I got this installed without much ceremony for ₹250 - this included the necessary balancing charges, at a local tyre shop near home.

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Faulty Sensairy TPMS replacement

Approximately a month ago I'd noticed the Front right tyre was not showing updated readings on the app. I suspected the sensor may have gone bad, but had decided to monitor it for a while.
On the 18th day, I messaged Sensairy customer support and they shipped out a replacement sensor under warranty.
I got this installed without much ceremony for ₹250 - this included the necessary balancing charges, at a local tyre shop near home.

Here's the faulty sensor readout

And here's the tyre getting attention

Job done in about 30 minutes and I was on my way.

My First Fast charge (Statiq)

I'd mentioned earlier that ordinarily I would not need to charge outside. Well, it appears I spoke too soon. When I arrived at office I had about 80 km of range left (31%); this is more than sufficient to get me back home.
However, the better half reminded me of dinner plans immediately after , with my BIL who is visiting town—and what better way to welcome him into the city than on our new car!

Only that , it represented a problem - a round trip to his hotel would cost me 40 km - and there was also the additional possiibility of the brother-sister duo deciding to eat somewhere totally different. Which in turn meant I may end up pushing the limits of range.

I would not have the time to slow charge Ruby to 100% either.
Life!
So, I had no option but to try out fast charging at work! Statiq showed me an estimated price of ₹680 , for 89% SoC - so I charged the wallet with ₹700.

My encounter with the 60kw fast charger was not without its initial hiccups. The charging refused to start. Until, I made a call to Customer care and they walked me through this step by step.

Estimated time to target SoC was 36 minutes, which was okay.

Total units consumed: 22.482

Price: ₹ 491 inclusive taxes

SoC at finish : 94%

Time taken: 56 minutes

Thoughts

1. Statiq did not stop charging at 89% instead going on to charge to 94%. I should have set a charging limit at 89% in the ZConnect App - but in my hurry, had forgotten to do so.
2. Statiq did not allow me to start charging until my wallet showed a balance greater than their estimated price of ₹ 680.
3. Though Statiq charged me 28% less than the estimated charge (fine print says this could be due to vehicle type, battery condition, battery SoC and "more") , and I have balance left over... BUT
4. Asking for a refund isn't as simple as a button click. It requires manual followup—email/phone to customer care—within 6 months of the top-up.
5. This is reminiscent of recharge cards in arcades. In that, the establishment forces you to top up wallet balance to a high amount. Once you've consumed a few entertainment options, they don't leave you with enough balance, and then to spend the remnant, you'd have to top up more! In short, this feels like there's no getting off the hamster wheel.
6. At ₹ 21.84 per unit, Statiq's energy proved to be more than 3.5 times what I would pay the discom due to a home charge. But this hopefully is a one-time event. Still, I can't complain. They did help me to fix the problem of extended use today. And it would still be cheaper than having to take the petrol car out for the remaining trips today.

Back home, I put Ruby to charge to 100% SoC on the regular charger, which has the added benefit of cell balancing.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The sub-compact SUV was the best-selling car in India in CY2024.

Tata Motors has achieved a new production milestone with the rollout of the 5,00,000th Punch.

The Punch was launched in October 2021 and has been registering strong sales ever since. The sub-compact SUV even became the best-selling car in India in CY2024.

Tata Motors rolled out the 1,00,000th unit of the Punch within 10 months of its launch. Its production crossed the 2 lakh unit mark in 2023, following the introduction of the CNG version.

Tata rolled out the Punch.ev in January 2024, and by August, production crossed the 4 lakh unit mark. In the next 5 months, Tata Motors produced 1 lakh units of the Punch to reach the latest milestone.

The Punch is available with a 1.2-litre petrol engine producing 86.5 BHP and 115 Nm. It is paired with either a 5-speed manual or an AMT. The CNG version has 72.5 BHP and 103 Nm and comes with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The Punch.ev is available with a 25 kWh battery that powers a 60 kW electric motor and a 35 kWh battery pack, which comes with a 90 kW electric motor.

In Ruby's case I found these paper stickers in both rear wheel wells. Behind these innocent-looking paper stickers , were holes that opened into the cabin floor.

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hard Close of Trunk lid

Quote from BHPian King_Julien:

This is a very common issue in punch ev, most users have got them fixed from service center on their first service.
Some users have fixed it themselves using 5mm allen key. Attaching the pic for your reference .

Thanks for the help on this— I fixed this today. The hex nuts holding the hook in place needed some gentle pursuation before coming loose, though.

Discovered (and fixed) another gremlin

I wouldn't have noticed this at first, but friends in the group suddenly started ordering 20mm size rubber grommets.

My interest was piqued, a little close reading of the chatter ensued.

