[Zappex]

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Zappex, a truthful report about Aria and very well written.

Glad you liked the report.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

For me the looks of Aria are a deal breaker more than the price. But hey, looks are always subjective.

You may be the first one to NOT like the looks. But as you said it's subjective.

Originally Posted by kaushikr

Congrats and drive safe.

Thanks, Will do so.

Originally Posted by slalom

Great and realistic review , a lot of details .
Great snaps too ! Nice to know that you enjoy your vehicle. Enjoy your ride !

Thanks for the complements & wishes.

Originally Posted by slalom

Let this be a stepping stone for Tata ,let's pray that they better the quality and bring in great products !

The process has already begun, lets hope all of their products benefit soon.

Originally Posted by safari_lover

Superb review, Zappex. Kudos. Wish you a happy and peaceful ownership.

Glad you liked the review, Thanks for the wishes.

Originally Posted by safari_lover

All the Arias on Team-BHP have got a very positive review from their owners. Tata will definitely benefit from reviews like this.

Benefit or not. I hope they take this as feedback and improve.

Originally Posted by safari_lover

Keep this thread updated as you munch on the KMs after KMs

Sure thing.

Originally Posted by Mallya_2010

Excellent review of the Aria.

Glad you liked it.

Originally Posted by Mallya_2010

Tata has been steadily advancing the quality of its cars. I am using an Indica Xeta for the last 5 years and have hardly faced any problems.Despite the lackluster dealership and service experience the car itself is a good product.

Man! you are one lucky guy! Even with our more recent Vista we have been facing tons of niggles.

Originally Posted by Mallya_2010

Excellent photographs. What equipment are you using?

Thanks hope you enjoyed them. About the Equipment: Used the 550d for the major part.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Lovely detailed clear and precise review - thank you for sharing it. Much much better than the rubbish doled out to us by the car magazines!

Thanks, that means a lot to me.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Please tell me one thing. When driving on a well surfaced, smooth highway or at speeds of say 60-80-100kmph, do the mirrors vibrate at all?

Nope. They don't, When I said that they are the best I've used I meant it.

Originally Posted by ACM

Shankar, if Zapex doesn't mind..

Why would I? We are one big 'Aria' family!

Originally Posted by ACM

One can read the number plates in on the car in the rear view mirror

^^ +1 to that.

Originally Posted by ACM

One can see two lanes in the mirrors on each side (even the LHS) They are really wide and the width hides the height at the height point giving them a neat shape.

Very true.

Originally Posted by ACM

Also The mirrors are not likely to be knocked off by cars at they are mounted at a height but trucks can be a danger to them. The transparent plastic lane change indicators on the mirrors last a few blows at least. The mirrors if dislocated in an encounter give a bit of grunt before they come to the positon in which they should be - this requires pressing the mirror fold button a couple of times.

Cars may not knock them off, but Innovas and Taveras certainly pose a risk.

About the grunt part: I have faced the similar situation. If the mirrors were forcefully closed or opened then don't press the mirror fold button. First bring them back to their original position manually and only then press the button. You may; on a long term cause damage to the motor if you directly press the button.

Originally Posted by ACM

Always skip a beat when they bend due to an elbow rub but till date have been able to get the pulse back to normal soon with the power fold button itself.

Yup, I had one such elbow brush. Don't press the button instantly. Refer above comment.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

yes I do agree that these larger mirrors can be harmed quite badly in our narrow lanes, indisciplined traffic and extremely vain pedestrian scenario!

Whoa! You just represented my thought. In the recent few days I have got habituated to drive with the mirrors folded. I know this is wrong but i have had really near misses. When some biker or careless Innova drives past without noticing the mirror. Just folding the mirrors gives a lot of peace to my mind. But I open the mirrors as soon as I am out of traffic.

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The lane change indicators on the mirrors are an excellent feature indeed. I wish it were mandatory on all larger cars/ SUV's.

Yup, They are really useful.

Originally Posted by aviorp

Congratulations Zappex! Wish you miles of happiness with the Aria. Superb review, with detailed pictures. Sorry to hear about the stolen Scorpio. I loved the signature shot. Very creative!

Thank you very much. Glad you liked my review & pictures. About the Scorpio; well I rest my case. Like I said above I tried hard to take the perfect shot. Again; Glad you liked it.

Originally Posted by kiku007

Star rated review!

You meant 5?

Originally Posted by kiku007

The front look of the aria is menacing, the rear is a let down though.

Very true, But the rear grows on you.

