[parsh]

Thanks FS. Yours was a great start to the article. I hope I can add in some pieces to that. I was not lucky enough to get the drive though. Will have to wait for the launch.

Getting into the interiors:

The Dash looks neat. Passenger side double glove box with a/c vents. The cooling seemed quite effective.



The Steering wheel. What bugs me is the visible base below when the steering is turned.

[rrsteer]

Thanks Parsh & Flyingspur for the pictures and the report respectively. And a for Tata Aria from my side.

I have so far liked whatever I have seen. Looks wise also Aria looks good and muscular.

[MAS]

Flyingspur / Parish - Thank you very much for your indepth review and detailed pictures.

TATA seems to have a winner in their hand with Aria. The interiors look up market, but with so many moving parts, i am worried if they would start squeaking in a few K kms. The front is simple, it could have been designed a bit more sophisticated. The rear is not designed well and as many have mentioned, it looks like a grown up Indica Vista. Even the SUMO Grand has a better rear!!

IMHO, if TATA wants to position this above Innova, they should atleast change the rear lights and indicators to LEDs.

[FlyingSpur]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

What was the ODO reading on the test vehicle, if you remember?

Was there any kind of rattling sound from those roof storage boxes during your test drive?

No, and no Not that I recall, the thing was very well put together.

[parsh]

Thanks guys. Glad you liked what you see.

Putting in the some more pics.

The middle dash from middle seats. What you see as an orange indicator in the switches just above the deck is an electronic switch to 4X2 and vice versa.



The ceiling glove compartments. Looked solid ever after banging on them. So as FS said, should not have rattling noises while drivinng as well.





The middle row space right behind the driver seat with driver seat pulled back completely. That leaves hell lot of space in the driver seat so much so that you cant reach the pedals even for large people. So this is an un-idealistic situation. Pretty spacious. Should be able to fit in 6'ter atleast.



This is the crux of the matter. The 3rd row seating. Crampy and cramped from front and sides as well due to the glove boxes and a/c vents coming on the sides. This is with the middle seats pulled back completely. I am 5'7" and I was feeling crampy in there. So ideal for the kids I guess and at most 2 if older kids.

[parsh]

Lavish boot. Fold middle and rear seats and you got a full-fledged double bed in there.







Even with the unfolded rear seat, the boot is heavily spacious for couple of heavy suitcases, i guess.

[driving_smartly]

Nice Pictures and description for a newbie status its very much excellent work done on your part.

Its nice that TATA has not opted for Beige interior. one question i would like to ask you is that in pictures the colour of the interiors seems to be on dull side. Are interiors really dull or low light while clicking pictures contributed towards it ? Is there Thud sound when closing the doors ?

[parsh]

Thanks DS. I am surely newbie here but not as far as the cars are concerned

You can attribute the dullness to my Nokia E72's camera. Otherwise, they do not look dull. You will observe some part of the front side and ceiling compartment beige'ish colors. It is like that overall and looks good.

The typical Tata truck-like thud sound too seem to be missing there. So nice work by Tata on that part.

[mooza]

Hi Parsh, nice pics, all at the correct angles to give the required information !

The 3rd row legspace maybe lesser than the Innova, but I guess it should me more than the 8 seater Scorpio ?

[parsh]

Thanks Mooza.

Now for the last bits from my end.

A look at the front and it (independently without any comparison to its siblings) gives quite a masculine look with those diamond cut headlamp cluster.







Look behind the Aria. The sibling Manza just parked behind poses for WE ARE A FAMILY.



I wish they have done a really different treatment to the front grill and the headlamps. But this is only if you must compare with the siblings (and i guess everybody tends to do that).

The side edge merges into the front bumber adding to the crispiness and a nice look.

Hope to get a TD soon asa it launches

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by mooza

Hi Parsh, nice pics, all at the correct angles to give the required information !

The 3rd row legspace maybe lesser than the Innova, but I guess it should me more than the 8 seater Scorpio ?

Thanks Parsh for the great pictures, like Mooza said, they give the required info.

@Mooza, that's the impression I get from the pictures as well. I really like how the Aria has such a decent sized boot as well.

[discoverwild]

Happened to see a mild-blue Aria a couple of days ago near Nirmala College/Sungam Junction. I was a bit skeptic about how the CRV-like treatment would look, but it wasn't bad. I could barely hear the engine as well.

From the pictures from Parsh, I think it should seat 7-8 adults comfortably. Parsh mentioned that with the driver's seat fully pushed back, he couldn't even reach the pedals. And he had ample space for his feet and knees in the middle row. So that means, the driver's seat is going to be slightly forward than full-back position. This liberates space for the middle row which can be further pulled forward to make the last row more comfortable.

Let us give credit where it is due. The boot space with all the seats standing is the largest we have in any MUV/SUV in the market today. I definitely don't feel the need for a roof-rack above.

Let's just sit and wait for Ratan Tata to deliver that killer pricing as has been his ideology from day one. They have delivered on space, on quality, on equipment in the Aria. And we all know they will deliver on price too.

Before I forget, great review, Flying Spur and Parsh, nice pictures as well.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by Amartya

@Mooza, that's the impression I get from the pictures as well. I really like how the Aria has such a decent sized boot as well.

Originally Posted by discoverwild

So that means, the driver's seat is going to be slightly forward than full-back position. This liberates space for the middle row which can be further pulled forward to make the last row more comfortable

@Amartya and Discoverwild, thanks for the observations, makes me anticipate the launch in a more positive mood, as space for 8 adults is one of the important things I am looking for

[parsh]

Originally Posted by mooza

The 3rd row legspace maybe lesser than the Innova, but I guess it should me more than the 8 seater Scorpio ?

I miised out answering your query on this.

The Innova is surely spaceous in this aspect. But this maybe just about the Scropio space, I think.

This is one sure going to be deciding factor for many I think. My guess is this will mostly turn out to be a 7 seater that too with people with restricted age or rather height sitting in the 3rd row. Mind that the space is also restricted breadth-wise due to the side walls coming inside. Also, in the pic, the middle row is pulled back towards 3rd row and 3rd row seats are unmovable seats.

[drsk]

Wonderful review - FS and Nice pics - Parsh.

Just curious, is it feasible for the Tatas to push the 3rd row a little back maybe couple of inches? i.e. even if they want to change the design now, is it possible? That would give decent legroom for the 3rd row and at the same time not compromise too much on luggage space.

In the present Safari, I was wondering why not make the rear seats (not the jump seats) reclining? But, saw that there was a pillar/protrusion (pardon me for being weak in the terminology) which does not allow that.

So, if there's nothing obstructing, they should be able to pull the 3rd row a little back.