[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by gsurya

Hello - no I didnt get an official pricelist from dealer yet, but there was one posted here on this same thread some days back, please check.

Surya,

Infact the list with prices was posted by me. But there are few item differences in your list and I also wanted to compare the prices from both the lists. Whenever you receive the pricelist, please keep them posted.

Thanks.

[JLS]

Originally Posted by Masda

Just coming back from a test drive of the diesel XT variant. Overall quite impressed by the car! However, one issue that I faced while parking the car -- I could feel the steering rod against my left shoe. Though this happened only when the clutch was depressed and I was trying to reverse. Anybody else faced this?

Yes, I also felt steering rod touching my left shoe while pressing clutch. Surprisingly I felt this only in diesel one I drove, and not in the petrol.
Regards
JLS

[ambujlal]

Originally Posted by narayan

Some observations as an existing Vista owner

1) Somehow felt the rear space was less than in my Vista. Maybe it could be because of the more cushion-y seats also.

This is true. This generally happens when a compact sedan is made on a hatchback platform. Same was the case with Indigo CS which has lesser rear shoulder room than Indica.

[vikrantpatnaik]

Originally Posted by Masda

I could feel the steering rod against my left shoe. Though this happened only when the clutch was depressed and I was trying to reverse. Anybody else faced this?

I too faced this, when on full clutch and when your foot rests a bit ahead on the pedal. Did nt feel so much when I rested my foot in a normal manner as suggested by SA during TD.

Don't know all other cars have it or this only? But its again driver specific I feel.

[bullet_chacha]

Well, I guess I'm into the slow as well!

Went yesterday wit my wife to test drive both Zest and I20.

Was able to TD both petrol variants as I'm open to both the available fuel options since there is hardly any difference left in the pricing per litre of the two!

So, while the I20 clearly is "uber rich", especially the Asta with Push Button Start/Stop and all, the Zest did not fail to excite me either!

Being used to the "turbo kick" (as I call it instead of Turbo Lag) of the Dzire diesel, the Revotron engine did have some punch, especially in the sports mode. The engine was quaint and silent, the NHV levels were awesome, being a car audio fanatic, the stock ICE gave me goose bumps, voice commands did work well....all in all, everything was positive.

I think I'm sold on the XT...most importantly, it fits into the budget!

As I'm upgrading from Dzire L.di, your suggestions and comments would be welcome over my choice between I20 and Zest!

[Atif]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

Well, I guess I'm into the slow as well!

As I'm upgrading from Dzire L.di, your suggestions and comments would be welcome over my choice between I20 and Zest!

If you like bouncy ride, and with feel of travelling in a boat you can very well go for i20 .

As far as zest is concerned, will be able to advise only after a TD , but experts in this forum have given a thumbs up.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by Atif

If you like bouncy ride, and with feel of travelling in a boat you can very well go for i20 .

As far as zest is concerned, will be able to advise only after a TD , but experts in this forum have given a thumbs up.

According to the review of the new i20 (Elite), it rides far far better than the previous generation. Good compromise for the occasional highway driver, in my opinion. The only negative there would be the engine. The Zest with better torque should be better to drive within the city.

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

As I'm upgrading from Dzire L.di, your suggestions and comments would be welcome over my choice between I20 and Zest!

If you drive primarily in the city, and are considering the i20, I assume that the Zest's larger boot is not a big draw. Given that, I suggest that you go for the i20. Features, quality, and reliability trump the marginally better in-city performance. Strictly my opinion, though.

[narayan]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

I think I'm sold on the XT...most importantly, it fits into the budget!

As I'm upgrading from Dzire L.di, your suggestions and comments would be welcome over my choice between I20 and Zest!

Why do I get the feeling that you have already decided on the Zest and just want some of us to further re-affirm your decision so that you can go ahead without any sense of guilt

I would say go ahead and book it ! Which colour by the way ?

