[sreejith_gce]

@mmxylodriver : Well, not really sure what all normal warranty covers. But I have taken extended warranty and there were no fuss in getting the part replaced FOC.
@Sriku : Xylo is uglier in looks than Grande. There are not many vehicles which can beat Grande's front looks. The only design issue people spot is large D-Pillar and rear. I call grande a small land cruiser at 1/10th price! (I know its a very loose comment
Grande is still good value for money & MK II is a much refined version.
If tata guys are clever, they should look at Honda Pilot, GMC Yukon/Tahoe for some inspirations

[sriku]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

@sriku:
I am surprised that you saw a large number of Grandes on your trip from Mumbai. We hardly see any in the City or even on my drives to Bangalore, Trichy etc...

I am willing to concede, that as the Grande was on my mind a day prior to the chennai trip, it could have lead to the illusion that every third car I saw was a grande...although I am pretty sure I saw quite a few, and my brother cackling away each time we spotted one was pretty unforgettable

Your point about Tata's success and not needing to feel sorry for the Grande are well taken, however, any company would want their car to sell in large numbers, and would possibly do what it takes to ensure the numbers are achieved, by providing better quality at a specific price point, strengthening their presence in targetted areas, encouraging brand presence by marketing, better workshops etc.

The fact that Tata doesn't seem to be bothered about the last bit is a major putoff, especially for customers in India who are virtually pampered by Maruti, Hyundai authorised service center's. (from observations and opinions I have gathered from people I know)

My own experience with Mahindra has been pretty pain-free, however most of the people I know will never recommend a Tata car, simply because of the nuisance value of dealing with a Tata A.S.S. Of course, there are the other kind as well, those who are Tata loyalist's, and will buy everything Tata makes, perhaps preferring a known devil.

My involvement in this thread was to determine for myself whether this sweeping perception of Tata A.S.S is actually deserved, or just specific to certain center's in specific locations. I guess the reputation still stinks, unfortunate for Tata, more power to us for knowing the consequences before plunging into an ownership experience fraught with tussles and incompetence.

Cheers,
Sriku

[4x4addict]

My most recent experience with Tata Dealership wasn't fun at all. A few months back, I called Concorde motors to test drive a Xenon as we wanted one for the estate use. The person on the other end checked with a sales rep and confirmed that Xenon was available and I could go to dealership.

I drove there and after waiting in the for a while I was told that there was no Xenon. I would have left quietly knowing Tatas history of customer service, but then the sales rep suggested a test drive of the Indica Vista. What I called him and my reply cannot be printed here :-). So they come up with a nice *lifestyle* vehicle like the Xenon for 10 lakhs OTR and when a customer goes to check one out, this is the experience.

I think most of the sales people are trained/experience in selling Indicas and Sumos to fleet buyers and they are not sufficiently trained to handle private users. I suspect this maybe the same with the service a well.

[sriku]

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

I think most of the sales people are trained/experience in selling Indicas and Sumos to fleet buyers and they are not sufficiently trained to handle private users. I suspect this maybe the same with the service a well.

Not surprising then, that almost everyone (there are very few exceptions) I have spoken to about this, without hesitation, tells me to stay as far away from a Tata dealer/workshop as possible. Too bad then, I'll stay away from the Grande too, and focus instead on the base Scorpio and Xylo E4. Already owned a Bolero, and am not interested in another. Tavera does not appeal to me at all. So in the <10 lakh on the road budget, the only UV's that I can consider are two models from Mahindra, and nothing else. We seriously need more 1.5 to 2.2 CRDI diesel UV's to fill this market.

Cheers,
Sriku

[HappyRoadie]

Grande is fun to drive. The only problem is that while driving the road visibility is not that good. I am not able to see smaller cars coming from left. Same is the case with rear visibility. I am thinking of putting reverse camera for my convenience.

I feel vibration while sitting in the last row. Is it a serious matter??

[diyguy]

I visit VST in chennai, Annanagar twice now in the past 8 months. Both times I wanted to buy the Safari or the Grande MKII and requested for test drives. They assured me will be done same day, but the hopless guys that they are, I did not even get a call back. I wanted to swap one of my other cars - 10 Yr Qualis or 4 Year Swift for a newer vehicle, but those jokers done seem to care of be interested in making a sale.

