[gsurya]

Had an interesting day, visited the Tata Concorde stockyard in Panvel today to check out the Zests available for me to choose from. There were 3 XE, 7 XM, 3 XMS & 2 XTs to choose from.

My preferred color Dune Beige was available only in XE & XM trim, looks understated & classy. The two XTs were Red & Blue, both look brilliant. Silver looks ordinary. White & Grey had still not made it to this stockyard. But white is likely to be the best color on the Zest.

My SA checked with Tata & said chances of me getting a Dune Beige Revotron XT in September is remote.

So, I have chosen the Red Revotron XT Zest. Did a full PDI as per TBHP list, 22 kms on the ODO, everything seems in place, no scratches, marks, bad fitting that I could see. Unfortunately, there was no petrol in car to crank it up to test.

Noticed a funny quirk, the alloy wheels on the top end XT trim look ordinary compared to the ones on the lower trims!

I will make full payment tomorrow & hope to take delivery in a week or so after registration. So now the wait begins

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by gsurya

My preferred color Dune Beige was available only in XE & XM trim, looks understated & classy. The two XTs were Red & Blue, both look brilliant. Silver looks ordinary. White & Grey had still not made it to this stockyard. But white is likely to be the best color on the Zest.

Thanks for posting Red Zest pic. That is the first one I had seen of Zest. I agree with you. Dune Biege really looks very classy.

Originally Posted by gsurya

Noticed a funny quirk, the alloy wheels on the top end XT trim look ordinary compared to the ones on the lower trims!

Yes. The 18 spoke alloy on XM/XMS looks better than the 8 spoke on XT. Try talking with your SA if he can exchange the alloys of your XT with the ones on XM. They might do it. I was told by my SA that they can exchange the alloy if I prefer the ones that are available on the variant not chosen by me.


And Congratulations for your buy.

I'm still deliberating on my decision, whether to go ahead with Zest (which I liked very much in its segment) or wait for launches in the SUV segment that I personally prefer for a long long time. (SX4 Cross, Hyundai ix25).

[naut]

Originally Posted by gsurya

I will make full payment tomorrow & hope to take delivery in a week or so after registration. So now the wait begins

Surya, congrats!!

Hope you will get to lay your hands on the zest this week! Will eagerly look forward to your ownership report, esp the driveability of the revotron and the real world fuel efficiency.

All the best!

[HappyRoadie]

Congrats gsurya on your purchase. Waiting for your ownership thread eagerly. I am also planning to buy Zest.

[gsurya]

Originally Posted by mrbaddy

Thanks for posting Red Zest pic. That is the first one I had seen of Zest. I agree with you. Dune Biege really looks very classy.

Yes. The 18 spoke alloy on XM/XMS looks better than the 8 spoke on XT. Try talking with your SA if he can exchange the alloys of your XT with the ones on XM. They might do it. I was told by my SA that they can exchange the alloy if I prefer the ones that are available on the variant not chosen by me.

I'm still deliberating on my decision, whether to go ahead with Zest (which I liked very much in its segment) or wait for launches in the SUV segment that I personally prefer for a long long time. (SX4 Cross, Hyundai ix25).

My wife is still sold on the Dune Beige after seeing my pics from yesterday. We may still decide to hold on for that.

Thanks, will ask SA about the alloys.

I also wanted a compact SUV but in petrol, I didnt like the low end drivability of Ecosport Ecoboost, I liked the 1.5P but got turned off by months of waiting period earlier. The Zest is also quite tall & has got a pseudo-SUV feel, this was my Mom's first comment during TD. Feels more comfy than the Scorpio in the family!

[shashi63]

Originally Posted by gsurya

I will make full payment tomorrow & hope to take delivery in a week or so after registration. So now the wait begins

Congratulations Surya!

Have a great drive ahead!

Originally Posted by Dr.Suraj

Link to my blog post that is a result of a prolonged discussion with a friend.
(Why Tata... why not Maruti)

Dr.Suraj,

Thank you for the piece!

I fully agree with your point of view.

I for one buy Tata and will always buy Tata!

I respect Tata for what they have contributed to India and India's growth!

In every Sector Tata has contributed to India's growth, generating employment and it's socio economic contribution is something that no indian can forget.

I own a Manza and I brought this car after seeing what was on offer and believe me when i looked at all the features and the comfort the Manza offered I did not even for a second wait to finalise the Manza. I owned a Tata Indica DLS for 5 years did 120K on it and now have done 27K on the Manza. In these 150K of drive I have had no problems with Tata other than normal oil change and regular wear and tear.

