[ssathiyanarayan]

Dear Team BHP ians and readers,

Hope all are having an enjoyable time. I'm a newbie in this forum. Thought of sharing my experience of buying a new car. My inspirations have been AdityaDeane & Venky03 review of Renault Triber, SharathScorp & Leoshashi review of MSIL XL6, PrasannaDhana review of XZ+ Diesel, W.A.G.7 review of Tata Altroz XZ DCA. Their words very so precise, descriptive and with elaborate pictures. This served as a reference and buying guide for anyone refering those threads.

Like all of them I'll also try my level best to pen down all things like I came across - need for a car, research done to short listing of cars, my condition, test drives, booking my new car, Team BHP merchandise search, VIN decoding, loan processing, naming dilemma, PDI and delivery. Plan to take this thread as a long-term review one as well.

Need for car:

My needs were quite elaborate. So, quoting the past threads instead
Need help buying my first car
Need help buying my first car

Thanks shancz, NovemberKing_91 for your suggestions. These helped me to prioritize things very well.

Research done:

I ran across multiple threads on review of new cars, ownership review of fellow BHP ians.
Re: First new car for a young professional & his parents
Re: CNG in automatic transmission
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/Re: CNG in automatic transmission

Thanks kosjam for clarifying the technicalities and commercial standpoints on Auto+CNG combinations. Quite enriching discussions during research phase. GTO threw light along the less treaded path. May be once I mature enough, I would take the road less travelled. GTO, I’ve to say this here, “I’m a Big Fan of your Work Sir”. (Kindly say it in Fahad Fazil’s tone from Vikram 2022 movie)

My condition:

People with faint heart kindly skip this heading and contents. Things which may be disturbing things are detailed at length.

Fate played its dice game. I met with a nasty accident on road when riding my bicycle. Being an endurance cyclist and a commute rider, I was in full Safety rider gear with GPS, linked with sensor like - Speed, Cadence, Heart Rate and Radar on the day of accident. There was signal with RED. So came to halt along with traffic. A cement mixer with full load dashed and dragged me a couple of meters, crushed my bicycle and parked on my abdomen, the drive fled. Everything in a flash. My miserable cry made onlookers to pull a driver from another vehicle and reverse the parked mixer on me.

One Godly first responder Mr. Pramod Ghore Patil took me to a nearby hospital. Being a major accident, the small hospital asked to shift to multi-speciality hospital nearby. I was shifted to the hospital with my best friend Mr. Vishwesh Deshpande coming to see me in that state. Remember telling him to take care of me and inform my family of the accident. My chances of survival were pretty low... as low as 5%. The doctors were godly people. I was operated by a crew of doctors 10 nos. headed by Dr. Vinayak Shivajirao Mane and Dr. Suhas Khamble.

My discharge happened after 60 days in ICU with 8 surgeries spanned across multiple days and multiple procedures to save my life. My injury summary: bilateral diaphragm tear, internal organs damage except of heart, brain and spinal cord, 1 meter cut out from small intestines, 35 broken bones in my pelvic area leading to complete pelvic reconstruction, 15 broken rib case bones, 15+ bones fractured in my left-hand fingers alone, a fibula fracture leading to severe concussion and nerve injury of right leg, 300+ stitches. I still remember the ICU, OT crew giving me a standing ovation on my discharge day. I'm grateful to God and doctors who saved my life.

Then began the phase of recovery and rehabilitation. That was the moment I need to again thank Dr. Vinayak Shivajirao Mane, Physiotherapists - Dr. Alpesh Katarmal and Dr. Nidhi Agarwal. They helped me with physiotherapy to recover, gain strength and rehabilitate properly. A testing phase in my life that taught me a lot of life lessons. One that I will never ever forget in my life!!

The above piece of information may be irrelevant in the car forum discussion, but this changed everything upside down in my life.

Short listing of cars:

So, after the accident saga, I gave up on the idea of travelling by cars, forget buying cars!! But the ongoing expenses in travelling due to my condition, prompted the idea of car buying again. Also, my doctors and physiotherapist suggested that I should try taking all the activities I was capable of doing before my accident. This will help them identify the things I struggle to do, and they can rectify them to help me revert to my normal life condition. So, I took up the driving class without license at a nearby driving school. It was few kms away. They further suggested me to drive 2-wheeler to that place. After lot of training, I was confident of my driving. Thanks to the encouragement of my trainers Mr. Mangesh and Mr. Dinesh. I'm very confident that I can drive better. Not that great I used to in GCC and highways cruising before accident. But a pretty decent one.

Re: ARTICLE: How to buy a *NEW* car in India
Re: ARTICLE: How to buy a *NEW* car in India

Funambulist made gave some questions that made me retrospect my needs, cars shortlisted and decide on way forward. Though not a direct answer, it helped to take things forward in the right direction.

