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Old 2nd December 2010, 11:01   #31
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You shared many interesting points regarding the whole buying process, thanks for that. But we/ARIA deserve better pictures
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Old 2nd December 2010, 12:51   #32
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Originally Posted by lurker View Post
OT, but why are photos invariably taken at time of delivery these days ? Is it a 'security' requirement couched in guise of traditional hospitality ? These days it has almost become mandatory that the dealer takes a photo of the customer.

Can one refuse this photo ?
Most Manufacturers subscribe nowadays to JD Power SSI Study - an extensive and one of the Standard Operating Procedures(SOP), of the SSI Study is whether the dealer sales / delivery department took your photograph and submitted a copy to you or not. If the SOP is not followed the OEM penalises the dealer in their internal audit financially ! Hence the photo. Of course, you can refuse, but you have to tell the dealer that YOU wilfully do not want the photo and that the dealer is not to be blamed
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Old 2nd December 2010, 15:21   #33
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XI Interiors:

XI Interiors:

Covered Exteriors prior to Interiors - Swapped chapters.
Black and Plum Leather Interiors? What is Plum colour? From where did they get such an Idea? Whoever it was needs to be acknowledged. Adds colour and yet is subtle and elegant.

TATA could so easily have gone overboard and had fake wood on the top models inplace of the base one with beige all around, but someone there understands the meaning of the words "Understated Elegance" and went for brushed steel. The Brushed steel on the dash is automotive grade plastic and obviously not actually brushed steel but looks just like it.

Even the Black in Black and Plum is not Black but a shade of Brownish Black and works really well for Night Shade Black Exteriors. The Dash too has the same shade of Brownish Black. Except for the Chrome Handles they have left the chrome and other shiny stuff on the outside with the brushed steel or titanium look on the inside - including on the gear knob and the frame housing the leather cover at the base on the center console. The emborssed gear numbering on the gear knob feels rich, long lasting and is also practical as one is sure that this will not be wiped of with use / wear and tear.

Would have preferred Matt Steel on the Steering controls as well - in place of the shiny back. Have seen this Matt Steel steering controls on all the review cars of various publications, but this has not made it to the final production for some reason and the designers probably choose Black buttons as an improvement.

Have yet to take snaps of the interiors at night when they truly come alive. A nice touch in the interior lighting design integrated with the Auto light feature is that one never needs to switch on the interior instrumentation lights, they are off when its day time and on in low light by themselves.

The place where this automatic lighting and what is called Day and Night Dials don't work is during twilight when with the dials "ON" certain numbers on the dial are not too readable from certain angles. (Like the 2000 rpm and 100 kmph pointers with my seat adjustment.) This of course is a minor niggle. The lighting on the switches and instrumentation is brilliant and the interiors look lovely at night. Am Planning to shoot the night view of Interiors later and will post them separately later.

The Steering height adjustment lever is fine enough to hold and better than in the safari, but not as nice as in the Laura and the Fortuner and it does take a bit of physical effort in locking back as it does not click in position and instead tightens just like a hand brake lever.

The Hand Brake lever is fine and infact quite good to feel, but the car does creep on slopes unless we tighten the hand brake hard enough.
Also the levers for adjusting the middle row seat don't feel as strong and sturdy as they should. Was not too happy with the Innova and Fortuner levers either none of them are confidence inspiring. The new bit of design that TATA has brought in (Nylon Straps for the back rest and and last row seats adjustment is unique and feels sturdy.

The 7 + 1 roof mounted storage compartments are actually useful, and being sized of various different sizes is a nice touch. The Car has an Airline like ambience due to the centre roof mounted storages and light / air vent controls.

The Provision of Passenger side airbag switch off for the first time in 2 years let me get my wife and kid to the front row for a bit - something I just could not do in the Laura. Would have liked the Passenger Airbag switch off to be via an electrical switch near the Driver rather than on the Passenger side via a mechanical process of turning the car key.

The Music System is Adequate, better than most vehicles below 14 L but just par for the course in it's price band. They could have gone beyond the thought of provisioning for Woofer space in the rear door and infact incorporated one at least in the top end pride model.

The Door Speaker (one of the doors) does resonate with the window glass at certain frequencies and this is something I intend to get adjusted in the first service.

The Rear view mirror is the lightest one that I have encountered. After the really heavy safari one this one at first felt too light to adjust but worked as well as it should and indicated a concerted effort to reduce weight all around.

