Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
217,542 views
Old 6th January 2011, 12:40   #91
ACM
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ACM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 4,745
Thanked: 4,358 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Kevine agree with most of what you mention but disagree on a couple of points.

The Integrated Satnav (with sound anouncements in the car speakers, with stearing mounted controls, with autosysnc phone bluetooth system which works with the car speakers (does not required to be switched on of off when entering the car), with music system all working together besides there is also the reverse camera on the same screen. These all CANNOT be fitted at a reasonable cost in any vehicle (let alone the Innova) later out of market - specifically due to the steering mounted controls. Besides one also has speed responsive volume controls in this system. It sounds decent enough to not require to be upgraded and they have even provided for a woofer space in the rear door if one really requires the thump.

I do have a Jabra SP700 phone bluetooth speaker phone in my Laura but as a seperate attachment and though I went to many specialists and there is no way to integrate it along with the reverse cameras, satnav into a system that works from the steering wheel. I require to switch it on and off in each trip as well as charge it once in two weeks. The Laura music system is great and sounds the best this side of 20L with steering controls and integrated reverse parking sensors but it's just not possible to get the Sat nav and reverse camera on the same screen without loosing out on something else.

Besides Aria has Cruise Control, Permanent 4X4, Auto wipers, Auto lights, 6 Airbags, ESP, Traction Control etc. which just cannot be added on later.

The Endy AT 2009 recently attempted to integrate the Reverse camera, satnav, and music system, but it did not manage steering mounted controls.

The Aria SatNav is off a seperate in dash CD slot (enabling easy updates), and they have offered the most current version presently free and offered to upgrade the same from time to time. Why is this cool? - is it not the most basic expected of car manufacturers? - well lets ask mercedese owners who have sat nav screens on the top of the line GL's but no satnav data available for India - there is no use of that screen except to see the rear view camera view.

Yep we would all love the Aria was priced 1-1.5L lesser, but there are no comparable alternative options in this price range, and as I have mentioned in my ownership thread, I did do a Fortuner / Aria back to back drive and both me and wifee loved the Aria over the fortuner in almost all aspects except the exterior looks and the slightly more reserve power that the fortuner had. There is no doubt that the fortuner like the innova has that toyota build quality and reliability, but the aria scores in many more other ways. One expects in cars above 10L to see the tool kit stored away in a nice hidden storage with slots - not so in the fortuner, or for doors to close the way the European car doors do - again the aria is better there (leaving the demo unit at pandit auto aside.), or for the gear lever to be steady rather than shakey at start, the list really goes on.

I just wish it was possible for you to get a proper test drive of an Aria in proper condition to have a reassessment.
ACM is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 6th January 2011, 12:44   #92
Senior - BHPian
 
Amartya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Evanston
Posts: 1,748
Thanked: 736 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinephraim View Post
All i have against the Aria is the Build Quality, which is not upto standard for the money i am spending, I DESERVE BETTER!
Is that purely based on the display car you saw at Pandit Motors?

Last edited by Amartya : 6th January 2011 at 12:46.
Amartya is offline  
Old 6th January 2011, 14:39   #93
BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Pune, Bahrain
Posts: 450
Thanked: 85 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by ACM View Post
Kevine agree with most of what you mention but disagree on a couple of points.
..............
..............
.............
One expects in cars above 10L to see the tool kit stored away in a nice hidden storage with slots - not so in the fortuner, or for doors to close the way the European car doors do - again the aria is better there (leaving the demo unit at pandit auto aside.), or for the gear lever to be steady rather than shakey at start, the list really goes on.

I just wish it was possible for you to get a proper test drive of an Aria in proper condition to have a reassessment.
Dear Anand,
I would love to answer your whole post in detail but will await the highlighted sentence.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amartya View Post
Is that purely based on the display car you saw at Pandit Motors?
Amartya, As off 6th Jan 2010, Yes, it is purely based on the demo car i saw at Pandit.

And to make things clear again... I loved the Aria and its features before it was even launched, purely for the fact that it had all the goodies that i wanted in my innova but didn't have especially everything that ACM has pointed out. It was also close to my heart since a relative was so closely involved with the car!