My wife made it clear on certain topics:
• Only automatics, no manual - accident condition, also if I needed helping hand at times, she may step in
• No big vehicles - So all 7 seaters got ruled out in a moment, except for Triber. Tata Safari & Harrier got shunted out
• Safe car - again because of my accident. My bicycle, Grey Ghost, was a well-built machine that took majority of the impact and sacrificed to save me.
• On-road of 10 Lacs +/-1 - This ruled out may choices I had. Again Tata Safari & Harrier got shunted out
• A big no to diesels - Somewhere I was refering my friend on DPF issues based on the reading of Team BHP forums. My wife observed the complete saga and asked the background and next moment said NO to diesels. Again, Tata Harrier and Tata Altroz got shunted out

I came to the below choices:
• Honda Amaze VX - CVT
• Tata Tigor XZA+ (L) - AMT
• Tata Punch Creative iRA AMT
• Tata Nexon XMA+(S) - AMT
• Tata Altroz XZA+ - DCA

I started to hate AMTs after going through several threads on cars with AMTs. I made it clear that if I’ve to drive, it needs to be a proper automatic. So, choices were very much narrowed to the below:
• Honda Amaze VX - CVT
• Tata Altroz XZA+ - DCA

Test drives:

This is the crucial phase in buying a car. How a vehicle behaves on road is understood during this and it will decide whether we go ahead or drop the plan to buy a car.

With extremely limited choice at hand, myself and my wife started my test drive on 13-May-2023. First stop was at Honda - Crystal Honda showroom as it was before Tata showroom. The showroom was very peaceful as a zen meditation centre. The representative Mr. Padmakar Renge welcomed with customary things and started boasting of the features of the car. We told test drive and then discuss booking. Some points of test drive which later made my mind not to go with the Honda Cars/vehicles ever:
• Noticeably short test drive - Despite requesting, less than 2 kms test drive only given on highway road around showroom. No way to understand the behaviour of the car
• Feature boasting - I know all showrooms does it. But here it went overboard. Customer walks to you after knowing these things. So, it could be limited. Further, for some brand selling just 2 models currently, this much boasting is not required
• Attitude change - The moment I mentioned what cars I shortlisted; the representative's behaviour went 360 degree. Especially Tata Altroz made him scuff so terrible things about the competing brand. I can understand competition, but not this ridiculous brand bashing
• Eye raising - When we were discussing about the choice of colours, wanted to share a few pics. Again, the people around created unnecessary rubbing
• Booking - I made a booking but made it clear I may back out if I find a suitable car. Also, Mom made clear that no financial deals on the day owing to beliefs. Didn't want to cross the lines. The representative was not happy with either of this

The next stop was Tata Motors - Rudra Motors showroom. I had read in many thread of Tata car owners that the response from Tata for any prospective buyers is not that encouraging. Combined with the unpleasant experience of Honda showroom, neither me nor my wife were expecting anything from Tata. The representative Mr. Uday welcomed with usual pleasantries. He started with explaining the features. Couple of calls from my Mom again not to make financial deals. We told test drive and then discuss booking. Also, my wife was not comfortable with the GC - Her face reaction pointing out the same was Gosh!! Some points of test drive which later made my mind to side with Tata are below:
• Extended test drive - With previous unpleasant experience, I took the conservative approach to cut the test drive short. The representative barged in with "Sir, why so fast you are closing the test drive. Let's take the car for a long spin. You will also get comfortable with the car's capabilities"
• Clearing the GC doubt - The representative told me take ride on the bumpiest, ridiculous and uneven oversized speed bumps filled roads. My wife got nervous and asked upfront "If any damage happens to test drive vehicle are we responsible". The sales representative laughed it out and expressed confidence of the car's suspension and GC. Let the car do the talking was his mantra. I took the car on bumps at high speed, low speed, without proper control, raced at corners, braked to check the car's capability. There was sheer confidence in the drive
• DCT and engine doubt - I was sceptical on climbing along steep inclines and rough roads. Was expecting the car to roll back. But again, Sales representative cleared my doubts. Told me take on such terrains without acceleration
• Colour selection dilemma - We were satisfied of the car's GC and underbody not getting scuffed on bad roads. But the choice of colours was next things. Again, the Sales representative cleared the air. He took us to the stock yard during the TD itself. Being an open ground with uneven surface, he encouraged me take the vehicle over any terrain. He Let the car do the talking. We took photos and shared the same with kids to give them an idea
• Comfort - I was clear that this car will be my choice after TD. My wife was also convinced of the abilities of the car.

Booking my new car:

We said that we are convinced with the car. But revealed our earlier choice, TD details and even choosing the car. The Sales representative Mr. Uday was calmly listening to us. He didn't bash us like the Honda guys. He made it clear that both are different segment cars - One a premium compact sedan and the other premium hatchback. He explained further that I should give a thought of comparing the former car with Tata Tigor. And he also pointed out to compare Tata Altroz with equivalents like Hyundai i20, Maruti Baleno, Toyota Glanza or the older Honda Jazz.

I countered him saying "I need a proper automatic. So, help me justify the choice". He picked the points related to rubber band behaviour of CVTs and the superiority of Dual Clutch systems. I quickly pointed out Honda's CVTs have been in market for so long. He replied our DCA are much better. He tried correlating their working using a non-gear 2-wheeler concept. It was layman level explanation to convince my wife. Finally, I was extremely happy on seeing an automobile guy with a sensible behaviour and good presence of mind. I told my wife, "I’m booking this vehicle for the test drive and this representative".

We said that we will be making the financial deal only the next day, as it was auspicious. The Showroom manager was not convinced with our reply. But Mr. Uday stepped in and convinced his Manager to give an offer that we couldn't refuse. With half-heart, the manager gave the best deal. The Manager even held back the offer letter singed copy. Told that we can pay token advance and collect it the next day. As usual Mr. Uday prevailed over and helped avoid the escalation.

Honda Amaze VX CVT:
Pros:
• Honda reliability - Japanese brand image
• Warranty
• Engine
• Smooth vehicle
Cons:
• Rubber band effect
• Suspension - I was not sure with the short TD. Maybe other owners can clarify

Tata Altroz XZA+ DCA
Pros:
• Indian brand - I'm a big fan of Ratan Tata
• Looks - Altroz sold me on the looks alone. Especially the Red. Wife though she like the colour gave it up as Mom chose different
• Suspension - Solid
• Planted and well-behaved car
• Features
Cons:
• Reliability of DCA/DCT
• Low GC and fear of body scrapping -though cleared during TD we were not sure how a loaded-out car would behave

We were in oscillation after the test drive on choosing Honda Amaze or Tata Altroz. Threatening after a brief period of no response started from 14-May-2023 by the Honda representative. The way the sales executive followed up make me loose whatever respect I had for Honda as brand. I stopped speaking to him thereafter and dropped the car altogether.

Promptly went to the Tata showroom and deposited the amount. Mr. Uday insisted for a formal photo op to add to the dealership’s Social Media thread. I obliged while my wife stayed away and watched the fun. The final details of the booking are:

Brand: Tata
Model: Altroz
Variant: XZA+ DCA
Fuel: Petrol
On-road price after negotiation: 10,36,616 INR
Extended warranty: 19,450 INR
Booking advance: 11,000 INR

Team BHP Merchandise for new car:

I was always captivated by the slogans of Team BHP. Especially the "LIVE to DRIVE" one. So thought of getting a couple of stickers and keychains. So as usual I search the thread and make a post.

Re: Team-BHP Stickers are here! Post sightings & pics of them on your car

Viola, I get the response with a proper link. Thanks ninjatalli for providing the links to purchase the Team BHP merchandises. Ordered a couple of merchandises and hope they arrive in time before my new vehicle delivery.

Decoding VIN:

Come 20-May-2023, the Tata showroom Manager Mr. Prashanth calls and informs me about the allocation of a new Tata Altroz XZA+ DCA. He shared the booking snapshot which had the VIN number. As usual I got curious and posted in the forum to get some replies.



Re: ARTICLE: Find your car's date of manufacture (VIN)

In the meantime grew restless and started searching the forum and found a beautiful thread by wildon where he decoded any and every manufacturer. Though that was a dated thread, it helped me to decode the VIN to the best extent possible. It’s a May 2023 manufactured vehicle.

Arranging for car loan:

The dealership itself gave contacts for car loan representatives. I wanted to go with HDFC bank and expressed my desire. Again Mr. Uday, stepped in to support and encouraged me to go ahead. For my bad, the preferred banker gave RoI and EMIs that were no where competitive. I had to fall back with the options given my dealership. While processing with loan with SBI, had some misunderstanding of quote by the bank representative. This time, Mr. Uday took support from his Finance team and stepped to clear the air with the Bank team. All things got sorted out and Loan was sanctioned.

Things got dragged for a day again due to server error on the bank side on 22-May-2023. Finally, the loan was sanctioned on 23-May-2023. The Bank representatives were unexpectedly incredibly supportive. They advised immediate disbursement based on my request. Informed the dealership and made my down payment as well

Naming dilemma:

I’m a naming convention guy. I have all my vehicles named.
• Honda Activa i – Beater
• Scott Metrix 10 – Grey Ghost
• Merida Scultura 400 – Bumblebee

This car being a Navy-blue shade, searching for a good name. Optimus, Poseidon, Celesta, Mystique are in my mind. Fellow BHP ians suggest something that will stay forever.

Will update the PDI, Registration process and subsequently vehicle ownership details in a timely manner. Team BHP ians signing off for now. The wait begins…..

[Palio_2005]

Wow. That is something that you went through. Your mental and physical toughness has seen you through of course with grace of God. I wish you all the best with your car and many years of happy driving. Altroz is one that you should consider as this is a much safer car as compared to an Amaze with a 5 star safety rating.

