Decisions... Decisions on choosing a four wheeled friend

raajks · 29th September 2005, 07:42

Tata Marina is a very good option. If you also need performance, You could get the Turbo option

drifter · 29th September 2005, 08:28

Intercooler

An intercooler is a device which cools down the compressed air coming from the turbocharger going into the engine....cooler air is denser hence more air can be packed into the engine....that means more oxygen, therefore the engine will produce more power and also be more efficient.

TDi is tata speak for turbo diesel indirect injection engine.

About accessories...
Those available in the US may or maynot be available in chennai...so buy some stuff from there...example air freshners....polish and wax products.

Drifter

Mpower · 29th September 2005, 09:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by balashome

One question - is it possible to modify the seating arrangement in the Marina so that the rear seat is reclinable as well as incorporate the 60:40 rear seat folding mechanism? Can these be done as after market fitments? I would appreciate your thoughts on that

You can use the front seats from the Wagon R and modify it to fit in the rear. It reclines as well as folds flat. However its not a straight fit and you need a fitter to make it work. It will be a 50:50 split.

v_s_natarajan · 29th September 2005, 10:21

how muct exactly can you afford?
Do you only want diesel.?

Do you want a sedan type or a hatch back will do?

If diesel, marina and CRDI from Accent makes sense.
you should also test drive a petra Disel or a palio Disel.

But marina looks sexy and supposed to have the reliable Tata Diesel engines

RedOne · 29th September 2005, 10:48

Balashome,

I was reading the "first drive" report on the intercooled Indigo (same as new BS-III Marina engine) on autocar, I think. While the acceleration times are only marginally better, the in gear roll-on figures were about 3 seconds faster than the non-intercooled engine. That should easily take care of your need for overtaking power.

Gears,
Red-One.

BUSA · 29th September 2005, 11:07

I had driven a Indigo without a intercooler! It struggled to go above 100kmph in 5th gear!

The car had a lot of turbo lag and was pretty noisy as well!

Performance was no where close to say a Accent CRDi! Refinement was again a big problem in the Tata!

I dont know on the Intercooled Indigo! Wont be much different! As tata is no Honda with 8 more bhp it wont perform crazily like a Vtec will 6 more

Steeroid · 29th September 2005, 11:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by BUSA

I had driven a Indigo without a intercooler! It struggled to go above 100kmph in 5th gear!

You're kidding! You can play around with fancy looking Mitsubishi Lancer Diesels (yeah the jokers with spoilers and "Evo" stickers!) in that car, if you're good with the gears.

drifter · 29th September 2005, 11:22

Quote:

You're kidding! You can play around with fancy looking Mitsubishi Lancer Diesels (yeah the jokers with spoilers and "Evo" stickers!) in that car, if you're good with the gears.

My thoughts exactly...

Quote:

I had driven a Indigo without a intercooler! It struggled to go above 100kmph in 5th gear!

The car had a lot of turbo lag and was pretty noisy as well!

Performance was no where close to say a Accent CRDi! Refinement was again a big problem in the Tata!

I dont know on the Intercooled Indigo! Wont be much different! As tata is no Honda with 8 more bhp it wont perform crazily like a Vtec will 6 more

@busa: Dont speculate on the indigo/marina tdi performance....go test drive one. Even the non intercooled indigo doesnt have any problems mantaining 120-130kmph...in fact its a great cruiser.

Drifter

BUSA · 29th September 2005, 11:29

@ Steeroid - Haha! SFXi D

I am talking 5th gear! With gear changing you can feel fast but you arent!

drifter - Some time later lets hit Tata Showroom and test drive the Indigo together! Maybe i am not used to Diesels! But i really didnot feel it was fast enough! Maybe the Crdi is too good or the Indigo too bad!

No offence Tata owners!

drifter · 30th September 2005, 14:11

@busa: Sure you can come with me...but you cant drive...underage driving is a no-no...but that makes me think how you managed to drive a non intercooled indigo in the first place...another dadude is it?

Drifter

BUSA · 30th September 2005, 19:23

Hey drifter i went for a test drive with my brother! I didnot drive the car myself but i was quoting what my brother said about the performance! I was in the car so i could feel how she was struglling! Surely i will sit along with you for the drive or lets go for a drive after say 8 months!