Some not too visible areas in the door metal joints could have been finished better.

The Sat Nav CD is still awaited and the Dealer says it will come in Jan. I think post initial review by the publications they are attempting to improve the mapping and interface.

The Central screen is very large in the Pride model and the central know on the system that most people tend to mistake for the volume or power on control is quite like the BMW I drive system for navigating through the various menus on the large screen. They should have given it a unique and fancy name like the I Drive - maybe T-Console or something and this would be viewed as another feather in the cap of the Aria. They should have also integrated the MID functions to the Infotainment console - something that high end cars in this segment have - Laura, Superb onwards..

The time indication on the large Infotainment screen is located at the right corner and could have been placed centrally as also in between the two instrumentation dials, for better reading.

The CD slot for the Sat Nav lead to easy upgrade of the software, but one wonders if the data a CD can hold is sufficient to map entire India?
The Phone control is nice and I was able to sync with the Nokia N97 mini and the Samsung X820 quite easily also the address book from both is accessible through the car system. Have not yet figured out how to have both phones connected at the same time, and don't know if that is possible in this system. It has a provision to have the bluetooth detect multiple phones, but will it enable connection to more than 1 at a time just like the Blue 5 system in the Vista and Manza is to be checked, -- will report back after fiddling some more.

The Climate Control ACC works fine. Yes a bit of a wiff of outside foul smell does come in once in a while, but not as much as in the Safari and not as less as in the Laura.

4 middle row and 2 last row AC vents coupled with 4 for the front make it 10 AC Vents, the middle and last row ones of course can be controlled from the middle row seats.

The car also has 3 X 12V power sockets - one for each row and 7 cup holders - 1 for each passenger.

The front cup holders cannot be used if there is anything inserted in the USB socket for the Audio system as the cover for the socket will not close if a pendrive or something similar is inserted. Also the front cup holders do not go back with a single click and a bit of adjustment is required to ensure that they stay back in the closed position. The middle row cup holder cover does not have a specific resting place when the cup holder is in the open position and could have been designed better.

The Provision to enable USB, AUX, IPod usage is now par for the course, but not all have this, the Aria also has a place to keep the IPod next to the USB socket.

The Coin holders are really neat and take, Rs.1, Rs.2 and Rs.5 coins.
Currency notes and toll tickets placed in the smaller roof mounted compartments do not fall out.

The Sunglasses holder near the drivers head can take most sizes of sunglasses, but the other roof mounted compartments cannot take really large glasses.

The light coloured plastic bezel next to the windshield on the inside takes dirt easily, and a darker colour would have been better.

The Absence of a Dead Pedal is fine, but a wider foot well or a better angle of the brushed metal trip adjacent to the dash console would have been ideal.

The Seats are firm and that is good for longer journeys.

The Middle row center arm rest cover for the cup holders does not fit back completely if kept in the open position and that could have been done better yet having the cup holder there is a good touch and must be appreciated.

The Matting set right now covers only the first two rows and a total matting should have been made available as an accessory, and infact in a car of this price should have been provided by default.

Roof Rails (Not luggage Rack) on the outside would further aid the looks tremendously but I do not see a provision for it.

Luggage space is best in class.

All four doors take 1 L bottles and infact we could fit 2 such bottles in each door if required.

The Chiller glove box chills only as much as the set AC temperature the nice bit is that it also takes 1 Ltr bottles, also one does not realize it's there as it's hidden behind a plum coloured leather panel and the push latch is not directly visible.

The Switches for folding mirrors, for adjusting mirrors, for locking rear windows are all of superb quality and give a super lux quality feel.
The Audio and ACC controls buttons and knobs also feel built to last, the ACC display should have been inclined upwards for better visibility.
The seat backs (from the back side) at the bottom seamlessly end in a carpet like material instead of hanging down and have molded plastic at the edges making for a very smooth finish.

The Silver coloured ARIA embroidery on the Carpets and the Emborssed ARIA on the door sill scruff plates also look quite nice.

The Extenders in the sun blinds work well for the side and is a nice touch. It perfectly cuts out the sun from the sides while one is driving or sitting in the front passenger seat.

The toolkit location in the rear below the floor is perfect, the hydraulic jack is also located nicely on the side. One feels confident that the tools will not rattle, The way the tools were place in the Fortuner was a turn off.

