[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by psbali

And by rear seats I meant the 3rd row.. Otherwise the front row and second row are really luxurious and comfortable.. Especially the 2nd row.. Theres acres of legspace for the 2nd row.. As for the 3rd row I am really not bothered..

Aah! that clears it up! I was wondering all this while looking at the pics and stuff trying to find what could be making this 'sofa' uncomfortable!


Third row being comfortable would have been even better, but I guess one can live with it!

Thanks for the quick clarification!

[psbali]

Originally Posted by AltoHoncho

beautiful color on this buch, IMHO better looking than Fortuner

Well it seems people in India do tend to prefer white , And well as for how it looks as compared to any other vehicle is a personal preference.. I love the way Aria looks.. But IMHO nothing beats the Fortuner in the looks department.. Aria is better from inside and Fortuner is better from outside and that my dear friend makes all the difference.. Ill for once miss all other cars but it is the fortuner, jazz and a well maintained punto that gets my attention everytime i see one..

Thanks for reading the thread altohoncho...

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

Aah! that clears it up! I was wondering all this while looking at the pics and stuff trying to find what could be making this 'sofa' uncomfortable!


Third row being comfortable would have been even better, but I guess one can live with it!

Thanks for the quick clarification!

Oh well even I sort of screwed up there by not mentioning that in the report when it is one of the best things about the car.. Though I have explained about the middle row in the quotes below my report on the 2nd page.. I am sure most of the people wouldn't go through them.. But will update the middle row comfort separately.. or else would ask a mod to add that para about the middle row in the report.. And the thing that how could Tata people mess up with the 3rd row is really beyond me.. If they couldn't make it better they could have at least given an option to slide them back for extra convenience.. Though for once you can even sort of sit in a cramped position but the roof touches your head on the last row which makes it unbearable.. Sadly a car isn't like a cell phone in which missing features can be added after a firmware update..

[psbali]

Hey there guys. As promised updating this thread, also info on today's Mumbai trip in Aria. The first time we took it on the expressway.

Special mention about middle row seats which I had forgotten to add in my initial experience post on the 2nd page.

The middle row seats rock and they are the best place to be in an Aria. You would actually feel like royalty. Everyone who has got a spin around in our car has given extra compliments as first the interiors do their job and the middle seats round the whole thing up magnificently
add the butter smooth ride to all that and everyone is sold. I am sure a lot of people over here would not agree with me over here. But that is the reaction I get while showing the car to people.

A filthy rich relative has dropped plans of buying a small house for utility in Pune and is instead going to buy an Aria and going to keep staying in hotels whenever he is in Pune. He was rendered completely speechless and even mentioned that he couldn't believe that such a good vehicle is available for under 20 lacs. Though I am sure my following comments could spoil the party.

In the last week we have added around 600 kms to the odo that included normal city runs with night drives and today's Mumbai trip. The car is going to start adding miles from today onwards. It is Nagpur and most probably Hyderabad next. The car is ever so smooth and there were really few things to complain about until today. I really have no idea about what caused this but here goes.

It was a normal day with just the Mumbai trip to look forward to. Me, my dad and my mom left for Mumbai at 9:10 am and reached the Indian oil pump just before khopoli toll at around 10:10. Filled normal diesel at the Indian oil pump and after having breakfast at Mc Donalds again joined the expressway. The car easily reached speeds above 120kmph+. No effort required. The car remained planted even on the curves etc and for some reason the reported wind noise above 100kmph+ didn't really bother us. It was quite bearable. As usual no one got tired and the acres of space really help to achieve that. As it was a spirited run the car registered a fuel efficiency of 8.8ltrs/100 Kms overall. However when my turn came to drive the car on the highway I worked more towards fuel efficiency. I am annoyingly eco friendly. Used the cruise control for most of the part of my turn and achieved a cool average figure of 6.6ltrs/100 kms. But the actual fuel efficiency was stuck on 4ltrs/100 kms for most part. Just that even a slight acceleration messes up the average. Would say that cruise control is only meant for expressways. All in all the car is very powerful, spacious and comfortable. As usual there was a slight vibration on the left side middle window and the lock mounts of the right middle door filled the void of no music.

And now my dear friends after reaching BKC the car was idling at the signal and I with much sorrow report that most probably the engine is misfiring. The car has suddenly started shaking while idling. The situation gets back to normal once the car is up and running but returns the moment car is back to idling. After a continuous run the shaking is still there but happens after more than 30 to 40 secs now. Have religiously kept the car on idle for a minute after starting and before turning off the car as mentioned in the manual. It is still a guess and bad quality fuel can be one reason as well. I have always topped up diesel in my swift from the indian oil pump in khopoli but have never experienced this sorta thing. I guess we have to take the car to the A.S.S tomorrow first thing, as anything like this cannot be ignored. Would really welcome your views on this problem.

