21st January 2012, 15:05
| #1 |
| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: LA <--> Bombay
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| Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought a Tata Aria! I am sure Tata Motors would be having my case as a case study for their management sessions :-) I must be the only guy who went to buy a Nano and came back with an Aria. Here's my entire experience till now - MY PRE BUYING RESEARCH I was on the lookout for two new cars since last six months or so. One for my daily office run of total around 70kms and second small one for my wifey. I pretty much had decided on the Honda City and Honda Jazz but somehow wasn't getting the discounts that others in the country were getting. Then Honda went into trouble and somehow I lost interest in both the cars. I really didn't have any must have car on my list and was taking it slow. And it was getting frustrating. After lot of deliberations, I decided that I have to go for a real cheap small car and a diesel big car. The Nano 2012 came out and again after lots of deliberations and discussions I decided I should go for the Nano as the cheap small car. Low investment and low running costs would mean I spend almost the same as I would spend on public transport if I take it to work. I booked one in November, paid almost the full amount and asked the dealer to wait till December before invoicing just in case I can get a better deal. December came and I went to the dealership to do a pre PDI check on my would be Nano and guess what the 2 lakh off Aria offer was bought in by the Tatas. Instead of checking out my Nano, I did a long Aria test drive. And I decided thats the car I will buy. So basically went to PDI my booked but not invoiced Nano and got the Aria instead. Aria was never in my calculations to buy. The discount offer plus it checked all the marks for the big diesel car I wanted. And after three weeks of driving, seems I made a great decision. I went for the PURE variant. Why PURE when most of the people I talked to said go for at least PLEASURE? Now, I was fully aware of the reputation that the Aria has of being a buggy car, so the first thing I made sure of was going for either the Pure or Pleasure 4X2 version, so as to fork out the minimum amount from my pocket. The dealer made it easier for me to decide as they had only 3 Pure 4X2s white, silver and black. I ruled out the white, silver had a bonnet dent and so decided it will be the black. An additional advantage of the Pure was that while all the other models had their ex showroom prices increased by around 40k in September, the Pure was the only one untouched. BUYING EXPERIENCE One big positive was that all the three Arias were in the dealership and I could look at all the three before deciding. While looking I covered quite a bit of the pre PDI checklist there and then itself. I wanted to test drive the black Aria but the dealer said we need to do an internal PDI first and then you can do a test drive before doing any paper formalities. I agreed and went back after a week and did the test drive. Found all ok and completed all the paper + loan formalities. It was the last week of December and decided why not get a Jan registration and hence waited another week before taking delivery. The entire buying process was very smooth and I directly interacted with the UV sales head rather than the agents. It also helped in the deal as he didnt need to take permissions from anybody else for disounts, etc and he was totally empowered. Full marks to the dealership. I pretty much got everything I bargained for and didn't really face any kind of frustrating or negative moments in the entire experience. So finally got the Aria PURE in the first week of Jan after a small customary photo shoot at the dealer's. INITIAL THOUGHTS I have been used to driving large cars in the US but for India this was a first time for me. The sheer bulk of the Aria is huge and you realize that when you have other cars side by side the Aria. The exteriors look awesome especially the front and side front areas. The rest are not quite flamboyant but fit in nicely. No funny lines of the XUV here. Once you get into the driver's seat, you now realize that, the bulk doesnt seem that bulky. The high seating, the huge glass cabin with equally huge side mirrors make sure that visibility all around is top class. The visibility is so good that you really do not need reverse sensors to park this car. GTOs thread covers pretty much every characteristic of the Aria and so I wouldn't be repeating the features here. This is really my first diesel so cannot comment authoratively on the engine characteristics, turbo lag, etc. Just learning the engine and driving characteristics as I go. Start the engine and there is the initial diesel clatter which dies down in some time. Sound dampening is quite good and you hardly hear any road noise and the nice audio system too drowns out any external noise. The main thing I notice that there is really no point pressing the accelerator hard in the first two gears. Really nothing much happens. Just quickly move from first to second gear, give a bit of throttle and move to third. Once you get into third gear you can feel the turbo coming to life and you get all the torque now. I am riding quite conservatively right now and not really trying to set RPM in gear records right now. On the gear shift, first gear seems a bit iffy to slot. Sometimes the gear goes efforlessly in first and sometimes I have to search around. Other than that the gearbox feels fine. There are indeed a few vibrations but nothing really unsettling. The brakes are just too fantastic. They give you solid confidence and stop where you want the Aria to stop. The suspension settings are more than adequate for our roads. No more slowing down in bad patches or those new low metal/rubber speed brakers. Aria eats up almost everything on the road. Sit even in the last row and you won't feel queasy. I was always peeved when I read reviews as to why Tata didnt give a dead pedal. I now realize that due to the high chair like seating, its better to rest the leg on the floor. There was no way I could have put my left leg on the dead pedal. The foot area is a bit cramped but I am used to the same in my S10. However, I can understand why others who have moved from a Maruti may find this a bit difficult to get used to. The interiors are not really high quality but they are adequate. The black beige color feels nice and understated. A full black option in PURE would have helped. A wooden fascia runs on the PURE dashboard. Its SILVER for the PRIDE variant. The dashboard console looks ok during day but looks quite elegant at night with all the lights on. Only if the TATAS used a different shade of blue for the console and 2 DIN player, the entire console would have looked much better. The current blue shade is quite cheesy. The 2 DIN audio system is quite adequate for an average audiophile. Its got USB and aux in and works well. No need really to replace it unless you are one of those audio ninjas. PURE has a manual AC but does its work amazingly well and the rotary dials looks good too. Just dont need it to go beyond level 1 blower right now. I guess in the Bombay summers will work well. The AC also has a ECONOMY option which reduces load on the engine and saves fuel as per the manual. All three rows get their own vents and there is an option in the middle top to start/stop the AC for the last two rows. Pretty nifty stuff. The multitude of overhead lights is quite cool. Its feels like an aircraft cabin and the overhead storage bins help that cause. Each seating row has an overhead light plus two reading lights. There are ample cigaratte lighter points for all your charging needs and at each seating row. There's even one more in the back for using a car vacuum. The back storage area also has a lamp so at night its easy to put in / take out the luggage. Storage spaces and cubby holes are dime a dozen. The front glove box is lighted and helps at night. The passenger side vanity mirror is also lighted. And all the doors have red puddle lights. Of the three row seating, the middle row is the most lavish. YOu can easily fit in 4 thin/medium people in it. The front two seats have lumbar support and it really helps. The PURE variant doesn't have height adjustment for the driver but I really do not miss it as the steering wheel can be adjusted and hence can find the best position using that. The last row is really compromised but in the worst case, an adult can fit in but only if he keeps his legs up. For kids its fine and they have a blast there. The middle row can travel front or back but not as much that would make the third row seatable for adults. The boot has ample space. I wish TATAS would have given the option for further back travel of the third row so that we could decide whether we want a bigger boot or a more comfortable third row. I am sure the next version of the Aria whenever it comes would have this sorted out. The steering wheel seems real small in a big car but works well. On a funny note, I somehow keep on accidently hitting the horns once in a while while turning, etc. Either the horns are somehow too sensitive or I havent still got used to the way I hold this steering. I just love the OVRMs with light indicators. They are huge and give you so much confidence. The electric settings for moving the mirrors in the OVRMs work well. The power windows have one touch down option. Why didn't they give a one touch up option too. That too would have been useful. I am sure that can be programmed into. Another funny part of the placement of the power windows switches is that I invariably open the back windows when I am trying to open the front windows without looking at the power windows switches. I guess I have to get used to it. The doors open and shut with an almost European thud though not quite there yet. Doors open all the way out, so more than enough space to get out. But the height of the car ensures that for people less than 5 feet 8 inches you have to make some effort to get in and out. POSITIVES ABOUT THE ARIA - Even for the PURE variant, the ARIA feels quite loaded. I can only imagine how plush the higher versions would seem. XUV may have more features but the waiting period + at least 2.5 lakhs more for the W6 version than the PURE makes this the best value for money - Awesome front external look - Good visibility and high seating feels like you can see much more forward when compared to a sedan/hatchback - Generally decent fit and finish. Plastics, etc could be better but not deal breakers - Decent Diesel Engine. Pulls well in the city as well as the highway. - Awesome middle row interior space. The middle row is king like. You can easily fit in four people comfortably in the middle row. - Loads and loads of cubby holes and storage spaces - Good practical features given like puddle lights, multiple lighter points, multitude of overhead lights, boot light, lighted glove box, lighted vanity mirror, huge OVRMs with light indicators, follow me home headlights, levelling option for headlights, etc - Classy AC and separate AC fan options for middle and last rows on the middle top along with separate vents for each row. - Real nice sound dampening. At 120km/hr on the highway you can hardly hear any road noise or engine noise. Just sit in an Innova and you can see the huge difference in noise levels - Awesome brakes. Stops where you want it. - Suspension eats up all that comes on the road. No worries on bad roads anymore. NEGATIVES ABOUT THE ARIA - Do not like