[Sabyasworld]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

As I'm upgrading from Dzire L.di, your suggestions and comments would be welcome over my choice between I20 and Zest!

I too was in a similar dilemma and have test drove both, the diesel Zest XT and the new i20 Asta. i20 interior gives you a premium feeling although Zest is not far behind. NVH levels are almost equal in both. However, the Zest suspension and steering seemed to be a bit better.

Benefits of i20 Asta (which is immediately evident)
1. Push button start, keyless entry
2. Rear AC
3. Better interiors
4. Electronically fold-able mirrors
5. 6 speed gear box
6. 16 inch alloys (I did not like the design though)
7. Rear camera

Benefits of Zest XT
1. More space
2. Touchscreen entertainment system, smartphone integration and much better speakers
3. Slightly better steering at high speed
4. Better suspension at low speeds
5. 3 years AMC
6. 50k cheaper on-road

I personally have booked the Zest XT

[narayan]

Originally Posted by damodar

Is'nt AMC included in the price ? They have mentioned that in all their advertisements till now.

Correct. Today I went through the dealer's training booklet and its clearly mentioned that AMC is free. I asked them why they have then included it in the pricing and he had no answer but agreed they will remove it.


I did a TD for the Diesel XT. The car was extremely smooth, steering was light but not vague and build quality was good for the segment. The sound dampening was also very good. All in all a very good effort by Tata. Now I await the TD for the revotron and then it would be time to decide

[Lobogris]

Originally Posted by bullet_chacha

Well, I guess I'm into the slow as well!

Went yesterday wit my wife to test drive both Zest and I20.

Was able to TD both petrol variants as I'm open to both the available fuel options since there is hardly any difference left in the pricing per litre of the two!

So, while the I20 clearly is "uber rich", especially the Asta with Push Button Start/Stop and all, the Zest did not fail to excite me either!

Being used to the "turbo kick" (as I call it instead of Turbo Lag) of the Dzire diesel, the Revotron engine did have some punch, especially in the sports mode. The engine was quaint and silent, the NHV levels were awesome, being a car audio fanatic, the stock ICE gave me goose bumps, voice commands did work well....all in all, everything was positive.

I think I'm sold on the XT...most importantly, it fits into the budget!

As I'm upgrading from Dzire L.di, your suggestions and comments would be welcome over my choice between I20 and Zest!

The Zest is a great car. It is a pity that Tata didn't provide push button start/ entry along with electrically folding mirrors. Had they done this in an optional variant preferably with 6 airbags, it would have become the best choice in a small sedan/ hatchback even if the price had gone up by say 50K.

[thunder]

Originally Posted by narayan

Correct. Today I went through the dealer's training booklet and its clearly mentioned that AMC is free. I asked them why they have then included it in the pricing and he had no answer but agreed they will remove it.


I did a TD for the Diesel XT. The car was extremely smooth, steering was light but not vague and build quality was good for the segment. The sound dampening was also very good. All in all a very good effort by Tata. Now I await the TD for the revotron and then it would be time to decide

There are 2 option silver and Gold. Silver is free and for Gold another 8k to be shell out. Gold is 100 % free of labour and other charges along with service

[mrbaddy]

Originally Posted by narayan

Correct. Today I went through the dealer's training booklet and its clearly mentioned that AMC is free. I asked them why they have then included it in the pricing and he had no answer but agreed they will remove it.

Probably your SA is not fully knowledgeable on this. He did not give you full information.

Originally Posted by thunder

There are 2 option silver and Gold. Silver is free and for Gold another 8k to be shell out. Gold is 100 % free of labour and other charges along with service

Under Gold AMC pack, except tyres & battery all other regular costs (oil, any spares etc) will not be charged for three years/45000 km whichever is earlier.

So essentially if you pay 8000/- odd for the AMC shown, you dont have to pay anything except for battery, tyres and ofcourse for your petrol/diesel.

