[magikrider]

First of all.. Fantastic review guys! Very precise and to the point, covering the smallest details. I must say I am a fan of your reviews! No car mag journo matches! Hats off!

I really liked the interiors. Am really impressed. Much better than innova for sure. And that's saying something. But a little over priced for sure. Had it been in the innova's range, it would have been a great success for sure. It would have repeated skoda superb's story of scoring over honda accord. I would pick this over innova any day in that range. but at this price I think it makes the innova a true vfm car.
But nevertheless a brave attempt from Tata and its heading towards the right direction now. The landrover effect is rubbing of good and I really expect tata to give highly advance SUV's in future.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by suman

Yes there is - don't forget the Buildadreamcar assembly line

Originally Posted by VeluM

Has to be to achieve 4x4, doesn't there? Plus I saw it when building the "Dream Car"

Never built my dream car! If I did, I wouldn't have been able to afford it.
But apparently not a low-range transfer case.

Originally Posted by VeluM

Not sure, but I thought the CR-V sells quite well?

The 2WD CR-V sells more than the 4WD version.

OT: Thanks for the edit on my previous post, Rehaan.

[KMT]

Judging from the pricing and the specs, it looks like Tata will sell 70%+ in the lowest variant that is equal to (in features) or better than the highest version of Scorpio & Innova. I guess they must have done their homework and found that this is a viable segment. The top end stuff is just a distraction to everyone.
They will sell just about 15%-25% in the higher end variants.

If the pricing proves too high and fails, I am sure they will have offers that will reduce prices by 50k+. Alternatively they will launch 2WD variants at 1L less than the 4x4 versions.

As someone else suggested, Tata needs to consider a new brand for an upmarket product.

I reckon providing every version with 4x4 is a waste, the money would have been better invested in developing an AT gearbox.

On the whole, great to see an all Indian product setting so many benchmarks.

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

Despite the Indian market being very sensitive to price and fuel efficiency, Tata says they have no plans for a 2WD version!

thats bad. i am sure if they launch a 2WD version & price it a lakh cheaper, it would sell much more.

Originally Posted by noopster

- The list of useless features is impressive: GPS ("turn left at Hanuman ki tekdi", perhaps?), cruise control, reverse camera (if you can't park, don't buy a big car!)

i am sure you were kidding... dont say i am wrong!

Why not crib about these features in a ford endy then???

Originally Posted by suman

Sorry, I made a mistake, the difference in on-road prices is 4.35 lacs!!

+1.

I dont understand why people are cribbing so much on the pricing? even i feel its a bit overpriced but TATA has not gone so over the board with the pricing.

Cmon guys, you are comparing it to the fortuner? Fortuner costs a cool 4 lakhs more & comes with ABS & 2 airbags. on the other hand, Aria has all disc brakes, 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, TCS & ESP, now what???

ok given a choice, even i would buy a fortuner over the Aria, but thats more because TATA has not got the brand value & reliability of the toyota... but i do find this car with it's impressive features very desirable. after all, if i am spending huge bucks on a car, i do need lots of toys (read features) to play with in it!

[maverick56]

Dream time folks
When can we expect a SWB Aria riding on 18 inchers and the same trim levels. Would surely be much better than dragging the whole length along a dusty road. The costs of chopping the length would be much less, better still TATA can start a customization dept to do the same ....for a price, ofcourse !!

[BuRnT RuBbEr]

Q: what kind of insulation is provided on the storage spaces in the roof? things could heat up in the sun.
rant: unless I'm chuddy-buddy with someone running T-A-S-S, I'm still going to go out and buy an innova. or a fortuner/endeavor. This should have been the Aria type 2. Type one being a plain jane spanning top end xylo - top end innova price bracket. Tata motors is known to have issues in 1st gen products. They can ofcourse manage to prove that wrong, but nonetheless expect things to be rather mellow when it comes to end-of-quarter-numbers for atleast 2-3 quarters, if not 4.

P.S: five star thread.

[DicKy]

The pricing unusually for Tata surprised me for he wrong reasons.But compared to the percieved rivals it's a steal.
But Tata should have offered a 2WD version too and also A/T, which are absolutely required.
Also i don't particularly like the instrument cluster, looks too small.

[rpmx1000]

Lovely 5* review again, GTO & mod team.But less said the better of the comments.

Tata never gets it right on team-bhp. Lots of enlightened individuals here who don't know more than ABCs of cars yet cribbing on the price. Feel disgusted
to see some of the response of so-called members of the elite automotive website of india. Anyways, sometimes I'm glad the average Indian buyer is'nt looking at team-bhp. Too much of herd mentality here. In that sense T-bhp's really become representative of the average indian buyer.

The point I'm trying to make is: Tata has spent 5 years, of known positive
effort in getting this product to market. It takes our armchair experts 5 seconds to pass on a rather (ill-informed) opinion even after reading a good, unbiased review of something that's been tested for reliability over lakhs of kilometres of testing. Someone accuses Tata of trying to make money.Is that a problem? Anyways, those who want to buy will buy anyways and those who don't wont, irrespective of what anyone on tbhp says. Every product has its downsides.Tomorrow Tata will launch a rolls-like product and you will still crib that it costs more than 15 lakhs. Off with the lot of you.Just would request, try to be more responsible when comments come up because people read them. Hope I won't be subject to more hypocrisy because I choose to tell it like it is. We should use our knowledge to enable people to make a choice, like GTO tries to do. Let us atleast acknowledge this product for what it is. An affordable, loaded , fantastic product that's truly a showcase of Indian abilities.

