We were surprised by its fuel efficiency of 15-18 km/l with the AC on during our normal usage. Our Maruti Wagon R used to return 8-10 km/l in the city.

BHPian cheeku recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

This review is of our *now-sold* Tata Nano 2013 LX - nicknamed Mooshak since this was one of the first cars that I had learnt driving in and I spent a long long time behind the wheel as well as maintaining it during a ~10-year period.

Somewhere on the country roads of Kolar where the nano felt right at home

Here is a quick summary of the ownership tenure:

• Year of birth at the Tata factory: 2013
• Year of Welcoming It Home: 2014
• Year of finding a new home and bidding goodbye: 2023
• Variant: LX (The 2012 facelift that was officially reviewed by Teambhp over a Lonawala drive) - Non-power steering
• KMs driven at the time of being sold: ~25,000

Prelude to the purchase

We were on the lookout for a second car for the household starting in 2012 since there was a need for a car that could do the in-city runabouts with fair ease and be light on the pocket as well.

Requirements

• Small footprint
• Good mileage, preferably ~15 in the city with the AC on
• Petrol
• Had to be available in white

That was about it, and we had begun our search.

Showrooms visited

• Tata Motors for the Nano - Test driving the Nano was an underwhelming experience, the test drive vehicle didn't have its AC functioning and had rattles. We understood this may have been a one-off but we continued the search.
• Maruti Suzuki - The Alto 800 didn't impress us with its looks and it was rejected right there without a test-drive. I didn't mind it though but it was vetoed.
• Enter Hyundai, Residency road for the i10, Eon - We loved the way Eon looked, felt and drove, the D-lite model was booked right away with the awareness that it lacked a power steering. We just needed a car, and I was okay with anything that was new and drove.

A couple of days passed by after the booking and after some good long family drama over the lack of power steering, instead of upgrading to a higher variant, the booking was cancelled.

The search continued for another car that fit just right both to our budget and requirements (but we did end up buying an EON a few years later and it has been a joy to own)

After the unsuccessful search in 2012, came a 2 year period when there wasn't really a need to have a second car around due to low usage and changing work commitments.

Come 2014, I was preparing for my entrance exams when suddenly I noticed momentum in the automobile discussions at home with the word "Nano" being thrown around often.

I didn't think much of these discussions until one fine day my father randomly asked for the keys of the Nano from my brother's friend to test-drive it. It was a yellow colour one from the very first batches and he had driven it for more than 50,000 kilometres by then. He came back happy from the drive but we didn't know that smile would transpire into a purchase in the next few weeks. The only statement I remember hearing was "Iss gaadi mein toh power steering ki zaroorat hi nahi hai" (There is no need for power steering in this car at all!).

In the next month or so, when I was innocently preparing for my exams, doors closed in my study room, the decision had been made and I was informed that a new Tata Nano was on the way already.

Wait, where was it bought from? Neither had anybody visited the showroom, nor any finance-related discussions took place at home.

As it turns out, this was from unsold dealer inventory of December 2013, a few months old by then and we had received word of this deal via someone who was known to handle the vehicle fleet at my parents' workplace.

Questions I asked at home when I helplessly heard this purchase taking shape:

Q: How will it arrive home? Will we have the ribbon to cut? That big key handover like in the Girias / Pai newspaper ads, do I get to be part of it?

A: It will be driven home by the fleet owner, he is driving it from a far away yard, you can cut the plastic covers from the seats and take the keys directly from him.

Q: Wait, what about the smell of a new car?

A: We have told him to clean the car, and since this has been in the yard for a few months, there may not be any of that lucrative new car odour. * My heart sank here *

Q: Which colour? Not yellow, please? Top-end right?

A: It's white, and yes it's the LX. * A bit happier *

The car arrives in a few days and the usual formalities are completed in the next few weeks. This was a direct delivery from the dealer and was more of a spinny-type delivery of recent times when the car was handed over at home.

Initial ownership period of 2014-2017

Accessories added

ICE

• Blaupunkt audio system - single DIN
• Front speakers - Blaupunkt
• Rear speakers - Sony

Convenience

• Sunfilm within the legal limit of visibility (I was told that ) for a completely glass area since the Nano had the steering right under the windscreen and I didn't want to use up all the sun-screen at my home every day protecting my arms.

Interior

• Leatherette seat covers, pre-stitched and fit
• Steering cover

Things that impressed us during this time

• The mileage - Owning it alongside a WagonR F10D that returned 8-10kmpl in the city, this was a surprise, it returned a steady 15-18 kmpl with the AC on during our normal usage conditions.
• The footprint and manoeuvrability - Could fit in anywhere without a sweat.
• The suspension - We were regular users of bad roads in the city, and the Nano's suspension handled them well every day. The faster over those uneven patches, the better it handled.

Things that didn't impress us much during this time

• The brakes - good in the city but beyond 60, braking to a halt needed a heavyweight press and the brake bite felt wooden, got them checked and it was diagnosed to be a brake cylinder issue. The part was changed.
• The ergonomics : Power button windows needed a bend down to be operated, the wiper stalks had a weird order of control, the passenger side seat adjust was towards the driver console
• The small fuel tank of 15 litres - We realised the importance of a large fuel tank once we used the vehicle more often in the city, a usual week's drive sometimes consisted of 300-350 kms and it needed a refuel stop mid-week.

Things that fell apart during this 2-year period

• The hazard light switch - It had the weirdest design where one had to pull the knob up, it fell apart in a few months and when we requested the service centre to fix it, they mentioned they needed to change the whole assembly. This was fixed later.
• The rubber clamps that held the parcel shelf at the back.