Anyway I hope it is not a big problem and something that can be sorted out by just change of fuel brand or at the most replacement of spark plugs.

And yeah got the GPS CD on tuesday and have to say that the GPS is one helluva eye sore. It is not up to the mark. Really bad graphics and not at all user friendly my Samsung wave got a better navigation system. Had to go to Military Station area in Juhu and the road on which the Military ground is situated was not recognized by the GPS and the worst thing is yet to come. Was on my way to juhu from malad and had to cross this road which according to the GPS was actually a river. Though our buying decision was not based on that so no issues.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by psbali

The middle row seats rock and they are the best place to be in an Aria. You would actually feel like royalty. ..add the butter smooth ride to all that and everyone is sold.

The car has suddenly started shaking while idling...at the most replacement of spark plugs

@Psbali, great to get a confirmation from you on the good ride quality !


Hope your shaking-at-idling problem gets resolved soon. Spark plugs would not be there in your car as it's a diesel engine. Clogged injector or fuel / air filter is what you would suspect instead. Maybe the ASC might check these and also run their ECU software on the engine. Did the idling rpm show below normal while the car was shaking ?

[ACM]

PSB as Mooza mentions.

Diesel Engine - so no spark Plugs but clogged injectors / filters are a possiblity, should get sorted out fairly easily at the service centre, if was something major the engine orange light would have lit up. Anyways do go ahead and get it checked out.

We hope not to need to start a technical support thread for the Aria like for the Safari Dicor so soon (both have mostly the same engine), but might have to if this is something significant.

[psbali]

Originally Posted by mooza

@Psbali, great to get a confirmation from you on the good ride quality !


Hope your shaking-at-idling problem gets resolved soon. Spark plugs would not be there in your car as it's a diesel engine. Clogged injector or fuel / air filter is what you would suspect instead. Maybe the ASC might check these and also run their ECU software on the engine. Did the idling rpm show below normal while the car was shaking ?

Originally Posted by ACM

PSB as Mooza mentions.

Diesel Engine - so no spark Plugs but clogged injectors / filters are a possiblity, should get sorted out fairly easily at the service centre, if was something major the engine orange light would have lit up. Anyways do go ahead and get it checked out.

We hope not to need to start a technical support thread for the Aria like for the Safari Dicor so soon (both have mostly the same engine), but might have to if this is something significant.

Hey thanks for your input.. The car is not shaking anymore. Had kept the car on idling speed for a lot of time after going for a spin. Got the air pressure checked first thing in the morning and all tyres had uneven pressure. The car was driven at speed in that condition and maybe due to that it may have happened. Will be on the look out if the problem resurfaces. And no there was not orange engine light coming on and the rpm at idling speed wasn't abnormal at all. As the engine wasn't making any noise either while shaking. Will leave for nagpur and the car can be even repaired at aurangabad or nagpur is there is any need.. Thanks guys hope it doesnt resurface anymore.

[rpmx1000]

Read this thread in full , psb. I love the ARIA too and will mostly buy it after a couple of years. Not because I want to wait and watch m but because of
Vitamin M factor !! I did a drive from KHT motors, bangalore and took some photos as well.
I did plan to write in more detail but not getting enough time for it.Here you go. Note the third row space. The two photographs are taken with
third row with second row fully forward (third row max legspace) and second row fully back (third row min legspace).
Hope some ARIA fans like it and buy the beast, cos this car deserves better. Come on, think of the pluses compared to a Skoda Laura or Yeti which is available at the same or more price. (if you look at the Pleasure and Prestige variants). This TD car at KHT motors was a Pride though). There is a small strectch near Graphite India where I semi-offroaded it over a slushy road at low speed and came back impressed).
I concur with the statement, why did'nt they make the third row movable. Tata is after all the VFM and features king.
Having said that, I must say the first and second rows make you feel royal but when you touch the gearbox to shift the gears, that almost-there feeling comes and then vanishes as you drive and upshift. I was quite happy with the experience and did feel a bit like driving a sedate ship.
Huge apologies for not putting this up sooner, as these photos are from Nov 2010! But then there are awesome reviews in tbhp as well.

[psbali]

Originally Posted by rpmx1000

Read this thread in full , psb. I love the ARIA too and will mostly buy it after a couple of years. Not because I want to wait and watch m but because of
Vitamin M factor !! I did a drive from KHT motors, bangalore and took some photos as well.
I did plan to write in more detail but not getting enough time for it.Here you go. Note the third row space. The two photographs are taken with
third row with second row fully forward (third row max legspace) and second row fully back (third row min legspace).
Hope some ARIA fans like it and buy the beast, cos this car deserves better. Come on, think of the pluses compared to a Skoda Laura or Yeti which is available at the same or more price. (if you look at the Pleasure and Prestige variants). This TD car at KHT motors was a Pride though). There is a small strectch near Graphite India where I semi-offroaded it over a slushy road at low speed and came back impressed).
I concur with the statement, why did'nt they make the third row movable. Tata is after all the VFM and features king.
Having said that, I must say the first and second rows make you feel royal but when you touch the gearbox to shift the gears, that almost-there feeling comes and then vanishes as you drive and upshift. I was quite happy with the experience and did feel a bit like driving a sedate ship.
Huge apologies for not putting this up sooner, as these photos are from Nov 2010! But then there are awesome reviews in tbhp as well.

Wow. Didn't really expect this but it does add a lot of value to my thread. And must say that the pics look really good. And I agree with your comments.

The middle row is needless to say gives you a very airy and royal feeling.. and is the most comfortable place to be in the car. The gear shifts have a little bit of vibration but are alright once you are driving the car. They are quite smooth to operate but the 1st gear does need some force at times. Have no problem driving the car in the city for that matter. I drove it just how I would drive my swift and sx4 in pune and mumbai. It is quite huge so your comment about how it feels like driving a sedate ship is true. and no boat like ride quality there

Thanks mate.. I really appreciate your addition.

[rpmx1000]

Originally Posted by psbali

Wow. Didn't really expect this but it does add a lot of value to my thread. And must say that the pics look really good. And I agree with your comments.

Thanks..I had planned to add this to the original Aria review thread but never got around to doing it. So just thought, why not add it where it will be looked at and will serve some purpose, is the point. Must get some mod to watermark it.

The middle row is needless to say gives you a very airy and royal feeling.. and is the most comfortable place to be in the car. The gear shifts have a little bit of vibration but are alright once you are driving the car. They are quite smooth to operate but the 1st gear does need some force at times. Have no problem driving the car in the city for that matter. I drove it just how I would drive my swift and sx4 in pune and mumbai.

Glad to know and I believe you, I liked the ride quality as well. Just that I drive a Fiesta and have got used to it's slick shifts. But this is pretty much up there.

It is quite huge so your comment about how it feels like driving a sedate ship is true. and no boat like ride quality there

Now you know why I said ship and not boat . And it dosen't sting as well !

Thanks mate.. I really appreciate your addition.

You are very welcome. And wish you miles of happy motoring with your Aria. You have truly bought a remarkable machine. May you have many good years of 'Pride' of ownership. Have fun. I will be following this thread for your updates. Cheers.

[psbali]

hey thanks for all your wishes rpmx1000

havent been updating the thread as much but yeah will do my bit..

Last time I had reported that I experienced excessive shaking while idling after a long and continuous drive to Mumbai. The very we reported this thing with the customer care and called up the dealership and we were immediately given an appointment. While I was on my way I decided to get the tyre pressure checked and all tyres had different psi level and they were topped up with air. After driving for a while I stopped by and there was no such vibration or shaking at all so me and my dad decided to drop the idea of going to the service center. My dad after an hour or so left for Nagpur in the car.

Now when as we had reported the matter with the customer care we mentioned that we may not be able to take it to Pune service center and may have to get it sorted out in either Aurangabad or Nagpur. Dad couldnt stop in Aurangabad but before he could even reach Aurangabad he got a call from the SA there asking him about when he could come. As my dad didnt stop there he got a call from the Nagpur SA stating that they got info from CC about some problem with the car. My Dad is really happy with their attention. But as he was really busy he couldn't take the car to a TASS..

I had to really talk my dad into taking the car for check up before he could leave Pune as he wasn't interested in taking the car to a TASS, saying that it is normal with diesel cars with such huge engines. But he had his way and went to Nagpur without any check ups.

Meanwhile due to to new developments he had to go to Hyderabad from Nagpur. I asked him whether he experienced any such vibration and shaking and I knew the answer before he could even blurt it out. A big "No" given his lack of concern.

He returned after the trip clocking around 3200 kms. And it was time to give it for 5000 kms service. The appointment was taken directly from the Manager of TASS at Sahakarnagar. And I guess he forgot to inform his subordinates about it and I reached the TASS at 10 AM on 28th. The person who had serviced our vehicle the last time was alloted for my car. Then everything was just the usual. He wasn't interested in listening to me much and said that all the issues would be sorted out. Leaving me a bit confused. I blabbered nevertheless and he did take notice finally. Though this time I had decided that I wont be lenient with the feedback.

I asked him to change the engine oil but he said that it is not required before 15k. At that I asked whether Aria needs normal or synthetic engine oil. He had a big question mark on his face. He wasnt able to tell me at all. He gave me an estimate of 10500 for 7.5 ltrs of synthetic and 2400 rs for normal oil. But the SA kept saying that it is definitely synthetic. As I wasn't able to reach my dad I decided to skip it for time being. The delivery was promised for the next day.

I reached the TASS at 1:30 PM on 29th. And a bill of rs 365 was handed over. 250 rs for a liter of engine oil top up. And yeah it was castrol
I would have really liked to get the engine oil changed. Will get it changed upon confirmation. And 65 rs for some clamp.
The SA even informed that the Air Fliter was really very dirty and was cleaned. Probably the reason for all the shaking and vibration. On 27th at night I had also got 3 errors "ABS fault, TCS fault, ESP fault" the SA said that nothing can be done in case such faults dont pop up regularly.

Now after driving it for a while I realized that the car has become super duper smooth. The gear shifts are slicker like never before. There is no rattling that I had experienced earlier and the engine noise has softened. I am amazed at the sudden refinement. And really happy. Have no reason to complain now. So happy that now that SA seems to be courteous and knowledgeable and really polite(damn the 2 smily limit). It really feels like it is gliding on the road without any turbulence.

Have been washing the car myself and I give it a shampoo wash every week.
And have polished the interiors with waxpol interiors polish.

I am really very assured about the vehicle and the service. I feel that I can even go ahead with my punto purchase once offers are back.

It doesn't really matter how much you have to wait to get the vehicle serviced or no matter how much attention you get at the Dealership, A.S.S etc being an Aria owner. But what does matter at the the end of the day is that your car should not have any unsolved issues. A trouble free car makes you forget the worst of your experiences with the Dealership and A.S.S. Though I will still reserve my judgement as it is just the beginning of an experience. It is going to be a good experience looking at the efficiency.

The way my Aria has brought smiles on our faces can not be best expressed in words because my heart and delightful eyes cannot talk.

Drive Safe.

[mooza]

Originally Posted by psbali

The gear shifts are slicker like never before. There is no rattling that I had experienced earlier and the engine noise has softened. I am amazed at the sudden refinement.

I guess the engine mounts might have been re-tightened and the gear oil replaced by TASS.

@Psbali, glad to know your car is feeling much better now. Wishing you trouble free ownership

[DRIV3R]

Originally Posted by mooza

I guess the engine mounts might have been re-tightened and the gear oil replaced by TASS.

Really? 365 INR and gearbox oil change?

[psbali]

Originally Posted by mooza

I guess the engine mounts might have been re-tightened and the gear oil replaced by TASS.

@Psbali, glad to know your car is feeling much better now. Wishing you trouble free ownership

Hey thanks mooza.. I am a bit surprised that they worked their magic this time but what happened during the 1st servicing??

And your suggestion that the shaking is due to a clogged air filter maybe true. Why maybe true? because I am yet to take the car on a long drive as it crops up only after a long drive. Normal city runs wont make the car shake. Though after a lavasa trip on 21st (my birthday ) sort of confirmed that the shaking wasn't a one off thing as I experienced it again while I was idling after the drive. In my post I have mentioned that my dad claimed no vibration/shaking but I know that he wont agree though the reason behind that is really beyond me.

And no.. I wasn't charged for any gear oil change or top up.

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

Really? 365 INR and gearbox oil change?

well yeah.. 250 rs for 1 liter of engine oil and a clamp for 65 rs and their usual taxes etc which brought the bill to 365 including a 2% charge on card payment. And no the gear oil wasn't changed or topped up..



And oh yeah.. Just a bit of addition. The car is quite capable of delivering 25 kmpl if driven sedately at a continuous speed in the range of 80 to 110 which is only possible on highways. But I am quite surprised at the figure..

[rkap01]

Few queries:

1. How are the brakes?
2. What is the visibility while reversing?
3. What is the gear system - Manual or auto

[psbali]

Originally Posted by rkap01

Few queries:

1. How are the brakes?
2. What is the visibility while reversing?
3. What is the gear system - Manual or auto

1. Braking is confidence inspiring and ABS & All 4 disc brakes are standard across all variants. Top end model got ABS, Traction Control and Electronic Stability Program which help keep the car in the direction you want it be in.

2. My car got a reverse parking camera which is amazing to use and because of that parking is damn easy. Otherwise in Pleasure and Prestige variants you get reverse parking sensors which again would help you a lot. Though I am sure that without such features or guidance it would be a task to reverse the car. As you are sitting in a raised position its rear is also raised and you are sitting a few feet ahead of the rear part. But with Aria you will get either rear parking sensors which give you an idea or a camera in the top end model which sort of gives you complete rearward visibility along with OVRMs.
So based on all above aspects it is easy to reverse the car.

3. Aria as of now comes only in Manual gear system.

You thinking of buying the car ?