[rosh_aveo1.4]

Never thought I would see such a macho looking people mover. That's one amazing looking vehicle!!

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by LobsterB

My impressions of the service at Concorde Motors service center @ Begur Road are as follows:-

Thanks

Originally Posted by LobsterB

Being the first Aria that had come for service, there was significant attention and priority given to the vehicle. The was obviously and attempt to make the experience feel special.

Good to hear there was an attempt, though not there yet. Would the Concorde Motors SC at Dairy Circle be too far? I have heard good (or rather, better) things said about the service & standards there.

Originally Posted by LobsterB

Even though the above two minor issues weren't addressed I am satisfied with the overall experience as of now.

I don't think waiting for the door to loosen up through use is the best diagnosis. There would be extra strain and wear&tear on the lock parts. Also not sure what the recirculation of the AC has to do with the ECU?

Originally Posted by LobsterB

While I was there (when the car was being washed), a Palio owner, a taxi driver and two security personnel watching the India-NZ test match.

Well, that was expected. Not completely desirable (esp the security guards??), but that's what everyone has been saying.

Originally Posted by LobsterB

To some extent I would agree to BSM's comment.
The sub woofer slot on the rear hatch door is 8".

I expect a speaker upgrade will solve most of the shortcomings of the setup. Do you plan on adding an amp/sub? Components with a sub would clean things up, na?

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Overdrive rates costlier Aria a notch below Innova. But a few pages later, the same OD has no qualm about rating costlier Hyundai Santa Fe better than Toyota Fortuner.
Magazines have never been fair to Tata and they never will ever be. Aria is best 7 seater money can buy at the price it comes.

Haven't read OD, so can't comment on why they've rated the Santa Fe better than the Fortuner, but about your view of the way they treat Tata,

[vista_qjd]

Originally Posted by LobsterB

It is a reasonably big service station, a bit bigger than the other ones that I have seen. 70% of the vehicles that had come for service there were yellow board (mainly Tata Sumo), rest were mostly Tata Safari or Fiat Palio. The customer lounge was surely not the cleanest one that I have encountered. It had coffee vending machine/TV/AC etc but still felt very ordinary with a not so well kept toilet by the side. While I was there (when the car was being washed), a Palio owner, a taxi driver and two security personnel watching the India-NZ test match.

This is exactly the problem that Tata will need to address. Even when i took my vista for service, i hated the experience of sitting in a not so great reception with drivers and local crowd. Couches were soiled and it was very crowded with the not so top-end crowd. Not being biased, but if i felt this way for my 5 lakh plus car, i am not sure how it would feel to own a 15 lakh MUV and to be treated such a way. A premium customer needs premium environment and tata needs to address this immediately. Else they will always be stuck with the brand recall of an ordinary cab wallah's vehicle.

Everything about my vista has been satisfying so far, but the moment you step into a showroom or service station, it lacks the class and punch making the brand less aspirational. Tata you need to do something about your service station and showrooms. Segregate yellow board customers and the regular premium customers.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Lobster, did you get a chance to drive in dusty/smelly environments.
Does dust and foul smell come inside the cabin even when AC is in recirculation mode?

Emm, it did when I TD'ed ! Its an issue will all ACC ?


And there IS a sub?

I felt the audio to be ok; guess they did damp doors.

[LobsterB]

Originally Posted by VeluM

Good to hear there was an attempt, though not there yet. Would the Concorde Motors SC at Dairy Circle be too far? I have heard good (or rather, better) things said about the service & standards there.

Dairy Circle SC doesn't do servicing of Safari/Sumo/Aria and other similar models due to lack of some 'heavy equipment'.

Originally Posted by VeluM

I don't think waiting for the door to loosen up through use is the best diagnosis. There would be extra strain and wear&tear on the lock parts. Also not sure what the recirculation of the AC has to do with the ECU?

I didn't see any adjustment on the door side, the only adjustment on the body was for door lock slider.

Isn't the climate control air-intake logic programmed somewhere in an ECU. I would have expected this logic to consider the state of the recirculation mode switch as well.

Originally Posted by VeluM

I expect a speaker upgrade will solve most of the shortcomings of the setup. Do you plan on adding an amp/sub? Components with a sub would clean things up, na?

No only the speakers first, but that too can wait for some more time I suppose.

Originally Posted by jkdas

Emm, it did when I TD'ed ! Its an issue will all ACC ?

Did you feel dust also inside, or only foul smell?

Originally Posted by jkdas

And there IS a sub?

No only a provision for 8" sub.

[superboy44]

@lobsterb
congrats on getting the aria, looks really imposing and nice pics.

saw a cream colored aria with aftermarket alloys and fat rubber as is the norm here in punjab, must say it had an amazing road presence.

[keen.to.know]

LobsterB - Belated Congratulations on your new ARIA.

Kudos on an excellent detailed report which covers all aspects of the vehicle, no matter how small. Shows your own personal involvement with your new ride.

Seems to be another notch up in the Tata stable. Good to see that the refinement levels keep improving as new models get launched.

[Live To Jive]

Congrats on the Aria. It really looks good.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by LobsterB

Isn't the climate control air-intake logic programmed somewhere in an ECU. I would have expected this logic to consider the state of the recirculation mode switch as well.

ACC (Under the control of the ECU or cases the seperate control module) in most vehicles places the car in outside air intake mode while in Auto, and one needs to manually set the vehicle to recirculation mode each time one starts the car. This in turn disables the Full Auto function, but still lets one set the temperature and have it maintained automatically.

If the car is working in the above manner, it is not a defect but just the way it is supposed to work and the work around is to set to recirculation mode manually.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

Congrats Lobster on being the first on Tbhp to be owning an Aria! The car looks awesome. The first pic at the beginning of thread is superb. It doesn't look one bit like an MUV. You have done a right thing. Don't give a damn about what automagazines write. They have something against Tata. Overdrive rates costlier Aria a notch below Innova. But a few pages later, the same OD has no qualm about rating costlier Hyundai Santa Fe better than Toyota Fortuner.

Magazines have never been fair to Tata and they never will ever be. Aria is best 7 seater money can buy at the price it comes.

Sagar, I beg to differ ! The way I see it, OD is a fair enough magazine like t-bhp [my personal opinion]. I have never seen them taking the side of any manufacturers.

If you have seen OD review of Aria [the video is in youtube - search for odmag channel] Sirish was all praise for the fit, finish, and ride of the car! he had the same claim as our GTO on the "sedan like handling"! though Sirish didnt mention that TATA had compared the ride quality to a sedan, when I first saw the review, I could immediately relate to GTO's comment!

[ACM]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Sagar, I beg to differ ! The way I see it, OD is a fair enough magazine like t-bhp [my personal opinion]. I have never seen them taking the side of any manufacturers.

If you have seen OD review of Aria [the video is in Youtube - search for odmag channel] Sirish was all praise for the fit, finish, and ride of the car! he had the same claim as our GTO on the "sedan like handling"! though Sirish didnt mention that TATA had compared the ride quality to a sedan, when I first saw the review, I could immediately relate to GTO's comment!

We all have our opinions, I did feel the TV OD review of the Aria as well as the seperate review of the Aria in OD print to be fair, but the same reviewer (sirish) seemed to have different comments about the vehicle when comparing with the Innova (the very next page onwards in the same magazine) and completely ignored the +ves that he had himself mentioned in the pervious pages while comparing with the Innova on uncomparable parameters.

Both are different vehicles and the Innova is a pure MUV, while the Aria is not that point was suddently lost by the same person, when a jap brand was in contention. Infact the pages that followed has the fortuner vs santafe comparision, and on many parameters, like features the Aria trumped the Fortuner totally, and matched the Santafe, while in safety both santafe and Aria trumped the fortuner, but the Aria was not made a part of this comparo.

Importantly on braking the Aria was 30%+ better than the fortuner and 20%+ better than the Santafe with similar weight, and this too is ingnored though the timings are mentioned.

The magazine editors too are like us individuals with personal tastes, choices but unlike us or TBHP reviewers they also have business compulsions.

Honda and Toyota have taken up permanent sponsored drives sections in some of these publications and this would have an impact on the reviews I guess. It happens in all other print magazines and there is not reason for this not to happen in the case of auto magazines as well.

There is a distinct sterio typing of brands as japanese, European, Korean and Indian and attempts to break the mould are resisted.

[AkMar]

@LobsterB,

Excellent car with an excellent road presence. And excellent thread as well. Loved the pics of both exteriors and interiors. Hope you enjoy the car (err..crossover) to the fullest without any niggles.

[pgsagar]

Well said ACM! I couldn't have said any better. He trounces Aria because Tata dared price it more than Innova. Hyundai also did it with Santa Fe. But why did he stick up for Santa Fe?

[civic-sense]

A month gone since the launch and LobsterB's is the only Aria in team bhp! No more brave souls out here?

[ACM]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

A month gone since the launch and LobsterB's is the only Aria in team bhp! No more brave souls out here?

Deliveries are not fast enough, there are 7 brave souls already