[ssathiyanarayan]

Originally Posted by Palio_2005

Wow. That is something that you went through. Your mental and physical toughness has seen you through of course with grace of God. I wish you all the best with your car and many years of happy driving. Altroz is one that you should consider as this is a much safer car as compared to an Amaze with a 5 star safety rating.

Thanks for words of support Palio_2005. Hopefully this new bloke should stay with me for longer without any issues, touchwood and fingers crossed.

[ssathiyanarayan]

Dear Team BHP ians,

I've made a booking for Tata Altroz XZA+ DCA in Royal Blue colour. Expecting delivery in another 10 days. Already started a thread in the Assembly Line with guidance from GTO. Will try to cover everything related to my purchase and share the long term term reviews as well.

In search for the accessories. Below are my choices with links, where applicable. Kindly give feedback on the same and suggest alternatives where required.

Accessories:

Since i've chosen the XZA+ variant, there is no much scope for accessories. Here is the list of the accessories i opted for:

• 7D premium mats - INR 7,843/-
• 3D Trunk mat - INR 3,014/-
• Mud Flaps - INR 911/-
• Scuff Plate LED (Front two doors only) - INR 3,586/- - Not interested in this costly one, as it covers only front 2 doors. No protection for rear
• Body side molding - INR 3,264/-
• Door Visor - INR 3,276/-
• Door Edge guards - Free (as i jokingly asked for discount)
• Body cover - INR 2,329
• Premium Ceramic Coating + Under Chassis treatment + Engine coating + Silencer coating - INR 25,000/-

Toal sum - INR 24,623/-
Discount - INR 5,000/- (for instant booking made)
Showroom discount - 10%
Premium Ceramic Coating + Under Chassis treatment + Engine coating + Silencer coating - INR 25,000/-
Total amount: INR 42,660/-

Kindly advise if any other things need to be included from the dealership. Also suggest some useful accessories which will make sense in long term

I've thought of the following:

• Door Sill/Foot Step Stainless Steel Plates Set of 4 for for Tata Altroz - INR 899/- (from Amazon)
• Keyzone® Striped Silicone Key Cover Compatible for Tata Nexon, Harrier, Altroz, Tigor BS6, Punch, Safari 2021, Safari Gold 4 Button Smart Key (Blue with Blue Striped Keychain) - INR 549/- (from Amazon)
• FABTEC Car Bumper Scratch Guard Strong & Durable Bumper Protector/Bumper Guard Compatible with All Cars (Carbon Style) (Black, Set of 4) | Polyvinyl Chloride - INR 279/- (from Amazon)
• Kelenate® (Red) 20Pcs Strong Reflective Arrow Decals for Car High-Intensity Night Visibility Diamond Grade Reflective Stickers Safety Warning Waterproof Compatible with Altroz - INR 245/- (from Amazon)
• US1984 Car High Intensity Reflective Sticker Warning Safety Reflector Strips Universal Car Truck Bumper Reflective Stickers 5 pcs set - 90x3.5 cm (Red) - INR 359/- (from Amazon)
• FOVERA Orthopedic Memory Foam Coccyx Seat Cushion for Tailbone, Sciatica, Lower Back Pain Relief - Contoured Cushion for Office/Home Chair, Wheelchair (L-Above 80Kg Weight, Mesh Black, Pack of 1) - INR 1,249/- (from Amazon)
• ShineXPro Microfiber Car Cleaning Cloth - OG Soft 500 GSM Extra Large (35x75 CM) Microfiber Cloth for Car and Bike - Suede Edging for Scratchless Drying and Detailing (Pack of 2) - INR 498/- (from Amazon)
• HSR Car Accessories in 10PCS/1Set Car Wiper Detergent Effervescent Tablets Washer Auto Windshield Cleaner Glass Wash Cleaning Tablets - INR 159/- (from Amazon)
• Jopasu Car Duster Combo - INR 985/- (from Amazon)
• ROYAGO Cotton Universal Car Seat Belt Strap Pad for Adults and Children, Helps Protect Your Neck and Shoulder (Black) - 2 Pack - INR 407/- (from Amazon)
• Careflection Car Door Reflective Warning Sticker (Red), Plastic - INR 189/- (from Amazon)
• Petrol Sticker for Car Fuel Tank, self Adhesive Vinyl and Reflective Sticker(13cm X 12cm) - INR 98/- (from Amazon)
• Automaze U Shape Edge Trim Rubber Strip Seal Protector Car Door Edge Guards for Most Cars (16 ft/5 m, Black) - INR 499/- (from Amazon)
• 70mai Pro Plus+ A500S Dual Channel Car Dash Cam, 2.7K, ADAS, Built-in GPS Logger, Route Recorder, App Playback & Share, Optional Parking Monitoring - INR 11,299/- (from Amazon)

Optional after sometime:

• Allextreme EXFTCOT1 Universal PU Leather Auto Car Seat Back Organizer with Foldable Dining Table Tray, Multipocket Storage Tablet, Bottle and Tissue Paper Holder (Tan) - INR 682/- (from Amazon)
• STHIRA® Car Mesh Organizer 3-Layer, Dog Net Between Car Seats,Barrier Backseat Mesh Net for Cars &Trunk, Upgraded Car Netting Bag,Driver Storage Netting Pouch,Automotive Seat Back Organizers (3-Layer) - INR 599/- (from Amazon)
• EYUVAA LABEL Polyester Tetron Car Trunk Organizer, Backseat Hanging Car Dikki With 8 Close Pockets, 4 Net Pockets, Super Capacity For Daily Car Necessities For All Suvs, Van, Hatchback Cars (Black) - INR 569/- (from Amazon)
• 4 Pack Car Knee Cushion Pad, Car Armrest Cushion, Auto Center Console Side Knee Leg Elbow Cushion Soft Pad, Elastic Thigh Support Comfort Pillow Knee Pain Relief Leaning Pad Car Interior Accessories - INR 1099/- (from Amazon)

[ssathiyanarayan]

The Unexplainable price difference in accessories at Dealer end

Chose the following accessories through Tata Dealer - Rudra Motors. Sharing the price difference from Tata's official website pricing data in their brouchure.


No explanation available from dealer.

Tata Motors reply for the query in Twitter is below:


Still i'm planning to write to Tata Motors at their email with the available details. Similar confusion is there with respect to their variant classification in website to brochure.

[ssathiyanarayan]

Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI):

Handed over the Form-60 required for BH passing to Mr. Uday on 24-May-2023 morning. He told, the RTO works will get completed by 5 days. I reminded for PDI. He told I can have it done on 27-May-2023. I called on 26-May-2023 morning and got the appointment by 12 pm for 27-May-2023. I told will come post lunch as don't want to give inconvenience to any staff during lunch time.

Come 27-May-2023, I start along with my Brother, Mr. Ganesh Rajan to the showroom. He is lover of cars, especially fun to drive cars and big fanboy of Honda as a brand. He started with, "Why did you choose Tata as a brand? Did you get carried away by the Indian Brand patronizing?". I didn't want to cross with my brother and smiled, he understood my diplomacy .

Once we reached showroom, we were welcomed by the Customary pleasantries. The all new Tata Altroz iCNG models were all over on display. This caught the attention of my brother. He went and had a thorough check of the car and its features. Later he told, "Tata have come a long way from their former selling methods and product mindset. It is getting reflected in the new products and their design". His company is prominent supplier for several automobile brands and having him say these words on the vehicle I chose made me all smiles.

My Sales contact point, Mr. Uday was not in the showroom. He had gone to another showroom of the same franchise. He re-directed me to Mr. Prashanth, the Manager. After waiting for about 5 to 10 minutes, we got a sales executive. He told, "All of a sudden you have come for PDI and it will take some time. The vehicle is not in showroom and in our stockyard. Its not even cleaned. It will not be possible to clean now and bring it showroom". I patiently showed him the WhatsApp discussion with Mr. Uday and told him to correct his words. It was clearly decided and informed with mutual discussion for the PDI. The executive went back saying sorry and discuss with his manager.

My brother was all smiles mocking "This is how Tata treats Customer. Nothing like this would have happened to a Customer like this at Honda." Again I maintained patience. After sometime, a representative was assigned and we took him in our vehicle to the stockyard in our vehicle. He went to make the customary formalities.

I had studied and made a list of features to be checked and thanks to fogg_23 for his extensive checklist. I was fully geared with the complete checklist to check and verify every feature of the car.

Originally Posted by fogg_23

The loan is approved by SBI. Before we sign the final documents in the bank, we would like to do PDI and confirm if the Nexon is in good condition. I have created an extensive list of checkpoints to do PDI. I will share the list here. I informed the loan approval details to the SA, and he allotted 7th Nov (Monday) at 11.30 AM for PDI. If anyone in the neighborhood of Whitefield is willing to help me in PDI, please send me a personal message. I will post my findings on Monday once the PDI is done.

Sharing the checklist prepared by fogg_23 here.
PDI checklist.pdf

Sharing my PDI checklist with comments here as well.
Sathiya Narayanan PDI Checklist with comments.pdf
Since there was confusion between variants and features available in Tata Motors Official website and their official product brochure, my checklist will have some some ambiguity.

Sharing the pictures of my car taken during PDI

[ssathiyanarayan]

Allocation of FastTag

The showroom had promised FastTag. The allocation of the Fast Tag got done 25-May-2023.

Found the entire profile details to be messy. Also the balance amount committed from dealership was INR 600/- but the balance check revealed different figures. Have taken it with the showroom for clarification.

[ssathiyanarayan]

Trimming of the accessories

I was in a dilemma on choosing accessories after the pricing variance from Tata official to dealership pricing. Being associated with such a fruitful forum came to my rescue. Shared my views in the forum and was looking for answers.

Re: Tata Altroz DCA Review | 1.2L Petrol Automatic

Re: Tata Altroz : Official Review

The replies from Reinhard and Unohu gave the much needed clarity.

Trimmed the accessories needed and choose the following functional accessories from Tata dealership Rudra Motors:

• 7D premium mats - INR 7,843/-
• Mud Flaps - INR 911/-
• Door Visor - INR 3,276/-
• Door Edge guards - INR 413/-

Got the entire thing for INR 7843/- after showroom discounts. Thanks to my Sales Executive Mr. Uday and Mr. Shashikant at Rudra Motors for handling things very sensibly.

Called 3M approved dealership near me and detailed discussion with them as well. A couple of my office colleagues have got their vehicle coated and PPF done at this particular franchise. They were all praise for the quality of work and i was convinced after seeing a few vehicles in person. Choose the following from them:

• Ceramic coating for 2 years (1.5 years warranty, 2 complimentary wash, 2 booster coats 6x6) - INR 26,000/-
• Rodent protection coating - INR 1250/- (Didn't want to take chance as my society has this pesky problem and few owners got affected with rodents as well)
• Silencer protection - INR 1400/-
• Under body protection (with 5 years warranty) - INR 5100/-

Have to negotiate and get best possible discounts.

[ssathiyanarayan]

Delivery day:

The delivery got planned on 01-June-2023 after loan processing and of course to oblige with auspicious dates. This time my sales executive, Mr. Uday was very clear to avoid any hassles in his absence. Went in the morning session to take delivery. The dealership had made every arrangements for the pooja. All the features and basics got explained. There were few corrections to be made in the invoices and Fast Tag. Luckily the RTO documents, Insurance had proper details.

After the customary pooja, took the vehicle. It was 40 kms in the ODO. Perhaps this will be highest mileage that someone else will probably get to drive in my car was the thought going through my mind (Exactly what PrasannaDhana quoted about his Tata Altroz XZ+ Diesel delivery)

Drove the vehicle straight to Shell Petrol Pump and filled petrol before going to Theur Ganesh Temple. Did the customary vahan pooja there after darshan. Sharing some photos taken during delivery





Next was fixing of the accessories at the local accessory shop. Already shortlisted a handful of accessory shops and found one with a good review from fellow Team BHPian. So went to Brahma Car Decors and got the following accessories:

• Scuff plate - IR 900/-
• Body side moulding - INR 1600/-
• Car key cover - INR 200/-
• Car stickers (Kids name, God's logo, Reflective indicators) - INR 600/-

With minimal accessories Optimus looked beautiful yet functional.

[ssathiyanarayan]

3M coating:

Went to 3M Authorized showroom in Kalyani Nagar, Pune on 02-June-2023. One of my colleague had done his ceramic coating from here. Saw the products getting used on the cars - Ceramic coating was in progress in one Slavia, PP coating in one Merc along with RC 70 shades. Got demo for all. Finally chose PP coating with 100 gloss applied on the bonnet, ORVMs and the rest of the body covered with regular PP. Chose RC70 for the front windshield. Got the Underbody - 5 year warranty one, silencer and rodent protection coating as complimentary. It all costed me a Lakh. Since i had a weekend trip planned, couldn't get the vehicle before that. Took delivery after work completion on 05-June-2023 late evening.

Sharing some snaps before and after work.


Before and after Silencer coating


Before and after Underbody coating


Post PP wrap and RC70 installation

The 3M representative was very helpful and cooperative. I stayed back during the Underbody, silencer coatings, initial cleaning and claying of one panel before heading out to pack for my trip. They kept sharing the photos and videos post every stage. Trusting that no foul paly should have been done.

[ssathiyanarayan]

The Ownership Experience:

I've had Optimus just for a week with me. Its hard to judge a car this early. But still registering my usage feedback.

What I love:

• Safety - A 5 Star Global NCAP Crash rating, especially provisions for Isofix mounts
• Looks - Its a beauty from any angle and side, especially in Cosmo Dark, Downtown Red, Opera Blue, Harbour Blue colours.
• Really solid car - Especially the difference in thud effect when closing doors, bonnet between Honda Amaze compared during TD
• Mature ride handling - I've touched 73 kmph on one flat stretch. Just stretched Optimus on the delivery day ride while a quick overtake. Didn't want to rev harder before 1st service. Man! my confidence with such a planted car was really visible with big smile on my brother's face. Good High sped manners. A big thumbs up
• Music system - Everyone who heard the beats certified that this is best in class. I'm not an audiophile, but a good music listener. I found the Bass boosted a bit though, but nothing wrong with that
• Big boot at 345 liters - My family and brother were very happy with the space available at hand for lugging during travels
• Good AC unit - The instant cooling provided by Xpress cooling was a boon during Mid-day trips on Hot summer day trip during delivery & Pooja trips.
• Features - The list is huge, but i'm touching on things i came across during this short usage time. The projector lamps, DRLs - They look very nice and couple of people enquired whether they were stock or after market fitment. Touchscreen ICE with connected car tech - My kids loved it, especially the Voice commands - As usual i had to shout at Google to pay heed to my voice, which she didn't mind as usual, The instrument cluster was detailed with excellent display of many useful features - i started to love the cluster, Android Auto - though wired, Apple Car play - i didn't get to experience as no Apple users, Timely and prompt safety alerts, the front & rear armrests were really useful - My daughter fell asleep on return trip from Mandir after pooja. She could sleep on the rear headrest comfortably (though not recommended), cooled glove box - my son loves that. Told me next time he will get his favourite cool drinks in there, rear AC vent - my wife was surprised with it as it makes her life easier at the rear, proper rear headrests is something you normally don't find in this segment, rear parking assist with camera and adaptive guidelines - Not out of the world but decent, height adjustable seat belts and driver seat - I was looking at my wife to have a try at driving one she feels confident to drive. She was worried about the reach and when i showcased these features, she was positive to take driving after a couple of months, ambient lighting - i'm not sure how to adjust the colours, i need a fresh air apart from the stock blue, 90* opening doors - My parents are going to love it, Start-Stop button - very neatly done and placement, ample storage spaces in the cabin - My wife approved that there is provision for most of her requirements. It seems Tata has learnt a lot from the user feedbacks.
• Stock tyres - I got Goodyear on all 4 of my R16 185/60. To my surprise i got Bridgestone on my spare R14 165/80. Quite puzzled at the variety dished out by Tata Motors and dealership
• Puncture kit from Continental with a tyre compressor. My brother was surprised how Tata got the heart to give such things

What could be better:

• 1.2L NA - A small turbo could have made things merrier. More of it has been discussed in the forum, so keeping it short
• Rear row seating - Under thigh support is good, still with the curving roofline design, anyone above 6' will have trouble in getting seated comfortably for long runs
• Rear seat - Again a 60:40 split like in my cousin's old Jazz would have made things merrier. Also the cinema hall like seating in Jazz is sorely missed by me at rear
• Rear ingress - Though 90 deg doors are there, Tata could have thought of adding the scuff plates and/or a wrap in the rear to avoid scrubbing of the body in that area. May be I'm overthinking or so
• Steering adjustment - The rake adjustment is provided by Tata. But i miss the reach adjustment as in my cousin's Skoda Rapid.
• Provision of leatherette pads or fabric pads for the knee and leg where they hit / rub with the doors and the footwells at front. I can still live with the current nothing.
• The NVH levels - I'm okay with it. But my wife is not convinced with it and points out to the stark contrast Tata Altroz has w.r.t Honda's or VW/Skoda twins. Maybe post EW period will take insulation
• The GC - I'm with my wife on this point. 165 mm is decent, but not correct for our current Indian conditions. May be 175 mm could have been the sweet spot to hit with this premium hatchback

What I'm worried about & skeptical:

• Tata service - Have a couple of Tata cars in extended family and friends ranging from Tiago to Harrier. It's always a Hit or a Miss. Not sure how it will be for me personally.
• The Dual clutch reliability - Time will tell the answer though. Hopefully it should be favorable to me
• The provision for 360 deg camera on the ORVMs without having an official accessory from Tata Motors. Somebody cooked the food, thought it's not needed and left as it without fully completing, but forgot to delete it from menu card and served on platter
• Service intervals - My cousins owing VW & Skoda twins have annual check-ups. I really like that way
• Sunglass holder - Should have been provisioned with a small liner cloth or fabric. Will help avoid noise and scratches while driving
• Rear passenger lights - None provided. The cars of good old days had decent lamp or provisions at the middle to light the entire cabin well. Tata Engineers need to think it over
• Auto dimming IRVM - Are these really Luxury items in Tata Motors thinking. My Brother in-laws little i10 Grand NIOS laughs out loud.
• Fit and finish - Enough has been said in multiple forums related to Tata cars. Have driven many loaned vehicles in my extended family and friends, i feel the Tata cars are very poor compared to VW, Skoda Twins, Honda and even Hyundai for that matter
• The umbrella holder - Though its provisioned properly, I'm worried about how the feature given will perform without a proper vent out hole. Someone comes from a full fledged rain and keeps the drenched umbrella with water inside the socket provisioned, how water will drain.
• Connected car tech - iRA was goofed up at dealership. I spoke and wrote to Tata Motors and finally came to know that the eKYC was not provided from dealership. The DTE doesn't show data. Got intrusion alert on mobile at the middle of a meeting which my boss noticed and asked me to check out in person, since it was a new vehicle and first day I brought Optimus to office. A big show of embarrassment. RSA option not showing up. Geo fencing showing wrong alerts even when I'm within the set route option
• Connected car tech - iTPMS doesn't show or connect. The dealership has no clue how to help. The SM at dealership declared such a feature doesn't exist in Tata Altroz at all.
• Connected car tech - ConnectNext app really frustrated me. Someone help and save me.
• What 3 words - I don't know which 3 words i would use to describe its working
• The thick A pillars make things difficult for an already small car

