[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by vkumars

I think the Iris looks much better than any Auto-Riksha, with price being not much higher.

I was thinking whether its use should be limited to replacing Autos alone. It has a diesel engine. Considering the mileage it is likely to give, won't it make a perfect city run-about also ? NVH levels would be high and the image might be poor. But the running cost should be comparable to some bikes. Add to this the ability to carry 4 persons in comfort (5 if packed) protected from sunshine and rain and easiness of parking in tight spots and shouldn't at least a few get sold in the private market ?

I was impressed by the Iris news and wanted to see the vehicle. I called Tata Motors at Ernakulam and they directed me to the Dealer Popular Mega Motors and Focus Motors. When I contacted Popular Mega Motors, they informed that the vehicle will be on display from 14 May saturday onwards at their showroom in the Edappally-Vyttila byepass very close to Edappally.

I was surprised to hear from the dealer that tata is claiming a mileage of 40 kms per litre of diesel !!!

I am thinking whether I can buy it for my personal use. But, there are some mental blocks :

1) The sides and rear do not have glass windows. They are with tarpaulin.
2) There may not be an AC version. Fitting an AC by us may void the warrantee. Also, whether the engine is having sufficient power ?
3) The maximum speed is only 55 Kmph.
4) Even if we fix the side and rear glass windows from some good body workshop, the rear will not be able to open. We will have to drop the luggage over the rear seat, which is very inconvenient like nano. Or a glass openable to top to be fixes at the rear. This kind of modifications by us will make the already ugly looking rear look worse.
5) The engine may be noisy and with less power. I have to see it to comment on this.
6) Since many auto fellows are likely to buy, your image will be in trouble. My son has already warned me NOT TO COME ANYWHERE NEAR HIS COLLEGE WITH THIS VEHICLE
7) Due to the point 6 above, the resale value also may be poor.

[gshanky]

@mohanan - I agree that IRIS may not be a perceived as a personal vehicle. However I am still wondering why TML have not recognised the potential of a NANO based convertible with soft top.

Now imagine if you drop the top and the 2nd row seat is removable!! .

This would be the all time great multi purpose vehicle.

[Trust_In_Thrust]

I just hope i do not start seeing these on delhi roads, flyovers trying to climb 1 inch per minute holding traffic on all 3 lanes for over a mile behind with overloaded cargoes like the Mahindra Commercial 3 Wheelers carriers i so hate .

[pamiboy]

Originally Posted by KMohanan

I was impressed by the Iris news and wanted to see the vehicle.
I am thinking whether I can buy it for my personal use. But, there are some mental blocks :

1) The sides and rear do not have glass windows. They are with tarpaulin.
2) There may not be an AC version. Fitting an AC by us may void the warrantee. Also, whether the engine is having sufficient power ?
3) The maximum speed is only 55 Kmph.
4) Even if we fix the side and rear glass windows from some good body workshop, the rear will not be able to open. We will have to drop the luggage over the rear seat, which is very inconvenient like nano. Or a glass openable to top to be fixes at the rear. This kind of modifications by us will make the already ugly looking rear look worse.
5) The engine may be noisy and with less power. I have to see it to comment on this.
6) Since many auto fellows are likely to buy, your image will be in trouble. My son has already warned me NOT TO COME ANYWHERE NEAR HIS COLLEGE WITH THIS VEHICLE
7) Due to the point 6 above, the resale value also may be poor.

Man, I don't understand your logic. If you want a small and cheap personal use vehicle (of Indian make), then why don't you consider Nano. It should be avaialble from the same dealer, would be nearly half the price and has all those modifications already built in (which you were planning to do on the Iris). In addition it's possible your son may be less aggreived as well.
Do you have any particular reason to get the Iris modified?

[the VTEC guy]

Originally Posted by KMohanan

I was impressed by the Iris news and wanted to see the vehicle. I called Tata Motors at Ernakulam and they directed me to the Dealer Popular Mega Motors and Focus Motors. When I contacted Popular Mega Motors, they informed that the vehicle will be on display from 14 May saturday onwards at their showroom in the Edappally-Vyttila byepass very close to Edappally.