Punch EV owners reported, paper stickers glued on top of holes in the front and rear wheel wells , were the only protection against floods in the cabin!
One of them had in fact, reported flooding due to this issue in his car.

In Ruby's case I found these paper stickers in both rear wheel wells. Behind these innocent-looking paper stickers , were holes that opened into the cabin floor (and eventually carpet). If these fell off, and I passed through standing water, I could have easily gotten the carpet soaking wet.

Four holes are covered by cheap metallic paper fixed with Heatex glue.

And that wasn't all!

Closer inspection revealed all four were creased and much the worse for wear and tear, due to being attacked by mud and dirt , every day!

They were about to peel off—and in fact they did!
Here they are, after I removed these with relative ease. Yuck!

Notice how I exposed the hole with ease! Imagine the elements going to work on these stickers!

I patiently removed all 4; one was already perished, and I wasn't about to give Tata Motors the benefit of doubt, by leaving the rest there. Before installing the grommets, I washed the area clean.

Removing Paper stickers and replacing them with proper rubber grommets

Here is one such grommet, neatly installed.

One can only wonder—what these holes were for?

Why didn't Tata Motors spot weld these holes close during the manufacturing process?

Rubber grommets are not a permanent solution, but yes, they are cheap.
It also means I will need to remember to physically inspect and replace these grommets every 3 months and more frequently when it rains!

Not good, Tata Motors! Not good at all!

Is this what finesse has come to mean in an Indian car? Does Vocal4Local really strike a chord—or should we hang our heads in shame?

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The top 10 list of best-selling cars includes the WagonR, Ertiga, Brezza, Swift, Baleno, Scorpio, Fronx and Nexon.

According to Jato Dynamics, the Tata Punch looks set to become India’s best-selling car in 2024. The overall sales of the sub-compact SUV are expected to surpass the 2023 leader Maruti Swift.

Last year, the Tata Punch was placed 7th among the top 10 best-selling cars in India. Tata Motors is likely to end this year with a record 2,00,678 units of the Punch, overtaking popular models like the Maruti Suzuki WagonR and Hyundai Creta. The other models in the top 10 list of best-selling cars include the Maruti Ertiga, Brezza, Swift, Baleno, Mahindra Scorpio, Maruti Fronx and Tata Nexon.

Data shows that from 2021 to 2024, the Tata Punch registered a compound annual growth rate of 73%, which is the fastest among all models since its launch in 2021. One of the reasons for the rise in popularity of the Tata Punch is the variety of powertrains on offer. The Punch is available with a conventional petrol engine, CNG, and as a pure EV.

The model’s weighted average price excluding discounts and incentives is estimated to have gone up by 9% to Rs 8.38 lakh compared to last year. It is calculated by multiplying each variant of a model with units sold. The sum of all these variants multiplied by the number of units of each is then divided by the number of units sold.

The Nexon is the only other Tata model in the top 10 list. It is expected to register sales of 1,56,770 units, dropping from 5th place in 2023 to 10th.

Source: ET Auto

I am confused between Punch ev adventure Long Range and New Mg Windsor base variant. This car is meant strictly as a daily commute vehicle.

BHPian anilntny recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

This car is meant strictly as a daily commute vehicle. Considering ev, as my Jeep crossed 50000 km in just 2 years. I am confused between Punch ev adventure Long Range and New Mg Windsor base variant. Visited Tata showrooms twice, very lukewarm response. Also horrifying stories about them. Please advise me to make a wise decision.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan shared regarding this matter:

I am a Hyundai Kona EV owner and am extremely happy with it. But sadly, this is discontinued. It is very well put together, offers excellent comfort and value and after all, was built for Europe and hence feels absolutely solid. Ive owned it 9 months and love it to bits.

There is an article on Cartoq which says that MG Windsor is coming along with a nice new bigger battery which will increase its range. It is a fantastically comfortable (Club Class) vehicle and perfect for families. Well put together. But I would buy only the top most variant.

I would not go near Tata EV - because as Ive written elsewhere, basis my repeated, successive experiences at their showrooms; they just do not seem interested in the walk-in customers, prospects and if their sales attitude itself is this lackadaisical and disinterested, then I shudder to think of the treatment we will get when going for servicing. So, much as I like the look of their designs and all, Im not going back there.

I would however, definitely consider MG because there is such a huge difference in their attitude and because their product is extremely well put together. Having used many many BluSmart ZS EVs and test driven them and their Comet etc, I actually like and appreciate what MG has done in India. And the BlueSmart Cab chaps all speak well of the Service. That counts for a lot.

The Kia EV6 AWD is fabulous. And right now they are selling at a fantastic 20 lacs off from all accounts. Delicious car. Porsche Taycan looks and nearly as good performance, at a fraction of the price.