Originally Posted by kiku007

Wishing you many happy miles with the car.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by rosh_aveo1.4

Well, I think Team-BHP has to give you the award for the most longest write up ever! It's massive and you made proper uses of space, formatting and such. How long you even took to do this?!

Longest ever? I think ACM bagged that one. Yeah I tried to keep the formatting perfect. About; How long: Well, 9 months in the making.

[ANUJ GEORGE]

Zappex,

Congratulations on the new buy. Aria is way better than any of the contenders you have mentioned.

Originally Posted by Zappex

Last but not the least i would like to thank Ratan Tata for making this gem of a car; Reality.

My wife had similar opinion, when she saw the vanity mirror with lights.

In my opinion, problems with the sales personnel is something Tata will have to fix, if they really want to sell Aria. When I went to check Aria at RF motors, the sales personnel were too busy trying to sell Fiat. I ended up buying one from Concorde. Even the service personnel are not properly trained to work on a machine like Aria it seems.

Enjoy our ride and Happy motoring.

[Zappex]

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

Congratulations on the new buy. Aria is way better than any of the contenders you have mentioned.

Thanks Anuj, Now I do feel that it is better off than the rest.

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

In my opinion, problems with the sales personnel is something Tata will have to fix, if they really want to sell Aria. When I went to check Aria at RF motors, the sales personnel were too busy trying to sell Fiat. I ended up buying one from Concorde. Even the service personnel are not properly trained to work on a machine like Aria it seems.

Very true, As you may have read; I had a not so great experience in buying the machine. But really the service guys are not trained to handle the Aria. Leaves a lot to be desired. Will put up my service experience soon.

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

My wife had similar opinion, when she saw the vanity mirror with lights.

Yeah, many were impressed by that feature.

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

Enjoy our ride and Happy motoring.

Thanks again buddy. Congrats to you too! and awaiting a report on your ownership (Dealership) experience so far.

[Zappex]

@tsk1979 was complaining about the dusty picture I uploaded; So much that he posted the picture twice! So on popular demand got the Center screen and dash cleaned:

PS: Just Kidding Tanveer!

[amk_2009]

I have all praise for this review. Excellent and detailed write up. Your passion for vehicles shows in.

[Raosaheb Desai]

Fantastic review of an excellent vehicle from TATA.
I drove Safari many times and liked its sheer road presence.
Front look of ARIA is menacing.
Have happy miles

[Zappex]

Originally Posted by amk_2009

I have all praise for this review. Excellent and detailed write up. Your passion for vehicles shows in.

Thank you for the kind words. I did put a lot of effort in compiling the review.

[ANUJ GEORGE]

Originally Posted by Zappex

Thank you for the kind words. I did put a lot of effort in compiling the review.

That effort sure show up in your review / quality writing. Good work there Zappex.

Coming back to the show room guys, did they give you any reason for Aria production being stopped from Feb? When I was out for shopping, they said the production will stop in December for annual plant maintenance! That too for three months. I guess the sales personnel will say anything to bring the customer to their terms.

When you go for your service, make sure they check your wheel alignment, or cross check alignment at any tire shop you know. A friend of mine had a bad experience with his wheel alignment, and Concorde was not able to correct the alignment because
1; They didn't had the machine to do it (It was out for calibration)
2; They didn't had the correct values for alignment (Got the alignment numbers from Pune later on)
3; They don't know how to do it or have issues to correct the alignment. And now they are waiting for the engineer from Pune to come and do it for them.
I also heard that Concorde Cochin is getting 25 tires to replace the damaged tires free of cost. (Don't know how true it is)

I am yet to check my wheel alignment.

[kiku007]

5 star indeed Zappex!!

[parsh]

Amazingly superb account and I am sure this must be your Pride now, niggles or no niggles. Hats off for a wonderful account.

When I first caught sight of it when it was in Concorde pre-launch, I thought I could catch many of the aspects of it, albeit with my E72 as my camera died on me that day. But you have wonderfully and precisely pin-pointedly brought out even smallest of the unknown aspects of Aria.

It surely is a wonderful beast and I am sure it will be your companion in crunching many thousands of miles. Just hope that the market improves on Aria, as indeed it is fantastic vehicle but probably just not being able to find a right positioning. Maybe your personal ownership will open up quite a few speculations for the ones considering options in this range.

However, I am sorry to see things like panel falling off and sqeakings from various places at this range and hope they are well taken care of by Tata. Look forward to reading your mile crunching in your Pride.

[R17]

Simply awesome report Zappex - The devil is always in the details and I cant remember too many reports as beautifully comprehensive as this.

I've always felt that this is one heavily under-developed segment in India. With all the global biggies now firmly established in India, there still seems to be no one who's thought of launching a global product to really kick-start the fun here. If launched at a reasonable price, I really do believe that the Ford Grande C-Max and the Honda Odyssey can achieve much in India.

[pugram]

A superb review indeed. The mileage figures do seem unbelievable for its size (Sedan type mileage for a MUV).

A brief account on your driving pattern during those times (if you remember, though) would be great.

Enjoy the Aria and keep posting

[shridhar.s.i]

A round of applause for the detailed report on the purchase,
First of all i feel sorry for the loss of your Scorpio and then here is me wishing congrats for the new purchase
The efforts taken in compiling the report is visible and this review will be very useful for people stuck in similar dilemma due to multitude of options in this segment as well
The review was unbiased and it takes guts to pinpoint a bad thing in a purchase made from our own money, but i guess a true enthusiast wont fear to do that and so it was done here.

But here are a couple of observations...you could have considered Mitsubishi Pajero as an option (i know it is dated but trust me it is a vehicle which can tow both men and luggage without any discrimination due to its refined and powerful engine)

And in your review, i would like to see a little more attention to detail in terms of how the vehicle handles and performs in different conditions (I know you have given some lines here but still felt wanting more)

All in all happy miles ahead and also can you post your experience with claim handling..it will be useful as well for people stuck with insurance claim issues

And yes, this time park the vehicle in a safe place and dont leave it to the mercy of a watchman who is not concerned with the blood and sweat burnt by you to buy this ride..(Pun Intended)

Cheers

[Zappex]

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

Fantastic review of an excellent vehicle from TATA.

Oops! Missed you comment earlier. You are right on both fronts; Glad you liked the review.

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

I drove Safari many times and liked its sheer road presence. Front look of ARIA is menacing.

The Safari sure has presence, but as you said the menacing face does it all!

Originally Posted by Raosaheb Desai

Have happy miles

Rolling already? Thanks!

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

That effort sure show up in your review / quality writing. Good work there Zappex.

Really grateful for all the appreciation; It was my way of giving back to the community.

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

Coming back to the show room guys, did they give you any reason for Aria production being stopped from Feb? When I was out for shopping, they said the production will stop in December for annual plant maintenance! That too for three months. I guess the sales personnel will say anything to bring the customer to their terms.

I already mentioned the reason in my opening post;

They could not deliver the car on 20th March as they were having supplier issues for the GPS and some other electronic modules for the top end model.

I really cannot comment about your case as you made your booking prior to mine.

Originally Posted by ANUJ GEORGE

When you go for your service, make sure they check your wheel alignment, or cross check alignment at any tire shop you know. A friend of mine had a bad experience with his wheel alignment

As a matter of fact when I got my first service done; I was offered wheel alignment (At a cost) But I refused as it seemed proper for day one. Will still get it done in my second service. Thanks for the concern though.

Originally Posted by kiku007

5 star indeed Zappex!!

Thanks again kiku!

Originally Posted by parsh

Amazingly superb account and I am sure this must be your Pride now, niggles or no niggles. Hats off for a wonderful account.

I am short on words, Albeit I will keep it simple: Thank you.

Originally Posted by parsh

When I first caught sight of it when it was in Concorde pre-launch, I thought I could catch many of the aspects of it, albeit with my E72 as my camera died on me that day. But you have wonderfully and precisely pin-pointedly brought out even smallest of the unknown aspects of Aria.

Glad; that I could capture what you couldn't; hope you liked it. Please feel free to ask for specific shots.

Originally Posted by parsh

It surely is a wonderful beast and I am sure it will be your companion in crunching many thousands of miles. Just hope that the market improves on Aria, as indeed it is fantastic vehicle but probably just not being able to find a right positioning. Maybe your personal ownership will open up quite a few speculations for the ones considering options in this range.

Yup, I agree. The Aria is a truly amazing vehicle. The market will have to accept the Aria. Don't worry it is happening sooner than what you would expect.

Originally Posted by parsh

However, I am sorry to see things like panel falling off and sqeakings from various places at this range and hope they are well taken care of by Tata. Look forward to reading your mile crunching in your Pride.

Well, I am still a bit surprised to see that. It is a one off. Tata's have not been able to solve it. But I would blame that on the un-trained service staff.

Originally Posted by R17

Simply awesome report Zappex - The devil is always in the details and I cant remember too many reports as beautifully comprehensive as this.

Glad you liked it buddy. I hope that you did not find my report too devilish.

Originally Posted by R17

I've always felt that this is one heavily under-developed segment in India. With all the global biggies now firmly established in India, there still seems to be no one who's thought of launching a global product to really kick-start the fun here. If launched at a reasonable price, I really do believe that the Ford Grande C-Max and the Honda Odyssey can achieve much in India.

Yup, there is a void that will soon be covered by other contenders. The W201 and others are ready for the fight. But like you said; the question is how soon?

Originally Posted by pugram

A superb review indeed. The mileage figures do seem unbelievable for its size (Sedan type mileage for a MUV).

Thanks, Hope you enjoyed the review. About the mileage; as I mentioned earlier I did a Mum-Hyd-Mum run recently. I calculated the overall efficiency (odd 1500kms) and it came out to an average of 16Km/l. I was pleasantly surprised when that happened. But this comment of mine will stun you: On the way back from Pun-Mum I reset the FE meter. When I reached home (An odd 180kms) and checked the FE it showed an average of 18.7 Km/l ! Yes you read right. That is when the word 'respect' came in my mind! After Pune traffic and Mumbai traffic. This is what I managed in a 4 hour journey! Here comes the best part: All of the figures posted by me are in 4wd mode!

PS: The average FE in the city seems to have settled between 11-12km/l. This is again in 4wd mode (I know that it should be off in the city) when driven with a light foot.

Originally Posted by pugram

A brief account on your driving pattern during those times (if you remember, though) would be great.

Well I do remember (A wee bit), Will update with that soon. Till then you could check out the amazing guide the mods have put up:

Linky: Team-BHP - The Definitive Indian Car Community - On Owning - How to get the maximum Fuel Efficiency

Originally Posted by pugram

Enjoy the Aria and keep posting

Enjoying the ownership as I type, Will keep you'll posted!

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

A round of applause for the detailed report on the purchase, First of all i feel sorry for the loss of your Scorpio and then here is me wishing congrats for the new purchase

I bow in respect, Thanks for the wishes & kind words.

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

The efforts taken in compiling the report is visible and this review will be very useful for people stuck in similar dilemma due to multitude of options in this segment as well

Glad you caught the effort! The views mentioned were of my personal opinion. Hope its helpful to others as well.

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

The review was unbiased and it takes guts to pinpoint a bad thing in a purchase made from our own money, but i guess a true enthusiast wont fear to do that and so it was done here.

Very true, to write bad about one's purchase is not at all easy. Albeit the shortcomings. But to be truthful it is more easier to live with things when you admit it freely. I found no point in NOT sharing what is true.

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

But here are a couple of observations...you could have considered Mitsubishi Pajero as an option (i know it is dated but trust me it is a vehicle which can tow both men and luggage without any discrimination due to its refined and powerful engine)

I clearly mentioned that I considered many other contenders as well. I listed the main ones. The list is endless. The bare nature of the Mitsubishi did not appeal to me and in this case and I found the price higher. One more reason not to consider it was the MASS and the fact that how Mitsubishi seemed to have abandoned their product.

PS: Must admit: For the hardcore off-roading stuff not even the Fortuner can beat it!

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

And in your review, i would like to see a little more attention to detail in terms of how the vehicle handles and performs in different conditions (I know you have given some lines here but still felt wanting more)

Will not be able to put it in a better way still; Here goes:

The steering offers feedback but in general the steering is on the heavier side. Not a matter of concern as one gets used to it in a jiffy. It is not as direct as the Innova. Hit a corner and a little under-steer is clearly felt. The heavy steering IMO gives the Aria an SUV feel. Apart from that the Aria handles like a breeze.

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

All in all happy miles ahead and also can you post your experience with claim handling..it will be useful as well for people stuck with insurance claim issues

Claim handling is not at all worth discussing; Our experience with these departments was smooth but very difficult. All you may just hear is the in-efficient departments the insurance company has!

Originally Posted by shridhar.s.i

And yes, this time park the vehicle in a safe place and dont leave it to the mercy of a watchman who is not concerned with the blood and sweat burnt by you to buy this ride..(Pun Intended)

Who would know that better than me! Still; just to let you know: I have been parking very cautiously, No more 'Security' risk for me! (Pun:definitely intended)

[Zappex]

Monday morning; "Aria"