Also someone told me the Sumo Grande is a family killer. So that one scared me. Apparently it topples on high speeds. Is this true?

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by diyguy

I visit VST in chennai, Annanagar twice now in the past 8 months. Both times I wanted to buy the Safari or the Grande MKII and requested for test drives. They assured me will be done same day, but the hopless guys that they are, I did not even get a call back. I wanted to swap one of my other cars - 10 Yr Qualis or 4 Year Swift for a newer vehicle, but those jokers done seem to care of be interested in making a sale.

Also someone told me the Sumo Grande is a family killer. So that one scared me. Apparently it topples on high speeds. Is this true?

I too had a similar experience with VST Chennai . They response was not good at all. Therefore I decided to try my luck at Concorde Velachery when the MK II was introduced.. And that turned out to be a good choice.. The sales person was open and kept up all the committed dates until the RC book was handed over. Even later on when I contacted her to repair the sun film sheet work done by them she was very prompt and ensured the accessories people did what was needed. Probably this person is an exception to the rule

I am not sure about what is meant by the family killer. During this 7 months of ownership I have done 15,000 KMs and most of it on the highway with my family and I did not have family killing situations.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by arulpeem

I too had a similar experience with VST Chennai . They response was not good at all. Therefore I decided to try my luck at Concorde Velachery when the MK II was introduced.. And that turned out to be a good choice.. The sales person was open and kept up all the committed dates until the RC book was handed over. Even later on when I contacted her to repair the sun film sheet work done by them she was very prompt and ensured the accessories people did what was needed. Probably this person is an exception to the rule

I am not sure about what is meant by the family killer. During this 7 months of ownership I have done 15,000 KMs and most of it on the highway with my family and I did not have family killing situations.

Thanks for the reply on the killer thing. I was tld the car is unstable at high speeds and sudden braking situations. I will try Concorde.

[HappyRoadie]

Hi arulpeem, if I am not mistaken you have Grande MKII. Have you driven original Grande? How do you find ride quality compared to original one and also the stability. The road visibility in my Grande is not that good. Is road visibility of Grande MKII better than original Grande.

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Hi arulpeem, if I am not mistaken you have Grande MKII. Have you driven original Grande? How do you find ride quality compared to original one and also the stability. The road visibility in my Grande is not that good. Is road visibility of Grande MKII better than original Grande.

HappyRoadie, whats the stability issue you face in your Grande? I seriously doubt they would have taken care of it... I am considering the MKII myself.

[HappyRoadie]

diyguy, I mean that there is fair amount of body roll. While taking turns you have to reduce your speed. In new Mark II there is very less body roll present as compared to original Grande. This is the only issue. Rest Grande Mark II is real VFM. I would suggest you that you should go with Grande MKII. You will definitely enjoy the better and upgraded version of Grande.

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Hi arulpeem, if I am not mistaken you have Grande MKII. Have you driven original Grande? How do you find ride quality compared to original one and also the stability. The road visibility in my Grande is not that good. Is road visibility of Grande MKII better than original Grande.

Hi Happyroadie,

Yes. I have the MK II version. I had test driven the earlier Grande and did not buy it because of the vague steering, poor gear shift, poor brakes and body roll. I was the first guy to test drive the MKII from Concorde Chennai and after about 15 Km of test drive and booked it without any hesitation since the above issues had been dealt with by TATA to a reasonable extent. I was and am happy with the ride quality and stability. The body design is the same for both and so I don't think there is any difference in the visibility, especially of smaller vehicles that are close to and behind me.

[HappyRoadie]

Thanks arulpeem. I asked this because the seats of MKII have better cushioning as compared to my Grande. I read somewhere that the bonnet in MKII has been lowered for better visibility.

[arulpeem]

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie

Thanks arulpeem. I asked this because the seats of MKII have better cushioning as compared to my Grande. I read somewhere that the bonnet in MKII has been lowered for better visibility.

Hi,

I do not think so that they have lowered the bonnet in MKII. I forgot to mention that another aspect that put me off in the Grande was the bad quality of plastics. In MKII it is reasonable and nothing has rattled off or come off till date

[HappyRoadie]

arulpeem you are right. My car is full of rattles. Also there is vibration present in the floor. In MKII it is not present. This shows all the improvements in the Mark II.