The Hyundai Ioniq5 is superb and apparently they too are selling at a fat discount (maybe same as Kia).

I will be very keen to see what the Creta EV is like.
I will also be very keen to see what the Maruti Grand Vitara EV is like.
I am very sure that both of the above will be well put together and will be very good cars with good sales and servicing.

Citroen is very comfortable and well built and has lots going for it. Lovely brand with a deep history of classy engineering and innovation. But these blighters at Stellantis and their overall strategy is unclear. I love the Brand Citroen. But they don’t seem to have ‘caught on’ much. Yet they are (purely as a product) worthy of thought.

I am deeply appreciative of BYD and the quality and technology that they bring to the table and the experiences with the BYD E6 and all as Airport Transfer vehicles. I did find the Atto3 a little over the top in design. But one can live with that. The BYD Seal on the other hand is face-peelingly fast. And looks wonderful. I love it.

Ive used many BYDs abroad as Uber Taxis and the Seal, the Han and all their line up are fantastic. They are superior, in my view, to Lord Muskymusk’s Tesla (which also I have used many times when abroad and have driven too, in America and Europe.)

I would like to wait for the new generation Mahindra EV’s to be launched on the roads. I was very impressed with the XUV400 EV and its phenomenal ride quality in particular because of its Frequency Dependent Dampers.

The only fear that I have with Mahindra is the fact that their service centres are swamped with their old gen vehicles, their commercial vehicles, the zillions of new Thars and XUV700’s and Thar Roxx’s and all. So I wonder how they will handle the knowledge transfers, training, spares, servicing and care of all their new gen EV’s. Typical consumer behaviour with Mahindra would be to wait and watch for 1-2 years before jumping into purchase.

So thats my take and I hope it helps you.
Sorry for not voting on any of your choices and Sorry also if I ended up confusing you.

Meanwhile here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say:

eC3 is totally obsolete and irrelevant. Don’t bother.

Nexon EV over Punch EV for the bigger 45kwh battery and faster charging speeds. A nicer cabin, more features and more power are added bonus.

Nexon vs Windsor is interesting. Primarily comes down to the space requirements, especially the rear seat. If your usage involves more than 2 people frequently, you may be better off with the MG. It is better for family use, whereas Nexon’s rear seat space and seating is pretty bad. If the back seat will not be used regularly, I’ll say pick Nexon.

Budget permitting, it makes sense to wait for the upcoming Mahindra BE6E.

Here's what BHPian electric_eel replied:

I would vote Punch EV 35 KWh pack among the choices here. As a daily commuter I think it is the car with the right size and you can easily get 230 kms of range for 10-100% SoC in city traffic. But here are some points to consider.

1. Checkout out the ergonomics in general. My biggest complaint about Nexon EV Max that I have is the ergonomics. I am not really sure of how good Punch EV is in this dept but when it comes to Punch petrol vs Nexon Petrol there is no doubt that Punch Petrol has much better ergonomics. If there are older folks they will definitely appreciate the better ingress and egress

2. As much as I hate the styling, the new range of Mahindra EVs are something to look at seriously. They have better batteries, faster charging and all the bells and whistles that you can ask for, and are priced very well. Now you might be saying that it is for the usual commute but when you start owning and EV you will definitely want to take it for your longer trips. The fantastic drive train, the cabin silence, the ease of single gear transmission together with breath taking torque is something no ICE at this price point can match. The fast charging network is growing fast and with close to 500 Kms range the Mahindra EVs are definitely something that you should think about.

3. I am assuming you have a good story when it comes to home (slow) charging. This is a very important feature of EVs in general and unless you get this sorted out you will not enjoy the ownership much.

I understand you are located in Kerala. Fast charging network is extensive in the South of India and as such you can consider one of the bigger EVs as well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Until the next day's economy figure leaves one flabbergasted. For now this new "high" has set the performance bar right up there in the clouds!

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

December 09, 2024

Its been a little over 3 months and 4000 km. Having gone through 5 different licenses in 3 jurisdictions over the past 30 years, one would expect I would know all there is to know about driving.

Yes?
No.

Consider this 108 Wh/km energy economy figure from yesterday:

This, by the way, is at par for driving in a mad metro like Delhi—one may even call these superlative figures. A no-hurry demeanor, coupled with soft piano music wafting through the JBL system, is enough to put anyone to sleep. An economy figure like the above is just icing on the cake.

One goes to sleep happy. Secure in the knowledge the car will be its usual self again in the morning.

Until the next day's economy figure leaves one flabbergasted. For now this new "high" has set the performance bar right up there in the clouds!

The answer lay in not giving A pedal input at all, and indeed that seemed to get the average economy down to 43 Wh/km. Until Ruby had to break a sweat climbing the 1 in 250 grade home—after which the economy figure reached 60 Wh/km

One lives and learns! Every single day!

