By the time I was 6 kms away from home the charge dropped below 10%, range shown was 25kms and the car went into limp mode.

BHPian mh09ad5578 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Did the Bangalore trip yesterday. Started at 8.30 am with full home charging (Slow charge) at 100% range shown was 250kms, set the trip meter a bit late and it recorded 390 km but actually did about 450-460 km. It showed a 136 Wh/Km reading as per the trip meter.
On the way to Bangalore maintained a speed of 80-85 Kmph with the most use of cruise control till Tumkur. Reached T begur Paakshala at 10.10 am and put it on Zeon fast charger with 33% charge left. After finishing breakfast saw that there was a power failure and the car had charged to only 69% in 30 minutes, proceeding with the shown 170kms range. The cost here was Rs303/-.In Bangalore after finishing some work went to Lulu Mall where they had a Rebolt charger. Put the car on charge for 45 mins and it went from 45% to 90%. Was charged 408Rs- for it. Left the mall at 6 pm towards Chitradruga and it was raining quite heavily. Mainted a speed of 90-100 kmph on the way back. The range shown was 20 km more than the Google Maps distance so had decided to top it up at Nanjundeshwara Hotel near Tumkur. This has a Zeon charger but it showed some error and didn't charge.

By the time we reached Sira, Javagondanhalli Fast charger the range difference was 40 km so decided to wing it home. By the time I was 6 km away from home the charge dropped below 10%, the range shown was 25kms and car went into limp mode. The Accelerator was wooden and the speed was capped at 60kmph and the cruise stopped working and constant alarms. By the time I reached home charge was at 6%. Some observations-

• Going towards Bangalore range drop was more than km s covered as was moving higher. While returning Range drop was lower than the km covered as we were coming down in elevation.
• Driving at 85kmph on cruise control is very boring and patience-testing.
• Fast charging might work perfectly or worse depending on your luck, but when it works it is as easy as an ice fuel up albeit with more time, if you have spare work/activity to do you won't notice the charge wait times.
• The car is amazing to drive in bumper-to-bumper city traffic. Lane assists,360 cameras, ventilated seats, auto hold, small dimensions, and upright seating are all a great boon. I may be biased as this is my first automatic.
• The range drop from 15% to 10% was very fast like in a blink of an eye. Need to check this more.
• Better charge the car before it reaches 10% last 25kms for a fuss-free drive.
• Google Maps integration into the dash is amazing.
• Wireless Android though great to use drains the phone battery pretty fast and though had kept the phone on a wireless charger through the journey it was unable to charge it above 70%. The phone was a Samsung S23 Ultra. Have decided to disable Android Auto and stick to Bluetooth due to this.
• Had a stone hit on the windshield in the rains and it cracked. First damage in 4days already.

The approximate cost for the 450kms drive was less than 950Rs. The best bang for the buck is home charging and the best fuss range to hit is within 175-200kms. Rest depends on charging infrastructure and more important if it is working at the time you are there.

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In my Nexon with the 30 kWh battery, I was averaging 180kms with 10-15% remaining.

BHPian vickster recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I traded in my 2021 Nexon EV 30kw for a 2024 XUV400 39kw recently hoping to benefit from the longer range. I have run around 1000 km. Here is a summary of the range I have got until now.

The first time I charged it up to 100%, I got 196.2kms with 7% remaining. This was mostly in D and L mode in FUN. The driving style was not very aggressive but not conservative either.

The second time I charged it to 100%, I ran 214.4kms with 17% remaining. This was in D mode in FUN and mostly slower speeds of 50kmph and very sedate throttle inputs which is quite boring and cannot be sustained.

My understanding is that better range is achieved on highways rather than cities. In my Nexon with the 30kw battery, I was averaging 180kms with 10-15% remaining. XUV in comparison so far has not been impressive on the range front. I should try a longer highway trip to truly understand the range.

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We have located a Tata Sumo at a scrap yard and will be sourcing the power steering pump from it.

BHPian Sanidhya mukund recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

First drive in 9 years!

A major milestone in the project: The car runs and drives! This is the first time in 9 years that the car has moved on its own power. The mechanic managed to get the car going without the power steering pump. We have located a cannibalised Tata Sumo at a scrap yard and will be sourcing the pump from there, which will probably take a week. Meanwhile, the car was driven onto the elevated washing pit and the entire underbody and the rims were painted black.