[sandeepmdas]

Alas, TATA has finally launched a vehicle that can test the reviewing potential of our RR team (Rush n Rehaan) Kudos to both parties!

I am really saddened by some of the posts/comments made by fellow TBHPians.

Aria is a turning point for TML. What's more important to the tech/features/looks are the questions:
- whether Tata can build this vehicle without "bugs"?
- whether they can provide a premium service and support experience to the owners?
- whether people will buy a above-10L vehicle from them?

My answer is YES for all these three questions. Just look at where they stood in 2001 and where they are standing now. If they can make Aria a success, imagine what their position will be in 2021!

And remember their total R&D budget was 1500 crores for FY09-10. The royalty amount Maruti has paid to its parent Suzuki for the K-series engines: 1700+ crores.

[sanjayatarizona]

Another 11 star review by GTO and Rehaan .One thing i can't figure out for the life of me is , why did TATA screw up the space component for the 3rd row. I mean c'mon, this is TATA we are talking about and generous space is their forte.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Dear GTO and Rehaan - thank you for your excellent report.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[fuel_addict]

An excellent comprehensive review as always. The Aria scores high on the gadgets and gizmos front but the asking price seems to be high considering the Tata brand name & known niggling issues associated with every Tata car. The price is a giant leap over the Safari pricing which has the same engine.

I feel that delivery times might be a crucial factor if the Aria has to be a success. For someone eyeing the Fortuner which has a long lead time, the Aria at a lower price tag & more features should be a tempting proposition indeed.

[damodar]

Aria pleasure price is same as top end safari. It handles better, has a better warranty 3 years vs 2 for safari. Definetly better built with no rattles or unwanted body sounds . Now how many units this version of safari sells per month ? Can we assume that the aria will atleast double of that. Forget innova for now guys people who buy them may hardly choose aria. Once aria proves itself as a product only then will there be a shift from then. Untill then tata should be happy to sell this in the export market and a few hundreds in the domestic market.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by sandeepmdas

Alas, TATA has finally launched a vehicle that can test the reviewing potential of our RR team (Rush n Rehaan) Kudos to both parties!

I am really saddened by some of the posts/comments made by fellow TBHPians.

Aria is a turning point for TML. What's more important to the tech/features/looks are the questions:
- whether Tata can build this vehicle without "bugs"?
- whether they can provide a premium service and support experience to the owners?
- whether people will buy a above-10L vehicle from them?

My answer is YES for all these three questions. Just look at where they stood in 2001 and where they are standing now. If they can make Aria a success, imagine what their position will be in 2021!

And remember their total R&D budget was 1500 crores for FY09-10. The royalty amount Maruti has paid to its parent Suzuki for the K-series engines: 1700+ crores.

I agree with you Sandeep on most parts, except the premium service part. Believe me the A.S.S. are the ones which ruin your car more than the your abuse (refer Tanveer's Safari case with a dealership in Delhi), & owners problems are aggravated by poor quality from the manufacturer (which is Tata's real problem).

I do not care for or respect the A.S.S. these days any more as I have realised that one service from a good mechanic out of the A.S.S. can work wonders for the vehicle.

Regarding the pricing front I had expected the pricing to be in line with what I had posted way back in May-10 (INR 12-16 lacs), because I had access to details from a confident source. Yes, I find the pricing prohibitive, but would like to consider if I am buying a car in 15 lacs budget... at least it would be prioritised over the Captiva (small A.S.S. & not many outside mechanics are interested in servicing GM cars) & probably the Endy on a feature comparison, spares cost & too old (it is the spares of Figo that are publicised as cheap).

Well the overall review of the Rehaan & GTO team is wonderful as usual, but, i am disappointed that they too when with the excess baggage of poor Tata quality & high pricing in their mind (I believe in Zero-Base Budgeting especially from the experienced team)... then even these two guys are human... so no complaints, & all appreciation for their hard-work & attention to minutest details.

Thank you very-2 much guys.

[mxx]

Checked out the Aria at the showroom today. And I was impressed. This was the first vehicle from an Indian manufacturer that I really said "wow". Not just the exterior design, but also things like the interior fit and finish, layout etc. Maybe I had very low expectations, cos years back when I checked out the safari, I was really put off. Anyway, the end product is nicely executed.

I did not get a chance to test drive, and after reading the GTO review, I assume the drive was good too, considering the innova and xylo - both of which I have driven- are not drivers car either.

In all, I think this is one car I will consider if I ever go the MUV route and happily strech my budget for it.

Originally Posted by GTO

Other Points:
• By not giving an automatic option, Tata has missed an opportunity. Premium car buyers are increasingly choosing slush boxes. This is all the more relevant as the Aria is targeted toward the urban customer.

+1000, not just the domestic customers, they really need a auto for good volumes in export market.


@GTO : One question. Your review was mostly positive towards the Aria. Yet in the end you said that the product is not worth its price. Thats confusing. Can you explain? Is it because of tata a.s.s, brand image? or the product lacks something? Also if you take out brand image and a.s.s out of the picture, as a product how do you rate Aria on a scale of 1-10?

IMO, it is expensive, but the price is justified by its features - features as in 4x4, ESP, side curtain airbags, all 4 disc brakes etc which cannot be fitted aftermarket.