Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO
1) There are two types of 15 - 19 lakh rupee customers : One who looks at value, the second who buys on brand or image. Can't wait to run an analysis on the upcoming quarter's sales figures. After all, it's only the paying customer's word that counts. Truly, he's the one putting his money where his mouth is.
2) Some other reviewers are harping about how the Aria is 200 - 300 kilos lighter than the Safari. Sorry to say, its an urban myth. Aria = 2145 kg (mid variant) and 2160 kg (top loaded). Safari 4x4 = 2170.
3) Tata said they have no plans for a 4x2 variant at the moment, despite the promise of lower cost, better FE etc.
4) 140 BHP is a conservative tune for this engine. Tata should have given it some more power, if for nothing else, to differentiate the Aria from the Safari.
5) On a related note, I’m surprised that the Sumo replacement isn’t here yet. Long overdue. Why has Tata ignored the lucrative 6 - 8 lakh rupee utility vehicle segment for so long? Mahindra is having a field day!
6) I wonder why Tata didn’t get rid of the boot altogether to maximize third row comfort? If so, the Aria would have been a true 7 seater (as in, 7 adults). At the least, a sliding option should have been provided to the 3rd row for versatility.
7) Cruise control is very responsive when driving on the expressway. You can easily control acceleration / deceleration with your left hand. |
1) Agree with you. And in any case, a customer has a good option for people carrier in the form of Innova that is proven. Aria will have tough time. Moreover, at this price, some SUVs do step in. Who will not buy an SUV rather than Aria ? SUV will give them more image and presence than Aria. The pricing is real gambling. And the car is not fault free. A long distance machine without dead pedal ? And footwell does seem narrow.
Aria is not going to win any race for sales against the SUVs. I thought that Innova is priced a bit high. Now Aria makes me think that Innova is a good deal.
2) A real bad thing. Tata could have optimized here. I think that in future Tata will come up with a Rs. 17 -20 lakh SUV based on Aria's platform thats why then opted for body on chassis construction rather than monocoque.
3) I think that in future Tata will come up with lower versions. This is sort of Top down approach for product. First come up with high end version, then lower price ( reduce features, etc. ) and launch another variant.
4) The price will be major factor to differentiate Aria. Where tata will have tough time is justifying output similar to Safari. Some very mild overlap as far as engine is concerned. Tata could have gone to 20 more horses.
The customers will think that engine is a lift off from Safari and they are paying more for looks, features. Safari will look like VFM deal to them and the presence of Safari cannot be ignored.
5) IIRC, it was Tata first that came up with Spacio. Now Mahindra is ruling. More effort on Sumo replacement would be good. Grande sumo or mark 2 grande sumo is not successful. Tata is really losing the battle here.
6) Innova rear seats are more comfortable IMO. Tata should have focussed a bit more on rear seat and not on boot space that looks reasonably good with the three rows in place.
7) Is this feature really required ? How many expresshighways do we have that can actually utilize this feature ? A'bad-Vadodara is one, Mumbai-Pune another. In future traffic is sure to increase, so what is usefulness of Cruise control ? Its just personal feeling that Cruise control is almost next to useless in our driving conditions.
A few questions:
a) How is overall performance as compared to Innova in real life situations where most likely cruising on normal highways is going to be in the range of 90-110 kmph in general ? I know you have posted about engine and performance, but I am seriously concerned about how Innova vs Aria goes.
Here is a situation:
On a normal highway, there is a railway crossing. An Innova fully loaded slows down to cross bumps. The way Innova catches speed after slowing down for bumps is impressive even with full load. Does Aria have similar bottom end and linearity in power delivery ? I am aware from the review that after 1700 rpm there is good grunt, but in the above situation, how will you rate Innova and Aria.
I have a feeling that Innova's ratings are understated by toyota. I have noticed that after slowing down significantly, lets say from 80 to 20 kmph, Innova would pick up speed very quickly. On highways, I had to work out Baleno to match that pickup. Either Toyota has perfect state of tune or power figures are under rated IMO. I am impressed the way Innova picks up speed and maintains it there. In real world Innova does an excellent job. Does Aira manage the same or its like Curze where in after certain rpm the car would zoom off, but offer a relatively weak bottom end ?
If Aria does not offer Innova like response, its not good IMO.
b) Is gearing lower or higher than Innova ?