[harimakesh]

Originally Posted by machine

hi friends.

i am planning to buy a new car and am really confused. i am 6ft. 2in tall and have a large frame. my daily commute is of about 90km (mumbai to navi mumbai run).
so far i have shortlisted the following cars (no test drives yet)

1.Tata Indica V2 DLS - Mumbai on road Rs. 4.03 Lac approx.
2. Indica Vista Aqua 1.3 Quadrajet - Mumbai on road Rs.5.10 Lac approx.
3. Santro Xing GL LPG - Mumbai on road Rs. 4.0 Lac approx.
4. WagonR Duo Lxi - Mumbai on road Rs. 4.25 Lac approx.
5. Palio Stile 1.3 SD - Mumbai on road Rs. 5.2 Lac approx.


my requirements are as listed below in my priority order:

1. high FE (thus the indica ;-D ... i heard it gives almost 20kmpl on highway)
2. high seating since i suffer from slipped disk n just cannot drive low cars.
3. low maintenance costs.
4. should last atleast years.
5. Basic reqirements only (Power steering and AC)

Kindly help guys. i don't want to buy the wrong car and regret like i did with the Safari Dicor 3.0

1) You can eliminate WagonR and Santro both in terms of dash hitting knee room + Petrol engine cars high on fuel expenses, as your monthly running will be above 2000km.

2) Indica V2 DLS is decade old in design and technology. You can skip this old generation car.

3) Palio is going to get step motherly treatment at TATA a.s.s and spare parts availability for palio could be longer and frustration above all palio interiors are generation old!

4) Indica vista is Tata's own and hence no step motherly service at a.s.s
Engine + transmission is FIAT for the QJD range. Interiors looks decent. Being tata product spares won't be expensive. Peace of mind by selecting extended warranty! Vista AQUA QJD is VFM.

Indica Vista Aqua /Aura QJD could be your saviour. You lost on diesel expenses with Tata's 3.0 dicor , so get compensated on fuel expenses with Tata's Vista QJD

[tazmaan]

Originally Posted by machine

Kindly help guys. i don't want to buy the wrong car and regret like i did with the Safari Dicor 3.0

If you are looking at Economy I feel Santro will not serve your purpose. Anyways LPG rates are not consistent and milage will not be as good as a diesel plus the space your are looking at.

I suggest you go for the Palio MJD good engine, Good FE, great space and build quality, will definitely last you 5 years. Only things is resale with palio but if you are going to use it for 5 years it should not be a big deal.

I am not suggesting Indica because of your experience with Tata and the indica will not excite you any more.

Good luck!

[architect]

Originally Posted by machine

1. high FE (thus the indica ;-D ... i heard it gives almost 20kmpl on highway)
2. high seating since i suffer from slipped disk n just cannot drive low cars.
3. low maintenance costs.
4. should last atleast years.
5. Basic reqirements only (Power steering and AC)

All your requirements are poiting towards the Palio SD and the Vista, with the Indica coming second. This is because the Indica V2 has its share of niggles and is a somewhat crude motor, despite being cheaper to maintain than either of the other two.

Palio MJD, IMO, is a more fun car to drive, mainly because of its precise steering and good balance between ride and handling. Vista is biased a little more towards ride than handling. Vista has the better gearbox (read snappy).

Palio driving seat is lower than the Vista. So because of your back Vista is better with its height adjustable driving seat and higher seating posture.

Maintenance-wise, Vista will see you getting better treatment from Tata dealers / A.S.S.

You can't go much wrong with either cars. The Palio is a known devil and the Vista has to still be around for a while to let us know more about living with it. The best part is that they share the same engine, so performance / FE will be almost same.

[sudheeshnairs]

I feel Indica and Safari cannot be compared.

I am a satisfied owner of my 2002 Indica V2 DLS. Only negative point I feel in my car is power, which is solved now.

I think there is no other choice left among your list other than Vista.

Originally Posted by machine

i personally am inclided towards the Indica but my experience with the Safari Dicor has not been good. There seems to be major finishing problems and cabin noise with practically no insulation. Thus am very reluctant to go for any TATA car. Maybe this is solved in the Vista. But on the other hand the old indica give Fe of almost 20kmpl !!

i drove the santro n found it good but the central console with music system kept hitting my knee. so -1 point for santro.

Kindly help guys. i don't want to buy the wrong car and regret like i did with the Safari Dicor 3.0

[cruiser_1982]

Originally Posted by sudheeshnairs

I feel Indica and Safari cannot be compared.

I am a satisfied owner of my 2002 Indica V2 DLS. Only negative point I feel in my car is power, which is solved now.

I think there is no other choice left among your list other than Vista.

How was the power issue solved in your Indica? BTW aren't you a member in Skyscrapercity forum?