I was surprised to hear from the dealer that tata is claiming a mileage of 40 kms per litre of diesel !!!

I am thinking whether I can buy it for my personal use. But, there are some mental blocks :

1) The sides and rear do not have glass windows. They are with tarpaulin.
2) There may not be an AC version. Fitting an AC by us may void the warrantee. Also, whether the engine is having sufficient power ?
3) The maximum speed is only 55 Kmph.
4) Even if we fix the side and rear glass windows from some good body workshop, the rear will not be able to open. We will have to drop the luggage over the rear seat, which is very inconvenient like nano. Or a glass openable to top to be fixes at the rear. This kind of modifications by us will make the already ugly looking rear look worse.
5) The engine may be noisy and with less power. I have to see it to comment on this.
6) Since many auto fellows are likely to buy, your image will be in trouble. My son has already warned me NOT TO COME ANYWHERE NEAR HIS COLLEGE WITH THIS VEHICLE
7) Due to the point 6 above, the resale value also may be poor.

Nano is your option readily available at this point. If diesel is the only reason you are considering the IRIS please note following-
1. Diesel unit in IRIS is a single cylinder engine built by Greaves for Tata. This is best suited in the commercial taxi and load carrying application
2. Diesel Nano with CRDI technology is already undergoing testing and my guess is it will be launched by Diwali. This will also be a multi cyclinder (2/3) unit much more refined than that in IRIS. Ofcourse the diesel variant will come at a premium over the petrol Nano

[shortbread]

@Kmohanan,

I think its a brilliant idea, add a couple of body panels and an air conditioner this will make amazing personal transport. Im sure the 600cc diesel was designed with these mods in mind. Perhaps a couple of lcd screens, a 12" sub and leather interiors will complete the pic. The engineers at Tata must be numb-struck as to why they did not think of this before!! Please do let me know how you get on.

[rajess_in]

Originally Posted by KMohanan

I am thinking whether I can buy it for my personal use.

Not a good idea. Tata Iris is conceived as a cheap alternative for the 3 wheelers.

It is meant to be a 4 wheeled auto rickshaw that is safe and reliable, and affordable to the masses. Using it as a personal vehicle is not restricted but will have a severe dent in your image.

Congrats to Tata for setting a benchmark segment. Soon we could see Iris's plying around.

How many of us will opt for a 3 wheeler or an Iris (provided if both are at same rents). This will make an interesting survey.

[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by pamiboy

Man, I don't understand your logic. If you want a small and cheap personal use vehicle (of Indian make), then why don't you consider Nano. It should be avaialble from the same dealer, would be nearly half the price and has all those modifications already built in (which you were planning to do on the Iris). In addition it's possible your son may be less aggreived as well.
Do you have any particular reason to get the Iris modified?

Originally Posted by the VTEC guy

Nano is your option readily available at this point. If diesel is the only reason you are considering the IRIS please note following-
1. Diesel unit in IRIS is a single cylinder engine built by Greaves for Tata. This is best suited in the commercial taxi and load carrying application
2. Diesel Nano with CRDI technology is already undergoing testing and my guess is it will be launched by Diwali. This will also be a multi cyclinder (2/3) unit much more refined than that in IRIS. Ofcourse the diesel variant will come at a premium over the petrol Nano

Dear Friends,

I already own a Nano LX for more than an year and it has clocked 20,000 kms !!! (You can easily note the nano ownership which appear below all my postings.) The problem which I face in Nano are mainly with the difficulty in loading and unloading our luggage. Kerala is a place where heavy rains are usual and in rain, if one person from our car (when we come back after tour/functions etc) want to get down with his luggage, all the three occupants in the rear seat has to come out with umbrellas and then two persons jointly do the unlocking of rear seat and then take out the luggage !!!! Also kerala is the land of coconut trees and when I have to bring coconuts from my land, my earlier cars like Uno were very convenient by opening the rear and folding the back seat.

The accessibility of the engine is another big issue. If you want to see the coolant level, engine oil level or condition of the radiator fins, then opening the engine cover and peeping through is a circus.