Does everybody here think it is worthwhile to go for the Gold AMC (8000/- cost upfront)?

[amartya sinha]

Originally Posted by narayan

Checked out a nice Blue XT at the showroom today. I think much has been already said about the car so not writing about those points. Only diesel TD vehicle has reached the dealership so far and that too had gone out.

Some observations as an existing Vista owner

1) Somehow felt the rear space was less than in my Vista. Maybe it could be because of the more cushion-y seats also.
2) a/c vents are not closing fully unlike the Vista. I find this a useful feature sometimes. Any no big deal due to its absence
3) The roof mounted interior light at the front is the same as the Vista unit and looks seriously out of place in such a modern and refurbished interior ! They could have just taken the Storme's unit and fitted it here.

Pls find below the Chennai pricing.

1) Logistics charges is now becoming the norm and is typically 6500-7500. I feel this is very high
2) You would note that the dealer has added a Accessories pack option. I clarified with the SA that this is optional and he hesitatingly said it is

This pack comprises of Door mats, Mud flaps, Perfume, Door visor, Door side protection strips and Fabric seat covers.

3) On the RTO tax header also there is a mark up of Rs5000 over the actual road tax. Not sure if the palm greasing will be so high per car ?

4) Extended warranty pricing is higher than what I paid for the Storme's EW. 8200 Vs 7450 ! Not sure why in this segment for a tried and tested platform ( except Revotron engine, the EW should be so high )

5) AMC for 45k kms / 3yrs is Rs7900 - This looks ok to me. I am assuming there would be around 2-3 oil change services and so it kind of stacks up


But Overall pricing is good and I am looking at the XM - Revotron. Only thing is I need to get atleast a decent resale for my 2009 Vista QJD.

Also the SA who had sold the Storme last year hinted that he can arrange some nominal discount for me !

I recently have booked the ZEST - XT (Diesel), dune beige colour. I did not face the usual lethargy of a TATA dealer, they were prompt and made themselves useful. The sales rep was ranting about the car, but once politely said that, we have had a first hand review of the car from Team BHp, he shut up and let us take our test drive in peace. From the drive perspective there is nothing new to add, other than already being said, although my 2 pence, I'll feel comfortable with this TATA offering than the new i20 in the long run. I have driven the 1st gen. Indigo owned by my father since 2002, sold it after driving it for 1.5 lac. kms. I own a Turbo DLG since 2006, my brother owns a Indica vista quadrajet since 2009. Hence, TATA and its woes are not new to me, and in spite of a string of TATA cars I wouldn't call myself a TATA fan boy. Currently I drive an Altis D4d. We also have maruti (alto & Ritz) and mahindra (bolero) in the family. This car is, "All in or nothing", kind of an offering from TATA, and as always, a known devil is better than an unknown friend. Hence the ZEST for me.

Now coming to the reason of my post. During financial queries, the sales rep did not fool around with the AMC price, or the Registration price, what buggered me most was the 'Handling Price' being quoted, and the unrepentant way in which they went about explaining it saying that, it was legal as TATA was endorsing it. I've attached two relevant documents also along with this post for people to read and interpret. But, going by the notification by 'Delhi Transport Authority', a dealer cannot levy any extra charge if not authorised by the manufacturer. Hence, TATA motors comes into picture. I trace their regional head, Mr. Vishwas Kapoor, manage his ph. no. and call him to enquire, whether there is any guidelines or policy which supports the levying of 'Handling Charges' by the dealer. And, if there is so would he be kind enough to share it with me. He explains that it is a normal practice and the same is being charged all over the country, and the dealer is entitled so because he gives me a 'clean car' while delivery, and there is a cost to fuel and driver, when they take the car for registration purpose etc..... also the dealer leaves fuel in the tank while delivery.

