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Old 4th December 2010, 12:54   #46
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ACM Congrats on the new beast


The narration is too good. Mods have an option for the next official test drive, when GTO or Sid Indica is not available.

The LR buyouts seems to have a hand in the ARIA. Kudos to TATA for raising the bar in MUV segement.


We expect more photos from you.
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Old 4th December 2010, 17:49   #47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM View Post
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.
I have read in another Aria thread here in Team-BHP(i think lobster's) that you can use a smaller USB that allows the flap to be closed. Please look for this.
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Old 5th December 2010, 00:42   #48
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@GTO: Thank you for the kind words.

Value is so relative, it's upto TATA and ARIA to prove the pricing correct and for the competetion to raise the bar further, time will tell.

@Dine: The TBHP Forum and Offical Team has many really experienced and articulate automobile enthuisiasts. We get to learn from all members and improve upon our AutoIQ.

Making the first long trip - 500 kms tomorrow (Mumbai - Shirdi - Mumbai).

And will also be sending the car for the first service on Monday

Hope to have more insights into the car, long distance drive as well as the Service by Tuesday.
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Old 5th December 2010, 08:48   #49
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have safe trip ACM
look forward to more inputs from you as regards to handling of the ARIA, especially overtaking and breaking.
see you back soon on forum with full report.
regards
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Old 5th December 2010, 09:05   #50
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Wow...!!!

On most other forums, notice us Indians quabbling and abusing each other for lamest of excuses. But here on team-bhp, we get gems like this thread that demonstrate what many of us are capable of - when we put our head into it. Great great great thread - for structure, choice of words, content quality, and staging of content.

A owner of Manza Aura+, had to answer plenty of people 'why Tata?'. Am sure with cars like this, with clear separation of complete 'customer experience process' from test drives to delivery to (hopefully) service for premium segment, Tata is one company that will go the distance and I will be able to show my car (including Vista) that sort of demonstrated that Tatas can make cars that we want.
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Old 5th December 2010, 11:15   #51
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the VTEC guy View Post
I have read in another Aria thread here in Team-BHP(i think lobster's) that you can use a smaller USB that allows the flap to be closed. Please look for this.
@ACM - See the picture below. This is what I was talking about a compact USB if used will help in keeping the shutter closed.
Attached Thumbnails
TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-dsc_0662.jpg  

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Old 5th December 2010, 16:42   #52
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Wonderful writing ACM...Enjoyed every bit of it. I am a major fan of the Safari and love it for what it is. The Aria is a wonderful vehicle and i have seen several on the road in the past few weeks. I loved the bit when you said that as an Indian you are proud about it. Kudos to TATA for bringing out this vehicle albeit at a slightly higher cost. A big congratulations to you ACM for many wonderful kilometers of motoring with your family in the Aria.
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Old 5th December 2010, 17:27   #53
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the VTEC guy View Post
@ACM - See the picture below. This is what I was talking about a compact USB if used will help in keeping the shutter closed.
Yup, that's an HP compact 4GB USB drive. Costs around 550, if I'm not mistaken.

There are smaller ones too, in the 650-750 range, so if you have 3-4 of those, suitably labelled, should cover most of the family's taste in Music

PS: All those wee cubby-holes will require a lot of vacuuming, wouldn't they? India's dust, creeps in Everywhere!

Last edited by VeluM : 5th December 2010 at 17:29. Reason: Ps
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Old 5th December 2010, 20:25   #54
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Great post. Enjoy your Aria. One of these days I want to test drive the Aria. If price comes down it will be a compelling buy.

Couple of typos you can correct:
due to it's looks ==> due to its looks
in week of it's launch ==> in week of its launch
When in doubt expand "it's" to "it is" and you will immediately see if you are making a mistake.

'Looks' are subjective and so it is a personal decision. I own an Innova and though I like its looks, I like the shape and presence of Safari a lot more. But I didn't make my decision based on looks --- and that again is a personal decision.

Regarding taxi-image, there are taxis and then there are taxis. You have Maruti Omni taxis where the windshield is one inch in front of your face, then you have the Marinos, the Logans and the Innovas. In Beijing you will see a whole bunch of VW Jetta taxis. The Leela Palace uses Nissan Teana as a taxi.

Though I agree that Innova may not be exciting, I wouldn't say that it is not a driver's vehicle. It is a lot of fun to drive, has very good acceleration for a minivan, rock solid stability even at 140 km/hr. Regarding your observation that the Innova was unable to climb over to a Service road (this depends on the divider and also to some extent on the skill of the driver), the couple of occasions that I had to do so, I didn't have any problem.
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Old 5th December 2010, 22:43   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by the VTEC guy View Post
@ACM - See the picture below. This is what I was talking about a compact USB if used will help in keeping the shutter closed.
You could also use a usb extension cable and use any pen drive. They hardly cost anything and the pen drive can be kept in that storage slot..
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Old 6th December 2010, 12:21   #56
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zipzapzoom View Post
have safe trip ACM
look forward to more inputs from you as regards to handling of the ARIA, especially overtaking and breaking.
regards
Thanks ZZZ partial report at base of this post.