Great blog.. Thanks once again for sharing!


Mod Note: Please use the EDIT or MULTI-QUOTE buttons instead of typing one post after another on the SAME THREAD!

To know how to multi-quote, click here.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by gsurya

My wife is still sold on the Dune Beige after seeing my pics from yesterday. We may still decide to hold on for that.

Thanks, will ask SA about the alloys.

I also wanted a compact SUV but in petrol, I didnt like the low end drivability of Ecosport Ecoboost, I liked the 1.5P but got turned off by months of waiting period earlier. The Zest is also quite tall & has got a pseudo-SUV feel, this was my Mom's first comment during TD. Feels more comfy than the Scorpio in the family!

I personally preferred Red or White however even my family members wants Dune Beige , finally went again to tell SA to provide this colour. I got assurance to get it by 26th Sept. Wait begins now.

For zero dep insurance , they will charge 1.5k to 2k extra.

[isandy]

I have booked Zest with Prerana Motors on 21st July as part of their pre-launch road show at Mantri Mall, Bangalore have been following up with Tata Motors since last 2 weeks for delivery of my Dune Beige 1.2l Revtron Zest XMS version. As per them, chance of getting a higher variant in Beige during September is slim.


As per the Bangalore region sales manager from Tata Motors, it seems that they had expected higher orders for lower trims XE and XM, but have received about 90% bookings in XT and XMS trims. Also initial production lots were of blue and red color only and hence most vehicles out for delivery are these colors.

I received a message that one Sky grey petrol XMS version maybe available next week, but my heart is set on Beige after seeing one at the Prerana motors yard at Nelamangala, Bangalore.

I have been invited for plant visit at TML, Pimpri, Pune on 13th Sep as part of CONNECTNEXT challenge and hope to follow up on this with senior management team at the plant.

[gsurya]

Went to my dealer & paid Rs 5 Lakhs to block the Revotron XT Red Zest that they have in stockyard.

They will pursue my case with Tata Motors for a Dune Beige XT to be delivered during September. If we still dont have a commitment by end of next week from Tata Motors, then I will go with the Red.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by gsurya

Went to my dealer & paid Rs 5 Lakhs to block the Revotron XT Red Zest that they have in stockyard.

They will pursue my case with Tata Motors for a Dune Beige XT to be delivered during September. If we still dont have a commitment by end of next week from Tata Motors, then I will go with the Red.

great , looking for initial ownership review in 1st half Oct.

[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by shashi63

Dr.Suraj,

Thank you for the piece!

I own a Manza and I brought this car after seeing what was on offer and believe me when i looked at all the features and the comfort the Manza offered I did not even for a second wait to finalise the Manza. I owned a Tata Indica DLS for 5 years did 120K on it and now have done 27K on the Manza. In these 150K of drive I have had no problems with Tata other than normal oil change and regular wear and tear.

Great blog.. Thanks once again for sharing!

Thank you for your reply!

On the forum and on the blog. Lovely gesture and warm comments. Made my day.

You own a Black Manza - a rare one - that is the shade I wanted and had written to the company, but they had stopped production of black since it used to account for only 2% of the sales.
They informed me of the celebration edition - and that's how I have a rare piece of the Manza.

Later they again released a fleet of black Manza vehicles but exclusively for their Taj fleet. These can be seen with the yellow number plate - MH 46 D 9xx registration series. I think they have a quite a few. Definitely more than 30.
Black Aria, Black Jaguar xjs also are part of the Taj fleet - but they are 'unmarked' unlike most other 'Hotel' vehicles.

Originally Posted by gsurya

Went to my dealer & paid Rs 5 Lakhs to block the Revotron XT Red Zest that they have in stockyard.

They will pursue my case with Tata Motors for a Dune Beige XT to be delivered during September. If we still dont have a commitment by end of next week from Tata Motors, then I will go with the Red.

Congratulations!

Looking forward to the ownership thread.
& a long term report.

Note from mod: Please use multi quote feature when quoting multiple posts. Back to back posts not needed.

[shashi63]

Originally Posted by Dr.Suraj

Thank you for your reply!

On the forum and on the blog. Lovely gesture and warm comments. Made my day.

You own a Black Manza - a rare one - that is the shade I wanted and had written to the company, but they had stopped production of black since it used to account for only 2% of the sales.
.

