Tata 407 vs Force Excel 4 LCV. Which one?

itsmevivek · 1st April 2007, 13:14

My father is planning to buy an LCV for the factory... He is looking for 3.5tonne capacity LCV...

The 2 things that came to me was the Tata 407 and the Force motors Excel 4... tata is the market leader... some pros and cons that i have heard about them are...

Tata 407
pros -
good pickup...
easy to get repaired to in any garage...
tata backup...

cons -
heard it to be a bit unstable

Force motors Excel 4
pros-
cheaper than 407 by 40k
less maintenance than 407

cons-
not sure how reliable it is as very few people have it...

Guys i need ur input here... any personal experience, any sites that have comparison etc..

Moderators please move my thread to appropriate section... i did not know where to start it, thats y created here....

salilpawar1 · 1st April 2007, 16:07

Although, I am not related to CV industry in any way....

I feel that the Tata 407 makes a better buy at the end of the day simply because it is tried and tested and proven vehicle in the Indian market and you can never go wrong with it.

Tata is so sure about its reliability that it has some 3,00,000 km warranty for the engine (BHPians, correct me if I am wrong).

The Tempo Excel is a proven Mercedes Design but I am doubtful about the ruggedness of the vehicle in the long run in comparison with the Tata 407. But still, Excel is not bad but simply doesn't sell in decent numbers and that's my major grouse. And also, it looks more upmarket than the 407 but I don't think looks are a priority in this segment.

My verdict: If the vehicle is going to see a lot of highway running, then go for the 407 without doubt but if it is going to go around city limits, then you can take a look at the Excel too.

This is my 50 cents worth of advice

abdul 65 amg · 1st April 2007, 16:49

hey guys , would be nice that someone could find pics of those cars.So the tata Excel is made partly by Mercedes-Benz.

condor · 1st April 2007, 18:13

@abdul, a new truck there, in the form of a Tata Excel?

300 KMPH · 1st April 2007, 18:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by abdul 65 amg

hey guys , would be nice that someone could find pics of those cars.So the tata Excel is made partly by Mercedes-Benz.

No, I think you have misunderstood....

You might not be knowing that Tata 407 and Tempo Excel are commercial vehicles (LCV). Tempo Excel is the Indian Version of Mercedes-Benz Vario and Tata 407 is a similar looking vehicle to the Excel.....

manikjeet · 1st April 2007, 19:04

If i had to buy a vehicle between these to i would buy a tata 407 the truck is tried and tested on india roads and it has tata A.S.S and the engine is quite pwerfull

greatmana2000 · 1st April 2007, 21:15

HI ,

You could go in for the Tata 407 simply because the engine is rugged and well designed . The gearbox is also built well.
The main drawbacks with the 407 are its too noisy ,but ,given the consideration that a driver is going to drive the vehicle it does not make a big difference .
Secondly , the spares for the 407 are found everywhere . Easy to service the vehicle plus the vehicle has a good resale value . The other drawback with the vehicle is that its not stable with high speeds . the max that the vehicle should be driven is at 70 . Anything over 70 kms with full load leads to unstability .

Now ,considering the tempo excel 4 ,the engine has been redesigned by AVL . The engine is a DI engine and not the OM616 engine. I do not know if temp gives any warranty on the engine ,but do not expect the engine to perform like a 407 .

The vehicle is stable but does not carry a resale value . I have also heard that the mileage is not that good .

itsmevivek · 1st April 2007, 22:51

^^ which vehicles mileage is not good?? excel or 407???

guys what about the maintenance costs???

007 Bond · 2nd April 2007, 10:48

Hi,

I had recently gone through a company internal marketing document which has given details of a owner of Force Excel who had done 72000 km with his vehicle with just routine maintainence and had got FE of 10.2 kmpl, he was using his vehicle for a Courier company, i will try to find more details of the same.

directinjection · 2nd April 2007, 16:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsmevivek

My father is planning to buy an LCV for the factory... He is looking for 3.5tonne capacity LCV...

The 2 things that came to me was the Tata 407 and the Force motors Excel 4... tata is the market leader... some pros and cons that i have heard about them are...

Tata 407
pros -
good pickup...
easy to get repaired to in any garage...
tata backup...

cons -
heard it to be a bit unstable

Force motors Excel 4
pros-
cheaper than 407 by 40k
less maintenance than 407

cons-
not sure how reliable it is as very few people have it...

Guys i need ur input here... any personal experience, any sites that have comparison etc..

Moderators please move my thread to appropriate section... i did not know where to start it, thats y created here....

Are you sure about your exact payload requirement? If your requirement is for 3.5 tonne payload capacity, then you are looking at the wrong vehicles. You should instead be looking at the likes of Tata 709/712, Swaraj Mazda, Eicher, etc.

407 and Excel belong to a different segment with lesser capacities.

But if you indeed considering only these two, then, IMO, you should go in for the Tata simply because it is such a successful product whose service and spares would pose no problems. Tata offers an unlimited KM warranty, reflecting their confidence in the product. 407 would have better resale value too. Regarding stability, 407 can also be ordered with four wheels in the rear axle. There is a full-forward control version too that offers more loading area. Also take a look at Tata 410, the Euro-III version of 407 with a lot of improvements including more power, more torque, lower NVH and significantly increased intervals for oil and filter change. The interiors on the EX series are much improved.

Getting service and spares for Excel could be majorly problematic.