After the painting was done, the mechanic took the car for a short spin around the garage:

Next order of business is to send it to the panel beaters to cure the body line of any dings and blemishes. Post that, paint, electrical and interior will be done. On the mechanical front, we are left with Radiator replacement, sourcing the Power steering Pump and AC Compressor, fitting the fuel tank and fuel lines, and giving the entire car a good service (differential oil, engine oil replacement etc.). The car will hopefully be fully done by mid 2024.

A video of the car in action. Sorry about the poor quality; The video was sent by my mechanic as I was not present at that point in time.

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So we wanted a vehicle which would double up as a holiday vehicle. Thus a good cruiser was essential.

BHPian chinkara recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Some of you may know that I have been a proud owner of a Storme VX 4x4 for 10 years now. But with the 10-year rule in NCR, I have also been an enthusiastic participant in the What Car threads for some time, and also discussing the dilemma in the Storme thread (Tata Safari Storme : Official Review).

So I thought I'll finally create a thread to discuss the options and the decision process. I will not go through detailed pros and cons but highlight what made us put a car in / drop a car from the shortlist.

Choices:

• XUV 700
• Scorpio-N
• Jeep Compass
• Jeep Meridian
• Skoda Kodiaq
• VW Tiguan
• Toyota Fortuner
• New Safari
• Innova Hycross
• Invicto

Then, the decision criteria. We already have a Tiago EV which is used mainly as a regular office commute by my wife, although I too use it for meetings within Gurgaon when she works from home. So we wanted a vehicle that would double up as a holiday vehicle. Thus a good cruiser was essential.

Do we need a 5-seater or a 7-seater? We used the 7-seat facility in the Storme well. We have gone on trips with my parents, in-laws, and SIL and her family as well. But now, with both our parents 70+, it is unlikely they would join us for long tours. A 7-seater is good to have but not essential.

Do we need a 4x4? As I have said in other threads, we have probably used the 4x4 thrice in 10 years, but those 3 times were fantastic. Also, my long pending Ladakh trip (which I and a friend who is currently in the UK promised to do together) would welcome a 4x4. Thus I would prefer 4x4 but not essential (hence the last 2 were added to the list).

Waiting for Godot redux... Last time I waited and waited for the Duster and delayed the Storme purchase by 2 years, only to conclude after the test drive that I liked the Storme more. (probably better as I got a more sorted, niggle free vehicle). This time I really wanted to look at the X-trail. I have driven my friend's vehicle in Dubai and wanted to snap it up if it was available around 40L.

But in spite of waiting for 2 years still no sign of it.

Now my vehicle was completing 10 years in 2024, so I could not risk further delays and impounding, as happened to a colleague of mine. So started the test drives from Oct 2023.

• XUV 700: We took a test drive and felt the suspension to be a problem - much like why we rejected the 500 10 years back. It simply did not have the handling, particularly in curves, that we were used to in the Storme.
• Scorpio N: I was really keen on this (the guy next to me in the parking lot has one, and I have taken it out for a spin). But ruled out by the home office. Scorpio has a bad image problem in the North with politico vehicles having Pradhan ji stickers all around. She felt the same would be the case with the ScorpioN and she refused to drive or ride such a car.
• Compass: A good friend was buying the compass. I took a test drive and liked it overall, but there was a small doubt about the turbo lag and overtaking from dead slow. Also, a colleague owned a Compass and had horror stories about both fuel efficiency and maintenance after 3 years. However, I overlooked such stories with the Storme and decided to stick the Compass in the list for now.
• Merdian: We had a good test drive. Kids liked the last row. Wife liked the suspension. I liked the driving ergonomics but gained the nagging doubt about the turbo lag and the overtaking power. We also loved the green colour and decided to stick it on the shortlist.
• Kodiaq: I have used the Kodiaq a bit in Europe last year and loved the car. The reported transmission problems were ok with me. It is a good car with good suspension as well. However, I had hesitation plonking 50 L plus on a car, similar to Poloman (Want to buy a 45 - 50 lakh SUV | How to get rid of the middle-class guilt?) -so decided to put it on the waitlist.
• Tiguan: Loved the drive. It is such a smooth car. No turbo lag as well. But we felt it is effectively a 4 seater and overpriced at around 40L. So dropped from the list.
• Fortuner: It was considered for being a 4x4, but the price, waitlist, and the fact that currently only white and black are available made us drop it
• New Safari: Now here comes a rant. Tata completely changed the Safari DNA. Just after they got it right with Storme and Hexa, they decided to vacate the 4x4 space. The new Safari is simply not there for old Safari owners. However, we decided to give it a shot as we were really happy with the Storme, and we decided that we would do without 4x4 if needed (there were no reasonable options except the Jeep duo).

