Tata Aria Prestige 4x4 Ownership Report

LobsterB · 3rd November 2010, 20:42

Background
With parents all set to join us, had been thinking about and evaluating 7 seater cars (for a few years now). We also like to travel (actually drive) around and quite a bit of that could be beyond good roads. NHC with its lower ground clearance and soft suspension didn't give that much confidence to explore unknown roads (or 'almost always broken stretches'). In case of a first hand vehicle, wanted to keep it for a decade if possible, ideally atleast for more than half a decade without it being outdated.

The facelifted Innova V with ACC/ABS/Airbag seemed like the right choice, but then I never really liked it! Scorpio (not the latest refresh) looked nice, but then couldn't really get into (and out of) the drivers seat comfortably. Concerns regarding second-row comfort and handling finally ruled that out. Safari's age, large turning radius and interiors didn't appeal much. Meanwhile Ingenio was launched as Xylo, sounded interesting, but didn't impress us much at the showroom with its tallboy like shape (without ABS/Airbag initially), lack of luggage space and interior quality. Fortuner, Captiva etc looked like an overkill(from the price angle) and so didn't really explore in much detail.

When Aria was announced at AutoExpo the list of features surely exceeded my wishlist items and started following news about the same more meticulously. In the meanwhile my parents decide to move permanently to Bangalore and the requirement became more prominent. Due to someother unplanned twists and turns we were suddenly one car short and still no firm Aria launch date was available. Frustration started to build-up and that resulted in a lookout for pre-owned Innova 2.5V. Didn't find the asking prices interesting. Not many 2.0V's were available. Didn't want to look for a brand new Innova as I never 'really liked it'. In addition somehow felt that a major model revision for Innova should happen in 1-2 years. So was finally forced to wait for a pre-Diwali launch.

Booking
Pricing indications seemed to indicate that the Pride variant to be within my hard limit of 15L ex-showroom. So went around looking for pre-launch booking options. Prerana Motors, HSR guys didn't seem to be interested even on 9th October morning. The sales guy even claimed that the launch of Aria has been indefinitely postponed. Drove to Concorde Motors and they offered to do pre-launch booking with 100% refund option, if not satisfied. So booked Pride in Sardinia Red. Actually wanted that Burgundy shade displayed at AutoExpo, but didn't know its name.

Watched the launch online and was shocked to see the pricing. Again started parallely looking for alternatives and the only pre-owned innova 2.0 that I could find around 5L was a 2005 G4. Even thought of getting a 6yr old second owner Corolla H5 and waiting for an year or so. But didn't see much point in waiting for 6months for any possible year-end discounts or W201. After seeing (not driving) W201, ajithbc had recommended to go the Aria way and I was also inclined in the same direction.

My Aria Test Drive convinced me to drop all other plans. Prestige with leather option was what my price limit allowed. Surely wanted ACC, but glove box chiller and auto wiper/headlamps were nice to have. Visited their stockyard and selected the Night Shade Black Prestige they had. No discounts and no freebies. Took insurance from outside and saved close to 12K

Delivery
Eventhough the vehicle was there they apparently were not able to deliver. Someone from Tata Motors, Pune, had to come for PDI of these first lot of vehicles. Inspected the vehicle(again) and took a short test drive. Also the Prestige/Adapterra/4x4 badges reached only on the day of delivery - 28th October. The dealer claimed this to be the first Aria delivered in South India and had organized a small flag-off ceremony with one Mr. Shinde of Tata Motors (Utility Vehicles) formally handing over the key.

From pre-launch booking to delivery (and beyond) all interactions were handled by Mr. Rajesh of Concorde Motors very professionally. Initially had gone to Prerana Motors expecting a third party to have a better attitude than a subsidary of the manufacturer. Btw, had been to Lalbagh Road Prerana Motors backyard on Vijayadasami to show Night Shade Black to my wife & kids and finalize the color.

Night Shade Black means Black @ Night ?

Tata Aria Prestige 4x4 Ownership Report-dsc_0442.jpg

Ok, I did come across Black Nightshade

Will post ownership experiences @ 1000Kms shortly...

EARTHed · 3rd November 2010, 21:07

Congrats LobsterB! First Aria on Team Bhp! Hope its loved by all just like the Tata Safari!

jkdas · 3rd November 2010, 21:08

Cool ! the first one! Congrats! Please do post more pix.

How much did it cost you OTR? And is there any extended warranty package or AMC?

kaviprem · 3rd November 2010, 21:20

Congrats Lobster. Get more pics and details.

Good luck & Safe motoring
Prem.

psbali · 3rd November 2010, 21:26

Hey congrats again LobsterB.
The Aria in night shade black color looks really good..

And now desperately waiting for your full blown ownership report.. I hope shortly means tonight

.. Any plans of even posting a lot of pics ???

Please forgive the demands..

LobsterB · 3rd November 2010, 21:36

Thanks EARTHed, jkdas, kaviprem. More exterior pictures will follow shortly. Yet to take interior ones.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jkdas

How much did it cost you OTR? And is there any extended warranty package or AMC?

OTR in Bangalore is close to 18L (17.9x). Standard warranty is 3yrs or 1L kms. I have opted for the additional 1yr or 0.5L kms package for Rs.7000 as well. So now has a total of 4yrs/1.5L Kms warranty.

HappyWheels · 3rd November 2010, 22:01

Congrats LobsterB!

The first ownership I am coming across, of an ARIA!

Wishing you many KM's of safe and pleasant journeys with your new ride.

NevGin · 3rd November 2010, 22:01

Many many congratulations to you! Many happy miles of motoring. Your ownership thread will be the yardstick for others looking to buy the Aria but are hesitant to do so because of the pricing.

PaddleShifter · 3rd November 2010, 22:10

Congrats LobsterB. Aria looks great. No doubt your thread is on top of the Test drive reviews. It will have a 5-Star rating and hopefully will fill pages after pages of appreciation for Aria.

Enjoy your car. I wish you happy ownership experience ahead.

safari_lover · 3rd November 2010, 22:12

Congratulations on the South India's first Tata Aria LobsterB:-). She looks great.
She looks so different from this angle. Not Van like, one bit.
Wish you a decade full of happy ownership. Do add few more pics.

PAVAN KADAM · 3rd November 2010, 22:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by LobsterB

OTR in Bangalore is close to 18L (17.9x). Standard warranty is 3yrs or 1L kms. I have opted for the additional 1yr or 0.5L kms package for Rs.7000 as well. So now has a total of 4yrs/1.5L Kms warranty.

Cool

And congrats on your New Ride, Have a pleasant motoring

wildon · 3rd November 2010, 22:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by LobsterB

Will post ownership experiences @ 1000Kms shortly...

Congrats

and it looks really good in Black. Waiting for your Driving experience report.

gemithomas · 3rd November 2010, 22:23

Thats one great looking car. And one of the best looking alloys any manufacturer has given as OEM. Looking forward to see more pictures. Enjoy!

TaureanBull · 3rd November 2010, 22:31

Congrats Lobster. Happy and safe driving.

Hope that it meets your requirements. Would love to see more pics from different angles and interiors.

Do you plan and upgrades or installations? or Is there a need to do so?

aargee · 3rd November 2010, 22:39

Congratulations @LobsterB; you're the first one to own an Aria in TBhp.

Quote:

Will post ownership experiences @ 1000Kms shortly...

Does this mean you're nearing to complete the 1K mark so soon?

3rd November 2010, 20:42	#1
LobsterB BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 161 Thanked: 211 Times	Tata Aria Prestige 4x4 Ownership Report *Background* With parents all set to join us, had been thinking about and evaluating 7 seater cars (for a few years now). We also like to travel (actually drive) around and quite a bit of that could be beyond good roads. NHC with its lower ground clearance and soft suspension didn't give that much confidence to explore unknown roads (or 'almost always broken stretches'). In case of a first hand vehicle, wanted to keep it for a decade if possible, ideally atleast for more than half a decade without it being outdated. The facelifted Innova V with ACC/ABS/Airbag seemed like the right choice, but then I never really liked it! Scorpio (not the latest refresh) looked nice, but then couldn't really get into (and out of) the drivers seat comfortably. Concerns regarding second-row comfort and handling finally ruled that out. Safari's age, large turning radius and interiors didn't appeal much. Meanwhile Ingenio was launched as Xylo, sounded interesting, but didn't impress us much at the showroom with its tallboy like shape (without ABS/Airbag initially), lack of luggage space and interior quality. Fortuner, Captiva etc looked like an overkill(from the price angle) and so didn't really explore in much detail. When Aria was announced at AutoExpo the list of features surely exceeded my wishlist items and started following news about the same more meticulously. In the meanwhile my parents decide to move permanently to Bangalore and the requirement became more prominent. Due to someother unplanned twists and turns we were suddenly one car short and still no firm Aria launch date was available. Frustration started to build-up and that resulted in a lookout for pre-owned Innova 2.5V. Didn't find the asking prices interesting. Not many 2.0V's were available. Didn't want to look for a brand new Innova as I never 'really liked it'. In addition somehow felt that a major model revision for Innova should happen in 1-2 years. So was finally forced to wait for a pre-Diwali launch. *Booking* Pricing indications seemed to indicate that the Pride variant to be within my hard limit of 15L ex-showroom. So went around looking for pre-launch booking options. Prerana Motors, HSR guys didn't seem to be interested even on 9th October morning. The sales guy even claimed that the launch of Aria has been indefinitely postponed. Drove to Concorde Motors and they offered to do pre-launch booking with 100% refund option, if not satisfied. So booked Pride in Sardinia Red. Actually wanted that Burgundy shade displayed at AutoExpo, but didn't know its name. Watched the launch online and was shocked to see the pricing. Again started parallely looking for alternatives and the only pre-owned innova 2.0 that I could find around 5L was a 2005 G4. Even thought of getting a 6yr old second owner Corolla H5 and waiting for an year or so. But didn't see much point in waiting for 6months for any possible year-end discounts or W201. After seeing (not driving) W201, ajithbc had recommended to go the Aria way and I was also inclined in the same direction. My Aria Test Drive convinced me to drop all other plans. Prestige with leather option was what my price limit allowed. Surely wanted ACC, but glove box chiller and auto wiper/headlamps were nice to have. Visited their stockyard and selected the Night Shade Black Prestige they had. No discounts and no freebies. Took insurance from outside and saved close to 12K *Delivery* Eventhough the vehicle was there they apparently were not able to deliver. Someone from Tata Motors, Pune, had to come for PDI of these first lot of vehicles. Inspected the vehicle(again) and took a short test drive. Also the Prestige/Adapterra/4x4 badges reached only on the day of delivery - 28th October. The dealer claimed this to be the first Aria delivered in South India and had organized a small flag-off ceremony with one Mr. Shinde of Tata Motors (Utility Vehicles) formally handing over the key. From pre-launch booking to delivery (and beyond) all interactions were handled by Mr. Rajesh of Concorde Motors very professionally. Initially had gone to Prerana Motors expecting a third party to have a better attitude than a subsidary of the manufacturer. Btw, had been to Lalbagh Road Prerana Motors backyard on Vijayadasami to show Night Shade Black to my wife & kids and finalize the color. Night Shade Black means Black @ Night ? Ok, I did come across Black Nightshade Will post ownership experiences @ 1000Kms shortly...
	(4) Thanks

3rd November 2010, 21:07	#2
EARTHed BANNED Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Greater Bangalore Posts: 420 Thanked: 39 Times	Congrats LobsterB! First Aria on Team Bhp! Hope its loved by all just like the Tata Safari!
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 21:08	#3
jkdas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Thiruvananthapu Posts: 9,687 Thanked: 1,492 Times View My Garage	Cool ! the first one! Congrats! Please do post more pix. How much did it cost you OTR? And is there any extended warranty package or AMC?
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 21:20	#4
kaviprem BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Trichy Posts: 952 Thanked: 832 Times View My Garage	Congrats Lobster. Get more pics and details. Good luck & Safe motoring Prem.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 21:26	#5
psbali BHPian Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: PNQ - PUNE Posts: 316 Thanked: 360 Times	Hey congrats again LobsterB. The Aria in night shade black color looks really good.. And now desperately waiting for your full blown ownership report.. I hope shortly means tonight .. Any plans of even posting a lot of pics ??? Please forgive the demands..
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 22:01	#7
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Congrats LobsterB! The first ownership I am coming across, of an ARIA! Wishing you many KM's of safe and pleasant journeys with your new ride.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 22:01	#8
NevGin BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Bombay Posts: 503 Thanked: 437 Times	Many many congratulations to you! Many happy miles of motoring. Your ownership thread will be the yardstick for others looking to buy the Aria but are hesitant to do so because of the pricing.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 22:10	#9
PaddleShifter Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: CHD Posts: 1,121 Thanked: 2,712 Times	Congrats LobsterB. Aria looks great. No doubt your thread is on top of the Test drive reviews. It will have a 5-Star rating and hopefully will fill pages after pages of appreciation for Aria. Enjoy your car. I wish you happy ownership experience ahead.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 22:12	#10
safari_lover Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bengaluru / Bagdal Posts: 1,135 Thanked: 685 Times	Congratulations on the South India's first Tata Aria LobsterB:-). She looks great. She looks so different from this angle. Not Van like, one bit. Wish you a decade full of happy ownership. Do add few more pics. Last edited by safari_lover : 3rd November 2010 at 22:14.
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 22:23	#13
gemithomas Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 2,366 Thanked: 143 Times View My Garage	Thats one great looking car. And one of the best looking alloys any manufacturer has given as OEM. Looking forward to see more pictures. Enjoy!
	() Thanks

3rd November 2010, 22:31	#14
TaureanBull Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 1,071 Thanked: 326 Times View My Garage	Congrats Lobster. Happy and safe driving. Hope that it meets your requirements. Would love to see more pics from different angles and interiors. Do you plan and upgrades or installations? or Is there a need to do so?
	() Thanks