Long term ownership report of Indica V2 Petrol

ZedMae · 25th November 2010, 12:37

Folks,

It has been around 6 years now since I took delivery of my Indica V2 Lsi (pre-Xeta 1.4 L Petrol version) and I am sharing my ownership experience of this car with you all in this post.

This is the first car in my family and I was an inept driver before I bought this car. I learnt driving in this car and this car has several other sentiments attached. After 6 years, the odo reads 37k kms and the car has never let me down even once
throughout this period though there were few niggles as part and parcel of TATA package. One major issue I faced (Around 10k kms) was the infamous jerk problem common to Indica Petrol cars. I got the problem sorted out after some escalations to TATA motors' honchos. The wiring harness was replaced free of cost and the problem came to rest. The CRO at Concorde Motors, Chennai (Mr. Sivasankaran) was so helpful in getting this issue sorted out. Other common issue was the rusty silence pipe and I had to replace itaround 30k kms.

I am thoroughly enjoying my car. Though this car does not like corners, I enjoy taking it to its limits taking sharp corners with speeds no other Indica owner can dream of. I love to hear the tyre squeal when enganged in some enthusiastic driving !!... Yes .. you read it right .. Its a petrol Indica and I can do enthusiastic driving

This car has low grunt in bottom
end of the rev range and once the rpm crosses 1.5k rpm it pulls clean and can pose some good competition to comparable hatchbacks. Sadly, this car is one of the most underrated cars in its time.

I manage to get around 11kmpl in city with 75% A/C. In highway the maximum I have achieved is 17kmpl with 5 ppl onboard and 50% A/C. Top speed I managed to attain is 150kmph. Energy and enthusiasm to get to 120kmph is great and it struggles to get to 150 kmph from there. One commendable thing is the way the car feels at 120kmph .. it feels solid.

Likes:
High speed stability (only few hatch backs can match)
Passenger comfort and Interior space
Juicy midrange and top end performance (driveability in city traffic is not great though)
Superb suspension - can soak most road imperfections with ease (Good ride quality that can put some sedans to shame).
No squeaks, No rattles even after 37k on the toughest of the terrains and the most crude riding manners

Dislikes:
1.4L engine low on refinement (powerful though - 75BHP, 110NM)
Hates corners
Rubbery gearshift
Vague steering
Noisy A/C blower
TATA *** quality and professionalism
Pricey spares (yes .. you read it right)

greenhorn · 25th November 2010, 12:42

pricey spares are one of the problems of the xeta - they're higher than those of other cars in the segment, and even higher than those of the diesel indica.

ZedMae · 25th November 2010, 13:05

ZedMae posted the above review on behalf of his friend Arvind who does not have T-BHP Id.

ZedMae · 18th March 2011, 18:42

Folks,

Crossed the 40k mark a couple of weeks back and the car runs perfectly fine without any niggles, rattles and squeaks...

Tyre wear seems to be high and it comes as no surprise since Indicas are heavy and the tyre treading wears out fast... The car returns a mileage of 10 - 12 kmpl consistently with 60 % A/C in city driving conditions.

Arvind K
Indica V2 Lsi, Dec 2004, 41k kms, Chennai

rock18 · 18th March 2011, 19:18

Many congrats on your hassle free ownership.
I also own a 2007 xeta and can agree with most of the pros and cons you have mentioned.
Yes spare are on the higher side but only in the TASS.If you go to G.P road,you can get all the genuine parts for cheap.
I am going to try it next time.atleast for the non-engine related parts.

25th November 2010, 12:37	#1
ZedMae BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 99 Thanked: 49 Times	Long term ownership report of Indica V2 Petrol Folks, It has been around 6 years now since I took delivery of my Indica V2 Lsi (pre-Xeta 1.4 L Petrol version) and I am sharing my ownership experience of this car with you all in this post. This is the first car in my family and I was an inept driver before I bought this car. I learnt driving in this car and this car has several other sentiments attached. After 6 years, the odo reads 37k kms and the car has never let me down even once throughout this period though there were few niggles as part and parcel of TATA package. One major issue I faced (Around 10k kms) was the infamous jerk problem common to Indica Petrol cars. I got the problem sorted out after some escalations to TATA motors' honchos. The wiring harness was replaced free of cost and the problem came to rest. The CRO at Concorde Motors, Chennai (Mr. Sivasankaran) was so helpful in getting this issue sorted out. Other common issue was the rusty silence pipe and I had to replace itaround 30k kms. I am thoroughly enjoying my car. Though this car does not like corners, I enjoy taking it to its limits taking sharp corners with speeds no other Indica owner can dream of. I love to hear the tyre squeal when enganged in some enthusiastic driving !!... Yes .. you read it right .. Its a petrol Indica and I can do enthusiastic driving This car has low grunt in bottom end of the rev range and once the rpm crosses 1.5k rpm it pulls clean and can pose some good competition to comparable hatchbacks. Sadly, this car is one of the most underrated cars in its time. I manage to get around 11kmpl in city with 75% A/C. In highway the maximum I have achieved is 17kmpl with 5 ppl onboard and 50% A/C. Top speed I managed to attain is 150kmph. Energy and enthusiasm to get to 120kmph is great and it struggles to get to 150 kmph from there. One commendable thing is the way the car feels at 120kmph .. it feels solid. Likes: High speed stability (only few hatch backs can match) Passenger comfort and Interior space Juicy midrange and top end performance (driveability in city traffic is not great though) Superb suspension - can soak most road imperfections with ease (Good ride quality that can put some sedans to shame). No squeaks, No rattles even after 37k on the toughest of the terrains and the most crude riding manners Dislikes: 1.4L engine low on refinement (powerful though - 75BHP, 110NM) Hates corners Rubbery gearshift Vague steering Noisy A/C blower TATA *** quality and professionalism Pricey spares (yes .. you read it right) Last edited by ZedMae : 25th November 2010 at 12:46. Reason: Alignment
	(2) Thanks

25th November 2010, 12:42	#2
greenhorn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 7,841 Thanked: 4,733 Times View My Garage	pricey spares are one of the problems of the xeta - they're higher than those of other cars in the segment, and even higher than those of the diesel indica.
	() Thanks

25th November 2010, 13:05	#3
ZedMae BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 99 Thanked: 49 Times	ZedMae posted the above review on behalf of his friend Arvind who does not have T-BHP Id.
	() Thanks

18th March 2011, 18:42	#4
ZedMae BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: chennai Posts: 99 Thanked: 49 Times	Re: Long term ownership report of Indica V2 Petrol Folks, Crossed the 40k mark a couple of weeks back and the car runs perfectly fine without any niggles, rattles and squeaks... Tyre wear seems to be high and it comes as no surprise since Indicas are heavy and the tyre treading wears out fast... The car returns a mileage of 10 - 12 kmpl consistently with 60 % A/C in city driving conditions. Arvind K Indica V2 Lsi, Dec 2004, 41k kms, Chennai
	() Thanks

18th March 2011, 19:18	#5
rock18 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 310 Thanked: 55 Times View My Garage	Re: Long term ownership report of Indica V2 Petrol Many congrats on your hassle free ownership. I also own a 2007 xeta and can agree with most of the pros and cons you have mentioned. Yes spare are on the higher side but only in the TASS.If you go to G.P road,you can get all the genuine parts for cheap. I am going to try it next time.atleast for the non-engine related parts.
	() Thanks