What i'm yet to test and doubts:

• Cruise control - Yet to test Optimus with it. I'm sure the big boy will handle much better with the handling he has got
• Perimeter alarm and theft intrusion alarm - Are these both same. Does Tata Altroz XZA+ DCA have it
• Rain sensing wipers, Rear wiper with wash - Time has not come to experiment this
• Head lamp levelling - Have to learn this feature. Much needed in my locality where big dumpers and mixers roam Scott free with shear recklessness for small cars
• Fast charger - I'm yet to check that with my mobiles
• Infotainment playback in parked condition. I usually shut the AC and infotainment before powering off the vehicle. I don't know why but this how i was taught by my brother to power down a vehicle. I follow it religiously till now
• Cornering lamp - Can someone guide me on how to use the front fog lamps for this function. May be i need to dig deep in the forum
• One long trip and a ghat ride will make me write a clear do's and don't for this vehicle

Driving, Handling, dynamics, Ride comfort:

Again this is with little time i spent with Optimus. The driving and handling has been good. The car being planted gives good confidence. The provision of big R16 wheels help much in providing a composed drive. I felt there is still scope for improving the suspension of Altroz like the VW & Skoda twins. Braking is confidence inspiring and not way too sharp, just what is required. The crawling in bumper to bumper traffic is real good in the DCA variant. However I still wonder what made Tata overlook Hill hold assist and Descent assist features in this premium hatchback. Had these been provided, it would have made the talk of the town and sold for these features alone. Also the initial climb from 25 to 70 kms needed a good 3 seconds to go lag. A sort of visible grunt a manual would make with sudden flooring of the pedal and quick shifts. Was surprised by this behavior in a DCA. My brother suggested me to get proper speed and not do pedal to metal, especially during a overtake. The thing which I did on delivery day while going for Pooja to the temple.

Current usage and Way forward:

My usage pattern is currently 20 kms in a day within peak city traffic conditions. So far the handling, dynamics has been very good for my taste. Once I try on long and ghat trips I will gauge Optimus's capabilities much better.

Not adding much photos of interiors and exteriors as it is available a lot in the forum. Also I'm yet to remove the plastic covers in the interiors as I hate driving with them. Don't want to spoil the photo ops with plastic covers. Being green in reviewing as well.

This review is not elaborate, may be a bit favoring Tata from Safety point of view and biased/repeated content at some instances. But nevertheless the journey has begun and at 200 odd kms with the destination fairly long time to reach. Will pen down and keep updating my views as I progress. GTO and Aditya I'll do my best to keep them honest though. That's one thing I'm good at.

[ssathiyanarayan]

Unexpected support from FastTag team:

I had mentioned earlier that the details in Fast Tag were messed up. In the meantime got call back from dealership related to the same and they told it will take time. I was not sure whether writing to the Fast Tag service provider - Tagjee would resolve things. But still wanted to give it a shot and wrote to their email id.

Was pleasantly surprised when their team responded quickly for support. They were glad to help and requested for clear back-up to change details I requested. I shared the screenshot of the mparivaahan portal RC copy which had all the details. After a day they changed all the profile details, contact details and vehicle details which were all wrongly mapped. They also created a VPA ID which I can use directly to recharge from any UPI apps instead of going through the Tagjee app or their portal.

A big shoutout to the Fast Tag service provider Tagjee for their support

[ssathiyanarayan]

Genuinely good behavior of the accessory shop:

I had mentioned about the accessory shop I went to fix the accessories for Optimus. I had a big list of accessories in mind. However discussing with Reinhard and Unohu, i felt my list needed to be trimmed down. However i wanted to find a genuine shop who will guide me better. Found Brahma Car decors near Kharadi. The reviews were all praise of the Owner in particular. I thought of giving it a try.

Went on delivery day itself and discussed with my list of things in mind. The Owner was very genuine guy. He told clearly, "there should be purpose in getting an accessory. Not a single bolt or nut should be changed without need. You will be loosing money for the one that came with car and also for the new ones buying to replace. Kindly don't invest on accessories that you won't be using ever after fixing them. Instead get functional products that you will keep using day in and out. Then you will never repent on the money spent for the same."

For the first time in my life I saw a guy selling products and service being so genuine and talking very sensibly. Was very impressed by his work as well. So genuine and down to earth individual, is hard to find. Any accessory I tend to get fixed in future, might very well be from the same shop.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[hungrybarbarian]

Excellent review!

Felt like I was visiting the showroom, PDI ground and all the test drives with you.

Wishing you many many happy kilometres with the car!

Also, Please upload more photos of Optimus, the blue colour is drool worthy