[machine]

thanks for all your inputs guys. ........ starting to lean towards vista again :-)

By the way i just took a test drive of the WagonR Duo n it didnt come out so bad. Surprisingly, i did feel much more well seated in it as compared to santro. Still, i have scheduled another test drive of the Santro this friday. I did miss the seat height adjuster a bit. One point tho, the sales guy just couldn't give me any details on the LPG mileage n benefits of buying the petrol version of WagonR over the WagonR Duo. He said the LPG FE would be abt 10km for every litre of LPG n the car had a 22Litre capacity. Yet he kept stressing over n over that it depends solely on the driving style n that it is difficult to calculate the FE based on LPg usage alone. . . . . . something seems fishy. Better saty wary of these slick slaesmen right ? ;-)

any ways, i am unable to get TD of the Vista Quadra as the closest tata dealer in navi mumbai (fortune cars in nerul) says that they have just one car n i will have to go to showroom n take a TD. Well, i am a lazy bum n its just a pain to leave work n go all the way there. Lets see if i can manage a TD.

By the way, took a TD of Swift Vdi ...... simply awesome car !!! just couldn't believe its a diesel car. Alas, by aching back doesn't like it :-(

Does anyone actually own a Vist Aqua Quadra ? any comments regarding the standard TATA rattles n squeaks? they really are a turn off.

[harry10]

@machine- Vista owners may tell you better about rattles till date.
As per your preferences Vista suits you really good as your Height and back problem can be taken care of with space and Lumbar support. Also FE is quiet good as reported by owners.

[Eddy]

Originally Posted by machine

By the way, took a TD of Swift Vdi ...... simply awesome car !!! just couldn't believe its a diesel car. Alas, by aching back doesn't like it :-(

Hi Machine,

Are you sure about the Swift and the back ? I find the swift driver's seats to be extremely comfortable. Perhaps a longer test drive would give a better idea.

Speak to phamilyman. He has a bad back but drives the swift VDI and is very comfortable.

[machine]

Originally Posted by Eddy

Hi Machine,

Are you sure about the Swift and the back ? I find the swift driver's seats to be extremely comfortable. Perhaps a longer test drive would give a better idea.

Speak to phamilyman. He has a bad back but drives the swift VDI and is very comfortable.

may be true for phamilyman but it depends .... many diff kinds of back problems u see. I had a slipped disk n got operated too in the lower disks. So the driving position of the swift (with the knees higher than the body and the deep seet) is def. not for me.

[GTO]

The Vista leading this poll says a lot of its competence. Identical looks to the 1st gen notwithstanding, it is the diesel hatch of choice today.

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by harry10

@machine-
As per your preferences Vista suits you really good as your Height and back problem can be taken care of with space and Lumbar support. Also FE is quiet good as reported by owners.

To add to the above, the ride is better than the old Indica. Other than the Quadrajet, TDi is also on offer.

[sharanramesh]

i would vote for the DDIS as it has the sportiest character of the lot. wheels stretched out to the 4 corners, only aids in its handling. i test drove the india vista recently and its definitely an immense improvement over the previous edition, but surely they could have managed the dash a bit better i think its just stupid to see the speedo in the middle. this is very distracting and taking my eyes off the road for the same is a lil more distracting.

But waiting to see the punto with the large hearted 1.3 MJD from the Linea. that would surely be a hoot to drive.

[BloodHound]

@Machine - I Have TDed the swift VDi and i now own the Indica vista. The seats of vista totally suit your purpose. The lumbar support gives great support to the lower back and the knees lie low.

[sudheeshnairs]

BTW Power issue is not solved in my car. It is the same. BTW what I mentioned by saying 'lack of power solved now' is not regarding my car/naturally aspirated Indica, but the new TDIs, DICORs and Quadrajets. Sorry for the gap in communication.

Power was enough for me when I bought it more than 6 years back as my first car. Anyway I have mastered the art of using my righ foot to pedal the floor as well as my left arm to shift gears as well as switch off A/c when required.

Yes, I am a member of skyscrapercity, a moderator too.

Originally Posted by cruiser_1982

How was the power issue solved in your Indica? BTW aren't you a member in Skyscrapercity forum?

[omvnbhatt]

there is no doubt about choice--winner is indica vista.see there so many positive points---
1 fiat's proven multiget engine which is tuned for indian roads
2 solid built..almost 200 kg more weight than swift
3 good interior and quality in this price
4 height adjustable seat
5 adjustable steering
6 good FE
7 more no of show rooms for service
8 less sound than swift
9 smooth gear
10 lumbar support seat for long drive
11 resonable good in built music system with blue & me in limited edition
we often read about initial niggling problems but now you hardly see...i hear for swift more from my friends. swift rattles more and for this there is separete thred......