Quote:
Originally Posted by 5kmiles View Post
Wow...!!!
On most other forums, notice us Indians quabbling and abusing each other for lamest of excuses. But here on team-bhp, we get gems like this thread that demonstrate what many of us are capable of - when we put our head into it. Great great great thread - for structure, choice of words, content quality, and staging of content.
A owner of Manza Aura+, had to answer plenty of people 'why Tata?'. Am sure with cars like this, with clear separation of complete 'customer experience process' from test drives to delivery to (hopefully) service for premium segment, Tata is one company that will go the distance and I will be able to show my car (including Vista) that sort of demonstrated that Tatas can make cars that we want.
Thanks, I actually love the Manza and Vista, and feel they are great value and quality. Actually the Manza across all sedans would me my selection at any price point below that of the Linea T-Jet.

Quote:
Originally Posted by the VTEC guy View Post
@ACM - See the picture below. This is what I was talking about a compact USB if used will help in keeping the shutter closed.
VTEC thanks - seeing is believing. Will get myself one of those.

Quote:
Originally Posted by slackyboy View Post
Wonderful writing ACM...Enjoyed every bit of it. I am a major fan of the Safari and love it for what it is. The Aria is a wonderful vehicle and i have seen several on the road in the past few weeks. I loved the bit when you said that as an Indian you are proud about it. Kudos to TATA for bringing out this vehicle albeit at a slightly higher cost. A big congratulations to you ACM for many wonderful kilometers of motoring with your family in the Aria.
Thanks slackboy, Yes as an Indian the Aria makes me feel "Pride" every minute I own it, also pricing is so relative. As long as a vehicle delivers as per the requirements and aspirations, better than another higher or lower priced vehicle - that may not meet the stipulations as well - one can be comfortable with the decision. .

Quote:
Originally Posted by VeluM View Post
Yup, that's an HP compact 4GB USB drive. Costs around 550, if I'm not mistaken.
There are smaller ones too, in the 650-750 range, so if you have 3-4 of those, suitably labelled, should cover most of the family's taste in Music
PS: All those wee cubby-holes will require a lot of vacuuming, wouldn't they? India's dust, creeps in Everywhere!
Velu thank you for the picing, all my new pen drives going ahead will be the compact ones. Yes dust does creep in all over the place, but compared to the safari the entry of dust is much lower, yet compared to the Laura a bit higher.

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldmobile View Post
Great post. Enjoy your Aria. One of these days I want to test drive the Aria. If price comes down it will be a compelling buy.


When in doubt expand "it's" to "it is" and you will immediately see if you are making a mistake.

'Looks' are subjective and so it is a personal decision. I own an Innova and though I like its looks, I like the shape and presence of Safari a lot more. But I didn't make my decision based on looks --- and that again is a personal decision.

Regarding taxi-image, there are taxis and then there are taxis. You have Maruti Omni taxis where the windshield is one inch in front of your face, then you have the Marinos, the Logans and the Innovas. In Beijing you will see a whole bunch of VW Jetta taxis. The Leela Palace uses Nissan Teana as a taxi.

Though I agree that Innova may not be exciting, I wouldn't say that it is not a driver's vehicle. It is a lot of fun to drive, has very good acceleration for a minivan, rock solid stability even at 140 km/hr. Regarding your observation that the Innova was unable to climb over to a Service road (this depends on the divider and also to some extent on the skill of the driver), the couple of occasions that I had to do so, I didn't have any problem.
Thanks Oldsmobile.

My language has never been great - probably the reason why I am not a book writer - though with the MS aids and tools even that hurdel can today be overcome. But for posting on TBHP one can't really create the post straight in MS Word and needs to use Notepad, and then paste in work for the checks and then post back from Notepad directly into TBHP.

Looks are indeed subjective. Innova is indeed a great vehicle and has met the needs of the country in a superb manner. Yes there is a TAXI-TAXI image difference and if the Aria introduces a lower priced Plus model soon then that difference will be reduced. But though Innova is bought by a lot of invidiuals, it does also have the Taxi image, but definately that of a more premium taxi than others.

Regarding the divider that the Innova couldn't clear - well I guess it was a bit higher than that the ones that the Innova does clear.

Am sure the Pajero and Fortuner will clear bigger dividers than the Aria so it's all relative.

But yes the Aria definately has the requisite ground clearance, power and rear departure angles, though the approach angle is not great, and the turbo lag in power delivery is not too helpfull when one is stuck.