BUT... when you get inside a vehicle for which you pay 17+ lakhs, leave aside Gizmos, An i10 (cost - 6 Lakhs Max) has a better build quality than that of the Aria.. you tend to be disapponted as soon as you open the Door!

Last edited by Amartya : 6th January 2011 at 23:51. Reason: Minor edit: shortened the quoted post. This just makes it easier for people to read, unless there's an inline reply.
kevinephraim is offline  
Old 6th January 2011, 14:51   #94
Senior - BHPian
 
Amartya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Evanston
Posts: 1,748
Thanked: 736 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinephraim View Post
Dear Anand,
I would love to answer your whole post in detail but will await the highlighted sentence.
Perfect, we'll look forward to your feedback after a proper test drive, and after looking at a couple of more units.

Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinephraim View Post
BUT... when you get inside a vehicle for which you pay 17+ lakhs, leave aside Gizmos, An i10 (cost - 6 Lakhs Max) has a better build quality than that of the Aria.. you tend to be disappointed as soon as you open the Door!
I completely understand and side with you on this. If it were my money, I'd be equally concerned/disappointed. However, from the official test drive report, the three ownership reports and the images there-in, it doesn't seem that the Aria is the stereotypical Tata product. Mind you, I haven't checked out the car in person, but on the whole, based on reports I trust, I think your impression might be subject to change. Do let us know if and when you try out another unit.
Amartya is offline  
Old 6th January 2011, 21:03   #95
Senior - BHPian
 
sbraj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: B L R / T V M
Posts: 1,071
Thanked: 9 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Amartya View Post
after looking at a couple of more units.
Well, this is not the norm. Why would Tata expect prospective customer to be patient like this? Checking out many units of the same car to figure out the better build quality? Yes, I understand that some of the display Aria are pre-production which Tata needs to correct asap. Remember this is not the entry level segment and there won't be much mercy. Tata better be spot on for this vehicle. Atleast Aria deserves a better treatment.
sbraj is offline  
Old 7th January 2011, 00:01   #96
Senior - BHPian
 
Amartya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Evanston
Posts: 1,748
Thanked: 736 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sbraj View Post
Well, this is not the norm. Why would Tata expect prospective customer to be patient like this? Checking out many units of the same car to figure out the better build quality? Yes, I understand that some of the display Aria are pre-production which Tata needs to correct asap. Remember this is not the entry level segment and there won't be much mercy. Tata better be spot on for this vehicle. Atleast Aria deserves a better treatment.
I wrote that based on the other samples (in photographs, experiences etc.) that are on the forum. Those units (4, if you include the official test drive version) in fact show quite high levels of finish and attention to detail, hence the request to Kevin to check out another unit.

That being said, you are right, that's not the norm and yes, the Aria deserves special treatment from Tata due to it's positioning. Also, Tata shouldn't allow the use of pre-production versions for display.
Amartya is offline  
Old 7th January 2011, 06:11   #97
BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Pune, Bahrain
Posts: 450
Thanked: 85 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Ok.. lets look at this way.. till about 4 or 5 yrs ago (when I just about could) and maybe even now.. a car selling above 10 lakhs was / is still the option of a upper class educated discerning buyer, - (leaving aside the super rich farmer in a dhoti who comes in with a potli of cash and says "Heres the cash, I'll take that landcruiser" in whichever regional language!), - who has gone to various other car showrooms, seen various other cars, with various features. Many of these cars come with most of the features - not all - Car X from Brand X may have feature / gizmo A and not B, while Car Y from Brand X may have feature B and A and Car Z from Brand Y may have feature B but not A. It all varies from car model to brand, BUT we are talking about the PREMIUM segment of cars here, its called PREMIUM for a good reason.
Most Cars you would get from this point bracket upwards have a feel of Class and refinement to them. Doors close shut with a solid thump (not thud) when nudged and not half ajar so that you have to reopen them and use your hands to bang it back completely shut! In this segment the plastic body panels don't seem to have come from the local dustpan / scoop maker - "XYZ plastics" where the mould seam has a gap and the plastic has leaked out, which has not even been scraped off before fitting onto the car! The Headlamp cluster shouldn't need that 'little bit of silicone' to keep it stuck to the body panel.
Every car maker is trying to give a better Fit and Finish even in lower end cars, for example, there is a better fit and finish to even Maruti cars now after Suzuki stepped in, compared with the few years where they were making some pretty badly finished and using cheaper / thinner plastic panels in their cars! But understandably - ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY - and those cars were cheaper!