Stratos · 30th September 2005, 19:48

Please guys, lets post about what we personally have driven because an individuals point of view can be different than an enthisiasts` one.

balashome · 30th September 2005, 22:01

Guys,

All your answers have been really helpful - thanks to you for that. It is sad that i have to stake out an opinion on a vehicle by proxy and i know that there is no substitute for personal driving.

But going by a few suggestions here i did request my dad to go over 100 kmph on a straight stretch in Chennai (hard to find these days, i am told). And the news is that the vehicle easily accomplishes 40 to 100 kmph in the fourth gear and in good time to boot (he did not have any specific time details). The car seems to be an accomplished cruiser, according to him. So, that is heartening to hear as well as comments from people here that the engine is a hearty performer.

For one moment i did think about the Chevrolet Tavera as an option. But it came across too much as a people mover and not a personal vehicle and i dont have regular use for that many seats. Any thoughts about the Tavera in comparison to the Marina? (I know the quality will be a lot different!)

Also i had tried to find out earlier to see if the Opel Corsa Swing is still in production? Can anybody confirm on that?

Thanks again.

Bala

tsk1979 · 30th September 2005, 22:11

@Balashome, this months CAR magazine(October issue) has Tata Indigo diesel short test drive. They have tested the top end SX model. It has the same engine as LX but more bells and whistles like VCS player etc., The performance time is 0-100 19.1 seconds
They have given a very good verdict on the vehicle and say that just a few refinement and noise issues remain, apart from that its a great buy!

AvinashKeezh · 30th September 2005, 22:42

[quote=tsk1979The performance time is 0-100 19.1 seconds
They have given a very good verdict on the vehicle and say that just a few refinement and noise issues remain, apart from that its a great buy![/QUOTE]

the performance is good!! (19.1 sec to 100 kmph)...
they have given a good verdict on the car, apart from a few refinement and noise issues!!!

... come on guys,
this is what they call a good car!!! refinements and noise issues, as long as they exist, how would you call that a good car!!!
it doesn't fit the bill.... that's clean compromise.. don't you think so... well in that same vein, you could say the same things about a lot of other cars tooo.... like corsa is very roomy, but alas only for kids..
etc... with the kind of queries that bala has been raising, it is obvious that he has refinement as a parameter!!!, and would not tolerate excessive noise either...
hey tsk, hope that tone has not offended you!!!

.. but lets face it...
and bala, if you are looking at the tavera, a better choice would be the innova!!! what say guys,
ak

29th September 2005, 07:42	#31
raajks BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: BLR Posts: 578 Thanked: 119 Times View My Garage	Tata Marina is a very good option. If you also need performance, You could get the Turbo option
	() Thanks

29th September 2005, 08:28	#32
drifter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,488 Thanked: 75 Times View My Garage	Intercooler An intercooler is a device which cools down the compressed air coming from the turbocharger going into the engine....cooler air is denser hence more air can be packed into the engine....that means more oxygen, therefore the engine will produce more power and also be more efficient. TDi is tata speak for turbo diesel indirect injection engine. About accessories... Those available in the US may or maynot be available in chennai...so buy some stuff from there...example air freshners....polish and wax products. Drifter
	() Thanks

29th September 2005, 10:21	#34
v_s_natarajan BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: chennai Posts: 261 Thanked: 3 Times	hi how muct exactly can you afford? Do you only want diesel.? Do you want a sedan type or a hatch back will do? If diesel, marina and CRDI from Accent makes sense. you should also test drive a petra Disel or a palio Disel. But marina looks sexy and supposed to have the reliable Tata Diesel engines
	() Thanks

29th September 2005, 10:48	#35
RedOne BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 347 Thanked: 160 Times View My Garage	Balashome, I was reading the "first drive" report on the intercooled Indigo (same as new BS-III Marina engine) on autocar, I think. While the acceleration times are only marginally better, the in gear roll-on figures were about 3 seconds faster than the non-intercooled engine. That should easily take care of your need for overtaking power. Gears, Red-One.
	() Thanks