Now I live in Dwarka, new delhi, and there is a dedicated RTO authority in dwarka, not 4 kms. from the dealer. Hence, I ask him if he can quantify / justify the amount charged, and is there any guideline as to how much fuel should the dealer leave in the tank while delivery, and is not giving a 'clean' car a part of the deal? To which no answer, and again the same recorded message that, it is charged all across the country by all dealers. Now I point out that, what is illegal is illegal, just because all dealers charge it, dose not make it legal. The gentle man asks me to mail him my issue with supporting documents, which I do, the same documents are attached here too. It has been almost 10 days, now the gentle man does not revert over mail in spite of reminders. His accepting over the ph. does not solve the problem, because as long as it does not come in writing that TATA motors does not support extorting such money from customer, we 'mango people' are in no position to arm twist the dealer. On taking this topic up with the dealer manager, they were diplomatic enough not to commit anything till I received any written communication through mail from TATA.

The vehicle was promised delivery in 1.5 months, and on quizzing, they gave a realistic figure of 8 weeks from the time of booking, I booked mine on 27th August. I'm yet to get my booking no. inspite of repeated reminder to the dealer, and I'm pretty sure, I'll be getting the delivery any where between 8th week and 10th week, which is not before Diwali, but as I already have a vehicle, I'm in no hurry.

Now, my question to the other members in the forum is, where can I appeal next if I do not get a response from Mr. Kapoor (which I'm sure is not going to come)?

Any suggestions as to how do I go about it?

Any help from any quarter will be appreciated, my appeal is, if we collectively do not take on these buggers, then we will be fleeced to no end.

[Dr.Suraj]

The Zest has forced me to come and write on this forum after a very long time.

So compelling was the drive - of the car and the 'new' Tata Motors, that I would not be able to sleep peacefully if I did not mention it at the one place that matters - Team BHP!

The Official Team BHP review:

Hats off - THIS is the quality and attention to detail that makes every review on TeamBHP worth waiting for and every word worth it's weight in gold.
Superb effort guys, time and again.

About Zest:

There is not much that I can say that hasn't already been said.
6 years and 32,000 kms with a Indica Lxi Petrol
~3 years and 38,000 kms with Manza Elan Qjet90 Celebration Edition (and counting)
1.8 years and 11,000 kms with a Nano 2012 Lxi Special Edition (and counting)

and the ZEST blows me away.

What a leap. Seriously - if one has the will, the desire, the drive and the focus - anything can be achieved.

A couple of years ago - Honda found themselves in a tight spot with regards to the Indian market - they revamped themselves and they came out with - Amaze and a new engine.

Around the same time began the decline of Tata Motors - and here they come back with a new engine (too) and Zest.

They bring much more fight to the table and their intentions show.

The car is truly one of the best ever from the Tata stable, the feature list is mind blowing, the quality of plastics, the HK system, the paint, the way the doors close (despite being same in structure as Manza) is a major leap ahead.
That steering - I am in love with! Wish I could transplant it on my Manza!

If I had to nitpick - and be a realist - every car has it's faults - I feel the Zest made a mistake with the 'resistive' touchscreen on the HK system.
BTW, the system worked perfectly with my friend's Samsung Galaxy Note, even reading out SMS perfectly. What I really liked is that you are not ONLY dependent on the touchscreen system - there are analogue buttons that do the job as well - for the AC and the volume etc. E.g. Honda City - the AC buttons are touch based and sometimes it makes you take your eyes off the road. (I am one of those guys who misses cellphones of yesteryears with QWERTY keypads and navigation keys that one could operate without even looking at the phone once and with 1 hand) So I liked this thoughtful bit.

