[vrvarier]

Thought Seed:

We have been using a Santro (2003) for the last 8 years. Even though it served us well, and is serving
well, the itch for next level of luxury started. As a family, we grew, and in our respective professions as well. So we could afford a little bit more luxury. On top of that there was a mandatory requirement of more space. So the requirement could be summarized as below:

1. Space: More members, more luggage
2. Deisel: Petrol price, and the itch to own a deisel. I'm a long drive fan, and want to make it more frequent.
3. Budget: Around 8 lakhs
4. Luxury: Maximum luxury/features that 8L can offer.
5. Good blend of Economy and dual purpose; city & highways

Options considered:

1. Tata Manza:

It was in the corner of my mind, ever since it was launched, sometime in 2009. I had a feeling that this
is my next car. The pricing was just right, and I could see good reviews. Mostly, every one said its a frog-leap from the normal Indigo standard. Unfortunately, I was out of action due to health reasons (I underwent a kidney transplant in March-2010) and everything took a back-seat for a while.

2. Mahindra Verito:

Contrary to many views here, I'm ok with its looks. Taxi image was'nt a problem. Requested for a test drive, and got a call from the dealer, and fixed an appointment for 2 days later. He never turned up or called back, and we too did'nt bother and moved on to other options. Also, the car did not give us a feel good factor, niether for me or wife. It did not really provide that "next level of luxury". Meanwhile, got 3 calls from mahindra asking whether I got to do test drive. Looks like dealers have sold enough !

2. Ford Fiesta classic:

Fiesta classic deisel seemed to fit the bill. Positives being,

1. Time tested. On the road since last 4-5 years or so.
2. Deisel version.
3. In budget
4. Ford brand was appealing. Br-in-law owns one (petrol) and he's very happy.

Negetives:

1. Rear space was a concern. Did'nt feel like it would accommodate 3 adults in the back, comfortably.
2. Did'nt like the looks. Too rounded, and lacks a mean look.
3. Power & mileage lesser than manza.
4. Did not offer features for that price. I had to go for the top-end which was ~1.5L more.
5. Did not like the short test drive that I took.
6. The ford folks seemed to have an attitude, and I did'nt like that one bit.

3. Ford figo:

Breif consideration. Do not have that big car image. Really doubt about the interior space, especially at the rear.

5. Honda city/ Volksvagen Vento/Verna Fluidic:

Out of budget, and very less features for the ones within budget. Have a "Just not my car" feeling. Did not test drive any of them.

6. Scorpio/Safari: Too big to handle for city rides. May be my next car ! Did not test drive.

7. Back to Manza:

Requested a test drive. Got calls from both concorde & prerana. Prerana guy followed up with me constantly
and he showed up at my house on time. Had a very elaborate test-drive. The guys were very much willing and
coperative. The attitude was like "we have a bad name, and we want to change that with this car", and I liked it. The car met all my expactations.

Positives:

1. Space. Rear space is best in class.
2. National Engine !
3. good power and mileage
4. Budget: Needed a little stretch, but manageable.
5. All good fatures, including the ABS.
6. The new Aura ABS was offered in Tyrian Wine color, which was the instant favourite.
7. All the features we wanted/liked: Good music system with all options, blurtooth, ABS, fog lamps

Negetives:

1. TATA ! Everyone said, beware !
2. Tight clutch/gear. may be part of my shift to deisel. will be felt more in city traffic.
3. Rear de-fogger will be sorely missed (as I'm missing now in my present car)
4. A rear AC vent could've been better, as this is a big car.
5. Does'nt have the killer looks, but ok.
6. Niggles reported


Decision:

So MANZA it is ! Wife had apprehensions about the quality. Somehow I felt like taking those risks and go for it. Apparently, I've decided long ago to buy Manza, and was trying to find excuses not to but any other cars.

Model: We compared the list of our must-have's and the features offered by manza. The Tyrian wine was our choice, and that was offered in Top-end Elan & Aura ABS. We were not keen on the additional features that
Elan offered. So the decision was narrowed down to Aura ABS. Later, much later, we realized to our disappointment, that the new Aura ABS does'nt have rear de-fogger. Sob !

So, the final spec is:

Car:Tata Manza
Variant: New Aura ABS
Fuel: Diesel
Colour: Tyrian Wine
Dealer: Prerana Motors, Lalbag road, Bangalore
Discounts: 15K cash discounts, 6K corp discount
Freebies: Sun-film, mud-flaps, floor-mats, car cover, Idol Perfume
OTR Price: 8.36 Lakhs

Buying:

The next hurdle was the finance. Evaluated loans from HDFC/Axis bank, but finally decided to do away with loans, and go with our own finance. 11.5% was a waste while we are having the funds. Needed a little running around to arrange it from diversified channels.

