[jpm]

trrk,

How many occupants in the car? What was the AC settings?

You say that you did not push the revolutions beyond 2000RPM and then mention a speed of 95kmh. In my Marina in 5th gear at about 80kph it goes past the 2000RPM mark. What was the RPM you had when it was doing 95kmh?

We were three. At 95kmph, the tacho was just a tad over 2K rpm on overdrive. I meant in my post that we didn't over rev her during our chennai trip.

Planning to go for a short drive in ECR on Sunday, will let you know exactly by then.

trapezio,

Congrats JPM. It was nice to read your emotions through the process.

Keep us updated. I might look at the TDi as well.

Thanks trapezio. Yes as each day passes, I am becoming more and more convinced that I have made the most sensible buy for this price.

Vista is worth considering as a serious option. I dont see any justification in avoiding the TATA brand just for the sake of it. Besides, as far as snob value goes, hyundai and maruti/suzuki are similar to TATA in my book. Now a Fiat/Honda/Toyota rate higher definitely but then they dont represent vista's immediate competition.

[jpm]

Some pics of my ICE.

The speakers fit inside the default pods. (more on that later)

some more pics

gorgeous as always.

Dont know why the sides have metallic effect. The sun film is regular dark brown shade Solar Gard HP Quantum 38. The front is Solar Gard Sterling 70.

[anilagdr]

jpm, great seeing your photos. How does the ICE sound? Can you please inform me the cost of 508 c, separately? How do the compos sound?

[jpm]

Gilead,

Originally Posted by Gilead

I am thinking of getting a similar setup for my next car. What does the bass sound like?

The bass is fine for me. But seriously I dont know what to give you as reference bass levels. The music is invariably either TFM or Carnatic. So not much requirement for bass either.

Originally Posted by greenhorn

good good. You could have saved a few more K at the cost of a two year warranty by getting a 2150 instead. but the price seems quite nice.
What was the opinion of these installers on fitting 6 inchers on the vista doors ?

PS: why not 6x9's and an MDF tray at the back? should have sounded vastly better

greenhorn,
yes, I thought it was worthwhile to go for the warranty. Another 2-3k could have gone in getting a decent set in the rear. Then again, as I was against 6x9s on MDF board in the boot from the get go, didn't see the difference a more expensive set of speakers would do.

Well, about the fitment, it came to my attention only today that the speakers have been drilled into () as I had to visit the installer again today as the left front was giving a mild jarring effect. No spacer rings. Simply drilled into the pod (I had gone off to Pondy Bazaar while this was being done yesterday ). Though it sounds bad, at the end of the day, I feel it does not make too much of a difference, since the holes are covered by the fascia and not visible outside. A bit of dual sided sticky tape took care of the jarring.

The boot space was critical for me, so 6x9s were a no-no.

Originally Posted by vijaythacker

JPM, congrats man, red looks stunning on vista. Nice setup.How about showing some of her interiors and also your ice setup, any rubber upgrades??

Thanks a lot, vijaythacker. She is quite a looker in this red.

Have posted some pics. No plans for tyre upgrades as of yet. I think no more spending on the car for a few months at least.

[Gilead]

Very nice color. She looks hot. I bet she'll look even more hot in alloys.

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by jpm

trrk,
We were three. At 95kmph, the tacho was just a tad over 2K rpm on overdrive. I meant in my post that we didn't over rev her during our chennai trip.

Planning to go for a short drive in ECR on Sunday, will let you know exactly by then.

Will wait for your update after that drive. I am surprised at the tachometer readings. If possible, confirm the RPM readings in 5th at 60, 70 and 80 kph.

[greenhorn]

Well, about the fitment, it came to my attention only today that the speakers have been drilled into () as I had to visit the installer again today as the left front was giving a mild jarring effect. No spacer rings. Simply drilled into the pod

can you post some pics of the actual speaker fitment? I know its a headache, having to remove the door panels etc , but do try to , if you can

[jpm]

trrk,
will keep you posted.

greenhorn,

I know its a headache, having to remove the door panels etc , but do try to , if you can

I managed to have a look at the insides of the door panels yesterday. The Less said the better.

I surely hope I wont have to remove them anytime sooner as unmounting/remounting several more times is surely going to bring in the dreaded creeks.

[jpm]

trrk,
At 95kmph the tacho is a tad over 2k in overdrive. Guess its 2200rpm or less.

____________________________________
The car feels very solid at these speeds but back-seat-passenger-cruise-control does sets in quite early and very aggressively, primarily due to the center mounted speedo. Not very driver friendly in that respect.

Just finished 936km. Refilled her completely for the third time. The b2b city run seems to have brought the FE down considerably as from the last tank full (36.2L) to today's tank-full(37.24L) in which only 362km were covered. I must confess that at least 15-30mins of idling A/C due to the horrible sun in Chennai. Also the whole period A/C wasnt switched off for even a minute. Still a bit surprised that FE is less than 11kmpl considering sedate city driving.

Planning to add IFTEX-D additive only after the first service which am planning to do by 1300-1350km. That and the service should help the FE a bit I hope.

Except for this FE issue, extremely happy with the purchase and no niggles so far.
As for the AC, for several days the car was parked at my work place in full sun from 9AM-2PM. The windshield film definitely plays a role here, the cabin became quite cool and pleasant within 5 minutes of recirculating AC. Thanks to the film, the dash is warm as compared to melting hot, which was what used to be in my Ikon.

Tilt steering helps. That and a fabulous driver's seat is a pleasure.