In other news, due to not driving the Glanza at all, its battery threw a tantrum early morning. Prior to the Batmobile's visit, I have been charging it all day. As things stand at home, its quite possible the Glanza's engine or some other significant part may also throw a sympathetic tantrum!! Fingers Crossed!!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

"You the macho 4x4 offroader!—will ply on an electric vehicle?" said my family in unison, and understandable shock.

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

New beginnings always start at someone's end

Quote from BHPian joybhowmik:

As all good things come to an end, today I part with R3 well before it's due time.

He has served me well. I am returning him to the dealership. In bidding adieu, I am recompensed a handsome price after 8 years of very fulfilling ownership.

Backstory

Ever since R3 left to make someone else happy, a year had elapsed. A year where everyone who I knew, recoiled in shocked disbelief,when they heard, I hadn't replaced R3 with something manlier, more powerful, and a worthy successor.

For over a year, I cried myself hoarse, telling them ( yet never quite managing to quell the disbelief on their part) that the right 4x4 offroader for me, wasn't on the market, wasn't even born.
And yes, that was true. I was holding out for a petrol 4x4 (not AWD) south of ₹ 25 lakhs, that also did not look like the latest evolution of a matchbox on wheels, and carried 4 passengers as well as 4 mid size suitcases with aplomb. Simple requirement. You may think?

It just wasn't there.
The Scorpio N petrol was firmly a RWD car - and was one of my first rejects. Next in line was Thar 3D Petrol—just no luggage space, and a back-ache as a gift. Jimny ... matchbox? (erm!)

For a long time, I followed news on Toyota's mini LC, but there was no news about it making it to our shores. There was just a blip of excitement when Dacia 2024 was spied -and I thought , it just might come in a petrol AWD drivetrain - and I would live with it- yet alas!
Thar Roxx - despite all the anticipation, turned out to be a dampener; the Petrol version turned out to be a RWD too, and 4WD was nowhere on the horizon, when launched.
I even test drove the all-grip Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder - but for the money I wanted more than just AWD. Besides, it wasnt even a strong hybrid. A reluctant reject - but a reject nonetheless.
Along the way, we test drove the Innova Hycross (no 4WD), the Toyota Hilux 4WD (no Petrol variant), Fortuner (no Petrol variant) and didn't like anything.

Time passed, and our Toyota Glanza being the only car in the garage, became the natural workhorse. All good—except when you suddenly start clocking more than 15k km in a year, petrol bills do add up.
Like many families in Delhi, our average running within the city itself was about 80% ~ 90% on any given month.

We were okay with taking the Glanza out on the highway for the occasional road trip. The 10%~20% on roadtrips—Uttarakhand or Rajasthan were discretionary leisure trips. We've never done serious distances in the Glanza (ie > 1000 km)—that was always the domain of R3, or before that, the Milemuncher Innova.

Did we want to do extended distances on the Glanza? Thats a digression. But I will address that too. We were a one-car family now. Yes, if the situation called for it, the Glanza would need to do that. But, we would prefer doing this on a capable 4x4 tourer.

Were there opportunities in the near term to go touring long distances? The answer was a resounding "No".

That is due to family circumstances. We knew we would never venture more than a couple of hundred kilometers in the next two years. The Glanza was perfectly adequate for this, and continuing the 4x4 dream with a worthy successor to R3 could wait.

Yet we were not addressing how we get transport costs down - within the city. Glanza is a great city runabout, but with an average petrol bill of ₹ 1.2 lakhs a year (rough estimate) for city drives alone—and bound to increase more—with ever busier schedules of family members.

The answer was clear: we needed a daily driver right now to stop the bleeding that would also deliver the most cost-efficient ₹/km. We needed to replace the Glanza as a city runabout before replacing it forever.

That's how the idea of an EV was born.

When I first mentioned it to my family:

"You the macho 4x4 offroader!—will ply on an electric vehicle?" said my family in unison, and understandable shock. "What a scale back!" is what they meant.

The math, however, had no rejoinders.

1. We are both nearing retirement. We need a car that we can theoretically keep and use for the rest of our natural lives (and not watch the government unceremoniously take it away at gunpoint, quoting edicts of the notorious NGT.)
2. We prefer low running costs for our extensive city travel needs. A city runabout is adequate (no 4WD needed here).
3. We can afford to wait for a top-of-the line tourer 4WD for leisure travel. That doesn't mean we compromise by buying something we aren't happy with now, that also doesn't reduce costs.

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

In December 2023, almost 1 in every 5 new vehicles bought in Delhi was an EV. Though a large percentage of that must have been two-wheelers, one cannot deny that one encounters more EVs amongst 4 wheelers than ever before.

