[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by DieselAddikt

I have driven Safari (not the 400 NM one though) extensively and everybody will agree that gearshifts need getting used to. You confirmed it too. But we are living in 2016 and still need to "get used to" shifting a normal 5/6 speed gearbox !! At the same time, this does not come across as an issue in other cars (read XUV and Innova). I definitely find it weird. All these days I was thinking that it will eventually be taken care of. But the end result, as we see/hear in Hexa, is not very different from what it is now. It may not be "bad"; I agree. But it could have been better. For a car equipped with MT, gearshift constitutes a major part of the driving experience. You need to shift between gears innumerable times before you get from point A to B. This definitely is a concern. :(

There is no issue at all for a 5 speed gear box. However, for a six speed box, the reverse is further away from 6th so there is a vacant spot (if we can call it so) above the reverse slot. That causes confusion as we tend to bring the gear lever as far right as possible and then move it up to slot to 5th. But here, this is a vacant spot and we do not find 5th. The problem is solved after driving it for a day or two in my case as now I am accustomed to the position of 5th.

The gear box of XUV is not better either. In fact I found it bit worse than Storme. However, the reverse is slotted by using the clip on the lever and that may have helped in resolving 5th gear issue.

Having said that, I agree that Hexa should have better gear box as they already are aware of the issue in Storme. May be the engineers are so used to this box that they did not find any problem at all. This press meet might be an eye opener for them after all.

[stanjohn123]

Coming to the Hexa pricing. How are everyone expecting a low pricing for this car when the Varicor 400 of the Safari with same engine itself is priced at 14 Lakh Ex-showroom ?

This thing will cost at least 17 Ex-showroom (my guess) and that puts it in Innova territory.

[PrasannaDhana]

There are two types of opinions on hexa's gearbox in this thread. One from existing/past Tata users, the rest from our mods(experienced in almost all cars) and non-Tata users.

Being unbiased, it is a very true fact that Safari Dicor/Storme have bad gearboxes. By "bad" i don't mean unreliable or problematic, but in terms of ease of use, slickness, both the cars' gearboxes leave a lot to be desired. But when you own one, you get used to long throw, at times slipped gear or trouble with the reverse. Even after 1,08,000 km of usage in a span of 4 years, I still find it cumbersome at times to drive in bumper to bumper traffic.

So, it is natural that other car users find Hexa's gearbox just satisfactory or not in the leagues of Innova Crysta. But telling that Hexa's gearbox is worse than XUV500, that is something I find untrue and amusing.

[channelv]

Originally Posted by DieselAddikt

Completely agree that "herd mentality" very much exists among the reviewers too. If it is a TATA, they need to nitpick. They will be the odd man out if they do not do so. So everybody finds one fault or the other just for the sake of it. Marks on piano black finish is one such thing. If you get a good interior, you need to take care of it too. You cannot judge based on an example that has been used and abused by dozens of people.

And in a review posted online, I heard Renuka saying that fitting big bags will be an issue because the third row does not fold flat. WTH ? There is a lot of space even ON THE THIRD ROW SEAT for bags without even folding them. What kind of a bag would she be trying to load ? I am really not bothered about such things.
(

Looking at it little differently, Tata is probably one of those few manufacturers who takes reviewers and owners feedback seriously and makes changes. These nitpicks could help Tata in fixing some of those issues in the limited time from now and actual launch. Old Malayalam saying goes, 'People only throw stones at a mango tree that is bearing fruit'

As for manual gearbox being notchy, the issue exist with almost all vehicles in the segment including Innova. Unfortunately, Hexa's could be felt more thanks to its weight (It as also dependent on how well the torque is spread).
For few like me, who shifts gears more often, this might not be pleasant.

Its also a shame that the third row cannot be fold flat. The convenience it brings is immense. After all the 'U' in SUV should also be considered.

Wish Tata offered a bigger display screen, it looks two sizes smaller compared to the rest of the package.

From the reviews, all other features point to a very competent product, two factors that could make or break the product would be the introductory price and the warranty offered.

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by channelv

Its also a shame that the third row cannot be fold flat. The convenience it brings is immense. After all the 'U' in SUV should also be considered.

