[Johnny_]

Guys, finally a new member has joined our family. Please pardon me for being verbose. After various discussions, arguments, heated debates, we finally decided to buy our 2nd family car. [FONT=Arial]Our previous car, Maruti 800, D.O.B-August '95 was doing just fine for us, a family of four, until my family members traveled in their friends' Indica Xeta a couple of times. Every time they traveled in their car, they were all gaa-gaa over the space and comfort it offered. So in comparison,our Maruti felt cramped[/FONT]. So the hunt for a spacious car began, the benchmark being the Indica. Our running isn't much, hardly 700-800 kms a month. So it had to be a petrol; which would be retrofitted with a CNG kit in a year's time. I didn't like the idea of CNG. So in the back of our mind, the diesel was always an option.

The Decision making period:

After delaying it for several months, in the month of december, we decided its high time we take the advantage which the month offers in terms of discounts and offers. So the hunt began. There were a few attractive offers from Maruti, Hyundai, Tata, Fiat. We decided to check out the cars. Our budget being decided, the cars which we short-listed in terms of space/mileage/FE/budget/reliability were:

Fiat Punto, i10, Getz, Wagon R, Ritz, Swift, Indica Xeta, Indica Vista Safire.

-Punto-Out of all these car, I always had an inclination towards the Punto, for its looks and the Italian heart. But since the car would be driven primarily by my father, it had to suit his tastes/beliefs. He always considered Fiat as a company which never succeeded in making fuel-efficient cars. I tried my best to convince him, and just have a look at it. In the mean while, I continued my research on Team BHP. So Punto was tentatively in the list.

-Wagon R-it was liked by my father and me equally, but the ladies at my place (read mom&sister) never liked it for the claustrophobic rear space it offered. It was termed as an Auto-rickshaw by them. (No offense meant to Wagon R owners, I myself always felt that it could be the car for my father, because of the many virtues it had viz. good FE, reliability, etc.) So it was not on the list any more.

-Ritz-no body at my place except liked the rear design. Nevertheless, i tried my best to help them see the point that it is that design itself which gives good aerodynamics to the car. So went for a test-drive with father, but there wasn't a test drive car available, since it was a Sunday. The sales executive promised to bring the car next day to our place, but that day never came. Till date, that executive hasn't called a single time. So it was off the list.

-Swift-the rear space wasn't sufficient.

-Getz-the rear space was good, the car was built well, but I some how didn't like the car. I 1.1 unit was considered bit underpowered for a car like Getz. And the executive himself said that the 1.3 wasn't available, and will be available only when ordered. The discounts were good on the 1.1, but no discounts/availability on the 1.3. So the 1.1 Getz was off the list.

Then the day came when we went to check out the Punto and the Indica siblings. The moment we entered the showroom, my mom drifted towards the Manza. She liked it a lot. She didn't even went near the Vista. On our request, she saw the Vista externally, but refused to sit inside. We were shown the Punto as well, a nice car. I saw it before as well, but my family members saw it for the 1st time, the interiors et al. We were shown the Xeta as well, the ladies liked the car, my father liked it for the price at which it was offered. But was a bit skeptical. The sales executive offered us the Safire's test-drive. My father drove it, and he liked the car, but felt it a bit heavy. There were 5 people sitting in the car, plus the AC.
Overall, we returned home confused than ever before.

We days went by, and we started considering Manza as an option. Everyone liked it at home. But I didn't see any point in buying it since we didn't need a boot. Plus a petrol Manza didn't encourage me due the FE concerns. In the days that followed, spotted a few Manzas on the road, spoke with a fellow, he said the Safire90 returned a FE of 12 on the road. I told that to my father, he said that figure is fine, but the CNG conversion has to be done in a year max. I somehow didn't like the CNG option. The coming Sunday, went to the dealer with father, and test-drove the Fiat Punto as well. My father liked the car, but was skeptical about its FE. He also test-drove the MJD, and the Quadrajet. He noticed that the MJD was more noisier than the Quad. Diesel never was an option for us, but after the Quadrajet experience, we seriously started thinking about a diesel car.