From humble beginnings of the e20 & eVerito cars, the current 4 wheeler EV "early majority" market has been largely shaped by Tata Motors (several offerings are available: Curvv, Nexon, Punch, Tiago, and Tigor). Other known brands I knew of were MG (Comet & ZS), and, more recently, Windsor. Then there was the one horse pony in Mahindra 's XUV 400. There were also the upscale Hyundai (ioniq) and Kia. There was news of an EV on a Creta platform, and the first EV from Suzuki around the corner. Then there was the unapologetic Chinese - BYD.
There were also luxury EVs being offered by the Germans (but clearly I wouldn't be using those for carrying groceries home!!)

The Phone a Friend

That's not a huge number of choices - compared to ICE. But, I still asked a friend.
His advise: "Don't buy new; buy something that still has original warranty left."
His premise was that - by buying new, I was effectively paying an early adopter premium. That's why if I bought a pre-owned car , a warranty on it, I would get equivalent benefits for 80% of the price of a new car.

His other advice was : "Buy a MG ZS EV. Eyes closed". He'd recently bought a Skoda Kodiaq. So yes, a big believer in MG!

Why not a used EV?

For a moment , a depreciated car, still holding warranty , looks tasty.
But, after a brief look at that segment of the market, I steered clear.
No it wasn't about contracting dermatitis in it.
A few key reasons (for me).

1. I did not really find any used EVs that were top of the model line , and relatively new. Obviously - those were tasty enough , and the owners had retained them. I wasn't really interested in the lower variants (lack of features).
2. I was buying into a rapidly evolving technology—granted, I would be locking myself in at whichever point I bought in, but still spending 50k-100k more for a year's worth of tech innovation—was a no-brainer.
3. Of course, my family prevailed too. In the last twenty one plus years of staying in India, we've steered clear of buying second hand cars. Not to say, we are against, or have never purchased used cars. We have—in the US. Matters were different in the US, where there's an organized market and regulatory framework governing it. The Indian used car market isn't there yet, when it comes to transparency.

So, while I ignored my friend's advise to look at used cars, I could not quite ignore the advise about the brand.

The Contenders!

Morris Garages
My take on the brand. It's positioned as a British brand, with an Indian partner. The Chinese owner: SAIC is super silent on sales brochures, but that's expected, I guess. Positioning is key, and MG does lend some flair to any product, perhaps due to deep roots in the automotive tradition.

I called them for a TD, and quite counter intuitively , I asked them to bring along a Comet Exclusive (near top of line, feature wise, ) ESP : ₹ 9.36 lakhs—I'm guessing with taxes, extended warranties ,registration fees, insurance, etc - it would probably be ~ ₹ 11 lakh by the time it would reach home. That's serious money.
My first impressions:

• Minimalist but very roomy for front row.
• Then it goes into a tailspin of an apology - the backrow is not only cramped, its also suffers remarkable parallels with the ingress mechanics of "Thar 3D"
• The boot (for lack of a better word), is wide enough to hold 2 liter water bottles, or a laptop bag.
• And when it drives, its almost like the feeling, one's driving an e-rick—its so small and dimunitive, and incredibly nimble
• The size aspect, is important in Dilli - not because one has the flexibility to wedge into really tight parking spots—but more importantly, even a cyclist will ride taller than you. And said cyclist would expect you to yield (unheard of in Dilli)
• Other than that, super silent operation, a really long infotainment panel, and the car's controls are the only notable protruberances in the cabin. Did I mention minimalist?

Would I like to drive one to work and back? Terrifying visions of being bullied on Dilli/Gurgaon streets filled my head, and I gave this a pass.
However, it would be remiss of me not to point out—on the cuteness scale—that the Comet is a head turner. It does have some appeal for someone who would like to leave as little a footprint as possible—and surely that's something to aspire for.

The next TD quite predictably was for the MG ZS EV. I asked the salesperson to explain its features , and I tuned off. At ESP, ranging from₹ 24.43 (Executive Plus) to ₹ 25.43L (essence dual tone), the spread of features available onthe 10.1" screen, the plush seats, carbon-fiber like dash - the list went on and on.... I was loving it, immersed as it were in the luxury this car offered. Everyone in the family loved it , and though the money was eye-watering , we thought maybe this was the car we wanted as a keeper. Something the Delhi Government would not snatch away due to dire NGT warnings, 10 years later. Besides, there was an 8 year battery warranty, and the informed salesman assured me that the battery was good to go for 12+ years.
I will not bore you, dear reader, with a list of features , and a comparison between the variants. That is easily available.
I was just blown away at the ease with which the Android Auto wirelessly connected to my phone, and wirelessly charged it too!
Coming from a Glanza where I had been untangling annoying wires all these years—this was truly priceless.

