[gurudutt]

Had been on a long drive to mysore last weekend and had the first chance to get a good feel of my vista. Here is what i feel.

Stability: She is quite stable, thanks to her weight. But definitely not as stable as a Palio or a Punto. She tends to get a little rocky on curves and the driver may feel a bit nervous at high speeds while cornering (>120 KMPH). She is a gentle giant and needs to be driven considering her height and size in mind. I didn't feel like she could hug the road like my previous car (zen) but on the hind side, she has a commanding position for the driver on the offer and a good road visibility.

Steering: I felt the steering to be a bit loose/light after 100 KMPH, TATA needs to focus more on this area. You would always feel like holding the steering wheel tight (as if you are hanging on to your life) if you dont want any surprise to be thrown at you. Definitely not in the league of a FIAT or FORD for that matter.

Suspension: One of the traits of Indica Vista, full marks to TATA on this. Most of the bad roads that were thrown at her, she would easily munch on them and not even burp. Some of the bigger pot holes can strain the suspension and you can hear the thud but she gulps it off well before it can reach the cabin. On smooth roads, you will just enjoy her. There is definitely some body roll owing to her height (i was enjoying the ride so much, it only came to my notice when my wife pointed it out )

Gear Box/Clutch: The fiat gear box is amazing, the gear shifts ,though not as sporty as the maruti siblings, was quite a treat. I guess second gear revs out pretty soon (fellow tbhpian's correct me if am wrong), third gear has a good range. I felt the clutch to be a bit soft, and felt the need to work it a bit if i had get over steep humps.

Cabin Comfort/NVH: Vista scores here too, the noise insulation is great. If i were not driving, i would easily go to sleep. Thats the kind of comfort she offers, Vibration levels are amazingly low. You would only hear some engine noise (diesel motor obviously) without any music and A/C turned off.

Engine: Everyone knows what her engine is capable of (Fiat's 1.3 MJD). But she reaches peak torque of 190 Nm at 1750 RPM (compared to 2000 RPM of other cars which sport the same engine). All the while i kept admiring the way she used to pull me from a speed of 40 KMPH to 100 KMPH (when ever i had to break) with in no time and in fifth gear without having to downshift. Having driven a zen for 4 years, i could hardly stop myself from being surprised and amazed at her in-gear acceleration. This was never possible in my zen, i had to **** to 2nd and work my way to 5th gear if i had to get back to speed.

Breaks: My car is equipped with ABS and after changing the tyres, i didn't notice the screeching anymore which i had mentioned in the earlier thread. She responded quite well and i could easily feel the difference. At speed breakers (or car breaks the way they are designed) i could see the non abs vehicles breaking well in advance and i could travel a lill more distance before i hit the break pedal without screeching or locking her wheels.

Overall, the drive to mysore this time (i would have done this over a 100 times in my zen over the past 4 years) was not the same anymore, less stressful, thanks to her torque which meant lesser gear shifts and nice breaks. More comfortable, thanks the space inside, good under thigh support, lumbar support, good driving position (commanding) and amazingly reduced NVH.

[kadri007]

Originally Posted by Amartya

The fibre and plastic smell can be because of the plastic polish some workshops use. keep repeating myself, but I honestly think that the Tata-Fiat partnership is a perfect match.
a. Nano b. Indica V2 c. Vista d. Punto e. Manza f. Linea.
(Deliberately didn't add the Indigo CS, Palio etc. )

Thanks Amartya, Yes Indeed seeing the present quality of Vista Aura even I got suprised. I too feel the Fiat partnership for Tata's has made to increase a lot of features and quality.

Palio is currently out of showroom in Bangalore. I think its because of Euro 4 norms.

Currently evaluvating India Vista Saffire Auro with ABS & Airbags. On road coming around 5.3L and Skoda Fabia is coming upto 5.9 L with airbag after discount. Price is higher & Quality is high in Skoda but Tata has a advantage in cost of owenrship so a bit confused on it.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by kadri007

Thanks Amartya, Yes Indeed seeing the present quality of Vista Aura even I got suprised. I too feel the Fiat partnership for Tata's has made to increase a lot of features and quality.
Currently evaluvating India Vista Saffire Auro with ABS & Airbags. On road coming around 5.3L and Skoda Fabia is coming upto 5.9 L with airbag after discount. Price is higher & Quality is high in Skoda but Tata has a advantage in cost of owenrship so a bit confused on it.

It's a very good car and fantastic value for money, I will probably advise against the Skoda purely because of their track record in terms of service. While Tata's record is not golden, it has improved by leaps and bounds (along with Fiat).

However, make sure you test drive the Punto. The point is to actually try out all your options, weigh in the pros and cons and then decide, and for that a test drive is a must. Afterall we don't buy too may cars in our lifetime, so we must make the best of that opportunity.

[RGK]

@gurudutt - Congrats for the new car. Happy motoring. What is the FE on highways and in city with A/c on.

[driving_smartly]

A good review, keep posting these kind of reviews on a regular shot term basis with pros and cons as it helps any potential buyer while taking certain decisions while buying a new car and comparing it with others.

In past every owner have been posting review at initial stages but later on these were not updated for long time as a result we see very less updated review on Vista.

[kadri007]

Originally Posted by Amartya

While Tata's record is not golden, it has improved by leaps and bounds (along with Fiat).

However, make sure you test drive the Punto. The point is to actually try out all your options, weigh in the pros and cons and then decide, and for that a test drive is a must. Afterall we don't buy too may cars in our lifetime, so we must make the best of that opportunity.

Seeing yesterday's experience in Tata showroom even I felt that things are changing at Tata dealership experience compared to earlier days.

For Indian road conditions even I feel Tata Indica Vista would be a good option compared to a Fabia or Polo.

Beat and Figo are out of radar now. The first one due to space and the second one due to service quality.

It would be great if Vista owners more than one year can throw more light on the after sales and cost of ownership.

[gurudutt]

Originally Posted by RGK

@gurudutt - Congrats for the new car. Happy motoring. What is the FE on highways and in city with A/c on.

My odo was around 500 KMS when i first measured her mileage. I got around 13.5 in city with A/C on all the time. I will post the highway mileage soon since i had a diesel top up on my way to mysore. Am sure mileage would improve after run in.

[Vik0728]

Congrats on your latest acquisition Guru, way to go. I'm guess you had TD'ed Swift Diesel before picking this, which shares the same heart. What is your opinion on the Performance difference? Is there a considerable loss or gain in either?

[gurudutt]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Congrats on your latest acquisition Guru, way to go. I'm guess you had TD'ed Swift Diesel before picking this, which shares the same heart. What is your opinion on the Performance difference? Is there a considerable loss or gain in either?

I had driven Swift diesel long time ago when one of my friends bought it. Swift definitely is more sportier than Vista but i choose vista for the following reasons.

1) I didn't like the build quality of swift (for that matter, any maruti vehicle). As i have mentioned in an earlier thread, you would feel the difference when you try lifting the bonnet of the two vehicles, Vista's is much more heavier than swift's.

2) The features i get for the price tag (around 6L).
Swift VDI: Power Steering, Power Windows, Fog Lamps.
Vista aura ABS: Above mentioned things + 2 din Music system with bluetooth + rear defogger and wiper + driver seat height adjustment + lumbar support + rear 60:40 Split seats (not too sure how useful this is) + beige two tone interiors and most importantly ABS, i am not a fan of breaks on any of the maruti cars, i feel they are hard and i dont feel confident.

3) Sound and vibration insulation in vista is miles ahead compared to other cars which have the same heart, not to forget the space Vista offers.

4) No goodies and a long waiting period. The actual on road price of Vista ABS in bangalore is 6.19 L but i got some discount in terms of first year free insurance and 3 k corporate discount, dont expect this for swift. The attitude is like, either take it or leave it, there are people in queue .

5) What the heck, i am tired of seeing swift's on the road, there needs to be some diversity in life .

As far as performance is concerned, Vista engine as i mentioned is torquier (delivers peak torque of 190 Nm @ 1750 rmp) so easier to drive. But outright performance on a quarter mile, i guess the swift will steal the show, though both share the same engine, reasons being, Vista is heavier, Swift's gearbox is sportier and gear shifts are quick, Swift is designed better i guess.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by gurudutt

I had driven Swift diesel long time ago when one of my friends bought it. Swift definitely is more sportier than Vista but i choose vista for the following reasons.

1) I didn't like the build quality of swift (for that matter, any maruti vehicle). As i have mentioned in an earlier thread, you would feel the difference when you try lifting the bonnet of the two vehicles, Vista's is much more heavier than swift's.

2) The features i get for the price tag (around 6L).
Swift VDI: Power Steering, Power Windows, Fog Lamps.
Vista aura ABS: Above mentioned things + 2 din Music system with bluetooth + rear defogger and wiper + driver seat height adjustment + lumbar support + rear 60:40 Split seats (not too sure how useful this is) + beige two tone interiors and most importantly ABS, i am not a fan of breaks on any of the maruti cars, i feel they are hard and i dont feel confident.

3) Sound and vibration insulation in vista is miles ahead compared to other cars which have the same heart, not to forget the space Vista offers.

4) No goodies and a long waiting period. The actual on road price of Vista ABS in bangalore is 6.19 L but i got some discount in terms of first year free insurance and 3 k corporate discount, dont expect this for swift. The attitude is like, either take it or leave it, there are people in queue .

5) What the heck, i am tired of seeing swift's on the road, there needs to be some diversity in life .

As far as performance is concerned, Vista engine as i mentioned is torquier (delivers peak torque of 190 Nm @ 1750 rmp) so easier to drive. But outright performance on a quarter mile, i guess the swift will steal the show, though both share the same engine, reasons being, Vista is heavier, Swift's gearbox is sportier and gear shifts are quick, Swift is designed better i guess.

Perfect... In vista the power delivery is Linear.
The only thing i saw in all Vistas (petrol,TDI, Quadra) is the back bumpers and front bumpers are not straight at the outer side.. That is if you see from back, you see a curve at the bumper alignment which is facing inside the car.(one side fitted with the chase & other side facing inside). Did you notice it.

[Vik0728]

Guru I couldn't possible agree more with you on this buddy. In fact the first time I sat in a swift and then sat in a Getz, I had made up my mind on the Brand. The Door shuts with a much more pleasant Thud on Hyundai cars and makes you feel secure even before you step on Gas. One of my Cousin owns an Indica which is quite old now but it gives the similar feel and boy is it spacious or what.
If I have my data right, the Speedo console is mounted at the center of the Dash on Vista. How do you find this Guru, is it an incovinience that needs getting used to or one Glitch that you have to live with for all the goodies you get ??

[gurudutt]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Guru I couldn't possible agree more with you on this buddy. In fact the first time I sat in a swift and then sat in a Getz, I had made up my mind on the Brand. The Door shuts with a much more pleasant Thud on Hyundai cars and makes you feel secure even before you step on Gas. One of my Cousin owns an Indica which is quite old now but it gives the similar feel and boy is it spacious or what.
If I have my data right, the Speedo console is mounted at the center of the Dash on Vista. How do you find this Guru, is it an incovinience that needs getting used to or one Glitch that you have to live with for all the goodies you get ??

Hey Vik, i didn't find the center console as a problem. And here is why i feel so. Indica is a big hatchback, so however short a person is, he sits at quite some distance from the dashboard in his driving position (include me in that category, am just 5.5 ). So what this does is, you sit a good distance away from the console and you can easily have a look at it when you want to. If say a car like zen had a center console, owing to its small dashboard and overall size, you would invariably sit closer to the dashboard and you will have to turn your head quite a bit or move your head a lill back to read your spedo.

On a positive note, i feel the center console is a boon to vista, if you had it behind the steering wheel, thanks to tata's oversized steering wheel, you would have found it hard to read.

[RGK]

Originally Posted by gurudutt

Hey Vik, i didn't find the center console as a problem. And here is why i feel so. Indica is a big hatchback, so however short a person is, he sits at quite some distance from the dashboard in his driving position (include me in that category, am just 5.5 ). So what this does is, you sit a good distance away from the console and you can easily have a look at it when you want to. If say a car like zen had a center console, owing to its small dashboard and overall size, you would invariably sit closer to the dashboard and you will have to turn your head quite a bit or move your head a lill back to read your spedo.

On a positive note, i feel the center console is a boon to vista, if you had it behind the steering wheel, thanks to tata's oversized steering wheel, you would have found it hard to read.

But one thing was the time taken to focus your console and the road at high speeds do take some time. It may be fraction of second. But this was noted and a R&D was takenup by foreign manufacturers that how to minimize the viewing time of dash while driving. I feel this is some thing personal and how it is adjusted.

[gurudutt]

Yesterday my vista threw a new surprise at me, one of her weak points .

Situation:

A friend (who owns a palio) and i had gone to JC road in bangalore for some accessories shopping. On our way back (we stay in yelahanka, on the way to the new airport), i had just taken a left at high grounds police station and was heading towards Windsor Manor. It was a sunday afternoon and hardly any traffic, i thought of pushing my vista a bit and boy o boy, at one of the right directional curves on that stretch (near Le Meridien) she almost side swayed and gave me a feeling that she would topple if i didn't hit the breaks. I was doing a good 70 KHMP i guess, i noticed my friend catching up with me in the mirror and just wizz past me on the same curve and his palio just hugged the road.


Conclusion: When i enjoy Vista's volvo like suspension, i should not expect her to behave like a palio/punto or the likes at corners

[RGK]

@guru - what is FE you are getting in highway / city.