So we took the test drive (actually it was the first test drive). And ended up with more frustration. Storme was a brilliant ergonomic car. I have done non-stop 16-hour drives with 2 kids, done Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Kolkata, Delhi-Ahmedabad etc. several times. And drove extensively in hills, forests everywhere. Here, after 20 min, we all felt a lack of under-thigh support and I had a knee fouling problem. So we rejected it.

Then the 2023 edition was launched. I sat in the vehicle in the yard, and spent 30 min to find a comfortable driving position, but no luck. So with a heavy heart, dropped it.

• Innova Hycross: We were thinking of looking at the Thar or the Jimny when my wife spotted the Hycross and wanted to take a test drive. But they have been refusing to take bookings for the variants we wanted.
• Invicto As soon as it was launched, we wanted to explore the Suzuki twin. So we took a test drive and we liked it, including the space in the last row.

Then the decision. It effectively boiled down to Compass / Meridian vs. Invicto.

Invicto was the cerebral choice, but I was not getting the thrill in the heart that I had while buying the Storme.

Between the Compass and the Meridian, the Meridian was more refined, but it was also 8L extra. Additionally, I had nagging doubts about the pick-up and turbo lag. This, coupled with the FE were the doubts.

We spent a few agonizing days undecided. Both of us agreed that if we had a BS6 Storme available with comparable FE (I get 11-12 in the city, 15-16 on highways) for around 30L, we would simply buy it with our eyes closed. Also, we cursed the NGT ruling - our steed (solely driven by me, well maintained at Arya Tata) was good enough for another 3 years if not more.

Finally, we decided to go with the Invicto. The doubts were too much for the Jeep twins and we did not have the unanimity of heart we had with the Storme. Completed the payment on the 31st (year-end billing incentive) and will take delivery on our new year in mid-April.

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The seats and space were sub-par but I won't go there as the main point that hit me is the lack of training all around of the new cabin crew.

BHPian V.Narayan recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Used Air India for a Delhi-London leg and then two weeks later the London-Delhi leg. The aircraft on both flights was a Boeing 777 leased from I think Delta airline. The seats were in business class and here are my points based on my observations and conversations with the cabin crew.

On both sectors the cabin crew of 5 serving a business class of 32 pax took, hold your breath, 4 hours plus from take-off to complete the drinks+lunch service. I spoke to them and understood that all were new recruits with less than 6 months on the job. I quizzed them, in a nice avuncular way, with my grey hair, about the procedures and sequence they have been trained with and in my assessment, they are getting woefully weak training. My background in my ex-business gives me a very strong insight into cabin crew training and these young people in their 20s have clearly not received the training needed to run a galley efficiently and on time. Worst of all they were surprised when I told them that the entire service from drinks and nuts to cheese and crackers should take no longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes at the most. Mind you these were young people, enthusiastic, eager to serve and courteous unlike the rudeness or condescending tones one could encounter on Air France or United or British Airways. But they were clueless.

The old more experienced Air India crew from the PSU days were in the first class and economy class cabins with the new raw recruits in the business class with no adult supervision. Training & testing followed by more training and testing is at the heart of aviation which is what makes it not only the safest mode of transport but also the most integrated industry in the world. I think someone forgot to tell Air India this.

The seats and space were sub-par but I won't go there as the main point that hit me is the lack of training all around of the new cabin crew. God forbid if this lot had to deal with an emergency!!

Two odd years after the Tata takeover Air India is still struggling to find its way out of a brown paper bag. Rather sad.