And then the 360° camera! The images were pixellated - but the joy of seeing all around without having to turn your head!

There were two questions worth deliberating about, however:

1. How did MG ZS EV fare with respect to its mainstream competitors, viz Tata Nexon and M&M XUV 400?
2. Which MG ZS EV variant was right for us?

On the first question: I asked the MG Salesman to come with an answer. I was curious as to how they positioned ZS EV :

This comparison was for the Excite Pro variant, a couple of notches below the top variant - and it was a comparison to the top variants from Tata and M&M. Note that while factually correct, they left out the fact that M&M XUV400 EL Pro variant was actually ₹ 2 lakhs cheaper.
Still not a deal-breaker for me.
Though made a mental note to find out what M&M XUV400 and Tata Nexon EV were like.

On the second question: I debated with family; the main bone of contention was: should we opt for level 2 ADAS for an additional ₹ 1 lakh in ESP? My better half said no, and my heart said yes. I have veto rights when it comes to decisions about cars in the family. But in this case, I demurred. The question about level 2 ADAS brought up an even more fundamental question: Would we really make this a primary car? Would this be a highway milemuncher and a daily beater?

Sharp reality check
A quick check on plugshare.com demonstrated that even with stated range , in order to avoid range anxiety on a typical Delhi-Kolkata drive, we would need 7 charging stops each of at least an hour (and perhaps more!), to stay off range anxiety. On a total run time of 24-30 hours adding 7-10 hours just for refuelling is a bit much. So the EV , would never be a highway milemuncher. It was destined to be the primary urban daily beater.
A bit oversized (>4m) and eyewateringly expensive ₹ 27 lakhs for a daily beater - but then again - no power on earth would pry it loose from our clutching fingers after 10 years!

Mahindra & Mahindra
I know Mahindra. Quite well, in fact. I've lived with one for well over 7 years (LT ownership review)
I am under no delusions when it comes to the brand. I know their products have little foibles, that gradually persist in annoying owners, till one erupts in frustration at M&M. Then M&M bends over backwards, and then some, to set matters right. And they usually do.
So , knowing this, I stepped into the world of EVs and Mahindra.

One quick digression though. M&M has been a hesitant entrant in India's EV marketplace. Despite world premiers of XUV700 & Thar on a born electric platform, the enthusiasm on display in South Africa hasn't really shown where it matters—here in India, M&M's biggest market.
When it comes to EVs, people typically recall Tata, MG, Hyundai, and even Kia and rarely think of M&M. That's a real shame. M&M need to work on improving the recall factor. It's probably not without reason too. The XUV400 is offered in few variants , leaving very little choice.

The test drive with EL Pro happened. We were suitably impressed with the substantial legroom the XUV400 offered, but beyond that, we began comparing with the superior MG ZS EV. I was willing to give this car points for being honest, so I asked the salesman - what he felt were its differentiators vis-a-vis the competition.
I'm not one to judge, but I will leave you the answer:

Towards the end of the test drive, I asked if I could subject the car to my "acid test"? The salesman was at first perturbed, thinking I would put the car to bodily harm. Nothing like that- I just wanted to see how wireless android auto worked. "No problem , saar"
And then we spend 5 minutes fiddling with the controls—and no connection to show for our labours. He sheepishly grinned. "Saar, the car needs an update."
There wasn't any 360° camera too—I pointed out—and he grinned some more.

And just like that, the M&M product was out of the reckoning. My reasons: Poor execution. And not enough choice.

Tata Motors
Not wanting to forego the experience of the main contender in the market, I decided to give Tata Motors a call. I actually signed up on their website for a test drive, and mentioned that Treo Tata , Nehru place may please bring the top model Nexon EV TD vehicle around.

Not only did Tata not acknowledge the request, the appointment time came and went.

Annoyed at being stood up, I called the showroom and was assured by the sweet talking CRM that someone would be sent the next day (Sunday, 14 July).
I said: "yes, and please also ask your salesman to bring the Tata version of a comparison between equivalent models of Nexon EV, XUV400 and ZS EV."

5 minutes before the appointment time, the assigned salesman calls to say he can't get a gate pass for the car , because he doesnt have a copy of my drivers license!!!
Needless to say, he also did not have a comparo to share.

I really lost it. I told the CRM of Treo Tata, they have some nerve asking me for proof of my driving skill before allowing me to test drive the car. I told her that neither MG nor M&M wanted it.
Quote:

ऐसे बर्ताव करेंगे , तो अपनी गाड़ी अपने पास रखिए
If this is your attitude, please keep your car!

I never test drove the Nexon EV.

These two experiences with Tata and Mahindra pushed me inexorably towards MG.

