[Ironhide]

Originally Posted by pamiboy

Aria needs to be redesigned completely (at least a comprehensive exterior redesign). By which I do not mean changing headlights and bumpers. It is plain ugly and boring (It looked dated 5 years ago). Why would anyone desire to buy one (unless you are a taxi owner). Any premium car should create a good feeling for the owner. Then only it will sell well. For now good luck flogging the dead horse.

This was a good move by TATA. Aria was one the better put together yet underrated products from their stable, and I feel it still retains a lot of potential - it just needs to be marketed correctly. What TATA now needs to look at , IMHO is :-

• A complete redesign. Please lose that MPV'ish stance - if you're trying to position it as a crossover, make it look as such. AND cut the flab - this would greatly improve the handling, not to speak of the accrued improvements in FE.
• Get some understated aggression in the design philosophy (something on lines of Land Rover maybe? )- the design looks somewhat dated now . Going by the runaway success of XUV, clearly the Indian car buyer is not averse to plonking his money on loud/aggressive designs. And please lose the trademark smiley grill .
• Please offer ABS & airbags as standard. This is basic. ESP for the higher versions.
• For brownie points, go with the tried and tested method of providing more 'features' - voice commands, rain sensing wipers, light sensing headlamps, bending projector headlamps, better designed headunit (the Harman ICE is a nice move).
• An automatic option that is affordable (taking a cue out of recent launch and success of Celerio) would go a long way in targeting another genre of customers who are looking for a big and comfortable automatic vehicle.
• Price it right !

Cheers !

[sahakar]

Never thought the Aria would be relaunched by the TATAs.

Mine turned 2 years in Jan and touch wood has been reliable like a Maruti. Actually better than a Maruti as I only need to visit for service once a year rather than 2 like the Marutis. Even the A*S*S* has been fantastic with really no complaints.

I haven't spent a dime on maintenance other than the oil change on the Aria yet. Taking the 2 year annual maintenance cover (which covered the consumables) actually reduced my yearly service costs to just 5k a year rather than around 10k.

The main reason for the Aria not taking off was the stupid pricing which was almost 2.5 lakhs more than the Innova. Even when I bought it, the only reason I bought was I got a good 2 lakh discount than the Innova for the same pricing after the discount.

Now, with Innova costing ridiculously high, it really makes sense to give a second thought to the Aria. Of course the brand still doesn't give you the mental satisfaction but as a practical 7 seater it does good justice for your money.

I can reasonably say this version should be much more reliable than the last with fewer complaints for sure.

As they haven't touched the exteriors, get a color matt job done and you have a unique looking vehicle which anyway will be rarity on the roads than the teaming Innovas

Of course if you are looking at reselling in 3 to 5 years, then stay away as resale values will suck. Only buy if you are ready to keep for 10 years and fully depreciate it.

Cheers

[one-77]

Originally Posted by rkg

... I have test driven both, ARIA rides much better than XUV.

Agreed, the Aria is more spacious and rides better than the XUV, but when it comes down to putting your money on one, which would you choose?
The XUV or the Aria?

When comparing prices, the Pure variant is stripped of essential features like ABS and Airbags, so the you only get what you pay for. The XUV W4 which compares best with the Aria Pleasure is well over 1 lac cheaper ex-showroom.
Looks and perception? The Aria isn't anywhere near the XUV.
Service? TASS is terrible (from my Fiat Experience). Only taxi drivers can deal with them. I have no idea about Mahindra ASS.
And I'm guessing the Aria's resale value will be far far lower than the XUV's.

[rkg]

Originally Posted by one-77

Agreed, the Aria is more spacious and rides better than the XUV, but when it comes down to putting your money on one, which would you choose?
The XUV or the Aria?

When comparing prices, the Pure variant is stripped of essential features like ABS and Airbags, so the you only get what you pay for. The XUV W4 which compares best with the Aria Pleasure is well over 1 lac cheaper ex-showroom.
Looks and perception? The Aria isn't anywhere near the XUV.
Service? TASS is terrible (from my Fiat Experience). Only taxi drivers can deal with them. I have no idea about Mahindra ASS.
And I'm guessing the Aria's resale value will be far far lower than the XUV's.

Yes. I will choose ARIA over XUV due to the following reasons
1. Higher GC 200 mm Vs 165 mm ( it is actually 220 mm in ARIA if M&M model is followed). Both are same height, with ARIA being marginally shorter at 5 mm. BOF ARIA with more GC rides better than monocoque XUV with less GC, is something to consider.
2. Better interior space
3. Proper service intervals @ 15K, unlike XUV's confusing intervals( oil change @ 20K, service @ 15 intervals)
4. Comparatively less niggles( purely my perception)
5. Warranty 3 years / 1 lakh KM vs 2 years/65k KM
6. Can live with TASS as i already had experience of 82K with my Vista over 5 1/2 years.

[undead]

Originally Posted by rkg

Yes. I will choose ARIA over XUV due to the following reasons
5. Warranty 3 years / 1 lakh KM vs 2 years/65k KM
.

2 yrs /65Km for XUV? The Sales guy told me that XUV comes with 3 yrs/1 lakh kms warranty as standard . Which is correct ?

[rkg]

Originally Posted by undead

2 yrs /65Km for XUV? The Sales guy told me that XUV comes with 3 yrs/1 lakh kms warranty as standard . Which is correct ?