Desert fox · 3rd April 2007, 02:06

Tata 407, tried and abused for one,also because of the warranty offered,you can opt for a AMC within/out of warranty period,

Here you are insured for all kinds of failures.It works like this-

You go to a TASS/Dealer for AMC the vehicle is inspected once and a atm like card with a contract is handed to you-->when in possesion of your driver,wherever the vehicle breaks down or is due for major service covered under the contents of the AMC,

your vehicle will be attended to on a special AMC bay(subject to availablity)on priority,Wherever in India.

Also parts are available more freely than other brands.

Mpower · 3rd April 2007, 04:09

Is there really no other choice in the market today? What about Mahindra Nissan. (4 wheel version not 6 wheels)

esteem_lover · 3rd April 2007, 09:43

Or the swaraj mazda ?

1st April 2007, 13:14	#1
itsmevivek Newbie Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 8 Thanked: 0 Times	Tata 407 vs Force Excel 4 LCV. Which one? My father is planning to buy an LCV for the factory... He is looking for 3.5tonne capacity LCV... The 2 things that came to me was the Tata 407 and the Force motors Excel 4... tata is the market leader... some pros and cons that i have heard about them are... Tata 407 pros - good pickup... easy to get repaired to in any garage... tata backup... cons - heard it to be a bit unstable Force motors Excel 4 pros- cheaper than 407 by 40k less maintenance than 407 cons- not sure how reliable it is as very few people have it... Guys i need ur input here... any personal experience, any sites that have comparison etc.. Moderators please move my thread to appropriate section... i did not know where to start it, thats y created here....
	() Thanks

1st April 2007, 16:07	#2
salilpawar1 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mumbai (MH-01) Posts: 853 Thanked: 252 Times View My Garage	Although, I am not related to CV industry in any way.... I feel that the Tata 407 makes a better buy at the end of the day simply because it is tried and tested and proven vehicle in the Indian market and you can never go wrong with it. Tata is so sure about its reliability that it has some 3,00,000 km warranty for the engine (BHPians, correct me if I am wrong). The Tempo Excel is a proven Mercedes Design but I am doubtful about the ruggedness of the vehicle in the long run in comparison with the Tata 407. But still, Excel is not bad but simply doesn't sell in decent numbers and that's my major grouse. And also, it looks more upmarket than the 407 but I don't think looks are a priority in this segment. My verdict: If the vehicle is going to see a lot of highway running, then go for the 407 without doubt but if it is going to go around city limits, then you can take a look at the Excel too. This is my 50 cents worth of advice
	() Thanks

1st April 2007, 16:49	#3
abdul 65 amg BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Brussels Posts: 252 Thanked: Once	hey guys , would be nice that someone could find pics of those cars.So the tata Excel is made partly by Mercedes-Benz.
	() Thanks

1st April 2007, 18:13	#4
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 16,242 Thanked: 16,902 Times View My Garage	@abdul, a new truck there, in the form of a Tata Excel?
	() Thanks

1st April 2007, 19:04	#6
manikjeet Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: chandigarh Posts: 1,617 Thanked: 296 Times View My Garage	If i had to buy a vehicle between these to i would buy a tata 407 the truck is tried and tested on india roads and it has tata A.S.S and the engine is quite pwerfull
	() Thanks

1st April 2007, 21:15	#7
greatmana2000 BANNED Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: chennai Posts: 703 Thanked: 58 Times	HI , You could go in for the Tata 407 simply because the engine is rugged and well designed . The gearbox is also built well. The main drawbacks with the 407 are its too noisy ,but ,given the consideration that a driver is going to drive the vehicle it does not make a big difference . Secondly , the spares for the 407 are found everywhere . Easy to service the vehicle plus the vehicle has a good resale value . The other drawback with the vehicle is that its not stable with high speeds . the max that the vehicle should be driven is at 70 . Anything over 70 kms with full load leads to unstability . Now ,considering the tempo excel 4 ,the engine has been redesigned by AVL . The engine is a DI engine and not the OM616 engine. I do not know if temp gives any warranty on the engine ,but do not expect the engine to perform like a 407 . The vehicle is stable but does not carry a resale value . I have also heard that the mileage is not that good .
	() Thanks

1st April 2007, 22:51	#8
itsmevivek Newbie Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 8 Thanked: 0 Times	^^ which vehicles mileage is not good?? excel or 407??? guys what about the maintenance costs???
	() Thanks

2nd April 2007, 10:48	#9
007 Bond BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 275 Thanked: 214 Times	Hi, I had recently gone through a company internal marketing document which has given details of a owner of Force Excel who had done 72000 km with his vehicle with just routine maintainence and had got FE of 10.2 kmpl, he was using his vehicle for a Courier company, i will try to find more details of the same.
	() Thanks

3rd April 2007, 02:06	#11
Desert fox BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: bangalore Posts: 227 Thanked: Once	Tata 407, tried and abused for one,also because of the warranty offered,you can opt for a AMC within/out of warranty period, Here you are insured for all kinds of failures.It works like this- You go to a TASS/Dealer for AMC the vehicle is inspected once and a atm like card with a contract is handed to you-->when in possesion of your driver,wherever the vehicle breaks down or is due for major service covered under the contents of the AMC, your vehicle will be attended to on a special AMC bay(subject to availablity)on priority,Wherever in India. Also parts are available more freely than other brands.
	() Thanks

3rd April 2007, 04:09	#12
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,397 Thanked: 1,735 Times View My Garage	Is there really no other choice in the market today? What about Mahindra Nissan. (4 wheel version not 6 wheels)
	() Thanks

3rd April 2007, 09:43	#13
esteem_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Madras/Py Posts: 7,556 Thanked: 513 Times View My Garage	Or the swaraj mazda ?
	() Thanks