Please have a look at the last but third picture on the post #1229: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4079518

The last row seems fully folded and flat. I might be wrong since it's covered with luggage but then it seems to fulfill the 'U' of SUV.

[Enobarbus]

Great initial impressions from Vid6639. One gets the impression that the Hexa is a great product with a few flaws. Only time will tell if any of them will prove to be proverbially fatal.
On a different note, I was wondering if we can effectively camouflage the MUV look on a light colored Hexa with black protective film (the one that can be peeled off with no damage to paint). I mean if we blacken the roof and the entire body behind the rear doors, would it look less MUV and a bit more SUV? What say?

[channelv]

Originally Posted by ashis89

Please have a look at the last but third picture on the post #1229: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4079518

The last row seems fully folded and flat. I might be wrong since it's covered with luggage but then it seems to fulfill the 'U' of SUV.

The same pic does show that it doesn't fold flat, there was another pic in some other review which shows the same. Innova's third row seats can be removed/folded to get a flat bed.
Don't get me wrong, Hexa's setup is sufficient for carrying luggage, but not the best for some utilitarian purpose. Just last week, had to transport my wife's two wheeler back from her hometown at the back of the Safari. Was able to keep the scooter upright at the back.

Someone said Flat bed is possible if you remove the headrest of the third seat. Hope, the same will be cleared from team-bhp's detailed review.

[centaur]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

Exactly, most of the people I know have not idea about a car called Aria. Many, who know about Tata cars, will only speak about negatives without even having first hand experience with them.

The other day I booked a cab through Uber and got message that Tata Indigo is on the way. My colleague immediately asked me if I am going to cancel it and rebook to get another car. I am glad I did not listen to him because Indigo has reading lights for all seats and I spent next 1.5 his reading a book which was impossible in any other car of that category.

I agree. Most people who bad mouth TATA are people who have not owned it. My uncle who upgraded to XUV in 2012, has (yes he still has) been having an Indica Gen 1 till 2012. I asked him about TATA experience and he never had any complains. He said that he had no issues in TASC since day 1. His Indica still does the local jobs and the XUV does intercity jobs which also is a lot now.

Another friend owns a Manza petrol (yes you read it right, Petrol) and when I asked him about his experience, he to replied in positive that he never had any issues and TASC has always been a good experience for him. Just to add, he recently got a Vento Automatic.

However, I would say its a mixed bag because one more friend who owns an Indigo and (ironically?) works with TM in the JLR section had complains. This is despite the fact that he himself was a TM employee. He did complain about the service.

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

All these reviewers love to find faults with Tata and all they could find was a rubbery gear box and some issue with seat folding.

Now the seat folding is not an issue as seen in picture. People never made an issue of virtually no access to third row of seats in Innova or no boot in XUV but for Hexa some small incontinence becomes a gross negligence on their part.

All I can guess is that the gear box is same as Storme 400, if not better. The issue here some trouble in slotting to 5th gear and it is only a matter of getting used to it. Anyways, we should either wait for TBHP review or test drive the car ourselves before writing it down altogether. The biggest task for Tata is to fight these overcome the prejudices against the brand.

Couldn't agree more. I could be wrong but sometimes I feel some people out there are just biased against TATA and feel they cant get any worthwhile product. I just hope and pray TATA pulls one this time

Originally Posted by ashis89

Please have a look at the last but third picture on the post #1229: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4079518

The last row seems fully folded and flat. I might be wrong since it's covered with luggage but then it seems to fulfill the 'U' of SUV.

If you look at the duffle bag it seems to have an incline or is it just me feeling so. So maybe it doesn't fold flat

[Karthik Chandra]

The seat cushion is what prevents the back rest from folding flat and not the cup holders as mentioned by reviewers. It seems from this pic that the head rests also have enough clearance (may be due to captain seats moved forward). We will get clarity once TBHP review is live



Source: ACI

Originally Posted by ashis89

Please have a look at the last but third picture on the post #1229: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4079518

The last row seems fully folded and flat. I might be wrong since it's covered with luggage but then it seems to fulfill the 'U' of SUV.