To come back to the reviews here on Team BHP
From GTO's official review which you can read here -
"Panel gaps are uniform for the most part, although I did notice inconsistency between the front door & fender. Also, you could easily insert a finger in the XL size panel gap between the bonnet & the A Pillar.
"While the interiors aren’t “premium”, they do feel well screwed together for the most part"
"there are also the odd rough edges & a feeling of flimsiness. Example, the third row cup holder lids are rudimentary & the gear lever leather cladding was already running loose. The horn pad feels plasticky and works at inconsistent spots over its entire area. The lids of the overhead bins are flimsy (in a cheap way) and the handbrake cladding is too basic. How much ever we tried, we couldn't get the seats to fold completely flat (refer to pictures). In my opinion, the interiors are 85% “there”.
"A fair deal of damping under the hood:
Though some of the foam looked like it was manually stuck on as an afterthought"
"The Aria doesn’t break new ground in any way, except for the feature & gizmo list. Sure, the end product is contemporary, interior part quality has improved and it has better on-road behaviour. But then, at the Aria's price points, that's expected, isn't it?! Again, I equate Tata with providing value, whatever the product, and am left surprised by the optimistic pricing. Don't get me wrong, I take great pride in Tata's engineering chaps making such progress. It's just the bean counters that I don't see eye to eye with. The Aria better prove to have bullet-proof reliability, a stellar sales & service experience and deliver an extremely satisfying ownership to its customers."

All other unofficial ownership reviews are a personal point of view of the respective owners and so i have not quoted anything from there.

All i am trying to say is that rather than stuff so many gizmos into a car to reach the premium segment, TATA should improve on the quality of its interiors and some exteriors to allow the person taking home such a car to feel premium as soon as he enters his car, sits in it and rides in it! He should not have to press buttons all around for him to realize where his hard earned money has gone! The rest will fall into place.
kevinephraim is offline  
Old 13th January 2011, 12:33   #98
ACM
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ACM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 4,745
Thanked: 4,358 Times
XV - SatNav and some more about the Colour

XV - SatNav and Colour part II

SATNAV: Is it useful? is it intuitive? Well "Sort off" is my take on both questions.

Firstly the screen is great and the way satnav is integrated to the Infotainment system is also superb.

But, but. the system does not recognize 50% of the One-Way streets, also certain road turnings are not known to the system and it at times asks ones to go further and turn back rather than take as straight right/U-turn, besides at times asking us to turn right into a no-entry street. Also at times it tends to suggest one goes below certain road flyovers rather then over it for some odd reason. Also there is no User Manual for all practical purposes. (The CD does come with what is called a user manual but it is not too useful.) It also does not know many of the older names and uses the current offical names for places.

Also lets say one stays in Mumbai then it has various listings within Mumbai itself and suburbs of Mumbai are detailed under Suburban Mumbai rather than Central Mumbai which needs to be selected for south mumbai so one needs to select the appropriate part of the city first.

It at times list the same road by all it's different names (that is both good and bad) like G. B. Road, Ghoadbunder Road, Ghodbunder Road, and a couple more names for the same road.

It does record / work in even far flung areas of Mumbai (Read Thane and even roads within) quite well. As well as in smaller towns like Vadadodra (Baroda).

It is quite messy if there is a recent diversion due to flyover construction work - and we do have a lot of that happening all over India.
That said, it is also very useful I have successfully trusted it blindly in areas where I did not know the route at all and it has always lead me quite close to the destination.

Yes India is a country with lots of small and very small streets which are not mapped perfectly, but then it is also a country with abundant population and a combination of asking a person for exact directions when very close to the destination and the sytem itself gets one to the address one seeks quite easily.

