[ajay387]

Wow, what a detailed review, the page took about 2-3 mins to load on my 320kbps connection.

Isn't there anyway to make the first post with "Page Tags" specially in the Test Drives and Travelogues. Would load the page faster, and the post will be better, can have different page tags for Intro, DESIGN AND ENGINEERING, THE INSIDE STORY, POWERTRAIN, DRIVETRAIN AND PERFORMANCE and so on.

[akhilesh]

At 3950mm total length I am pretty sure that kerb weight isnt even close to 1.5 tonnes. Can someone confirm this? This sounds more like gross vehicle weight which is with all fluids and all passengers in the car.

[NutsNBolts]

Neat and detailed review sid. Exhaustive photos are enough make a decision without going to the showroom.

[sidindica]

According to the brochure, the gross vehicle weight is 1990 kgs.

[SmartCat]

Pricing seems to be quite reasonable, especially when one looks at the quality of the interiors of Venture and compares it with the Eeco. Top end versions of the Venture seems to be feature rich too. But yes, they need the CR4 engine so that this van is sold in all cities to rack some some decent sales numbers.

[427Cubes]

Thanks sid for the detailed review. I wanted to know more about Venture since i saw its ads on TV. Overall it is a good effort by Tata. Interiors seem exceptable for the segment and exteriors are much better than competition. However the overall weight seems way too much. I am not sure why all vehicles from Tata tend to be overweight. Having driven the first gen Indica I can imagine with this much weight and power how this would feel on road.

[kkg]

This was one of the reviews I was eagerly waiting for and who better to do it than you SID.

BTW, You mentioned it being BS 3. Does that mean it is not available in Delhi yet? How is the lane changing aspect on the highway and did you do some climbs or fly overs with full load and AC on ( would like to know how it would take the hills if taken on family holiday with full load and luggage).

I have been looking to test drive it for my inlaws but with no disc brakes upfront and sluggish motor on the highway, I think I should better wait.

For the time being the tour and taxi operators would have some good time and the families would stay away from it.

[sidindica]

Originally Posted by kkg

This was one of the reviews I was eagerly waiting for and who better to do it than you SID.

BTW, You mentioned it being BS 3. Does that mean it is not available in Delhi yet? How is the lane changing aspect on the highway and did you do some climbs or fly overs with full load and AC on ( would like to know how it would take the hills if taken on family holiday with full load and luggage).

I have been looking to test drive it for my inlaws but with no disc brakes upfront and sluggish motor on the highway, I think I should better wait.

For the time being the tour and taxi operators would have some good time and the families would stay away from it.

Not yet available in Delhi. With 4 people and AC on, the van is very sluggish in the mid range between 50-100. Not really recommended for hill climbing. Thought of sharing these. Coverage through IRVM too is limited.

[zalaps]

Excellent review Sid! Rated deserved 5*.

[theMAG]

Tata have a winner. The only flipside being the anemic 1.4 IDI in a 1.5 tonner. But heck, Tata figures out they have a mileage champ on their hands- the mantra of its target audience.

[rajeev k]

I like the great planted look. To quote really vantastic.. Looks like a miniature of a big bus. On any day it can beat the Omni fair and square.
The early Amby type vipers is nice looking.
The Vista resembling rear is the sore point. Could have done away with the bland bottom half looks had the Xmas tree lights were shifted there.

[sushanthr77]

Excellent review Sid.

Some observations:

(+)
01. Diesel
02. Spacious
03. Appeal to rural and utility market

(-)
01. Looks - Poor to Ordinary IMHO
02. Weight - 1.5 tonnes!
03. Performance - 30s to 100! (20s was acceptable)
04. Safety - Doesn't look like this ever was a priority.
05. FE - Most 5L rupee diesel hatches give about 20km/l
06. Price - Double of Omni (almost?)

IMHO, this is not a year - 2011 product by any means. It should have been easy to beat the two decade old Omni. However, at almost half the price, the Omni is unlikely to feel the heat from Venture.

[erohit]

A good detailed review Sid. Worth 5 stars.

[n.devdath]

The Venture will do what is exactly expected out of it, if it proves reliable.
It will be a higher version of the Tata Magic/Maruti Omni and will compete with the Eeco in the taxi segments but it still does not have the "Domestic" image that the Eeco somehow has (inspite of all the recent TML ads).
Also, it needs to be kept in mind that families that buy the Eeco are the ones who d prefer a low NVH petrol engine and a "Maruti" with ac that they d be driving around in the city more often.

[GTO]

Mind-boggling attention to detail! *Gives thread a 5 star rating*.

Thank you for reviewing this extremely interesting UV for us, Sid.

For a minivan, the Venture is one heck of a looker. I quite like the contemporary, proportionate look. As you said, unmistakably a Tata, and a van that makes the Eeco look 2 decades too old. Ride quality is an area that most vans don't get right (including its direct competitors), so it's great to hear that the Venture offers a mature suspension set up.

On the other hand, I'm waiting to gauge the market's response in the longer term. I don't have a problem with the price, as much as I do with the underwhelming engine. Such a basic powerplant effectively eliminates it from the personal owner segment; the pricing of the top variant indicates Tata did have the large family in mind too.

Question to Sid : PM me and let me know if you'd rather have this thread in the commercial vehicles sub-forum.