I'm still willing to be patient and give the Air India management time to sort themselves out. But when training curriculum is so weak it tells me all is not well with the new Air India leadership's approach. It is one thing to order 400+ airplanes and quite another to get your working crew upto scratch.

Here's what BHPian RunGaDa had to say on the matter:

My experience from a big IT company. The company I was working for was taken over by another bigger company. The new company laid down their Do's and Don'ts. It was pretty clear within a month that most if not all the old staff will be replaced. This is required if they want to wash out the old company way of working.

Tata should do a complete purge.

Set the process right.

Have penalties for every violation.

Then set benchmarks.

No other way.

Here's what BHPian handsofsteel had to say on the matter:

I travelled to Heathrow in Jan this year for a tournament that my son was participating in. Onwards was a combo of indigo+qatar (with a layover at Doha) and return was via air india as I wanted a direct flight.

The Air India flight itself was a nightmare. More than half the screens of the in-flight entertainment were not working. The call button for the cabin crew was not operational in a single seat! People were compelled to walk up to the crewing station and request for basics like water. My son was asked to take extra cups of juice when he went to request the crew to have a look at the in-flight entertainment!! Water was being doled out in 75 ml small styrofoam cups meaning, a person like me would have to make 5 trips just to quench my thirst. Despite being a desi carrier, the food paled in comparison to the meal on the Qatar flight, both in terms of spread and the taste. The clincher? The Air India flight, being direct, was more expensive than the Qatar+Indigo one.

The worst part... An aged Aussie couple, seated next to me, was trying their best to navigate the in-flight entertainment, one of which was stuck and the other blank. after a while, they sought my help. Despite my best efforts, when it couldn't be made operational, the lady turns towards her husband and says,"I told you, the guide books said that you have to expect these with Air India."

My complaint on return elicited the cliched response, "We are sorry for your experience, but better days are ahead as we have ordered 400 new aircraft."

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In love with the looks and the road presence the Safari offers. Coming from a low-slung sedan (Civic) it is such a good change to be in a vehicle which offers a commanding seating position.

BHPian Enigmatic recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

1500 KM Update!

Overall it has been a smooth journey so far. I haven't been able to drive the Safari much and it is mostly being used for daily office duties (approx. 10 kms in total). Listing down the positives and negatives so far:

Positives:

• After Sales Service. I know it is shocking to read Tata ASS as being a positive point for the Safari (I too am surprised). However, credit where credit's due, the Tata ASS has been nothing short of ideal. Yes, there are minor issues (as highlighted by the respective owners on this thread) but what matters more to me is how these issues are handled by the ASS. For eg., the two most critical issues I was facing (which I had also mentioned in the thread above) were (i) a squeaking sound from the rear end; and (ii) front-connected DRL not working in sync on locking the car. I had highlighted these issues during the first service, post which I was informed that the same are resolved. While the squeaking sound was rectified, the front-connected DRL was still not working in sync. Subsequently, the squeaking sound from the rear end also reappeared and I was forced to write an email to the Tata ASS highlighting my disappointment. To my surprise, the Tata ASS took up this matter rather seriously and called people from the Tata Plant (from Pune) to check the issue and provide a solution. My car was called, thoroughly inspected and the issues were rectified. Subsequently, a home visit was also scheduled by the Tata ASS and a senior technician (who I must say was very motivated) was sent to examine whether the issues had reappeared. He once again examined the squeaking sound from the rear end and showed me the spring that holds the spare wheel that produces the squeaking sound (for which a replacement has also been ordered). Regarding the Front DRL not working in sync, he explained that this issue has been highlighted to Tata through TDC (Tata Development Centre (?)), and a software update is expected to rectify this. Overall, I am completely satisfied by the support provided by the Tata ASS.
• Road Presence, Ride Quality and Drivability. In love with the looks and the road presence the Safari offers. Coming from a low-slung sedan (Civic) it is such a good change to be in a vehicle that offers a commanding seating position. The ride quality is also pretty good. Glides over the broken roads of Mumbai. Regarding the drivability, I am surprised as to how nimble the Safari is to drive in traffic. The steering is super smooth and makes handling the Safari a breeze.
• ADAS and connected car features. While I haven't been able to use ADAS to its fullest, it is definitely a great feature to have. The auto emergency braking is a bit too intrusive at times (i.e. it suddenly brakes if the car in front brakes) and I am tempted to switch it off however I would rather change my driving habits than repent switching off a safety feature. Also, the 360 cameras are the best in the category. They switch on when required and do a great job in traffic situations. The connected car features too are useful and helped me in tracking how the car was being driven while it was at the service center.
• Lights. Presently surprised by the headlights on offer. While they are definitely not the brightest, they do a very good job of lighting up the streets. The auto headlights work very well and switch on/off as intended. An interesting thing I noticed was that while the headlights are a single LED projector unit, when you switch on high beam, the cut-off shield does not physically move to let more light out (like it does in other projectors) but a different set of LED's (inside the projector) light up to provide the high beam.
• Ancillary items already highlighted before i.e. bone chiller of an AC, amazing sound system, etc. still hold good.