But, I did not want it to end this way... the smaller but significant things turned out to be a deal breaker with MG too!

1. Chinese roots
Despite disclaimers that MG is a born UK brand, its ownership is Chinese. Aside from the Comet, and ZS EV, at that point in time (July '24) there were no other EV products on shelf. Jindals, as their JV partner, were not really visible to the public eye—or, should we say, did not receive as much media attention as the C-suite staff at Suzuki, M&M, Tata, Hyundai, etc. There was also news that BYD (another gargantuan EV maker) was facing a restrictive environment in India.
Which brought me to question if I really wanted a long-term relationship, with a company, that belonged to an adversary country. Nothing political—just huge doses of pragmatism.

2. Greater than 4 m length.
I was beginning to question the practicality of owning an urban beater that was greater than 4 meters in length. Granted, the 4 meters is a psychological barrier, and a Tata Punch EV at 3857 mm is just 10 cm shorter, and practically speaking, it's not much. But 4m+ cars do attract extra duty. However, this factor applied equally to XUV400 as well as Nexon EV -so it wasn't a MG ZS EV deal breaker alone.

3. Lack of Service network
MG service network is noticeably smaller than Tata, Suzuki, Hyundai and M&M. For instance, in NCR region, MG portal shows 3 locations.
Ordinarily, lack of service network should not matter, especially if the car isn't going to go often outside its home zone.
However, a lack of service network also points to a potential lack of competition for customer's service business, which may translate to poor customer experience.

4. No fog lights!—and no way to have these installed as an accessory item!!
The exchange with the MG salesman says it all:

Quote:

Me: "Fog lamps—can these be retrofitted on the car?"
MG Salesman: "Sir, there is no need for fog lamps in ZS EV. The reason is because MG Has set the angle of Headlamps on a particular angle so that you can easily visible the roads and corner visibility."

Me: Headlamp lens is not the same as fog lens - spread of light is different. Headlamp light is reflected back in your eyes by fog. Unlike fog lamp light. Kindly check with your technical team at MG - whether fog lamps can be fitted or not. This is available in XUV400 for instance. actually headlamp light when reflected back at you in heavy fog is pretty dangerous. It can blind the driver ...It has happened with me earlier on Yamuna Expressway -when I met sudden fog. This is a serious requirement from my side.

MG Salesman: Ok sir i asked our technical person he is some busy in family function . I will revert you back once he replied me ok sir

(please pardon the non-existent grammar/flawed sentence construction ! These are actual excerpts from WhatsApp chats )

No response came from the MG technical team. At one point, I was prepared to pay upto ₹ 27 lakhs for the top variant of this car. But no fog lights at ₹ 27 lakhs !

I did not pursue the matter.
The date was 15 July, 2024. I had just spent over 2 weeks recceing the market, and all I was left with was a tinge of dissapointment.

Continue reading BHPian joybhowmik's post for more insights and information.

I have a penchant for breaking/scraping the passenger side ORVM on every car I have ever owned. And it's mostly been at home while reversing out of my verandah.

BHPian joybhowmik recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Broken Mirror

How did that happen?
November 4, 2024
I have a penchant for breaking/scraping the passenger side ORVM on every car I have ever owned. And it's mostly been at home while reversing out of my verandah.

Reason: The clearance between the cast iron main gate when open and the wing mirrors can be measured in centimeters. And sometimes , the old hinges make the gate swing back a little.

Real reason: I was thinking of something else when reversing out after a full charge. This is not the regular way I take Ruby out; I park in the ready-to-go position except when charging. So muscle memory is nonexistent. And I was thinking of other things.

The Damage
When it happened, I could hear plastic shattering, and the upper part of the mirror assembly came off with a bang and was thrown behind. Luckily, the front tires did not run over it. There was a scruff mark on the mirror housing side & bottom, and the indicator lamp was broken.

I tried to put the pieces back together by prying and prodding the indicator to sit right, but I could have tried and tried. They weren't going to come together—maybe a fitter would do a better job with tools.

I'll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.

Broken left side mirror

Help Needed!
I was already running late for office, so I put the upper part away and started my commute. However, just before that, I also posted on the messaging group Autovikas have setup for Ruby. I was hoping someone would see my plea even though it was 9:20 AM.

Quote:

I broke my passenger side mirror, what is the cost , is it available and how long does it take to replace?

There wasn't any reply for what seemed like ages. So, while stopped in the usual 30 minute traffic snarl on the notorious NH-8, placed a call direct to Mr. Arvind of Tata.EV dedicated service center. Mentally, I was thinking this was going to cost me big time, but he patiently asked me about the nature of damage. I was driving at the time, so I could not message him - but I told him that it looked like the indicator lamp was broken. He said it would cost approximately ₹900 to fit a broken indicator lamp, and take approximately 30 minutes to fix.