Things that went really wrong during this time

Oil pump failure and radiator malfunctioning

Left us stranded mid-way home at a traffic signal. We had to let the car cool down every couple hundred meters, covered the last 4 kms in moderate traffic with many stops.

There were symptoms of failure earlier during a drive to Nandi Hills in September 2014, when the car switched off during a bumper-to-bumper jam uphill and refused to start.

Luckily, there was a parking space right behind the spot where it had stopped and used the downhill momentum, we could parallel park it. 2 hours later, it started up just fine and we drove 70 kms without a hiccup.

Looking back, it would have been a good idea to record the symptoms and show them to the service folks. The oil pump assembly was replaced along with a few other parts.

AC malfunction

The AC had its own mind, the compressor would sometimes switch on and sometimes it wouldn't. After a couple of ignition cycles, it would start working and would stop.

This issue could never be fixed by Tata's service centre, the folks just failed to diagnose it. This was fixed much later in 2019 (covered in the later part of this review)

Some pictures during this period

Enroute to Nandi Hills

On a rainy day in traffic ( Oh, how I miss the rain in Bangalore now!

Continue reading cheeku's ownership review for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

It was an online transaction but I didn't get a receipt and later I was shocked to hear that the RTO has assigned a regular registration number for my new Tata Punch EV.

BHPian dmaheshkumar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

As we all know, while buying a new vehicle some people opt for a number either in the running series (next 1000 numbers) or anything beyond that too by paying to the Government.

My friend too booked a car (TATA Punch EV) and opted for a fancy number in the next 1000 numbers.

He went to the RTO broker directly and booked a number by paying via PariVahaan. However, the receipt was not received and the car dealer was informed about the same. While moving the papers to the RTO, this can be informed and they will process it separately after checking the system with the transaction details.

Here TATA showroom normally brings the car to the RTO office for registration and there will be a separate broker from the RTO side who does it for that particular showroom.

My friend clearly informed both the sales advisor and the driver who was bringing the car that we booked a fancy number but the receipt was not yet received and he shared the transaction details.

But the broker moved the file for normal registration and sequentially the system generated a number for his car. After some time this was informed to my friend and he was shocked to hear this as he had already paid for that number. He was checking with the dealer as to why it was not informed to its RTO broker and there was a huge communication gap. Now my friend was clearly saying that he needed the number which he booked and not the sequential number which was generated.

But the sales executive, the RTO broker and even our RTO broker clearly stated that this can't be changed as the vehicle is already registered. He was not interested in taking the delivery with the allotted number and was very furious when he heard that the amount he paid for the number would not be refunded either.

He went directly to the RTO office and met the RTO and informed him about this whole ordeal. RTO said it was not informed to him by the dealer and the number can't be changed now. My friend was completely shattered and felt very stressed on hearing this.

One of our relatives knows an RTO officer in Coimbatore Central and told him about this entire circus. He clearly understood things and calmly told him that there was an option to change the number even after it got assigned. Every one of us was very happy to hear this as we saw some light in this darkness.

Adding to this he called the Unit office RTO and helped with the steps on how to perform it in the system and also informed that these steps can be only done until the card is generated. It may take 2 to 3 days to generate the card and once it's done then nobody can change the number.

So finally he got the same number which he paid for and it was a very happy evening after all the issues were sorted out.

Here's what BHPian It's Magic had to say about the matter:

Thank you for your post. I was also not aware that the number can be changed after registration (till the card is created).

Wonder if this information is available in the public domain.

Here's what BHPian anjan_c2007 had to say about the matter:

It was a sort of nightmare for your friend. Not receiving a receipt even after making payment for the fancy number was the causative factor due to which the misunderstanding happened and a communication gap was created. Had there been a receipt, providing its copy to the dealer and his RTO broker would have not created the issue. But it seems that even after informing the SA and the dealer they had failed to act and help your friend.

And it's only because you had a relative who knew an RTO officer that the nightmare of your friend had a happy ending. Wishing you happy driving with your new car.

Here's what BHPian raptor_diwan had to say about the matter:

I'm glad it's resolved. If not, I can't imagine how your friend would feel driving the car with financial loss or regrets right from the registration day.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

It felt like a premium electric vehicle but I was overwhelmed by the number of buttons. My Tata Tiago EV felt simple in a subtle way.

BHPian thomahawk recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

MG ZS EV

The very next day I got the service done, I took my family for a test drive of MG ZS EV since I had to get that thought out of my system. I knew this would be a financial blunder, but I needed my peace of mind. On my way to the MG showroom, I visited the service center again to get a tentative date for the taillamp assembly replacement. The service manager asked me if I could drop the car again to check out the charging issue – told him would do it once the tail lamp replacement is approved.

Next stop was the MG showroom and there wasn’t anyone but us. The ZS EV felt like a premium car and the entire switch gear felt very European and I loved the tactility of the buttons. The rear seat ergonomics was compromised due to the raised floor – but can live with it. The car had a spare wheel and a lot of boot space – something that we missed in our tiny Tiago. But hey, we could get two of those for the price of the ZS model on display.

The sales advisor offered a test drive, and I got in the front seat. I loved the visibility and the seat comfort. Tiago’s seats are one size small for me. The car felt very comfortable – although I needed some time to get used to things.

To be honest, I felt overwhelmed – there were too many buttons. The Tiago felt simple in a subtle way. I slotted the car in reverse and the poor camera quality was a big turn-off (I thought the Jimny had the most pathetic camera). The car had a lot of errors (Radar and some system malfunctions) for a car that has only run 20k. Felt sorry for the car – sure everyone abuses it.

I could feel the rough road and I thought the ZS was tuned for comfort – I thought the car might be overinflated, but the sales advisor showed me 37 vs. the recommended 35psi. