necessary approvals. Completed the paperwork, paid the downpayment and decided to take the delivery on Dec, 19th as Mom decided it was auspicious.
Initially decided to go for Jet silver color as suggested by Salesguy and changed to go for Cavern grey. But, finally looking at the old Vistas shading colour, arrived at a final decision of Spice Red color. Vista looks hot in red.
Vista comes home:
Went to Malik cars a day before delivery and made sure my vehicle is ready in top shape. Salesguy inquired about accessories I would to buy. I opted for Seat covers, body cover and rear speakers. Got them at a discounted price after some bargaining. Also, I refused the Goodyear tyres and demanded Bridgestone tyres. My requested was fulfilled at once. Was interested in alloys initially but they quoted a whopping 30K for five alloys (straight from manza). I denied it and left the place that evening.
The D'day arrived and visited the dealer with my close friend and brother for the delivery. One more nightmare with TATA this time. The vehicle being prepared for me was already assigned to other customer a week ago. It was boiling inside me but the salesguy was so professional in handling the situation and calmed me down. This Salesguy lives in my area and built a good rapport in short time. Salesguy assured me of delivery of my vehicle within an hour or two and he personally went to the workshop and had my Vista prepared.
Finally, they modified all the paperwork with the new Engine/Chassis numbers and asked for my confirmation. I approved all the paperwork and there we go. Vista was smiling for me and I was eager to get my hands on her. TATAs won my heart here. They offered sweets, a snap with my new vehicle which was immediately framed nicely. They applauded as I drove her for the first time out of the showroom. The Salesguy went extramile when my friend also requested for a snap along with me. Got a snap and got it framed as well.
Took her straight to Puja where Mom and Wifey were waiting for us. Got the Puja done and left for home.
Ownership review:
A car being second big investment in my life(after home), from day-1 I was still thinking if I made the right decision by choosing Vista. But Vista inspired confidence in me everytime I drove her.
Except for the body-roll at high speeds, there is nothing I dislike in this car. Highway overtaking is a breeze with the powerful QJD engine. Rear-seat comfort is awesome. No complains whatsoever from my Mom or Wifey while driving on pot-holes or bumps. This vehicle is built to take abuses on Indian roads.
Drove it on most beautiful roads to most worst roads. Soft-suspension is the key here I think, which brings in body-roll though. Body-roll is not very nasty but manageable.
I found most of them complaining about center-mounted console in Vista. But, I think it doesn't make difference. In fact, I actually liked its center position as I have no nonsense sitting behind my steering wheel. This helps me getting a commanding view of the road ahead. I actually feel like sitting in Airplane cockpit due to this design.
Factory fitted horn is puny in Vista. I must say it is a bike-horn instead. No one cares to move if you use the horn. I immediately replaced it with Roots Skoda type horn and people are now scared of the sound.![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
ORVMs are not good and have huge blind spots. Did not realized the blind spots until a few days of driving Vista. Guess, I have to find a solution for this. Any suggestions from TAIans on this are welcome. ORVMs are electric and body colored. Already broke the left one during Tirupati Visit. Body came loose but the frame is intact and in place. TASS quoted, 2700 bucks including painting as it is a electric one.
Fuel economy is decent currently. 16KMPL on highway and 13KMPL in city with 100% A/C ON. I use heavy foot and push RPMs to make full use of Turbo. By the way, Vista goes mad like a raging bull once the turbo kicks in. As many others said on the forum, power delivery is linear until the turbo kicks in, but the lag is not noticeable much.
Build quality is sturdy and plastic quality is average(but not cheap). No rattling till date. Clocked 9300KMs in 90 days. Drove sedately until 1st service(1500KM). Started to abuse it soon after![[evil]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Evil.gif "Evil [evil]")
. My Vista is due for it's third service and I am thinking about synthetic oil but Service advisor are suggesting mineral oil for Vista. TASS is awesome so far and staff very friendly.
Will post pics soon. Watch this space for more....
Disclaimer: All the views below are strictly my personal opinions and are not intended to hurt anyone's opinions or views.
This is how it all went. Being married and having blessed with a kid recently, felt the need for four wheels and hence started to search a used one at throw away prices. Searched online classifieds and decided to buy Opel Corsa. One suggestion to all is do not buy a used vehicle for its cheap price, which may end up burning a hole in your pocket later.
As my first vehicle, I fell in love with Corsa and started upgrading its parts like repairing power windows, upgrading headlights, ICE, floor mats, etc.,
This vehicle had weak pillars which I came to knew later and was never confident to take it to highway trips. Later I realized it is too expensive to maintain or even drive this car as it was a petrol one. A/C had too many problems and all this was making me mad. One fine day, Wifey and I had a casual discussion to buy a new diesel car and I went serious about it.
While watching TV the same day, I found TATA Indica Vista advertisement. This was the first time I ever looked at a Indica Vista. Never realized Indica Vista is different from regular TAXI Indicas.
The Search began:
After driving Opel Corsa, I thought I should buy a Sedan for the high speed stability they got but due to budget constraints had to settle for a hatch.
I am a lazy type guy who spends most of the time on the Internet and decided to shortlist cars by searching on the Internet. Found these B-segment hatches:
1) Swift, 2) Ritz, 3) Indica/Vista, 4) Indigo eCS, 5) Figo, 6) Fabia, 7) Polo, 8) Beat, 9) Punto, 10) i20.
My strict criteria were:
1) Price
2) Rear-seat comfort
3) Features (Gizmos)
4) Long-run maintenance
5) Mileage
Even if someone considers me stupid, I ruled all foreign breeds because I already had a nightmare with Opel Corsa, which was sold by GM and they are history
now in India. No parts available once the company is out of the country.
Straightway Polo, Fabia were out of my list. I was reluctant about Figo, i20, Punto though Ford, Hyundai and FIATs are around here for a while. Beat is mini-hatch in my opinion. Not at all a 5-seater.
Now more detailed analysis started on these cars. I started by sorting them by price. Immediately, i20 and Punto were out. I felt they were over-priced for me. Search narrowed down to Swift, Ritz, Indica/Vista, eCS, Figo. During my Internet search, I felt Vista, Figo, Ritz are the VFM vehicles by comparing feature-price ratio.
Decided to TD these machines. Went to TATA showroom at Malik Cars, Himayath Nagar. I found a flock of arrogant idiots over there and asked for a test drive.
It was Sunday and no security guard to accompany me for the test drive. I almost lost confidence in TATA for this negative answer and went to Maruti Suzuki at the same area.
Test drove, Swift. This was the first time I ever drove a Quadrajet machine. Found Swift to be priced at the higher side and brakes were scary. Good road manners and sharp steering response. My mother complained about the cramped leg room at the rear. Immediately, Swift was out of my list. A Car for me is a luxury and did not want my Mom to have a AUTO type experience at the back seat.
Test drove Ritz, and was quite convinced about the over-all package. Ingress|Egress was good and was the rear-seat comfort. Body roll was noticeable as I drove Swift very few minutes ago. I felt it was priced on par with Swift. Disliked its awkward rear design. I used to drove my old Opel Corsa at 150+ speeds and asked the Salesguy to TD Ritz again to check its high speed stability and he agreed. I felt myself lucky to have avoided arrogant TATA guys and chose Maruti at that moment.
Took Ritz to Nehru Outer-ring-road. Slotted to Top gear and slammed the throttle. Ritz was good until 120kmph and lost confidence above that speed. Still this was not a problem for me. Wifey and I decided to book Ritz.
BUT, the destiny was somewhere else. My close friend called me casually and I explained about our plans to buy a Diesel hatch. Told him about the TATAs and Marutis and he referred me his friend who works for TATA. Upon his reference, went to Malik cars, Banjara Hills. This visit made a lot of difference for me.
These guys at Banjara Hills showroom were way better than Marutis. Immediately got my hands on Vista and I fell in love with her. Here I fully understood the difference between Indica v2/ev2 and Indica Vista. Why TATA why? Why did you brand Vista as "Indica"? I felt Indica v2/ev2 like AUTOs after driving Indica Vista. I travel by Indica cabs to my office. Did not TD eCS as salesguy told me it comes with CR4 engine which works in Indica eV2. Disliked it.
Here is my short and crisp review on Indica Vista test drive. I can find the perfect driving position by adjustable driver seat and steering. Driving in 3rd gear is like A/T transmission. Loads of torque and climbs hills effortlessly. I felt like driving a mini-SUV and felt like a huge vehicle from inside.
Commanding view of the road ahead. Excellent high-speed stability. Was about to touch 150kmph with confidence. Noticeable body roll at corners.
Somehow I did not want to TD Figo because my heart already said it should be Vista. I disliked primitive looks like Figo though.
Decision making:
Came home that day and started weighing Pros and Cons between Ritz VDi and Vista VX. Here's what I felt:
1) Ritz and Vista were both practical in city and in my budget.
2) Ritz has a feel good factor over Vista. (Thanks to TATA's reputation as official TAXI manufacturer in India)
3) Vista had more airy cabin and interiors.
4) No discounts on Ritz and Vista had discounts.
5) More goodies in Vista. Vista comes with ABS as standard in VX.
6) Ritz had a awkward rear design and Vista had a boring rear design.
As I was price-conscious and kind of a frugal guy, decided to go for Vista. I was offered 60K discount flat on Vista. This was a December offer by TATA. 20K cash discount and 40K old petrol car exchange bonus. I was skeptical about buying Dec,2012 vehicle in 2012 but was pleased by the discount offered.
I exchanged my petrol Opel Corsa and backed 60K discount. Total on-road price was calculated to be 6.36L including all stamp duty and hypothecation charges.
Applied the loan with L&T finance and got all the necessary approvals. Completed the paperwork, paid the downpayment and decided to take the delivery on Dec, 19th as Mom decided it was auspicious.
Initially decided to go for Jet silver color as suggested by Salesguy and changed to go for Cavern grey. But, finally looking at the old Vistas shading colour, arrived at a final decision of Spice Red color. Vista looks hot in red.
Vista comes home:
Went to Malik cars a day before delivery and made sure my vehicle is ready in top shape. Salesguy inquired about accessories I would to buy. I opted for Seat covers, body cover and rear speakers. Got them at a discounted price after some bargaining. Also, I refused the Goodyear tyres and demanded Bridgestone tyres. My requested was fulfilled at once. Was interested in alloys initially but they quoted a whopping 30K for five alloys (straight from manza). I denied it and left the place that evening.
The D'day arrived and visited the dealer with my close friend and brother for the delivery. One more nightmare with TATA this time. The vehicle being prepared for me was already assigned to other customer a week ago. It was boiling inside me but the salesguy was so professional in handling the situation and calmed me down. This Salesguy lives in my area and built a good rapport in short time. Salesguy assured me of delivery of my vehicle within an hour or two and he personally went to the workshop and had my Vista prepared.
Finally, they modified all the paperwork with the new Engine/Chassis numbers and asked for my confirmation. I approved all the paperwork and there we go. Vista was smiling for me and I was eager to get my hands on her. TATAs won my heart here. They offered sweets, a snap with my new vehicle which was immediately framed nicely. They applauded as I drove her for the first time out of the showroom. The Salesguy went extramile when my friend also requested for a snap along with me. Got a snap and got it framed as well.
Took her straight to Puja where Mom and Wifey were waiting for us. Got the Puja done and left for home.
Ownership review:
A car being second big investment in my life(after home), from day-1 I was still thinking if I made the right decision by choosing Vista. But Vista inspired confidence in me everytime I drove her.
Except for the body-roll at high speeds, there is nothing I dislike in this car. Highway overtaking is a breeze with the powerful QJD engine. Rear-seat comfort is awesome. No complains whatsoever from my Mom or Wifey while driving on pot-holes or bumps. This vehicle is built to take abuses on Indian roads.
Drove it on most beautiful roads to most worst roads. Soft-suspension is the key here I think, which brings in body-roll though. Body-roll is not very nasty but manageable.
I found most of them complaining about center-mounted console in Vista. But, I think it doesn't make difference. In fact, I actually liked its center position as I have no nonsense sitting behind my steering wheel. This helps me getting a commanding view of the road ahead. I actually feel like sitting in Airplane cockpit due to this design.
Factory fitted horn is puny in Vista. I must say it is a bike-horn instead. No one cares to move if you use the horn. I immediately replaced it with Roots Skoda type horn and people are now scared of the sound.
ORVMs are not good and have huge blind spots. Did not realized the blind spots until a few days of driving Vista. Guess, I have to find a solution for this. Any suggestions from TAIans on this are welcome. ORVMs are electric and body colored. Already broke the left one during Tirupati Visit. Body came loose but the frame is intact and in place. TASS quoted, 2700 bucks including painting as it is a electric one.
Fuel economy is decent currently. 16KMPL on highway and 13KMPL in city with 100% A/C ON. I use heavy foot and push RPMs to make full use of Turbo. By the way, Vista goes mad like a raging bull once the turbo kicks in. As many others said on the forum, power delivery is linear until the turbo kicks in, but the lag is not noticeable much.
Build quality is sturdy and plastic quality is average(but not cheap). No rattling till date. Clocked 9300KMs in 90 days. Drove sedately until 1st service(1500KM). Started to abuse it soon after
. My Vista is due for it's third service and I am thinking about synthetic oil but Service advisor are suggesting mineral oil for Vista. TASS is awesome so far and staff very friendly.Will post pics soon. Watch this space for more....
![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
. Especially the Back lights on steering looks more beautiful while taking U-turn in Night time.
![[;)]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Wink.gif "Wink [;)]")
![[frustration]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Frustration.gif "Frustration [frustration]")