Phew more the features, more the rights and wrongs that we find with them. Overall a delightfull cabin that I actually rate to be better than that of all cars in India between 10-22L OTR. I might be a bit biased but have tried to be as balanced while making this comment.

Photo's speak better than words:
Attached Thumbnails
TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01432.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01433.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01434.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01435.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01436.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01437.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01438.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01439.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01425.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01426.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01451.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01446.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01449.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01450.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01447.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01448.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01458.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01459.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01460.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01461.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01462.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01464.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01463.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01468.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01466.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01467.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01469.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01470.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01471.jpg  

Attached Images
 
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Old 2nd December 2010, 15:28   #34
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Interior Snaps Contd.

Some more Snaps of Interiors

Specifically pointing towards the fit and finish at the back of the seats bottom here. Nice.

the Steering centre "T" Logo should have been done in better materials. It's Ok but could have been better, the Steering grip and ergonomics though are great.

Also some snaps of the sunglass holder and the sunshade extenders - Practical and thoughtful.
Attached Thumbnails
TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01472.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01473.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01474.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01475.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01477.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01476.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01479.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01480.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01481.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc01482.jpg  

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Old 2nd December 2010, 15:37   #35
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VeluM View Post
The rear three quarters and rear (angled) pic (last one) are the best angles I've seen of the rear of the Aria. Makes it look really good! Maybe the colour helps too.

This is a unique colour alright. Looks like a purpley/brownish black. Great choice, and nice pics.

Thanks again for the D.e.t.a.i.l.e.d review. This (IMHO) will be the definitive thread for people looking for an unbiased and comprehensive ownership report. Looking forward to more!
Thanks, The colour is definately unique - no doubts about it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mercedised View Post
wow! that's yummy stuff. Well presented, ACM. Nice pictures and am waiting for the DETAILED interior pictures.
Thanks, Just posted the interior pictures.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Latheesh View Post
You shared many interesting points regarding the whole buying process, thanks for that. But we/ARIA deserve better pictures
Agree pictures never seem to do justice to the ARIA pictures - Will reshoot it in action later with a much better camera.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arjab View Post
Most Manufacturers subscribe nowadays to JD Power SSI Study - an extensive and one of the Standard Operating Procedures(SOP), of the SSI Study is whether the dealer sales / delivery department took your photograph and submitted a copy to you or not. If the SOP is not followed the OEM penalises the dealer in their internal audit financially ! Hence the photo.
Have yet to be sent the photograph - thanks for sharing.
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Old 2nd December 2010, 15:41   #36
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ACM, Congrats once again & I'd say - "Mind in the Right Place"

Have fun munching the kilometers & I'm going to follow this thread with keen interest since you've moved from the King of Milemunching to a New Kid on the Block & the comparo from time to time will be interesting

Now, I'm not nitpicking here but I think the pictures don't do justice to the vehicle - some of them are too bright (the flast effect), thereby distorting the color. And in some of them, the reflections of leaves etc are not showing off the gorgeous exteriors at their best!
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Old 2nd December 2010, 16:59   #37
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Thanks Suman

Yes am guilty on the photography front, am planing for the a fresh shoot after the first service - which I hope to go for on the coming monday.

Was not able to stop the auto flash, the colour though are not too distorted and there is indeed a brownish tint to all the fixtures, leather and plastics in the interiors and that is good, of course the plum looks plum-er than the dull matt effect that is there.

Last edited by ACM : 2nd December 2010 at 17:01.
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Old 2nd December 2010, 17:40   #38
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NO one! I mean NO one would have explained the features and cons of ARIA other than a person who has just migrated from a TATA SUV to the same make Cross OVER. Yes, that's you, ACM. I am saying this because most of the features might have matched with Safari itself which would have made the job easier, but I am surprised to see that there are most of the features which are new for any Tata stable vehicle or most of the modern vehicles.

Features I liked about car from your review:

1) Extended sun block (or whatever it's name(?))
2) Coin Holder
3) Glove box cooler (a must I have been dreaming of fitting a freeze in my Safari)
4) The rear luggage space

A few things I think should have been better:

1) The naked plastic at some places (like foot area, it gets dirty by shoes dirt and looks very ugly) should have been avoided and something like, you know, like that carpet (donot know its name) thing which is used for decorating the interiors of a Volvo or a normal bus, I am not talking about the same thing, but some sort of material covering plastic parts would have been better.