Other Positives:
1) It blows up the roundabouts and complex turnings to explain them in detail as one gets closer to it.
2) It gives advance warnings about turns so that one does not have to make abrubt direction changes.
3) There is guidance through Voice, and Screen both. The screen itself shows both direction and map position.
4) It gives a warning about SatNav safe usage each time one starts it. (It can get irritating after a while, like the warning while reversing, but it is a required safety measure.)
5) The CD packaging for SatNav does not at all convey that the car is made by an Indian Manufacturer. Of course it also lets out that global companies are as nutty as Indians.

Some tips:
1) Whenever one reaches a destination that one will go to frequently then within Navigation, within menu go to "Present location" option and then select save and give a suitable name to the location. These are all saved under the tab Dest. Mem (Destination Memory) and can be accessed faster when one visits the same place later.
2) If one knows half the route then go ahead and make that bit of the journey and then let Navigation give you the further route from that point. If there are multiple routes to the location and one already knows tentatively that a certain route is better but is not sure of the exact directions, then head off in that preferred route, the SatNav will automatically reroute bases the directions in which one has set off.
3) Suggest one keeps the screen in the dual mode with both directions and map being shown across - each across half the screen.
4) Suggest one keeps the map at scale of 1km for city driving and 5km for highway driving.
5) DO NOT FIDDLE WITH THE SCREEN WHILE DRIVING - I shot through a red signal while fiddling with the satnav once. (Stopped right in the middle of the crossroad when I realized what was happening. SatNav can be as distracting as the Phone, and we need to take care while using it.
There seems to be a lot more to the SatNav than all that is mentioned above and have not really been through all the options yet. The Letter received with the SatNav CD apologizing for the late delivery of the same and praising the Pride with the play of words of the model Pride and the Pride one gets out of owning it seemed a bit desi.

Overall it is Kida Great.

COLOUR: So what colour is my car?
"Night Shade Black..." What would anyone understand by this name? I need to figure out what to tell others who have not seen the car, or for that matter have seen it aswell. They say "Lovely colour, what colour is it?"
Just saying it's Black does not do justice to the colour or the car, the other "Quartz Black" that they have is actually like the conventional Black and it's not the one that's selling in large numbers. (By the way besides a "Sardinia Red" (Print and Hoarding Advt. and Brochure car colour) demo car - Maroonish car, all the other 3 Aria's that I have seen on the road have been Night Shade Black - so much for getting a unique and distinct colour - yes it's unique compared to the remaining cars, but among Aria's I get a feeling it's going to be real popular and common in the long run.)

The Pearl White that they have too looks very grand, and I get a feeling will be the one that will be sold in lesser numbers this time and remain unique. I can't figure why they bothered with the surf blue colour, do they actually think they will sell any?

Does every one want to stand out? Why do I not see any Sardinia Reds on the Road? did all the Aria buyers feel this though a nice colour will end up being too common, to the extent that very few went for this every popular colour? Wish we could get sales figures with colour breakups from the manufacturers.

Don't get me wrong, I am very happy with the colour, but how the h@#$ do I describe it to others?

Black at night and Purplish during the day is what I say currently. It also looks like a deep brown, blackish Maroon or Burgundy at times depending on the light condition.

Frankly have yet not figured out the best name (read description) for the colour - work in progress.


Second Service appointment taken for Monday - more updates then.
ACM is offline  
Old 14th January 2011, 23:43   #99
BANNED
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 232
Thanked: 4 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

I must say that was a very comprehensive report and I enjoyed reading every bit of it.
Could you please upload some pics of the navigation system at work?
Also could you comment on which color according to you White or Night shade black is easier to maintain,
and id like to ask if you have noticed any difference after the Teflon treatment,

Any input from you side will be valued and appreciated,

Thanks.

Last edited by DMehta : 14th January 2011 at 23:53.
DMehta is offline  
Old 15th January 2011, 01:04   #100
BHPian
 
trumpcard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 103
Thanked: 32 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Chiller: Only the Aria has this.
laura has 2 chillers,One in the dash and the other in the center arm rest.
trumpcard is offline  
Old 17th January 2011, 13:21   #101
ACM
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ACM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 4,745
Thanked: 4,358 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMehta View Post
I must say that was a very comprehensive report and I enjoyed reading every bit of it.
Could you please upload some pics of the navigation system at work?
Also could you comment on which color according to you White or Night shade black is easier to maintain,
and id like to ask if you have noticed any difference after the Teflon treatment,

Any input from you side will be valued and appreciated,

Thanks.
Thanks DM

I have seen only Night Shade Black on the roads since I bought it(5 in total till date) and White would be more exclusive is the feeling I get now. that Said I love Night Shade back more. I think White will be easier to maintain. Silver is always the easiest to maintain if that is the main concern.