the initial diesel clatter but I guess its my first diesel experience and will get used to it - Why no Airbags in PURE, Tata? This is one thing that I will sorely miss and be aware of throughout my ownership of the Aria. - Cheesy blue backlighting of the front console - TATAs can definitely afford better plastics. They are not a dealbreaker but need improvement. - Pretty uninteresting side and back external design - Huge bulk so can only plan to take where parking is readily available THREE WEEKS NOW Its been almost three weeks now and this is my daily car of commute to work. I have crossed 800 kms in it and in a week's time shall be going for the first service. Cruising on the highway with little throttle input the instant mileage goes all the way to 25kmpl and while accelarating drops to 5kmpl. The average mileage on the dashboard display that I have averaged till now is around 13kmpl. Filled up diesel till auto stop today. Did 460kms in 34 litres of diesel. Got an approximate 13.5 kmpl. Not scientific values but gives a good idea on the daily affordability of this big car. As for parking, I drive to office, park in the car park there and get back home to park in my society compound. I haven't taken it any place where I won't find parking. For such outings, its my S10 which goes. MY DEAL Ok so it was nothing else but the price that made me go for the Aria. My total outgoing for the Pure with Mumbai registration was 11.5 lakhs. Got a discount of 1.6 lakhs + 15k Corporate Discount + 20K less spent on the insurance as I got insurance done on my own. Freebies I managed were Art leather beige seat covers, Full front/back/sides Lumar sun films, Tata pillows, Mats, Mudflaps, Side protectors, Car cover, Perfume and Teflon. I still have the half price reverse camera pending to install. So all in all, I managed a way bigger diesel car at almost a lakh or so more than a C class diesel sedan. With the 4 years warranty and the way its behaving currently, I am pretty much satisfied. I am sure Tata niggles will be there but other than spending my time at least I am covered for 4 years. Would I recommend the Aria to others. I definitely would provided you are not paying the full price. NIGGLES As for niggles, the only one is something I missed in the PDI but was kind of aware on the delivery date. Apparently there was confusion at the dealership and even with me whether reverse fog lights are part of the Aria Pure or not. I later checked on the website and they are. So thats the only thing thats not working and will get it rectified during first service next week. SUMMARIZING Its been 800 kms now on the Aria and its behaving well. Black color is hard to maintain but it feels totally worth it after a wash and clean. First service due this week and shall update once done. I would definitely try and keep this thread updated frequently. Here go the snaps Exterior Snaps - Not putting in too many as we all know how the Aria looks    Interior Snaps - Daytime     Sunglasses holder. One more sunglasses holder also on the top middle followed by lots of aircraft like small storage spaces.  Lighted vanity mirror. Wifey likes it. Reminds her of our US Avalon   Middle A/C vents + Bottle Holder    Large boot. Wish they had used this space for third row  Middle row top A/C controls  Middle row side A/C vents. Similar vents in the third row  Puddle lights on the door + Door opens 90 degree  Front bonnet too has gas filled hood rod like the back Interior Snaps - Nighttime - Mostly Dashboard     Sort of daytime look. Doesn't look that great as compared to night.  Much better nighttime look. Nifty door open warning light Cheers Last edited by sahakar : 27th January 2012 at 14:49. |
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21st January 2012, 17:40
| #2 |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria Cngratulations, Lovely car. Wow that's quiet a move up the budget ladder, from ~2L to ~12L (I would prefer to call it moving up the value chain)  lol.Please post some more pictures, especially internals, as its not as well covered. Arias are not that problem prone (Except one incident on Team BHP) rest of the Arias are doing quiet well, although i would agree there arent quiet that many. |
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21st January 2012, 17:41
| #3 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 454
Thanked: 909 Times
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21st January 2012, 18:22
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21st January 2012, 18:27
| #5 |
| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria From Nano to Aria - Interesting! You could have bought six Nanos instead  .Jokes apart, Congratulations for your new Aria. The car looks killer in black shade and black tints + alloys. I have seen this car in flesh on Delhi roads and it is quite big. Please do add some interior pictures as well and keep the thread updated with regular service details. Drive safe. Last edited by bluevolt : 21st January 2012 at 18:28. |
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21st January 2012, 18:35
| #6 | |
| BHPian  Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: ERNAKULAM
Posts: 962
Thanked: 385 Times
| Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria Quote:
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21st January 2012, 18:36
| #7 |
| BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Shorapur
Posts: 353
Thanked: 66 Times
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21st January 2012, 19:50
| #8 |
| Distinguished - BHPian   | |
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21st January 2012, 20:38
| #9 | |
| Team-BHP Support   | Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria Looks menacing in black. Congrats sahakar!  Quote:
@sahakar: On a serious note, Nano was for your daily drive, or for wife? If it was for yourself, what made you book the Nano (since you obviously can afford cars from several segments above it)? | |
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21st January 2012, 21:09
| #10 |
| BHPian  | Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria Congrats buddy! Aria is a fantastic crossover, as Tata calls it. Don't worry (if you are in anyway) about problems, its one of the better products from Tata stable. I have heard more of good ownership reviews about Aria (not necessarily on team-bhp) than bad ones! Except for one off case reported here, it has done pretty well! Have many more happy mile crunching |
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21st January 2012, 22:38
| #11 |
| BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Delhi
Posts: 603
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| Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria The title of the report was quite appealing. Congrats for the Aria. At 10 lacs it does seems a VFM buy. Do share some interior snaps. And happy mile crunching. |
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21st January 2012, 23:23
| #12 |
| Senior - BHPian  Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Chennai
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21st January 2012, 23:27
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| Distinguished - BHPian | |
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22nd January 2012, 03:11
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22nd January 2012, 13:05
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| BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: LA <--> Bombay
Posts: 473
Thanked: 213 Times
| Re: Went to buy a Nano, booked it, cancelled it and bought an Aria First of all my heart felt thanks to all the good wishes. Now will try and answer all the queries. Trying to comply to the new rules and put everything in one post. I am answering back all on the top to make it readable 1. Interior Pictures Yes I will put then up as soon as possible. Just have been busy with guests and stuff and not got around it yet. Even the exterior pictures I posted were the ones I took at the dealership. 2. Mods Planned Reverse camera and sensors is something I have to do immediately. Actually I am also thinking of putting front bumper sensors. (There are 6 sensor kits available for this where 2 are put on front sides) I am still not sure of the front side especially when taking out the car through the tight right/left turns that I have in my society. The huge OVRMs really make the reverse quite easy. I want to put in front fog lamps, put in alloys and upgrade the 2 DIN system if possible, in this order. One more thing on my to do list would be the racekit chip. Only need to find out whether they have anything suitable for the Aria. They have for the Safari so hoping they would have something for the Aria. Any pointers here from BHPers will help me decide. 3. Why did I first go for the Nano Actually, I really don't care about style as long as the need is fulfilled (Of course a car like Evoque all bets are off for me too ). One of the main reasons why people do not buy the Nano because of the image is that its something my driver will buy. And that really didn't bother me.I wanted a car for my daily 60/70 kms run with low daily running costs and all diesel sedans except Tatas were atleast 6 months waiting when I was looking around. Just then the Nano 2012 came up and I saw quite a bit of practical changes had been done in it and for my daily run it was with the same low running costs and booked it. I presumed if it didn't really serve my purpose later, I can pass it on to my wife or sell it off. The low low price really made it easier to decide. 4. Why did I go for the Aria It was anyway about time for me to buy a 7 seater. We generally go out on weeked trips every month practically and we tend to either rent an Innova or take two cars. Just I didnt like the Innova and although I liked the Aria the high sticker price along with the issues made me stop. Fortuner just wouldnt get into my building so that was out too. I was quite close to book the XUV but didnt go ahead as something felt wrong for me in that car. Then the offer came along on the Aria and I managed to get a better deal and went for it. So dropped the Nano for now and will wait a few months for either the new Reva or hopefully some more options in small automatics. Wifey is ok currently to wait as its still some more time before she really needs a full time small car. She doesn't touch the S10 On the plus part, for my daily office run, the running costs are around 300 bucks including tolls which is similar when I used to take public transport. Finally feels good paying all my taxes and getting something back from the government in subsidied diesel. So technically except for the initial vehicle cost, my day to day running costs would practically be the same for the Nano or the Aria. All thanks to the high petrol prices. And finally BHPians like ACM, etc helped me decide by answering my queries and reading their experiences. 5. Service Intervals and Oil Though the guy who gave me the demo said there is synthetic oil, I think its mineral oil inside. When I go for the first service, I will know for sure. Service intervals are like this - 1st free service - At 1000-1500 km. OR 1 month whichever is eariler 2nd free service - At 5000-5500 km. OR 6 months whichever is eariler 3rd free service - At 15000-15500 km. OR 12 months whichever is eariler 4th free service - At 30000-30500 km. OR 24 months whichever is eariler 5th free service - At 45000-45500 km. OR 36 months whichever is eariler Cheers Quote:
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