29th September 2005, 11:07	#36
BUSA Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,127 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	I had driven a Indigo without a intercooler! It struggled to go above 100kmph in 5th gear! The car had a lot of turbo lag and was pretty noisy as well! Performance was no where close to say a Accent CRDi! Refinement was again a big problem in the Tata! I dont know on the Intercooled Indigo! Wont be much different! As tata is no Honda with 8 more bhp it wont perform crazily like a Vtec will 6 more
	() Thanks

29th September 2005, 11:29	#39
BUSA Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,127 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	@ Steeroid - Haha! SFXi D I am talking 5th gear! With gear changing you can feel fast but you arent! drifter - Some time later lets hit Tata Showroom and test drive the Indigo together! Maybe i am not used to Diesels! But i really didnot feel it was fast enough! Maybe the Crdi is too good or the Indigo too bad! No offence Tata owners!
	() Thanks

30th September 2005, 14:11	#40
drifter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,488 Thanked: 75 Times View My Garage	@busa: Sure you can come with me...but you cant drive...underage driving is a no-no...but that makes me think how you managed to drive a non intercooled indigo in the first place...another dadude is it? Drifter Last edited by drifter : 30th September 2005 at 14:13.
	() Thanks

30th September 2005, 19:23	#41
BUSA Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bombay Posts: 5,127 Thanked: 23 Times View My Garage	Hey drifter i went for a test drive with my brother! I didnot drive the car myself but i was quoting what my brother said about the performance! I was in the car so i could feel how she was struglling! Surely i will sit along with you for the drive or lets go for a drive after say 8 months!
	() Thanks

30th September 2005, 19:48	#42
Stratos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,611 Thanked: 1,602 Times View My Garage	Please guys, lets post about what we personally have driven because an individuals point of view can be different than an enthisiasts` one.
	() Thanks

30th September 2005, 22:01	#43
balashome BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 46 Thanked: 2 Times	Guys, All your answers have been really helpful - thanks to you for that. It is sad that i have to stake out an opinion on a vehicle by proxy and i know that there is no substitute for personal driving. But going by a few suggestions here i did request my dad to go over 100 kmph on a straight stretch in Chennai (hard to find these days, i am told). And the news is that the vehicle easily accomplishes 40 to 100 kmph in the fourth gear and in good time to boot (he did not have any specific time details). The car seems to be an accomplished cruiser, according to him. So, that is heartening to hear as well as comments from people here that the engine is a hearty performer. For one moment i did think about the Chevrolet Tavera as an option. But it came across too much as a people mover and not a personal vehicle and i dont have regular use for that many seats. Any thoughts about the Tavera in comparison to the Marina? (I know the quality will be a lot different!) Also i had tried to find out earlier to see if the Opel Corsa Swing is still in production? Can anybody confirm on that? Thanks again. Bala
	() Thanks

30th September 2005, 22:11	#44
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 23,688 Thanked: 23,494 Times View My Garage	@Balashome, this months CAR magazine(October issue) has Tata Indigo diesel short test drive. They have tested the top end SX model. It has the same engine as LX but more bells and whistles like VCS player etc., The performance time is 0-100 19.1 seconds They have given a very good verdict on the vehicle and say that just a few refinement and noise issues remain, apart from that its a great buy!
	() Thanks

30th September 2005, 22:42	#45
AvinashKeezh BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 233 Thanked: 11 Times	[quote=tsk1979The performance time is 0-100 19.1 seconds They have given a very good verdict on the vehicle and say that just a few refinement and noise issues remain, apart from that its a great buy![/QUOTE] the performance is good!! (19.1 sec to 100 kmph)... they have given a good verdict on the car, apart from a few refinement and noise issues!!! ... come on guys, this is what they call a good car!!! refinements and noise issues, as long as they exist, how would you call that a good car!!! it doesn't fit the bill.... that's clean compromise.. don't you think so... well in that same vein, you could say the same things about a lot of other cars tooo.... like corsa is very roomy, but alas only for kids.. etc... with the kind of queries that bala has been raising, it is obvious that he has refinement as a parameter!!!, and would not tolerate excessive noise either... hey tsk, hope that tone has not offended you!!! .. but lets face it... and bala, if you are looking at the tavera, a better choice would be the innova!!! what say guys, ak Last edited by AvinashKeezh : 30th September 2005 at 22:44.
	() Thanks