So
1. Resistive touchscreen
2. Auto-folding mirrors
3. Cooled Glovebox
4. Charger for rear seat (used to be there in the Vista and Manza)
5. DRLs to work with headlamps (surely a SW tweak can fix this)
6. AMT in top end petrol and diesel (again 100% sure this is in the pipeline - based on response and demand they will come up with it - as a special edition or 6 months after the Bolt - somethings at TML will never change)
7. The piano black finish - seems prone to scratches? (now I am really nitpicking)
8. Rear CAMERA - only sensors? Would have loved a cam (again - I am sure will pop up in 1 of the editions)

Rest - FANTASTIC car. The drive, the modes, the display with door sensors, gear shift indicator, MID, the rear seat - nice and comfy, the look, GC, flip key, AC, fit and finish - BIG BIG LEAP.

& a salute to the guy's at Tata Motors - with a standing ovation for taking the challenge head on and coming up with this absolute winner.

Hats off to them - for executing all of this smoothly, despite the sudden loss of Karl Slym, CPM stood up to the challenge took charge and look at the change.

Never before have I seen Tata Motors spend so much on advertising.
Different, fresh and aggressive marketing.
Major re-vamp in sales and service that can actually be felt.

Sales & Service

Here - let me mention - that they still have a lot of work to do.
e.g. Concorde Motors - sales at Prabhadevi & service at Worli - both are FANTASTIC.
The ambience, the staff, the work being done.
At the service station - Worli - it's one of the best EVER.
The entire staff there, all the service advisors - Javed Shaikh, Mohammed Ismail, Shyam Subramaniam, Sanjay Verma - all of them - top notch. They make sure the work is done and issue is resolved.

The new GM there - Mr. Raju Patil and the CSM - Mr. Vignesh - are constantly on their toes and bringing about a lot of new changes and upgrades. The difference is instantly felt.

I urge all Tata owners in Mumbai to frequent ONLY Concorde outlets - Worli, Andheri (new one has come up, I am yet to review it), Panvel.
They are absolutely genuine and do a top notch job.

Stay away from Vama Motors at Chunabhatti - they are a very shady workshop with absolutely zero credibility and pathetic bunch of hooligans working there. They were recently pulled up by Tata Motors and reprimanded - but I doubt things will improve.

Wasan Motors seems to have improved marginally - but I would rather go to Concorde Motors - eyes closed.

AMC:

I read a lot of discussion about this - wanted to clarify based on personal experience.

I have a GOLD AMC for my Nano - 4 years, 20,000 Kms - cost Rs. 3100.
GOLD AMC for my Manza - 4 years, 40,000 kms - cost Rs. 26,318 Rs.

THE BEST MONEY I EVER SPENT. Every penny is PAISA VASOOL.

1. No service cost. Not even for the oil. Not for the labour. Not for the air filter. NOTHING for 4 years. Service every 10,000 kms or 1 year. COMPLETELY inclusive. You walk in and walk out without shelling out a dime.

2. The sheer number of parts covered under a Gold AMC is mind boggling - except for tires and electricals like bulbs etc. - EVERY thing you can imagine is covered - most importantly CLUTCH & BRAKE (most prone to wear and tear) is covered - brake pads, brake liners, clutch cylinder, clutch plate - all covered. AC, AC gas, wheel alignment - everything free. A lot of suspension parts also covered.
So this puts an END to the reliability and cost of ownership discussion - because it just does not get cheaper than this. You don't have to worry about paying for anything even if you are skeptical of Tata reliability - as it is all covered and doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.

(I remember GTO writing somewhere that tsk has changed a truck load of parts in his Safari - but still the issue is why did they need to be changed in the first place ... that dilemma we all hope has been sorted with TML now with the HorizoNext strategy where they made some changes with the vendors etc and they will put to bed this ghost that haunts them the most)

So if any dealer is offering an extension on the 3 years offer, even if PAID - go FOR it.
It will also add to the resale value of the car because the next buyer will also not have to worry about any unexpected cost of parts that may fail with age or wear and tear.


Overall - fantastic effort by Tata Motors.
I am eagerly awaiting the next 6 months and reports by Zest owners and if this is the pricing on the Zest, what would the Bolt be like!
& then - what would the Kite be like!


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