Negatives:

• Fuel efficiency. While it is wrong for me to expect crazy FE numbers from a car of this size and weight, I am currently getting 6-7 KMPL in Mumbai traffic. Hoping that it improves after the first oil change which I understand will happen at 15,000 KM.
• Gearbox. While I don't have any complaints regarding the smoothness of the automatic gearbox, the 1st gear is just too long. It shifts from 1st to 2nd at around 2000 RPM and around 21-22 KMPH while it shifts from 2nd to 3rd at 1500 RPM and around 30-32 KMPH. Can't understand why the first gear has to be this long. Also, on a couple of occasions, I have felt a strong jolt when the car downshifts from 3rd to 2nd gear. Hoping that this is not a serious issue.

Best,

Enigmatic

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Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is due to visit India on April 21.

Tesla has signed a “strategic deal” with Tata Electronics for the procurement of semiconductor chips for its global operations. The details of this deal, including its value and terms, are still under wraps.

According to a media report, the move could be a part of Tesla’s strategy to diversify its supply chain in preparation for setting up a manufacturing base in India.

Tata Electronics has invested $14 billion in its semiconductor manufacturing business. The company has joined hands with Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. (PSMC) to set up a semiconductor fab in Dholera, Gujarat. It is also installing factories in Hosur, near Bangalore and Assam.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, is due to visit India on April 21. He plans to meet PM Narendra Modi and we can expect to hear some major announcements during his visit.

Source: ET

The final deal for TATA Punch – Pure – Petrol (Base Model) was negotiated at 6.15 Lacs OTR without registration with a basic zero dep Insurance.

BHPian Aksfdb recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

When it comes to cars there are a myriad of options available and it’s very easy to get confused and arrive at a decision. There are a lot of factors to be considered right from the Brand, Model, engine options (Power, Fuel, Turbo, NA, etc.), Transmission, looks, feel, color, features, etc.. and the list goes on. I was recently faced with the same situation and then I decided that I would share my experience with the members of the forum.

Having read through so many articles on the forum about different cars, it’s kind of my first detailed article regarding my experience while buying my lovely steed……TATA PUNCH.

Context:

I was a proud and satisfied owner of a 2014 model Maruti WagonR until December 2023. The thoughts about changing the car had started coming to my mind as the car was approaching its 10-year milestone. I had intended to keep the car until Jan. 2025 as I would have completed my decade-long ownership of the car. The car had clocked in around 86000 Kms. On the ODO I had started feeling the lack of power to be irritating at times specially when the vehicle was fully loaded.

Everything was going smoothly until suddenly on 22nd December 2023, My grandfather complained of a sudden Pain in his abdomen which became unbearable to the extent that we had to rush him to the Hospital in a span of 30 minutes. From the time the pain started. My grand father was immediately moved to ICU and was in stable condition. On 25th December, while I was going back home from the hospital with my wife, sister, and 3 kids (all below 1.5 years of age) the car suddenly died down on the main road. The car would start and then immediately stall. I called up multiple mechanics, RSA, service centers, etc. but finally, it was my local mechanic who happened to be approx. 1 km away from my location. He came in and towed the vehicle to his garage and diagnosed that the fuel pump was faulty and the root cause was due to a short circuit in the ECM. I could see a burnt-out connector pin on the ECU. Finally, after spending 1.5 days In the garage the car was ready. The same day My Grand Father Passed away.