I felt that Teflon Coating helps in keeping the car scratch free longer but there are both chains of thought and we need to renew the coating every 6 months. It definately makes the surface smoother and results in lesser water marks if nothing else.

Quote:
Originally Posted by trumpcard View Post
laura has 2 chillers,One in the dash and the other in the center arm rest.
I do have a laura and must say that the Laura chiller in arm rest is too small, as also the one in the dash, also the Laura chiller cools / chills lesser than in the aria. So am effectively only using the Aria chiller as a chiller, never used it as one in the Laura - don't know the exact reason for this.

In the Aria one can keep a full sized 1L bottle in the chiller and a seperate glove box is also provided making for practical usage.
ACM is offline  
Old 17th January 2011, 14:09   #102
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,251
Thanked: 343 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Hello ACM,

Have been following this thread since the beginning. Apologies for reminding you. But can you please post snaps of the interior illumination that you had mentioned somewhere at the beginning of the thread. Just curious to see how it looks in the night


Cheers,
Amit
amitwlele is offline  
Old 17th January 2011, 16:01   #103
ACM
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ACM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 4,745
Thanked: 4,358 Times
re: TATA Aria Pride 4X4 - Heart over Mind or Mind in the Right Place? EDIT : Now Sold!

Quote:
Originally Posted by amitwlele View Post
Hello ACM,

Have been following this thread since the beginning. Apologies for reminding you. But can you please post snaps of the interior illumination that you had mentioned somewhere at the beginning of the thread. Just curious to see how it looks in the night

Cheers,
Amit
Yep will aim to do that by the weekend. My low ISO camera is not in town and I need to get my hands on another one for the shoot.

Car has today gone for second service and will run up another 1K kms before the weekend.
ACM is offline  
Old 18th January 2011, 09:19   #104
ACM
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ACM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 4,745
Thanked: 4,358 Times
XVI - Second Service

Second Service:

Completed Second Service yesterday. (5400kms)

Third service is due at 15000 kms.

Oil and filters change would be done in third service for the first time and so will probably get that done at around 10000/11000 kms itself.

The manual does specify that if driving is hard driving (50% + city driving then one should get oil changed at 7500kms) - this was communicated by the service advisor as well.

Again the service experience was good. A speaker screw as loose and was fixed - that particular speaker was resonating with that door glass as a result. Started with being heard within a min of arrival, and left within 15 mins of arrival for droping the car. Recieved the car within 20 mins of arrival to pick up the car. Did not ask for pick up and drop as I wished to speak to the SA in person in the initial period.

SA mentioned that even other Aria's for the first time in the case of TATA had reported to issues till date.

It was visible that the SA are keen to get 10 rating from the customer and it seems to matter to them big time. TATA is monitoring this closely.

Cost of service - Essential cost - Rs. 120 - Total cost 360 (incuding a special not messy contacts and fixtures spary option that I select by default.

So total cost in terms of compulsary items till date after two service is less than Rs. 250, of course I have selected options like teflon etc. that take my cost close to Rs. 7000.

I anticipate that third service for me will be within another 2 months
ACM is offline  
Old 5th February 2011, 22:45   #105
ACM
Distinguished - BHPian
 
ACM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 4,745
Thanked: 4,358 Times
XVII - Accessories

XVII - Accessories

Pls find below the Accessories list for Aria. It's in the latest Excel version as well as in a pervious version so that all can see it.

More options and details would follow on Monday.

Seat covers are a no-no given that I have the black and plum leathers already and also have the original carpet set - it is quite average in quality terms.

Await suggestions on the rest. Have already requested the dealer for snaps.
Attached Files
File Type: xls Aria accessories.xls (20.5 KB, 1110 views)
File Type: xlsx Aria accessories.xlsx (11.1 KB, 546 views)

Last edited by ACM : 5th February 2011 at 22:50.
ACM is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks