[deehunk]

Thanks for the explanatory review, really liked the illustration of Vid6639 to come out of third row, both ways prospects of before marriage and after marriage is at stake

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by rohanjf

The cabin light switch looks silly. Even a small child can figure out how it works!

Could you give the trim levels for comparison? I think top-end variants are compared. I guess the weight difference is because of ABS and airbags, no?

PS: Funny to see Viddy's pain

That is the only inside light in the whole vehicle

The features are listed but trim details are not mentioned in the review. The LX diffes from the LS in that

1: Body colour mirrors
2: Seats are partial fabric
3; That rear spoiler.

If you do the math, it is quite clear where the value lies

Pain? He seems to smile even then, wonder what he looks like experiencing the opposite!

Originally Posted by condor

If targeted at the people mover segment, then the engine response is best checked with a loaded vehicle. I think the 1.5 may be a tad under-powered.

AL's reach in semi-urban areas & T-2 cities gives it an advantage over Renault in this segment.

And finally, I think the Tata Winger should be included in this segment for at least a high-level comparison.

True, the larger moderators had not woken up else we would have recruited them for the load test. The Stile strength is the T2+ rural network

The winger is a size bigger

Originally Posted by deehunk

Thanks for the explanatory review, really liked the illustration of Vid6639 to come out of third row, both ways prospects of before marriage and after marriage is at stake

True, I just hope his prospects turnaround and he will be able use all the seats of the Stile!

[condor]

Originally Posted by ajmat

True, the larger moderators had not woken up else we would have recruited them for the load test. The Stile strength is the T2+ rural network

One sleeping in each captain seat + one more in the last row. Would have nicely tested the luggability.

The winger is a size bigger

I think you have two versions there - and could have used the smaller 7/8 seater.

[Equus]

Who are the chief competitors, being targeted? I would think Sumo and Grande. Maybe Winger as well? Some omissions are glaring - sadly there is nothing on offer for safety except the cage...

[Gannu_1]

Excellent review ajmat Sir! Comprehensive and clear snaps to go along with it. Just a few observations from my side.

1. The front arm-rest omission due to the rear vent housing is something the drivers are going to complain of. What adds salt to the injury is the fact that an aftermarket one cannot be installed due to the design of the tall vent housing! I hope the manufacturer takes note of this and change the design of the vent housing so an arm rest could be given (for the future models i.e.). The arm-rests provided for the rear seats will be perfect if the vent housing height is lowered further.

2. Good job on the provision of the dead pedal. Many manufacturers still seem to think this as an accessory.

3. Do the speaker slots on the front doors come with the drivers pre-installed? Or are they just left vacant?

4. ‘Stile’ inscribed on the plastic inside the headlamps reminded me of the outgoing Laura and Superb’s headlamps:

Originally Posted by ajmat

Moderator Vid6639 tried this and it nearly damaged his marriage prospects!

Almost fell off the chair! That snap along with this sentence was just hilarious.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by condor

I think you have two versions there - and could have used the smaller 7/8 seater.

Smallest Winger is 9 seater and that too is 4.92 metres. Way too big. The 9 seater is also available in a shorter one but that is non AC model.

[GrammarNazi]

Commercial segment? To transport whom, Prisoners? IMHO This looks like a tinkered contraption from the neighborhood FNG!

Like its for someone who DESPERATELY wants the Renault 1.5l engine in a breadbox for a price cheaper than Evalia. Even 'Bare-basic' would be an over-statement for THOSE interiors, and this is the TOP END version?! What exactly is Ashok Leyland trying to pull off here?

Cheaper than Innova maybe, but Innova looks like what can be used to bring guests from the airport to the Hotel, this looks like its for the hotel ground staff.

In the Chevy Enjoy review I read a post saying commercial segment liked Enjoy because it has all round Coil springs whilst Tavera had leaf springs at the rear, so I doubt they'll like the suspension in this.

[condor]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

...but Innova looks like what can be used to bring guests from the airport to the Hotel, this looks like its for the hotel ground staff.

.. but there's more places to travel to, and there are more people than those who travel by air .. there is a market out there, and there will be people to buy it. You and I may find it under-powered, under-equipped, and a lot more. But the target here is some one else

[arunkrishnan4]

The small windows will be a turn-off... happened to notice something similar on Tata Ventures. Looks like AL is targeting the vehicle primarily for short trips within the city.

[MaxTorque]

Good review. In my opinion, the front looks unconventional. Especially the grille. I am wondering, why they did not place the logo on front grille.

Hope Ashok Leyland will get decent bookings.

[kaushik_ak]

The front grille looks strikingly similar to the 2011 Toyota Innova.
And by the way, What about the very important After Sales Service Network of this segment for Ashok Leyland? What are the proposed expansion of number of dealerships in India?

[deetjohn]

Thanks for sharing a great review guys!

The front end looks smart. And I too prefer the Stile' rear to the Evalia. The chrome strips and the horizontal reflectors make it much more worse in the Nissan. And those bigger wheels are great improvement.

Hope the Stile is not painfully slow with load. Cabbies always try to overtake and make up time and a slow car on the edge is a safety hazard.

There was a Palio Stile right? How did Leyland get to use this name? I thought a name once registered stays with the manufacturer. Or did Fiat not bother to register?

I searched and found some images of the 'taxi-of-tomorrow'. Thanks for the info ajmat.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by deetjohn

There was a Palio Stile right? How did Leyland get to use this name? I thought a name once registered stays with the manufacturer. Or did Fiat not bother to register?

This query had come up before and here's what RSR had to say on that:

There are registered model names, which belong to the manufacturer who owns the trademark. These cannot be used by anyone else.

Then there are unregistered names, that manufacturers use to denote variants, variant families, facelifts etc. These are usually suffixed to the model name and can be used by anyone. Things like LX, Vxi, ZX, LS etc. can be used as model suffixes and no one owns the right to these. It's a similar case for suffixes like Classic, Stile, Grande etc.

Palio is a registered trademark of Fiat in India (and in several other countries), so it cannot be used by other manufacturers in those markets. On the other hand, Stile must have been an unregistered suffix used by Fiat for the Palio facelift.

So Ashok Leyland were free to trademark the model name Stile. No one else can name their product (automobile) as Stile, unless Ashok Leyland sell the rights to the name.

However, I think other manufacturers can still use the word Stile as a suffix to a model name. I am not exactly sure of this, though. Just an educated guess, as Ford have the Classic (earlier known as Fiesta Classic), but Fiat have still launched the Linea Classic without any objection from Ford.

Ashok Leyland Stile launched @ 7.49 lakhs

There used to be a Toyota Corsa and Opel Corsa as well.

[Steeroid]

Tacky is the overall feeling that comes across from the review - from the diesel clatter to the ridiculous pigeon-holes for 'windows', the ugly plastic, the naked seat frames and the so-called access to the rear torture chamber.

If this thing finds takers in the market, expect many more such jugaads from Renault-Leyland. For that reason alone, I hope this bombs big time - as a nation we're capable of making much better vehicle than this cargo van jugaad masquerading as a people carrier.

It is a disgusting affront to this market - right from the ancient engine which does not deserve a place in these times. Apparently the French think this ancient block is good enough for us.

[VijayAnand1]

Beautiful review. I think I am sans going to get into the Stile again for a test drive. BTW, what is this MID?

Cheers!
VJ