[narayan]

strangely the pricing section has been removed from the Xenon website.

i hope they are not pulling the plug on this product in India. I am eagerly looking fwd to buying one in 2011

by the way bookd a test drive online - 2 days over and still waiting for a call from dealer.

[sabretooth911]

hey after doing some research i found that Hot tracks in Bangalore has a lot of accessories for Xenon XT, like roll bars ,side step and roof lighting and bed liner.
i asked the price for roll bars ie carryboy CB-510 and he said Rs18,500/- i think I'll get them the next time i go to Bangalore.

[narayan]

Did the XENON 4x2 test drive yesterday. I have to admit, a lot of admiration i had for the vehicle was diminished after the TD

-ves
1) the cabin comfort is no where near a SAFARI ( which I assumed it would be like ) - the seats are very utilitarian, floor is quite high and hence leg room is not that fantastic
second row is not at all comfortable comparing with the size of this vehicle

2) Interiors are a BIG BIG let down. plastic quality is from the 1st gen Indica!!. Things were falling apart in this TD vehicle. I mean 8-9lakh vehicle should have better plastics !

3) gear shift was extremely notchy.

4) power was no where in line with a 140bhp engine that it comes with. the 2 ton weight not withstanding, it should deliver better acceleration. not sure what was wrong.

5) pedal position was quite awkward. the brake and clutch pedal come up quite high and the accelerator pedal is really really low close to the foot well. so moving your feet from accelerator to brake needs a lot of getting used to

+ves
1) steering wheel is compact and nice to hold on to
2) driving around city was not that much of a pain in terms of the size of the vehicle
3) ATTENTION - man this vehicle, gets so much attention on the roads. Not sure what people are thinking though but everybody is turning around for this vehicle. this despite the TD vehicle being very dirty and wearing those stock tyres which are quite puny


I am hoping to buy the XENON next year but seriously hope TATA can do some interior face lift by then. there is so much to do in this vehicle to actually make it a proper lifestyle vehicle.

as of now, its MERELY A LUXURIOUS TRANSPORT VEHICLE

[dinar]

Originally Posted by narayan

Did the XENON 4x2 test drive yesterday. I have to admit, a lot of admiration i had for the vehicle was diminished after the TD

-ves
1) the cabin comfort is no where near a SAFARI ( which I assumed it would be like ) - the seats are very utilitarian, floor is quite high and hence leg room is not that fantastic
second row is not at all comfortable comparing with the size of this vehicle

2) Interiors are a BIG BIG let down. plastic quality is from the 1st gen Indica!!. Things were falling apart in this TD vehicle. I mean 8-9lakh vehicle should have better plastics !

3) gear shift was extremely notchy.

4) power was no where in line with a 140bhp engine that it comes with. the 2 ton weight not withstanding, it should deliver better acceleration. not sure what was wrong.

5) pedal position was quite awkward. the brake and clutch pedal come up quite high and the accelerator pedal is really really low close to the foot well. so moving your feet from accelerator to brake needs a lot of getting used to

+ves
1) steering wheel is compact and nice to hold on to
2) driving around city was not that much of a pain in terms of the size of the vehicle
3) ATTENTION - man this vehicle, gets so much attention on the roads. Not sure what people are thinking though but everybody is turning around for this vehicle. this despite the TD vehicle being very dirty and wearing those stock tyres which are quite puny


I am hoping to buy the XENON next year but seriously hope TATA can do some interior face lift by then. there is so much to do in this vehicle to actually make it a proper lifestyle vehicle.

as of now, its MERELY A LUXURIOUS TRANSPORT VEHICLE

It's truck buddy, how did you expect safari like comfort? The interiors are worst than 1st gen Indica, the biggest issue is the glove box design every xenon I have been in had that thing falling off.
And going by TATA's History with such vehicles do not expect a change in interior till there is a fare bit of competition for the vehicle.
But said it's one heck of a pick up... waiting to get mine.

[narayan]

True - but if TATA wants this to be a recreation/lifestyle vehicle, atleast they could have put in some effort on the interiors and some basic accessories like side-step, load bay lining etc

the dealership was mentioning that a few owners have got the SAFARI seats factory fitted for around Rs30k

and by the way, the dealership scored well on all parameters, except that the vehicle was very dirty despite they knowing a customer is coming for a TD and more importantly, the speedo/odo cable was disconnected in the vehicle

so BEWARE potential chennai customers -

[Trapezio]

@narayan

Your argument of a lifestyle vehicle is true. But its not possible to compromise on the basic character of the vehicle. Which means that plastics/seats must be hardwearing rather than soft to touch.

But there is still no excuse for build quality.

[dinar]

Originally Posted by narayan

True - but if TATA wants this to be a recreation/lifestyle vehicle, atleast they could have put in some effort on the interiors and some basic accessories like side-step, load bay lining etc

the dealership was mentioning that a few owners have got the SAFARI seats factory fitted for around Rs30k

and by the way, the dealership scored well on all parameters, except that the vehicle was very dirty despite they knowing a customer is coming for a TD and more importantly, the speedo/odo cable was disconnected in the vehicle

so BEWARE potential chennai customers -

Most of the dealers are giving customer order vehicles for test drives, as only few dealers are forced to buy TD vehicles.

Originally Posted by Trapezio

@narayan

Your argument of a lifestyle vehicle is true. But its not possible to compromise on the basic character of the vehicle. Which means that plastics/seats must be hardwearing rather than soft to touch.

But there is still no excuse for build quality.

TATA has higher number of xenons in GOA than the TLs in shorter time frame, so they know that what ever they dish out, people will buy, till some company come out with a decent pickup at a reasonable price point, which is close to impossible when TATA is a competitor.

[GKS]

Originally Posted by narayan

Did the XENON 4x2 test drive yesterday. I have to admit, a lot of admiration i had for the vehicle was diminished after the TD

-ves
1) the cabin comfort is no where near a SAFARI ( which I assumed it would be like ) - the seats are very utilitarian, floor is quite high and hence leg room is not that fantastic
second row is not at all comfortable comparing with the size of this vehicle

2) Interiors are a BIG BIG let down. plastic quality is from the 1st gen Indica!!. Things were falling apart in this TD vehicle. I mean 8-9lakh vehicle should have better plastics !

3) gear shift was extremely notchy.

4) power was no where in line with a 140bhp engine that it comes with. the 2 ton weight not withstanding, it should deliver better acceleration. not sure what was wrong.

5) pedal position was quite awkward. the brake and clutch pedal come up quite high and the accelerator pedal is really really low close to the foot well. so moving your feet from accelerator to brake needs a lot of getting used to

+ves
1) steering wheel is compact and nice to hold on to
2) driving around city was not that much of a pain in terms of the size of the vehicle
3) ATTENTION - man this vehicle, gets so much attention on the roads. Not sure what people are thinking though but everybody is turning around for this vehicle. this despite the TD vehicle being very dirty and wearing those stock tyres which are quite puny


I am hoping to buy the XENON next year but seriously hope TATA can do some interior face lift by then. there is so much to do in this vehicle to actually make it a proper lifestyle vehicle.

as of now, its MERELY A LUXURIOUS TRANSPORT VEHICLE

Originally Posted by dinar

It's truck buddy, how did you expect safari like comfort? The interiors are worst than 1st gen Indica, the biggest issue is the glove box design every xenon I have been in had that thing falling off.
And going by TATA's History with such vehicles do not expect a change in interior till there is a fare bit of competition for the vehicle.
But said it's one heck of a pick up... waiting to get mine.

Dear all

Its almost an year since I got this beast .. I have completed 25k kms in it. Sorry was unable to post pictures/full report due to busy work schedule. Since taking possession of her I have done some more modifications possible except for the wheels.

As you can see I have highlighted couple of points said by Mr.Narayan Its absolutely true.

This beast is a MUV (Multy Utility Vechile) riding comfort + load carrying capability .. and a SUV.

To cap it all up its just like combaining a S class Merc, Tata 207 and Tata Safari.

Will post full oweners report + cost involved as soon as possible. Till then please note that this is the best next thing to Mahindra AXE ( not available for public as its under militery testing as far as I know)

[GKS]

Originally Posted by sabretooth911

Nope. donno the reason for the delay.I had to wait for almost 40 days for mine to arrive.There are about 7or 8 Xenons for uninor in the yard,which is yet to be delivered.
There are around 12+ bookings in M'lore but the cars have not yet arrived. I meet so many people who show interest in buying this vehicle. The dealer out here in Mangalore doesn't even have a TD vehicle.
Carryboy has got many accessories for the Xenon. That includes variety of Roll bars ,front n back nudge guards,storage box,side step,door visor,bed liner etc. I donno about their availability in India.I'm in touch with the customer care regarding the pricing and shipping to India. Will update about it as soon as i get their mail.

uninor have placed order for 75+ black Xenons .........That's whats causing the delay .. TATA was not prepared for this kind of an order

couple of my friends wanted to buy this best but she is not avalable for the next six months(dated 29th May 2010)

[xingamazon]

Originally Posted by GKS

uninor have placed order for 75+ black Xenons .........That's whats causing the delay .. TATA was not prepared for this kind of an order

couple of my friends wanted to buy this best but she is not avalable for the next six months(dated 29th May 2010)

I see the Uninor branded Xenon daily in OMR, Chennai. These beasts looks awesome.

Frankly when I first saw the vehicle from behing I thought I must be some grand import, but was stumped on knowing in the signal that they were Xenon, thye are massively huge.

[Alter_Ego]

Originally Posted by xingamazon

I see the Uninor branded Xenon daily in OMR, Chennai. These beasts looks awesome.

Frankly when I first saw the vehicle from behing I thought I must be some grand import, but was stumped on knowing in the signal that they were Xenon, thye are massively huge.

I personally feel that the Xenons look much better without the canopy.
The canopy take the edge out of their looks.

[sabretooth911]

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

I personally feel that the Xenons look much better without the canopy.
The canopy take the edge out of their looks.

I second that point. But a good tonneau cover is a must,as it protects bay area from water,dust etc..

I was looking for a good set of wheels and tyres and fog lamps for my car. need some suggestions please.

[GKS]

Originally Posted by Alter_Ego

I personally feel that the Xenons look much better without the canopy.
The canopy take the edge out of their looks.

Yes its true .. the canopy does take the edge. Xenon would look much more macho with roll bars and lights to go with it at the back .. but the practicality comes into issue. Out here in Gods own country it rains almost 200/365 and for the next 165 days its filled with dust. With the canopy on you dont have to worry about those and also as pointed out earlier cabin space is minimal so if you are carrying load/personnel stuff you can relax within the cabin and dont worry about the load .

Originally Posted by sabretooth911

I second that point. But a good tonneau cover is a must,as it protects bay area from water,dust etc..

I was looking for a good set of wheels and tyres and fog lamps for my car. need some suggestions please.

Havent changed the tyres yet .. still running on originals but now planing to upgrade to 235/16 for the back wheels and keep 215/16 at the front.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by GKS

Till then please note that this is the best next thing to Mahindra AXE ( not available for public as its under militery testing as far as I know)

Oh c'mon, the Mahindra Axe is a purpose built offroader. The Xenon is, at best, a soft roader (can't really handle difficult off-road conditions).

[GKS]

Originally Posted by GTO

Oh c'mon, the Mahindra Axe is a purpose built offroader. The Xenon is, at best, a soft roader (can't really handle difficult off-road conditions).

I agree with you totally, but as in the case of Hummer Mahindra will produce a public version of this car in future. (keeping my fingers crossed )