Then came the final day, 29th Dec'09. I called up a dealer in Vapi just to know the price difference. The executive gave us the quotation for Punto Active, Safire, and also the Tdi. Guys, we never considered Tdi as an option, but I read over Team BHP that it is Tdi that is real value for money, hence researched a lot on this variant. And considered it as an option.

The Vapi dealer said we have to book pronto, irrespective of the car, in order to avail the december offers. So I spoke with my father, and decided that we could go ahead with the Vapi dealer. After a while, I felt that since the car would be driven in Surat, it would any day be better that we buy it from the same city, irrespective of the discounts. So I headed towards the showroom, along with my kid sister. Reached the showroom confused as to which car to finalize. My sister sat in Punto, then in Vista, and the obvious comparison: Space. She said bhaiya this is more spacious than the Punto, and also it has got wider and bigger rear bench. So I asked the executive to get a Tdi for test-drive. He brought the car from the 4th floor; that was where the cars were stocked. Test-drove the Tdi, found the pick-up acceptable, and then the choice was made. Spoke with my father over the phone, who was in office. He asked me to TD the Punto. I did that, the Punto Active, since the MJD was beyond our budget. I liked it, but the only concern was its FE. I felt its always better to buy a diesel car which costs 4L than buying a petrol one which costs atleast 40 k more. My father spoke with me, my sister over the phone. My sis said the Punto isn't that good, and I helped him see the diesel advantage; cost-wise. He agreed. He said okay, then Tdi it is. I felt its better to go for the Terra rather than the Aqua. So Indica Vista Terra Tdi was booked.

The buying experience:

The sales executive, Irshad was very helpful, and the owner of Auto-point, Surat, Mr Tarun bhai was also a gentleman. The following price was quoted to me:

Ex-stockyard price-3,19,024/-
Insurance-1/-
R.T.O. with S.M.C tax-23,096/-
Basic Access.+Extended Warr(1 year)-5,990/-

On the road cost=4,07,434/-

Then came the real part, the discount part. He wasn't willing to give more than 5k apart from the free insurance. I said the free ins. is from TATA. What is it that you will give? After some bargaining, he deducted 5k
So now the O.T.R=407434-5000=4,02,434/-
But i wasn't happy still. I said i want 10 k more, and he said this is the max he can give me. I persisted on the figure, he said its not possible. (I had a conversation with a guy who purchase a Quadrajet a few months back, and he had told me that the margin these guys have is hardly 10k, so if he's giving free ins, don't expect anything more than 5-6k from him.)
I said Tarunbhai, I won't buy the car at this price, choice is yours. I have the check, now you decide whether you want it or not. He smiled at me, and wrote the following figure on a piece of paper: 3,97,501/-. I wasn't satisfied yet, so I started pestering him for giving me seat covers for fee. I tried hard for 10-15 minutes, but he didn't budge. So I said, lets go about it the other way round. I said I don't want your 'B. Access+Warr. package', or rather I don't these accessories(teflon coating, perfume, matts, mud flaps). So he deducted that amount, since I didn't need them. Then I said Tarunbhai that's fine, but what about the seat covers? He said its not possible, any where in India to give seat covers worth 4.5k plus so much discount. I finally said okay fine give me something for free, and the check is yours. He gave me the basic access. i.e. the mudflaps, floor matts, and Murti. So I handed him the check. The O.T.R now was 3,91,501/-. But I wanted the extended warranty. So he added 5k. So the final figure that I paid for the car+2 years extended warranty was 3,96,501.

The discounts I got:-
Free Insurance
5000/- initial discount(provided I submit my older Maruti's RC book's photocopy, i did that)
4,933/-
2000/- from the December Offer from Tata Motors.

We took the delivery of the car on the next day, and I took the Team BHP's checklist along with me. Reached the showroom a couple of hours before my family members reached, checked the car, drove it a bit, and found everything OK.