That kind of got my runaway heart rate down a bit.

The arrival
I reached the service center at 11. Ruby was whisked away, out of sight. This time, I did not venture into the shop floor much—except to explain the problem.

Small World
While waiting in the lounge, I bumped into a familiar face. Mr. Mukherjee - the General Manager, turned out to someone I knew very well, from a past life that seems ages ago now. He used to be the General Manager of Vivek Automobiles in Sarita Vihar—at a time when I used to own a Palio 1.9 D. I'm talking 20 years ago—what a small world.

The Repair

For the curious few -here's the part number.

Here's the new side indicator fitted.

Note the scuff marks on the edge of the housing.

I spoke with Mr. Mukherjee and that was promptly attended to with polishing compound. At least it doesn't look so bad now, and can even pass a casual inspection. Alternative to replacing the whole mirror assembly for a ghastly ₹20,000, I am perfectly happy with a hard to discern scar.

Scuff marks mostly rubbed down.

The paperwork

The SA graciously waived off labour charges. The damage ₹784. I was out in just over an hour.

The bill.

Final thoughts
First off, thanks to Tata Motors for designing this part for the Indian market. Side mirrors are the first casualty for many a driver, and by making this assembly in three parts - it's been designed in a way that somewhat mitigates the financial impact of minor scrapes and impacts.

Second, thanks to the team in Autovikas dedicated EV center, for taking care of this job quickly. Well deserved 5 stars on Google.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Tata.ev store was quite an experience in itself. I was pleasantly surprised. It felt like I'm walking into a high end coffee shop.

BHPian Bibendum90949 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Quote from BHPian ferrarirules:

Tata.EV opens two new stores in Edappally and Kalamassery
The Kalamassery store has size of 6100 sq. ft. area enough to display 6 cars.

I happened to visit the Kalamassery Tata.ev store yesterday. This was my second visit to a Tata showroom. The first one, couple of years ago, was an awful and forgettable experience with us made to feel like an unwelcomed guest. Back then, I vowed never to visit a Tata showroom. A lot of water seems to have flown under the bridge since then.

Off late, I've been toying with the idea of jumping onto the EV bandwagon and is contemplating a Comet(fits my specific use case) but still thought of having a cursory look at the Tata range of EV s too, the Punch to be precise.

The Tata.ev store was quite an experience in itself. I was pleasantly surprised. It felt like I'm walking into a high end coffee shop. The staff is quite courteous, attentive and professional. Having the earlier bad experience still lingering at the back of my mind, it took a while for me to come to terms with the changed arena, just fell short of pinching myself to make me believe that I'm in a Tata showroom. Hence, it is so heartening to see the concerted and honest effort by Tata to up the sales experience. More often than not, that's the make or break moment with a potential customer.

Tata have come a long way in the PV space since the Indica days. Of course, there are still lot of rough edges to be ironed out, mostly with the product QC and service experience. All that's been discussed at length on our forum and elsewhere. But this is about a refreshing change and a journey with customer at the heart, that augurs well for us and the manufacturer. It keeps them in good stead in the years to come.

The showroom is very thoughtfully designed. Sustainability is the theme you'll see around, with even the vendors of the coffee are carefully chosen. They've this dedicated community lounge for Tata ev owners. One can even walk in and set up a virtual office meeting and make use of the space, more so if they're on the move. All this, while their ev is juiced up with the fast charging stations available.

This is indeed a big step by Tata to elevate the customer experience. I just hope the same focus is extended to the service experience side as well. With their dominance in EV space, such measures are only going to strengthen their present foothold.

I ended up driving the Punch ev and the Curvv ev. The TD was arranged in quick time. They gifted a Tata.ev branded tee at the end as a token gesture. Overall a great experience and a sea change from the past.

Few pictures I clicked that shows how beautifully done the showroom is.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

This festive offer is available only for a limited period, till October 31, 2024.

Tata Motors is offering benefits of up to Rs 3 lakh on its EV range this festive season. 

As part of its ‘Festival of Cars’ celebration, Tata Motors has announced a price cut of Rs 40,000 on the Tiago.ev. The electric hatchback is now available at a starting price of Rs 7,99,000 (ex-showroom).

The Punch.ev gets a price reduction of up to Rs 1.20 lakh. As a result, the new entry price is Rs 9,99,000. Tata is offering the highest benefits of up to Rs 3 lakh on the Nexon.ev. The revised starting price of the electric SUV is Rs 12,49,900.

Customers can additionally enjoy 6-month free-of-cost charging at any of the over 5,500 Tata Power charging stations across the country.

This festive offer is available only for a limited period, till October 31, 2024.