Check this for XUV warranty and also post no.62 in this thread. Fine print is more
(http://mahindraxuv500.com/product/pd...ty_booklet.pdf)

[undead]

Originally Posted by rkg

Check this for XUV warranty and also post no.62 in this thread. Fine print is more
(http://mahindraxuv500.com/product/pd...ty_booklet.pdf)

But the Sales Rep said that the New XUV comes with 3 yrs or 1 lakh kms warranty and it is certified as Zero Defects from the factory itself. The reason why I am discussing this here is that , my decision to buy Aria is moved almost to the XUV now. 3 yrs /1 lakh warranty was one the factors making me to go for the XUV , an good peace of mind due to its small niggles.
Can other XUV owners kindly confirm?

[rkg]

Originally Posted by undead

But the Sales Rep said that the New XUV comes with 3 yrs or 1 lakh kms warranty and it is certified as Zero Defects from the factory itself. The reason why I am discussing this here is that , my decision to buy Aria is moved almost to the XUV now. 3 yrs /1 lakh warranty was one the factors making me to go for the XUV , an good peace of mind due to its small niggles.
Can other XUV owners kindly confirm?

I was also thinking like that. till post number 62 enlightened me with service booklet pdf.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by undead

But the Sales Rep said that the New XUV comes with 3 yrs or 1 lakh kms warranty and it is certified as Zero Defects from the factory itself...

I think XUV had a 3 year / 1L or unlimited kilometers warranty when it was launched. Am surprised that it's been reduced to 65K kms now.

Do we have an option of Extended Warranty now?

[lurker]

Toyota has had a head-start over Tata by launching the Innova so much earlier, now what increases the Innova brand worth is that it has users who have crossed multiple lakhs of kms and a decade under their belt and the vehicle still behaves reasonably well. the Aria has to survive for 10 years with good reliability and pass the 'Qualis MUV challenge' (in terms of legendary reliability).

So Tata has no option but to hang on here. They can keep improving their product meanwhile. And 'improving' here solely means improving reliability of various components that go into the whole and not adding gizmos.

[M35]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

I think XUV had a 3 year / 1L or unlimited kilometers warranty when it was launched. Am surprised that it's been reduced to 65K kms now.

I guess, it is the other way around. Wasn't the XUV launched in 2011 and the manual isn't updated?
I too read owners talking about 3 year/1L km warranty of late. Any XUV owner to confirm this?

Oops, it's an Aria thread and sorry for the OT.

[manishk123]

When you go to the Tata motors website it still shows you the old videos and the old version of aria even though the new version is there on www.tataaria.com

Its little things like these that piss me off about the Tata marketing team. In this day and age don't they think its important that their main website should portray the latest version of the product. Wake up Tata! Its now or never.

[undead]

Test Drove the 2014 Aria today.
The dealer from Coimbatore travelled 100kms to my home for the test drive. He brought the Pure model which is the basic one as this was the only vehicle they received from the factory.

I have not test driven the previous Aria, so i cannot compare it . But i drove the XUV500 three days back and i was able to compare it.

Advantages of Aria :

1. Ride quality was good. Smooth ride on bad roads . Doesn't crash.
2. Clutch was so free and light , less strain on the left leg . Little stiff on the XUV.
3. Last row leg space better than XUV due to sliding middle row.
4. Good highway car to carry 7 people.
5. Better Boot space even after 3 rows in place.
6. Warranty : 3 Lakh /1,50,000 kms. Additional warranty 1 yr/ 50000 kms (The brochure in the website says 3yrs/1,00,000kms but the brochure which was given by the Representative says 3 lakh/1,50,000 kms. Clutch warranty is 70000kms)

Advantages of XUV :

1. Better looking than Aria.
2. More gizmos compared to the Aria, for the price.
3. Middle row better than aria as the floor hump is Nil .
4. More vehicles sold compared to the Aria.
5. 6 speed transmission.

[rkg]

Originally Posted by undead

Advantages of Aria :

1. Ride quality was good. Smooth ride on bad roads . Doesn't crash.
2. Clutch was so free and light , less strain on the left leg . Little stiff on the XUV.
6. Warranty : 3 Lakh /1,50,000 kms. Additional warranty 1 yr/ 50000 kms (The brochure in the website says 3yrs/1,00,000kms but the brochure which was given by the Representative says 3 lakh/1,50,000 kms. Clutch warranty is 70000kms)

Clutch has minimum life of 1 lakh KM as per an engineer working in TML. It is also SAC (self adjusting clutch) and very light. TATA played safe by offering 70K warranty on clutch. ANy other manufacturer offering warranty on clutch
Concorde bangalore also got a pure LX model as demo piece. But they are kept under wraps as the launch is on 15th march here.

[avisidhu]

Originally Posted by lurker

Toyota has had a head-start over Tata by launching the Innova so much earlier, now what increases the Innova brand worth is that it has users who have crossed multiple lakhs of kms and a decade under their belt and the vehicle still behaves reasonably well. the Aria has to survive for 10 years with good reliability and pass the 'Qualis MUV challenge' (in terms of legendary reliability).

So Tata has no option but to hang on here. They can keep improving their product meanwhile. And 'improving' here solely means improving reliability of various components that go into the whole and not adding gizmos.

It seems that at the 12L price point there is a clear divide now. Conservative folks and taxi segment goes for the Innova eyes closed, and the more adventurous ones go for the XUV. It will be almost impossible for Aria to pull the Innova crowd, thanks to the legendary reliability and amazing resale of the Innova, which really makes this contest a no brainer even with a 2L price difference.

Prospective XUV buyers is what they should hopefully be targeting, which at the price point offered does raise hope of some fight, although making the looks a little less conservative could have helped matters.