[Johnny_]

Here are some pics guys, and my sincere apologies to post this review after so many weeks; had my semester exams in the midst of all this. Hope you will pardon me for this. I am sure you all will find it interesting that despite our running being so less, why did we buy a diesel, and that too Tdi, ignoring the Quadrajet. Well, I felt the difference between Safire and Tdi is 29k, and Safire and Quadrajet is 90k. So the additional 61k on the Quadrajet was not justified according to my thinking for the kilometers that we clock every month. I felt Tdi would be better than Safire, and Quadrajet wouldn't be required. Hope I am right.

[Johnny_]

Originally Posted by Johnny_

The following price was quoted to me:

Ex-stockyard price-3,19,024/-
Insurance-1/-
R.T.O. with S.M.C tax-23,096/-
Basic Access.+Extended Warr(1 year)-5,990/-

On the road cost=4,07,434/-

The following price was quoted to me:

Ex-stockyard price-3,78,347/-
Insurance-1/-
R.T.O. with S.M.C tax-23,096/-
Basic Access.+Extended Warr(1 year)-5,990/-

On the road cost=4,07,434/-
Guys, the ex-stock yard price of 3,19,024/- was a typing error. The correct ex-stockyard price is 3,78,347/-
Mods if possible please edit it in the first post.

[Johnny_]

Also, I came across a link which directed me to the Extended warranty section in the TATA motors website. I checked the cost for 2+2 years' warranty. It was 4425. To my disappointment, the dealer had taken 5k from me (3,91,501+5000=3,96,501). So I had paid 575/- excess.
I thought a bit about it, that whether I should ask for the refund or not, or would I look like a miser or a jerk who tries to save every penny. Since it wasn't my money that I paid, I felt it would be fair enough to ask for the refund. Or else I would have it on my conscience that I paid an extra amount to the dealer and my father had to incur a loss due to my lack of astuteness, which wasn't true. Hence I had to at least try to get it back. Went to the dealer the next day to collect my check(2000/- which we got from the December offer), and brought it to the owner's notice. Initially he tried to confuse me in all sorts of calculations, trying to tell me how I had bargained hard and he gave me a BIG discount by going out of his way. And he also said that he had to do a few adjustments, its an all inclusive package, and what not. Then I finally said, Boss, I have cross-checked it with the TATA motors website, and also had a word with the customer-care executive. He finally wrote a check of 2500/- (2k from the December offer, and 500 for charging extra on the extended warranty). I thanked him and said I appreciate his behavior. Now, not many people check the cost of extended warranty vis a vis the company's website, or check the insurance quote with the insurance co. Here's where they take the lee way or we fail to notice that. It is our right not to pay an extra penny. I am glad that the owner took it in a nice way and by paying me back the difference, he actually proved that he is a gentleman indeed. At the end of the day, (touch wood) All is Well .
So after this offer/discount came O.T.R = 3,94,000/-

[Trapezio]

Congratulations on your new purchase. Thanks for the detailed writeup Johnny.

But you have not written how you all found the car.

[aravind BS]

TDI is great value for money. Good buy and money well spent.

Happy motoring

[Amartya]

Man, that's some bargain!

The Tdi is fantastic value for money. Over the years Tata has been able to refine the engine and the gearbox on this is vastly improved too.

Tell me what you feel about the interior quality.

I liked this colour, it was wisely chosen as the black door handles (Terra) contrast well with the silver and it really looks good.

[basilmabraham]

Congrats on the new car.

The car looks good in silver.

Wishing you all the very best with the new car. Drive safe.

[Johnny_]

Drive, Transmission & Overall experience:

Pick-up:
Switch on the ignition, and it roars. As conceived by most people, Tdi ought to be a noisy car and the vibrations have to be there. I too had a similar concern initially. During the first test-drive, prior to booking the car, I wasn't too keen on checking the NVH levels of the car, my only concern was the pick-up or the pulling power. The pick-up is good, courtesy 135 NM torque. Before finalizing the deal, I looked extensively at the pick-up and the over all feel of the car.To put it in simple terms, the moment I lifted my left foot from the clutch, the car started rolling ahead; and a light foot on the accelerator, makes the car go ahead. It's better than our previous car, M800, and its comparable to the other car which we were comparing it with, the Punto Active 1.2. Now I agree, I can't compare the pick-up of a Petrol and a Diesel, but for us the comparison wasn't as much between a Petrol and a Diesel, these two cars were compared at their price-points. I was getting a Petrol hatch at 4.4 lacs, and I was getting a Diesel hatch sub 4 lacs. So after over coming the concern over the pick-up and the pulling power of the car, I felt its better to go ahead with the Diesel.

It has been more than 3 weeks with the car. NVH isn't much prominent, when the car runs. The engine gently roars when idle, but settles down when it moves. The noise inside the cabin is there a bit, unlike Quadrajet. But its acceptable.
The pick-up of the car is good, it can't be compared to the Quad., but is much better than the Indica NA or the Indigo CS CNG that my friend owns. Its torquey, its better than most diesels at this price point. Overall the ride quality was comparable to a big car or a sedan. The engine is pretty refined. Never expected it would be this refined.(touchwood). I would rate it 7/10.

Transmission & Gearbox:
The gear-shift is short and precise, every time it slots into a particular gear, there's an assuring click, unlike the previous gen Indicas, where it felt rubbery.
Its not as slick as the Punto's (or the Quadrajet's), but its definitely good, and assuring. I would rate it 8/10.

Suspensions:
The 14" wheel size ensures good drive over most roads, and the suspensions aid the wheels. It absorbs most average-sized potholes, and uneven road surfaces. I would rate it at 8/10.

Build quality:
The build quality is better than previous gen Indicas, and the panel gaps were reduced, but were there at a few places. Not a matter of much concern for us. Every time we close the doors, there's a swoop sound, comparable to the Punto's thud. It feels safe, to put it in simple words. Safety was one of my concerns, since I had to choose the car for my family members (read parents and sister). I would rate it at 9/10.

Space:
Needless to say, its a spacious car for someone graduating from a Maruti. So we are happy with the space. Its not like the Manza, but definitely better than most hatchs and a few sedans. 10/10.

It is too early to gauge the FE of the car, since we have hardly clocked 400 kms.
Over all, my parents, especially my father is satisfied the car.
Now in hindsight, there couldn't have been any other car for us. It could have been a Safire, but with its FE levels(not bad, but way too lesser than Tdi), I am glad we bought the Tdi.

[Johnny_]

Originally Posted by Trapezio

Congratulations on your new purchase. Thanks for the detailed writeup Johnny.

But you have not written how you all found the car.

Thank you. I just wrote it down.

[Johnny_]

Originally Posted by aravind BS

TDI is great value for money. Good buy and money well spent.

Happy motoring

Thanks brother.Hope to take care of it properly so that it serves us well.

[Johnny_]

Originally Posted by Amartya

Man, that's some bargain!

The Tdi is fantastic value for money. Over the years Tata has been able to refine the engine and the gearbox on this is vastly improved too.

Tell me what you feel about the interior quality.

I liked this colour, it was wisely chosen as the black door handles (Terra) contrast well with the silver and it really looks good.

The interiors are good, no beige, no two color dash, but its sober looking.
As rightly said by you, the gearbox and the engine is refined.
And the color was chosen by my father. And I do agree that silver and black look contrasting. Thank you.

[Johnny_]

Originally Posted by basilmabraham

Congrats on the new car.

The car looks good in silver.

Wishing you all the very best with the new car. Drive safe.

Thank you Sir. I will make sure I drive safe.

[vigsom]

Fantastic value for money ;and a well written story

[Johnny_]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Fantastic value for money ;and a well written story

Thank you Sir.
Team BHP helped me a lot to arrive at the conclusion to choose this variant i.e. Tdi.