Prerana said the vehicle is immediately available and delivery will take only 2 days after payment. Went to the showroom on a saturday and made the booking by paying 10k. I was wanting the VIN on that day, but they said the vehicles are not yet "Billed to Prerana" from the manufacturer. Monday passed without any incidents, and on Tuesday came an SMS saying that the vehicle is allotted and the VIN (Chassis number). This was decoded to Sept 2011 which was the current month. Releif ! Decided to do an inspection the next day at the showroom. Went to the showroom next day, and saw my car there. It was the only Tyrian wine colour there at that time. Did the PDI there, could not find any issues. The ODO reading was 45km. Made a part payment there by cheque.

The funds were available by Thursday and full payment was completed by same day noon. He promised the delivery on Sunday, or max on Monday. On saturday he calls me and tells he can deliver only on Monday. That was kind of expected and I was not very keen on taking the delivery on sunday, because in case of an issue, most people would be off on that day and it could not be resolved.

Come monday, and we are there at the showroom by 11, he said the vehicle is being prepared and will be ready in half an hour. Meanwhile I inspected the vehicle once again and made sure that its the same one which I saw before. Waiting continues, and Raghavendra (sales executive) says we can finish the paper work in the meantime. I went through all the papers and made sure that VIN is same in all papers, and my name & address are spelt correctly everywhere. This takes another half hour with Qns & Answers. He then hands me over the keys & papers, and me & raghavendra goes down to the car. He explained the fatures of the car, which was not really necessary, as I knew more than him. There was a photo taken with me accepting the delivery. I took the key, sat inside the car and starts the engine. It would not start. I tried 3-4 times, with no luck. ANother SA came to me and said, I need to press the clutch. I did that but no luck. Finally I press the clutch full, with the pedal touching the floor, and engine coughs to life ! And what a silent engine. I could hardly hear the sound of engine running. We roll out of the showroom after two, to thick traffic in lalbag road.

Initial impressions:

Much better interior qualities, from Indigo & Indica and my santro.
Steering wheel & music system console, DIS gives a very rich look
Extremely good seating position, with fully drwan back & fully raised drivers seat.
Glove is large.
Lots of storage space.
Very good music system. May not be a geek's own, but will satisfy 95% of users. Has all the options I
would need. I will not think about enhancing it.
AC is adequate, can't say great.
Sunfilm felt to be just right. Not too dark/light.

Engine felt sluggish at lower rpms, especially 2nd gear.
Gear/clutch are very tight. Deisel?
Need to press the clutch to the floor for changing gear. Adjust? Again, deisel?
Not enough steering grip. Steering cover?
May miss a rear AC vent.
Throw the perfume out of the window as soon as you can.

The car came home around 3pm and entire family came down to see and admire the car. Declared holiday for
myself in office, and took her for a photoshoot in the evening. Pooja is planned for tomorrow morning.

Thanks.

[puchoo]

Congratulations!!

yes the RC can take quite sometime to come , when we bought the Ritz last year for the wifey i think we got the RC in about 90 days.

[libranof1987]

Congratulations on the Manza; this colour looks particularly good on it!

The RC book will take 30 days to come. Is this so?

Yep, the actual RC smart card takes time to arrive. It actually depends on the RTO. Could take a month on average.

I did'nt get the number,will take 2 days?

You'll get it once the RC is ready. For now, you've the temp. no, right?

The 'IND' number plate is going to be mandatory, and will cost 1000 Rs?

I read about someone mentioning that the high security no. plates will be compulsory but I'm not aware of the time frame. Might as well get them now itself. And yes, they are ~1k.

Yet to read the manual, but what is the speed/rpm during run-in period?

Just keep the rpm constant and steady; no abrupt accelerations. ~2.5k rpm should be good.

Happy ownership period!

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by vrvarier

Yet to read the manual, but what is the speed/rpm during run-in period?

Congrats on your new ride. That's a nice color - looks like they have taken it to interiors as well!

For the run-in I would go with a 300-300-400 km break in.

0-300 km - Gear shifts @ 2000 rpm, speeds up to 80 kmph max, in 5th gear!
301-600 km - Gear shifts @ 3500 rpm
601-1000 km - Red line the car in 1 & 2 gears & keep varying the speeds so that you get the car to go thru varying rpms.

In the last 400 kms, I would make sure that I don't drive in any same rpm for an extended duration, rather will push the car thru its paces & move thru a wide range of rpms.