You can see that the suitcase and the duffle bag resting at an angle since the seats don't fold flat

Originally Posted by centaur

If you look at the duffle bag it seems to have an incline or is it just me feeling so. So maybe it doesn't fold flat

You are right. It isn't flat

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by Karthik Chandra

The seat cushion is what prevents the back rest from folding flat and not the cup holders as mentioned by reviewers. It seems from this pic that the head rests also have enough clearance (may be due to captain seats moved forward). We will get clarity once TBHP review is live

You can see that the suitcase and the duffle bag resting at an angle since the seats don't fold flat

While I get the point and agree too, I still see that the angle of the seats in the 1st pic and the angle of elevation of the suitcase is different, the second being quite lower than the first. Also if the headrests jut out in front of the seat back (for better neck support) they might prevent complete folding unless removed. All said, a detailed T-BHP review can answer our doubts.

[GrammarNazi]

Originally Posted by centaur

I agree. Most people who bad mouth TATA are people who have not owned it...

Couldn't agree more. I could be wrong but sometimes I feel some people out there are just biased against TATA and feel they cant get any worthwhile product. I just hope and pray TATA pulls one this time...

I don't want to confront, so I'll just ask you a question. Does allegedly having 3rd hand impressions about service, give you the right to undermine our own first hand ones ?

Wait till you're told to get your car's failed brakes repaired only with the dealer you bought your car from.

Wait till fake job cards & fake feedback forms are made for your car, not once, 3 times.

Wait till you're sold an AMC for 5 years and they trickily with-hold the booklet even after visiting them thrice to collect the same, and they deny service after the 3rd year.

*I have 3-4 more proper examples with documented proof but I guess you get the idea, so I'll stop here*

Tata Motors, even till date, DOES have issues in managing internal controls of their service center. They've even stopped tracking down issues using post-service feedback calls since the past 3 years for me & some of my friends.

I'm fairly known maybe by a few in this forum for my experiences with Tata as a car owner, as well as with the company. I often DO recommend them too, but I keep it real.

Believe me, you don't want to pay them 20L and then have regrets. Because if things go south, by the time you open your eyes, your problems won't have vanished, they'll have doubled. This is why we're discussing things here, whichever the brand. So that we know what precautions we need to take before we place our families in that piece of metal called cars.

[Karthik Chandra]

Originally Posted by ashis89

While I get the point and agree too, I still see that the angle of the seats in the 1st pic and the angle of elevation of the suitcase is different, the second being quite lower than the first.

Obviously with weight the seats would sink further down and hence the lower angle with luggage.

[Latheesh]

Commercial launch is in January. When we mango people can see it in person, not for test drive, but just to see it in showroom?

[skandyhere]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Carwale echoes the views of many who have posted:

You've quoted that it states "...And, even though the Hexa has good in-cabin NVH, the engine lacks the character and refinement one associates with a luxury offering."

This is an important criticism. I wonder what other "luxury offerings" CarWale are referring to - just the expected rivals, XUV & Crysta or any other benchmarks(?) I eagerly look forward to the team-bhp review for judgment until I test it out personally next year if at all.

CarWale says the Hexa is good, not great. And why? Vikrant Singh gives three reasons - a) not the best off-roader b) no keyless entry/start and no electrical seat adjustments c) engine lacks character & refinement one associates with a luxury offering.

So, there is criticism that the cross-over isn't a mountain goat. Amusing, because cross-overs are not meant to be that. Then, he feels that as a package, the lack of keyless entry & electrical seat adjustment is sufficient cause to downgrade the Hexa from great to just good. What pushes the quality of such a review down to nearly useless is that there are no details whatsoever on what is meant by "lacking in character", or in what terms or conditions did the engine "lack in refinement". I really feel sorry for the kind of content these reviewers churn.

[lurker]

Originally Posted by DieselAddikt

And in a review posted online, I heard Renuka saying that fitting big bags will be an issue because the third row does not fold flat. WTH ? There is a lot of space even ON THE THIRD ROW SEAT for bags without even folding them. What kind of a bag would she be trying to load ?
:(

bodybags ? after a murder spree.
Or
almirahs in her house during shifting

audi q5s and q7s are liberating for this group because they sponsor free trips to germany with test drive.

the gearshift of any engine or turbine is a test of mettalurgy, and no wonder that the Germans and Japanese excel in this dept more than anybody else. There is lots of R&D involved here, you can devote an entire division or corporate entity just to develop gearboxes and still not get the right alloy combination.