Team-BHP - Indica Turbo Launched

Hi! all
i do not think tata cars are inferior or poor quality. the things like these do happen to any automobile developer. see today Bussiness Standard. Toyota has recalled 1.2 million cars worldwide this year due to defects. if this can happen to toyota with so many years of experiance in automobile industry , why not to TATA . they are in to this bussines for only less than 10 years. and 1.2 million is not a small number that too from toyota which is supposed to produce cars of impeccable quality.

the perception that indica is a cab is also misplaced. i do see more whiteboard indicas in bangalore than yellow board ones.

your opinions please

Toyota`s recall sets new record
NEWS DIGEST
FT Reporters / London October 20, 2005
Toyota is to recall 1.41 million cars for repair, a new record for the Japanese manufacturer and a further blow to its carefully-nurtured reputation for reliability.

The company said yesterday that 1.2m Corolla mid-size cars Yaris, Vitz and Echo small cars and Rav-4 sport utility vehicles would be recalled in Japan for repair of the headlight dimmer switch, which can wear out prematurely.

Most of the the rest of the affected cars are in the US and other areas of the world, with a tiny number in Europe. No accidents have been reported due to the defect, and Toyota said the recall was not safety-related.

A colleague booked one today ....he will get delivery in 2 weeks (unlike some other new car ;-) )
The car is only available in 3 colours right now though.....the guy has no idea about cars and we had a chat a few days ago when he was asking me which is better Getz or Swift
...and he wont drive it much and that too only in the city, so I told him go for the Getz since he doesnt want to wait forever for his car either.
Today he tells me he booked the IndiTurbo :-) (apparently wanted a diesel..so there)

btw if anyone wants to pick a Indica petrol , this is the time to do so (sadly cant imagine too many ppl like me going for it) but its got 25k discounts going on it.

I am sure IndiTurbo is gonna shake up the market and be a tough thing for Swift/Getz combo......Tata has been proactive and done the right thing coz I dont think a Swift JTD will be out for 8 months more atleast.

Now for the Dicor Indigo ?

Well no offence to any existing Indica owners, dont want this to be personal. However can someone explain why 90% of Indicas on Delhi road look bruised, battered, old, accidented? I truly love the looks of the new Indica, but it seems that something with Indica makes it age faster than cars like Wagon R etc. Rest I still believe that engine upgrade though welcome, but still a lot of small components in Indica need to be improved. The plastics, the rattles, the gearbox, the air filter.... they are all very very low quality and built for a budget. Is the suspension, gearbox different for Indica Turbo? Or is it just an Engine and Alloy change?

Hey Aseem.... I'd accept with you on a few things here... Like you've pointed out, the plastics on Indica is really not made of the best quality, the gearbox 'could' be better and I don't know about the air filter yet.... But rattle??? I wouldn't agree on that part as my dls hardly rattles... I'm not claiming this coz I own one, i'm claiming this cuz it really doesn't rattle....

As a matter of fact, when I go on a 25km drive early morning to drop my dad at work, anyone sittin in my car can hardly find out it is a diesel car.... Its that smooth... Like i've said before, the NVH levels are well under control... The new Indicas are smooth... But the plastics like you said have a long way to go.... FOr ex:, the box that closes the internal knob to control my ORVM is flimsy and not of fine quality.....

But like you've also pointed out, [and have contradicted ur own statement at that ;)], the components in Indica are built to a price.... If they'd put in better stuff, the prices would increase.... The indica is built for the mass that does not look into the finer details, I believe and is what most members of this forum suppose.

I think its a decent car and is worth the money you pay for it...

On a seperate note, the audio is rocking man... And you bet.... I've spent close to 70+k on accessories, and the funny part is that I haven't got the amp connected as yet!!! My mum's gonna bring the house down when that comes up... lol

@aseem, the indica when driven like any other car (matiz, swift, getz etc.,) will age as gracefully as others. The problem is that many of the indicas driven are by cabs, and non enthusiasts. I am an enthusiast, and I bought an indica because at that point of time everything else was unaffordable and the affordable petrol alternatives were too small to take my size.(Zen m800 etc.,)
But I do not regret my decision as this car has really served me well and given amazing mileage. I still get 14+ in delhi traffic inspite of the car done 52000kms

Then there is another point. A couple of years ago ACI or overdrive did a study of cost of ownership over time. They found out that indica costs more in repairs over a 1 year period. But hold on, cost/km was lower. The survay found out that repair cost/km was same as other cars but the running/year for indicas was twice of the petrol cars. Indica drivers drive their cars more. So a 1 year old indica will have twice as many odos.

After owning an indica i will be going for the indica turbo most probably, because the alternatives are still expensive and i guess TDI has taken care of the performance problem

My dealer brought the new Indica Turbo to me this morning for a test drive - I didnt ask for it, they brought it to me because they saw the TBHP sticker on my license plates when it went in for service(yes, its happening - ALREADY).

Must say I am impressed with the power delivery. All those who used to look at the Indica with disdain, look again!

My only grouse is that they havent changed the horribly dated dashboard...agreed that quality of material will take a hit on account of the pricing, but they could CHANGE the design using the same material...

BTW, the new Cherry Red color rocks!!!

Got the reply to my mail to Tata motors. A guy named K Vijay Menon - Brand Manager - Tata Indigo & Marina has responded that there are no plans to introduce a DICOR engine in indigo for the next 12 months. Atleast for the next 12 months the same TDI engine will do the job.But from reading in between the lines he hinted that Tata believes in constantly improving cars. So i guess a 2-3 bhp rise in power is expected(ECU remap?).

I am going to take a test drive of the indica turbo today evening, and if it matches the indigo as far as drive comfort is concerned, then we are booking the cherry red color.

had posted this earlier -

TEST Drove the Indica Turbo an hour back at Concorde Motors Bangalore.

The car definitely is easier to drive in traffic (drove specifically through high traffic narrow lanes of Wilson Garden to check how the car performs in stop and go traffic). There is sudden surge of power (guess when the turbo fan takes over at around 2500 rpm) and the car shoots off.

the car felt very stable at higher speeds (80 kmph+). I think the 14 inch wheels adds a little more stability to the car.

The rest of the car is the same - alloy wheels are not standard - mis print on the web site/brochure (i guess this is an intentional misprint, since the car looks good with the alloy wheels in the brochure - tata should have avoided this).

the Cherry red colour looks good - very similar to the getz passion red.

booked a cherry red DLG - on road price 469,328 with the extended warranty.

will probably take delivery in 2-3 weeks. will keep you guys posted.