After all the rituals were over, I was having a chat with my father and gradually the discussion veered towards our car and I proposed to him to change the car. He also gave an In-Principle approval to my decision.

I was initially inclined to go for a used car and after many hours of rummaging through various websites like Spinny, Cars24, Carwale, Car Trade, Car Dekho, Youtube channels such as MCMR, etc. I realized that in order to get a decent vehicle, I would have to shell out around 6-7 Lacs and I would have to go for the Loan Option. Meanwhile, the above issue cropped up again suddenly after 27 days when I was going to visit a friend in Delhi. This instance shook my confidence in the vehicle and we decided to purchase the new car ASAP.

After having this realization, I didn’t think it was a rational decision to go for a used car. Then we finally decided that we would go for a new car. The Budget was decided to be max 7 Lacs OTR.

Valuation for Old Car:

Got an appointment scheduled with Cars24 and Spinny for car valuation for my WagonR. The representatives came and did a thorough inspection of the car and went back stating that the price offer would be shared on the App by evening

Meanwhile, I also went to various showrooms to check out the Baleno and get the exchange value for the existing car.

The quotes received for my WagonR are shared below:

• Nexa Dealership – 1.70 Lacs (Includes 10K Exchange Bonus)
• TATA Dealership – 1.80 Lacs (No Exchange Benefit)
• Nissan Dealership – 1.25 Lacs. (No Exchange Benefit)
• Hyundai Dealership – 1.40 Lacs (No Exchange Benefit)
• Spinny – 1.25 Lacs
• Cars 24 – 1.55 Lacs

Dealership experience:

Nexa – Too arrogant. They took 20 mins. To assign a salesperson to attend to us as I mentioned this might be a cold call. I could sense that the various sales guys were trying to pass on the lead to another person and eventually 1 of the sales guys reluctantly agreed to show us around. After some time, he handed us over to a senior sales manager who was a bit arrogant and gave us the pricing and loan estimates.

TATA – Situated across the road from Nexa, we were politely and promptly attended to by the reception staff and immediately a salesperson was appointed to look after our requirements. The salesperson – Mr. Deepak Bist gave us his full attention and was very patient with all our queries. We enquired for almost the entire lineup until 10 Lacs and after spending close to 3 hours with him wherein he showed us all the cars, explained all their features, did a comparison amongst all the cars within TATA stable, and shared the pricing and loan estimates we had made up our mind that Punch is the most suitable car amongst the lot. When I requested a test ride, he mentioned that it would take some time to arrange the same and offered to do a home test ride the next day at a time suitable to us. We agreed to the same as I wanted to have an opinion of all the ladies in the house as well.

Nissan – Average experience, it was more transactional and to the point. The test ride was offered promptly while the evaluation for my car was going on. After the test ride was over, I liked the vehicle but the NA engine was lacking the punch. At some point, I thought that my existing WagonR was peppier to drive than the Magnite. The price quoted for the existing car was the last nail in the coffin for them.

Hyundai Dealership – Reached the dealership quite late around 6 PM and the urge to wrap up the day could be seen and felt across the faces of all the showroom staff. Requested them to brief me about Exter and I wanted to sit inside the car for the look and feel. The car was locked and the salesperson mentioned that the car could not be unlocked as the Battery got discharged. When I asked him to show me the Test ride vehicle, he denied the same stating that the vehicle has gone for service and will be available tomorrow. When I asked him for a home test ride, he mentioned that they don’t do a Home test ride. I am welcome to the dealership for the same the next day. I could sense that he was in a rush to wrap up the day and go. When asked about the availability of a Base model for Exter, he mentioned that it will be a minimum of 6-8 months.

Initial Impression:

I had never considered Tata Punch as a contender but after I checked it out, I was surprised with the cabin space and overall look and feel of the car. I don’t know why but I had the notion that the Punch was offering a similar space as my existing WagonR.

Car booking Experience:

As promised, the Tata Sales person called up 1 hour before the scheduled appointment time to confirm the test ride and when I confirmed that everything was on schedule, he came home with a Top Model Punch as the test ride vehicle on time. We all checked out the car and the features, I took a long test ride of approx. 15 Kms. and was happy with the performance. The entire family loved the size and space of the car and we finally gave the token amount for booking. The Final deal for TATA Punch – Pure – Petrol (Base Model) was negotiated at 6.15 Lacs OTR without registration with a basic zero dep Insurance. Since he was not very sure of BH Series charges. The delivery was promised within 21 days. Also, I had decided that I would exchange my car with the TATA dealership and I had requested to hand over the car 1 day prior to delivery which they had agreed.