Booked the Manza Vx Club Class in Black because I saw one at the Showroom and it looked Regal! By the way I had no issues when I booked. The Club Class is available in Black as standard!

As I mentioned in some response. I am in absolute awe of my Black Beauty! and if after nearly 16 months of ownership if I was asked to choose a car again I would choose the Manza all over Again, Again and Again without even a second thought!

Most Tata bashers talk about service. 150K plus of ownership in 6 & half years and I have had absolutely no issues. They do their job and that's what is required. I am not going to be the service guys best buddy so what more do I need. 6 years of hassle free experience both in terms of the built quality of the car and service levels offered. First I used to think maybe I am lucky now I am absolutely sure that luck can't be so strong and consistent for 6 years!

Cheers!

[Vid6639]

Mod Khan_Sultan and myself had a close look at a Zest XT Disel yesterday at the 3M store along with the store owner Sidhu. Thanks to a very kind customer who came by the store and let us take a short drive of his brand new car.

Just a short summary from my side.

The Zest is definitely a huge leap for Tata. You can see they have come a long way form the Vista. But the work is not done. They still have quite a few areas of improvement.

+ NVH levels from the diesel are brilliant. Absolutely no diesel clatter and even when revved the noise is not intrusive or harsh.
+ The Harman sound system feels very premium. You can see AC setting on it like expensive euro cars and the sound quality is very very good. No need for after market ICE on this one.
+ clutch is light. This can take you off guard initially that there's nothing on the pedal. Feels unnerving at first but the you realise how easy it is in traffic.
+ the dashboard design is very good. Use of different colours and materials makes it appear premium.
+ Hardly any turbo lag and quite easy to potter around in second and third. No need to go down to first for every hump. It'e very linear
+ The front view looks good with the headlights being the striking design element.
+ Space at the back is very good for a Sub 4m sedan. 3 abreast is fairly comfortable provided everyone is not hefty build.
+ Front seats are quite comfortable providing adequate support.

- Fit and finish has some way to go. Lots of uneven panels inside. The dash board looks good but the doorpads feel sub par. Looks like 2 different vendors designed both.
- Though the dashboard looks very nice there are some rough edges on the top as well as rough finishes.
- Gear lever has vibrations and shakes when you press or release your foot off the gas.
- Steering wheel had a very annoying creaking/squeaking sound when turning like it was rubbing against something.
- Car does not look proportionate. Stance looks funny. High GC, wheels are sunk into the body (small track) and overhang boot.
- Boot lid is extremely flimsy. The sheet metal is much thinner on the boot than other panels like door and quarter panel.
- The mudlfaps from the dealer were horrid. Like the Sumo ones sticking out by more than an inch.

Overall The Zest is good but still far from being perfect.

[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by shashi63

Booked the Manza Vx Club Class in Black because I saw one at the Showroom and it looked Regal! By the way I had no issues when I booked. The Club Class is available in Black as standard!

Cheers!

oh!

Club class. No wonder. That did come in black and was a beauty for sure.

Sorry I missed that bit. I booked the last of the Manza Elan series before they launched the Club Class.
:(
Would have loved the EXL version of the CC.
But I did get faux leather seats in my Celebration Edition and reverse parking sensors ... so...

But definitely you have had a very good experience with TML.

Cheers to that!

[amartya sinha]

Originally Posted by thunder

I personally preferred Red or White however even my family members wants Dune Beige , finally went again to tell SA to provide this colour. I got assurance to get it by 26th Sept. Wait begins now.

For zero dep insurance , they will charge 1.5k to 2k extra.

The dealers are charging 1.5 K to 2 K for zero dep insurance over comprehensive flat across the spectrum? or is the extra money for only dune beige colour? How much have they quoted you?. please do forgive my ignorance. I'm quoted a value of Rs. 26385.00 for comprehensive insurance, cash less facility. The zero dep is even more, I do not even remember the value, as I was not interested. I inquired the same outside. Royal Sundaram came out cheap and best. For the same cash less facility they quoted me Rs. 15,081.00 for comprehensive, and Rs. 19,931/- for zero dep. Bench mark price being Rs. 6.99 lakhs (The IDV would be 5% less than this value, as they said its a standard procedure with all Insurance companies).

I've booked XT - diesel, dune beige, and I'm told not to expect anything before 8 weeks, I booked on last week of Aug. In fact this waiting period is flat across all variants, and is boldly highlighted in the show room. So for us out here in Delhi, its safe to say post diwali.