2) Rear seat should be pushed further backwards (thereby reducing the luggage space by a little) to improve legroom for 3rd row.

Great going! and take care of your Aria.

Last edited by mercedised : 2nd December 2010 at 17:51.
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Old 2nd December 2010, 18:25   #39
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM View Post
The CD slot for the Sat Nav lead to easy upgrade of the software, but one wonders if the data a CD can hold is sufficient to map entire India?
yes, Maps for India are between 100 to 260 MB based on level of details and number of cities covered. This can easily fit on CD.

In comparison, US maps are approx 1.5 GB
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Old 2nd December 2010, 22:43   #40
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Hands down - excellent report!!

This baby needs a new photo shoot for sure. Make that after a couple of coats of wax..
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Old 3rd December 2010, 09:39   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mercedised View Post
NO one! I mean NO one would have explained the features and cons of ARIA other than a person who has just migrated from a TATA SUV to the same make Cross OVER. Yes, that's you, ACM.

2) Rear seat should be pushed further backwards (thereby reducing the luggage space by a little) to improve legroom for 3rd row.
Thanks Mercedised -
Rear Seat being pushed back further is not possible for 3 reaons
1) The Tool Kit at the rear - but that could be re arranged a bit,
2) The Spare Wheel under the space behind the rear seat and the rear bumper
3) Most importantly and the hardest to manage - flat folding rear seats, they could have gone back more if they were not flat flolding but raising the height of the rear seat would also have the negative effect of the roof hitting a person sitting, the space is indeed less, but fine for smaller adults and definately for childern.

Quote:
Originally Posted by NetfreakBombay View Post
yes, Maps for India are between 100 to 260 MB based on level of details and number of cities covered. This can easily fit on CD.
Thanks for the Info, Now feel confident that comprehensive maps over the next few years will be achievable even via a CD. - Still they could have used a USB slot a pen drive - should have been cheaper to manage as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by troublemaker View Post
Hands down - excellent report!!
This baby needs a new photo shoot for sure. Make that after a couple of coats of wax..
Thanks troublemaker - Am plannig for a service next week and after some waxing she should be ready for a proper photo shoot.
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Old 3rd December 2010, 12:49   #42
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I just love this community! Congrats on getting hold of this new breed ACM.
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Old 3rd December 2010, 14:00   #43
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ACM, I just had to rate this thread 5 stars. I have rarely seen any report on any topic, at this level of detail and passion. Thanks!
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Old 3rd December 2010, 15:07   #44
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ACM, congratulations on the black beast! Not only do you have a flair for writing, but you also have an eye for detail. This is amongst the best ownership reports on Team-BHP, and I'm really looking forward to frequent updates from you (on servicing, maintenance etc.). Rating the thread a well-deserved 5 stars.

There's stuff here that only an owner can know about....like your comments on the Aria staff. The observations of your office folk are the icing on the cake. Everyone raves about the official Team-BHP reviews; I think it's the ownership reviews that bring true value to our forum.

Congrats again! I may not agree with the pricing, yet consider the Aria to be a giant leap ahead for Tata. It's one heck of an MUV. Drive safe will you!
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Old 3rd December 2010, 15:13   #45
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Kmpl

Quote:
Originally Posted by creative420 View Post
I just love this community! Congrats on getting hold of this new breed ACM.
Thanks Creative

Quote:
Originally Posted by Driver2000 View Post
ACM, I just had to rate this thread 5 stars. I have rarely seen any report on any topic, at this level of detail and passion. Thanks!
Thanks, we have in time to give back to the forum as we take from it.

KMPL: During Runing in period

1) Daily 75 kms - (20 highway - 10 moderate roads - 5 tough traffic) - 9.5 kmpl
2) Daily 10 kms - (5 Trough Traffic - 5 moderate roads) - 9 kmpl

3) Daily 5 kms - (Moderate Traffic) - 8.5 kmpl

4) Highway runs - 200+ kms with occational jams - heavy foot - 12.5 + kmpl

5) Highway runs - 200+ kms with occational jams - light foot - 14 + kmpl

Speedo Error - 5-10% as is usual - accounted in above - Tank full to Tank full measurements.

Currently these are estimates that I would revise as I drive more and finish first service and runing in period.
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