Car Delivery Experience:

The Sales account manager created and included me in a WhatsApp group after the booking and gave me updates on a periodic basis. Once the VIN number was allocated, he promptly shared the same and asked me to start the Loan Procedure. He again contacted me to inform me that the car had arrived and asked me when I could take the delivery. I confirmed that the delivery will be taken on 22nd Feb. 2024. Since I had the Pre-approved offer on my bank account, I was told to come around 4 PM to the Dealership for delivery with some basic documents like Aadhar, PAN, and 2Passport photos. The Loan formalities were quickly processed within a couple of hours and I was handed over all the relevant documents. After another 30 mins. During this, they explained all the features and functions of the car and the Delivery ceremony the car was handed over to us and we were happily on our way to the nearest petrol bunk for a tank full.

Impressions after driving the car for 600 Kms:

I will write this section as a question-answer post in order to keep the post brief.

• How’s the family’s reaction?

Overall the entire family has been very happy with the car and my Twins (1.5 Years) old now recognize the Car Keys and address only TATA Punch as TATA.

• How do I feel?

I am very satisfied with my purchase and satisfied with the performance so far. Having upgraded from a Maruti WagonR I can see a considerable difference in terms of space and engine parameters.

• How’s the Driving Position?

The Driving position is also quite commanding and I can compare it to that of a Brezza.

• Kitna Deti Hai? Average Fuel Efficiency?

In terms of mileage, the car is constantly churning out an average of 14.5-15 KMPL in city conditions

• Ride quality

Everyone in the family is very happy with the ride quality. The large ground clearance definitely helps in crossing the potholes and the humps without bottoming out, the vehicle also seems very planted when driving around 80KMPH (Haven’t exceeded this limit yet) with negligible body roll. The cabin noise also feels very quiet despite having a 3 3-cylinder engine. Also, many people pointed out to me that the new Punch (V6.2 Onwards) is very refined and quiet as compared to the previous versions.

Overall, I am elated with the purchase and I look forward to having a great ownership experience in the future as well.

P.S.: The car was finally sold to Cars24 after negotiating a final price of 1.90 Lacs net in the account.

A few photographs to accompany such a long post. Pardon the poor picture quality as they are taken from the phone. More photos will be added in due course.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

I haven't driven a gasoline-powered car for such a distance in the past 5-6 years.

BHPian Emvi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The first highway outing

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to take the Punch for a 600+ km highway round-trip. I must confess, I haven't driven a gasoline-powered car for such a distance in the past 5-6 years. The car pleasantly surprised me with its highway performance and fuel efficiency. Although the car is not a scorcher by any stretch of the imagination, it is no slouch either. Maintaining triple-digit speeds, where roads permitted, was easy peasy. The car feels quite stable and planted at highway speeds, and the steering weighs up really well too. The brakes, however, could have been a bit sharper. With 2 people on board and a decent amount of luggage, the car returned an overall fuel efficiency figure of 17 kmpl on the MID. When calculated via tankful to tankful method, the figure came down to 15.3. If not for my heavy right foot, I'm pretty sure the number would have improved by a good margin, I'm not complaining though.

Snapshots taken during a mini detour

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Ford is planning a comeback with multiple new products, including a compact SUV, but might stick to hybrids and EVs.

Recently, there have been speculations surrounding Ford’s possible return to the Indian market. Now, a new media report claims that the American carmaker could be planning to partner with Tata as it prepares its next innings. 

Ford is said to be in talks with the Tata Group for a possible joint venture, details of which are still a bit hazy. 

The report states that Ford is planning a comeback with multiple new products, including a compact SUV. The carmaker might stick to hybrids and EVs though, and manufacture them at its Chennai plant.

Ford has also filed multiple patents in the past few weeks that hint at the possible models that could be on offer. Besides the new-gen Endeavour, Ford has also filed a patent for a mid-size SUV that could replace the EcoSport.

Source: Hindu Businessline