During this 1000 km, please AVOID quick acceleration & also sudden braking. You most probably will get a good FE for the initial 300 kms, then it will keep coming down if you follow what I mentioned, but your engine will be fine.

Also for the first service @ 1000 km, I would voluntarily change oil & oil filter too, though it may not be recommended.

Wish you miles of happy & safe motoring !

Edit:: The below points are for long term benefits, not only run in period.

Please idle close to a min, before shut down after every drive, idling for a min before starting the first drive every day also is good

Please make sure you don't shut down the engine quick once you have driven for a long time in turbo band - this is very important

Please don't drive above 2K rpm any day before you reach the optimum temperature [mid way]. The time to reach optimum temperature will ideally be 3-4 kms drive if you are not in a traffic block!

[bigvishnu]

Venu
congrats and the new car, and all the best!

Tyran Wine is a great color, wish it was available on the Vista too!

The RC, yes, will take some time. the number plates, ask the dealer to give you the free default metal plates for now, u can always get the high security plates when it becomes the rule. Remember , how long it took for mandating helmets!

follow the run-in tips given by Swiftnfurious and you will be good to go. keep us posted on the updates.

what accessories do you plan to add?

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

0-300 km - Gear shifts @ 2000 rpm, speeds up to 80 kmph max, in 5th gear!
301-600 km - Gear shifts @ 3500 rpm
601-1000 km - Red line the car in 1 & 2 gears & keep varying the speeds so that you get the car to go thru varying rpms.



During this 1000 km, please AVOID quick acceleration & also sudden braking. You most probably will get a good FE for the initial 300 kms, then it will keep coming down if you follow what I mentioned, but your engine will be fine.

Contradicting yourself a bit? How do you redline, without quick acceleration? I've not heard of such a run in. There are people who run in and people who don't. If you want to run in keep the engine below 4k rpm (for petrol) and 3k rpm (for diesel) for 1000km. Also go through the instruction manual of the car for more detailed explanations.

Congrats on the car.

[MAS]

Congrats on your new drive Venu

Tyran wine is a good colour, but difficult to maintain. Please buy a good polish and keep it handy for frequent use.

The wheel caps look gross. Pl go in for the after-market alloys.

[motomaverick]

Congrats Venu, so finally you get your hands on the Manza, the color really looks rich, now only get rid of the wheel caps and get some alloys

Though to start the car the crank is longer than petrol car, i had that problem in the initial few days. Actually depressing the clutch is not mandatory to start the engine but its a good practice to depress it as mentioned in the manual.

The RC takes time, if your RTO is Koramangala then 45 days is what I would say as the same message i got.

Regards to the number plate, its still not mandatory but even outside its 1k cost so you can as well ask Prerana to give you the plate when you get the number.

I ran in the car in 7 days flat with rpm not more than 2k and sometimes 2.5k. The manual does not speak of the rpm but says not more than 80 in 5th gear, there should be a sticker on the top right corner of the windshield.

[classact]

Originally Posted by puchoo

Congratulations!!

yes the RC can take quite sometime to come , when we bought the Ritz last year for the wifey i think we got the RC in about 90 days.

That's a nice car you've got. Even I had finalized on Manza(when I wanted a sedan) after test driving it and reading lot of reviews. The feel you get once you're in it is more Van like, everything is so spacious and well thought out. Later I went on to buy my rock solid Xylo(since I was able to upgrade my budget after all). Have a nice time with your car and enjoy responsibly

[vasanthn21]

Congrats, great color.

There are contradicting views on run-in. There is a separate thread on team-BHP on "How to run-in your car", search it and you should get it.

I would suggest sticking to the instructions in the manual. Until you read the manual, stay below 2500 rpm to be on safer side.

[raviacc2825]

Hi Vrvarier,

Congratulations on your purchase!!!

The color looks really good. Yes, RC can take up to a month, mine took around 25 days. During run-in period, try and keep RPM below 2.5k mark and speed not more than 70-80KM.

Ravi

[lifebuoy]

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[ghodlur]

@vrvarier,

Congratulations on the new Manza. The colour looks intoxicating on the car.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

The RC normally takes 3-4 weeks depending upon the RTO, the dealers have a knack of getting it faster too. Regarding the number plates, could not understand your query. Is the dealer charging you for the number plates? Normally the run in period should be around 1K-1.5K and not revving the engine past the 60 kmph mark. Enjoy your ride and post more pics of the interior too.

[SedatedDrive]

Please post rear seat photos too. No Manza photoshoot is complete without pictures of its USP.

[bigron]

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