From my experience with Nano, I do agree that Nano is a marvel and I love to drive it. But the above issues could have been easily solved by Tata by making the rear openable. Especially when there are some fire incidents of Nano, it is essential for owners to get easy access to the engine compartment.

Now regarding Iris, I am not expecting everything I want in such a low-cost vehicle. What I meant is different. I understand that there is only one variant for Iris which is priced at 1.95 lakhs at Kochi. This is meant for replacing autos. So, the facilities provided are acceptable. But, Tata could have launched another version at a slightly higher cost with side and rear glasses (openable rear glasses like old maruti 800) which will attract personal buyers like me. You may feel that the AC option I was asking for is too much in such a small engine. But, I have seen many many Tata Ace vehicle with small engine carrying almost double the load and going smoothly !!!

I have hired the Tata Magic for one of our tours covering about 500 kms and I found it is very enjoyable even with 8 persons onboard. The pickup and max speed were limited. The clutch is very very light compared to nano. All our family members liked magic, but the same issue of turpaline sheets on side windows prevented us from buying.

[ACM]

To me they look good for the segment.

Buyers in that segment do not bother that much about looks but are looking at getting the best value.

The pricing is actually very close to that of 3 wheeler auto, many think that an auto is close to Rs. 1L in pricing but that is not the case, it costs close to Rs. 2L.

[djpeesh]

Mahindra launched the 'Maxximo' mini(van???). I drove it around their plant. First, the wheels were tiny and second, it wheezed with two people inside. I pity anyone who finds themselves behind them.

[vishwas]

A technical question. Why does a 600 cc engine produce only 11 bhp? This is less than many motorcycles. Why produce underpowered engines like these? Is it only the build cost calculation or do these offer better fuel efficiency ?

BTW both of these look amazing and seems like a huge improvement in terms of passenger safety. The 3-wheeled Auto is such a safety hazard, and worse in places like Hyderabad are the "share" autos which sometimes carry 4 people in front and 3 in the back. It is a shame that Bajaj has kept making the same design for decades and could not modify the Autorickshaw design into a decent 4 wheeler. And a great credit to Tata to identify and fill such market needs.

[av8er]

Hats off to TATA's for another segment first. Looks are subjective and I personally have a mixed feeling by looking at them in the pictures. Have to wait and see them in flesh.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by vishwas

A technical question. Why does a 600 cc engine produce only 11 bhp? This is less than many motorcycles. Why produce underpowered engines like these? Is it only the build cost calculation or do these offer better fuel efficiency ?

........ And a great credit to Tata to identify and fill such market needs.

Maybe to under stress the engine so as to give brilliant fuel efficiency and also longer engine life. Sorry if am wrong,this is the only reason i can find.
And why can't TML identify the market need of a Mini-SUV like-wise?

[rajess_in]

Originally Posted by DicKy

Maybe to under stress the engine so as to give brilliant fuel efficiency and also longer engine life.

Two Wheelers have high revving engines, hence they can be tuned to have more power at lesses cc. On the hind sight their max. torque will be less, as the overall GVW of the bikes would not be more than 200kg (assuming 2 riders).

In four wheelers, the equation is more on the torque, generally better the torque better the pick up and mileage. So the engines are tuned to lesser HP with more torque to increase efficiency and so is the rpm.

[ramesh]

Originally Posted by KMohanan

Dear Friends,

The problem which I face in Nano are mainly with the difficulty in loading and unloading our luggage. .

Hi Mohanan,
Incidently , my case is exactly opposite. Most of the time I am driving the Nano alone without any luggage except my laptop computer and sometimes with my wife and daughter with small grocery items which we happily keep into dashboard cavities. Thanks to those dash cavities it takes in infinite small numbers of grocery items.

Having said this I thank TATA for not giving openable hatch , which would have meant additional parts , costs and maintenance.

Interesting to know if more of you's or more of me's live in India !

BTW , used to hear that TATA engineers were working on openable rear glass ( like old M800), don't know what happened of that?