I have posted below in this post the reactions of a driver who has a lot of experience with the Innova and actually loves it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by fiat_tarun View Post
You could also use a usb extension cable and use any pen drive. They hardly cost anything and the pen drive can be kept in that storage slot..
Thanks Tarun - Will be trying out the options next week.

Now a bit about the Shirdi trip -

520 kms from Thane
This time since I was travelling with a friend -decided to take along a driver who I know very well. He has extensive experience in multiple cars including the Innova, and loves the Innova. I in the meanwhile wanted to experience the backseat and chat with my friend.
Both my friend and I have back pain issues.

The Driver has driven the Aria earlier in the city and was quite neutral to it and found it to be like the Innova in city - with better height and hence visibility. Given that the Innova is known to be more sedan like this can be taken to be a compliment.

On the highway he said something that brought a smile to my face - a compliment that I must mention - He felt that the Aria was quite like the Fiesta in the engine way if got of the block and handled. Now the driver has always loved the fiesta and has mentioned many times that it is his personal favourite, for the Aria to be compared with the fiest - considering it's bulk and weight is a huge complement. The Driver also now on the highway could notice the overtaking ability vs the Innova as well as the composure over really rough roads - Ghoti to Sinnar - Nasik Bypass Road - which is now in bad condition post rains.

In short the Aria is now this neutral drivers favoured long distance drive vehicle. (He still does love the Innova in this aspect but the Aria a bit more.)

The Backseat (middle row) to me felt more comfortable in slightly inclined position than the position with larger incline angles. Also felt more comfortable with the Seatbelt on in the middle row than without it. Without the Seatbelt - especially with the seat inclined - one tends to slip ahead due to it being a leather seat every time the car slows down.

Also the Passenger Seat up ahead is the most comfortable seat among all. I tried it after the middle row seat and was more comfortable in the front.

The Middle Row AC controls are lovely and the AC cools perfectly, but the Safari Middle Row does remain the best middlerow this side of 40L

The Overtaking as mentioned is smooth but one does tend to / prefer to shift down to 4th most of the time.

Possibly since the route is a mix involving highway and ghat roads the effeciency was not in the higher values but just about 10.5 kmpl

Have given the car for the first service today morning - more about that and the drive tomorrow.

Also more reactions from those who saw the ARIA on the road later today.
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Old 6th December 2010, 15:51   #57
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Reactions Part II

Taking the liberty to continue a bit about the reactions that the Aria has been getting.

Ofcourse a lot of the reactions have to do with the fact that this a new car even today, and there are not that many to see on the road, besides TATA has put up "Aria - A New Breed - The First Indian Crossover" Hoardings all over town and has also simultaneously started a campaign over TV with a Sedan and SUV combining to for the Aria Crossover.

People seem to be curious to figure out this crossover bit.

1) During my trip to Shirdi got a lot of curious reactions, First up in the section between Sinnar and Shirdi a Pajero SFX owner pulled up across the road in front of us. (We had stopped for a bio break - road side). The Pajero guy walked back upto the drivers seat and started asking questions and then later wanted to check out the interiors and requested for the door to be opened.

2) Then on the way back when we stopped at Manas Resort Igatpuri 3 people who had parked their fortuner before us in a slot next to ours, and were yet to get back to the hotel reception, started asking me what I thought about the car, and how much it costs (standard question) and seemed impressed with the overall look.

3) On the segment between Igatpuri and Sahapur I noticed a fully loaded Scorpio rush ahead to get in front of us, and then saw a man taking a snap of the Aria front from a camera through the rear glass.

4) Finally in the last segment on the Bhiwandi Bypass going towards Thane, I lowerd the glass to spit out a bit of cough that was stuck in my mouth (have a cold). As I lowerd the Glass those in my Car heard a guy on a bike (a couple) yell out - Dekho Aria. I ofcouse felt ashamed of the intent to spit, raised the glass and removed the unmentionables in a bit of tissue paper.

This was on just one drive and though it is mostly due to this being a new car, it feels good to have it happen to you.
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Old 7th December 2010, 11:32   #58
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XII - First Service

XII - First Service:

Again shuffling some of the chapters around, since I actually had a first service yesterday.

To Keep it simple - Have attached a snap of the Invoice itself - with all the pricing detailed.

The first service at 1500 kms / 1 month does NOT entail Oil Change.
Went in for what is called "Teflon Treatment" verbally provided by "Wurth" and mentioned as "Polymer Coating" in print. Cost Rs. 5500 (Including Tax)- covers 2 additional free treatments during the year. I am aware that TBHP does not recommend Teflon Treatment and that better
rates/deals are possible, but was really irritated to see the water marks that my car cleaner guy was leaving each day morning. Also the car was looking messy in all the crevices after the unseasonal November rains. Figured that this treatment would among other things reduce the marks. Also figured that since there is no clear verdict in favour or otherwise for Teflon coating, might as well try this - at the most the money could go down the drain - atleast the car would be cleaned up really really well in the process. By the way this treatment by Wurth is recommended in the TATA Manual itself.