Rear seat occupants don't want to leave their seats and come to the front.
____________________________________
Happened a few times already. While waiting at the signals, people pointing to their co passengers and mouthing "The new indica..... Vista....." and the subsequent appreciative looks. Loving every moment of it. Most probably due to the fact that its still quite rare on the streets. The frequency of vistas seems to be on the rise. Most of them understandably quadrajets barring a couple of TDis. Haven't seen a single petrol so far.
_____________________________________

As for negatives,
1) No day-night rear view mirror
2) The dashboard lid gives out an occasional rattle but still its not consistent enough to qualify as a niggle.
3) gearshift feel could have been definitely better

[trrk]

Hi,

Originally Posted by jpm

trrk,
At 95kmph the tacho is a tad over 2k in overdrive. Guess its 2200rpm or less.

Thanks. hat definitely means that the Vista gearing is taller than in my Marina. It just crosses 2000RPM at 80 kph and would be nearer to 2500 at 95kph.

Originally Posted by jpm

Also the whole period A/C wasnt switched off for even a minute. Still a bit surprised that FE is less than 11kmpl considering sedate city driving.

Just see the overall average of my car over 56000+ kms. Maybe 1000kms of that would be without the AC. Otherwise the AC is permanently on.

Originally Posted by jpm

1) No day-night rear view mirror

I usually fix a dark convex mirror on top of the original mirror. It gives a wider view which helps in town / city use and also reduces the headlight glare. Your dealer would be more than happy to give you a day / night mirror!

[jpm]

Have booked for the first free scheduled service with Concorde Service Centre, ECR, Chennai tomorrow (13/06). They have promised to pick up and drop the car back at my place.

First off, proud to say no 'niggles' so far thankfully. Not a single drop of FeviKwik has been used or any other F-I-Y adventure embarked upon. Everything seems to work as its supposed to. That itself a big relief as I was led to believe that it was not a question of If but When. The niggles START (note.. not may start but an assertive START) soon after the first few kms and the first service most likely will be devoted entirely to debugging. At least this is what the non TATA owners are sure of. Yes and for sure, Vista owners do complain of several major issues but their numbers seem to be inversely proportional to the amount of niggles reported by non owners. I think I maybe going out on a limb here in vouching for no-niggles with my vista but thankfully thats been the case. I can only pray I am not made to retract this at a later date.

The inconsistent dashboard noise that I had mentioned earlier has disappeared for good on its own.

Tata has taken a step in the right direction. For they have a thoroughly modern, frugal, spacious (a car that can truly seat 5 properly, without needing to get that intimate) yet all this is let down by the feel of the plastic. Not that the immediate competition at this price point fares that much better, but lets talk about this car only.

The Quadrajet is the better buy, no doubt about that. Come to think of it, the aqua QJD is the actual VFM option of the range. Not that the TDi is a bad car, only the QJD seems to be better in all respects. All at a very modest increase of, at the end of the day, your EMI. I am guessing I would have paid 500-600Rs more for the QJD per month (on a std 5 yr tenure) after factoring in the FE/costs etc. if you factor in the not-so-intangible driving pleasure then that increase becomes almost negligible. I recommend anyone in a dilemma between these 2 engine options, to go for the Vista QJD. If you cannot afford the extra 47K INR absolutely, go for the TDi. Dont know much about Safire.

I am not dissatisfied with the TDi's performance as such, but knowing that the QJD could have been had for so little more does give a slightly bitter tinge to the ownership experience and anger at myself for not having thought things thoroughly. These moments are rare but they do occur.

That said, some might feel 5L maybe a bit too much to give Tata as I initially did . I, for one, unconditionally retract that opinion after having lived with the car for a 1000km.

The feel of this car is so big that, recently at the wheels of my ikon I suddenly felt so cramped. Had to take care of my elbows and knees even at the farthest setting of the drivers seat. Even the once luxurious back seat & ride quality of the ikon seemed weak in comparison. The only saving grace was of course that divinely virile 1.6 heart of the ikon.

The NVH is not as harsh I had imagined. And No, the gear knob and the steering do not vibrate at idle. There is ,however, only a subtle thrill (not the emotional kind!) felt if you have your palm over the gear knob at idle.

Shall be able to update after I get her back. Can shed more light on the Concorde Service also.
_____________________________________________

I would like to know if the cabin can be made quieter than it already is. Will the Underbody Treatment (Rs. 2.5K approx) or specialized Sound-Deadening Pads (Rs.3.5K approx) be of any help if insulating the cabin from further noise? Tried several threads in tbhp but many of them seem to be dealing with pro level (read 10K+ INR) sound insulation which I do not require. Also, wish to know if these particular treatments done at TASCs are any good at all.

[greenhorn]

jpm, please do post your bill details here

[jpm]

Originally Posted by greenhorn

jpm, please do post your bill details here

greenhorn,
will surely do.

any inputs on the sound deadening suggested by TATA?

[greenhorn]

feedback on one of the safari threads is that it is effective, but I'm not sure your dealer has the equipment, knowhow,experience, or even the awareness of such a thing. At least my dealer didnt

[indivic]

hi jpm,

I was looking to see if you have any update on this thread, on a personal note I found the service at Ambattur better than ECR however I must say that I did the servicing only once at ECR. The better guys from the erstwhile Guindy service centre are all in Ambattur and so if you can go to Ambattur for the servicing, I would recommend that you give it a try before you finally decide.

The CRO at Ambattur is one Mr.Shivasankar, gem of a guy. My Indica V2 always goes to Mr.Balamurugan (SA) and he is quite knowledgeable as well.

They do try to add some "value added services" but if you are firm, they do not press you further.

P.S From one of your posts I got the impression that you are probably in the Mandaveli/Mylapore/Adyar area, if so let me know, may be we can meet up sometime.