There were some other silly additional options that I ticked - For about Rs. 250 Wasan offers to use a spray in all the door latches, and beading rather than the use of Wax. A couple of the window glasses were squeaking while going up / down, so asked them to go ahead with this.

Besides selected an option for about Rs. 450 - to have the AC blowers coated with a anti-fungal treatment - that is supposed to prevent mould buildup. Since I am intolerant to nasal allergies and have young kid as well gave them a go ahead for this as well.

So though the service itself was free, I still paid about Rs. 6300 for my whimsical tastes - else the bill would have been less than Rs. 300.
The Polymer Coating / Teflon finish was really good and am happy to have done it for now. Was advised not to wash the car for 1 day. Also they suggested that I should never get the car washed in boring water as it is hard. Well Interesting (Municipal) water is hard to come by in sufficient qtty these days if one wants to wash the car each day - which is essential if there is a 75kms daily drive - so yes the car will continue to get washed with boring water rather than interesting water.

They also recommended a fuel additive (Supposed to be good for the injectors), which I politely declined and questioned how it were that they could recommend this when on the other hand TATA insisted on usage of ONLY NORMAL DIESEL and NO HI-SPEED, NO EXTRAMILE, NO TURBOJET etc. The guy gave a sheepish grin and said that we can let the fuel additive option go. I guess he himself realized that this was contrary to recommendations. TATA HOPE YOU ARE READING THIS AND GET SUCH CONTRADICTORY OPTIONS REMOVED AS A RULE IF YOU FEEL THAT NORMAL DIESEL IS THE WAY TO GO for DICOR.

Have a couple of minor tweaking issues being carried forward to next service - One do with a speaker resonance on a specific door which did not go away with system setting adjustments, and one to do with a door handle that I wish to have replaced due to a chrome bit being spoilt on it. Both of course have to happen under warranty and the service advisor has agreed that this would get done in the next service.

They did have a comprehensive feedback form filled, and i did rate them 9-10 on almost all parameters as that was indeed the case. The service advisor clearly wants a 10 rating on when TATA calls for feedback on the service.

For exact values do check out the attached invoice.

What more could they do?:
1) DEALER: Have a continuous drop facility arranged for people leaving the car as the centre to the closest rickshaw/taxi point. About 500mtrs away.
2) TATA: Could make a further pack of options like Teflon etc, etc, that a owner can pick while buying the car from the dealer showroom itself. - A bundled offer at a decent pricing rather than the exorbitant one that dealers offer. Would add to the buying pleasure and reduce further maintenance bills due to upfront payment. Also the cars would tend to be better groomed round the year. Toyota offers an accessories pack through dealers costing almost Rs. 1L, these should be a smaller 20-25K option pack for from TATA as well. They had given an option to accessorise the car during the contest in the run-up to the launch
and this would be in sync with that.
Attached Thumbnails
TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-_20101207_10215300.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-_20101207_10195107.jpg  

TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!-_20101207_10205104.jpg  


Last edited by bblost : 17th December 2010 at 12:32. Reason: pic removed as per request. You can upload again with your changes. Thanks.
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Old 7th December 2010, 13:07   #59
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They also recommended a fuel additive (Supposed to be good for the injectors), which I politely declined and questioned how it were that they could recommend this when on the other hand TATA insisted on usage of ONLY NORMAL DIESEL and NO HI-SPEED, NO EXTRAMILE, NO TURBOJET etc.
@ACM - aren't these two different things ? You can use either regular diesel or premium. With each of these, you can or may not use the additive. The additive was most likely Iftex System-D. I dont see any contradiction there .. and I wouldnt take the SA's reaction too seriously.
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Old 7th December 2010, 14:26   #60
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@ACM - aren't these two different things ? You can use either regular diesel or premium. With each of these, you can or may not use the additive. The additive was most likely Iftex System-D. I dont see any contradiction there .. and I wouldnt take the SA's reaction too seriously.
To the best of my info - which could be incorrect - unlike in the case of petrol where Speed 93, 97 etc are basically petrols with higher octane numbers in case of Diesel, premium diesels do not have a higher diesel count but have additives that keep the injectors unblocked and lubricate the engine in general.

Now this is based on various inputs and could be wrong so would be glad to be correct on it.

But because of these additives TATA, SKODA etc do not recommend premium diesel for their CRDI, DICOR, Pump duse, type of Diesel Engines. And infact when the engine smokes the first question asked is if premium diesels were used.

I do not take the service advisors reaction too seriously, but there is a definate query out here.
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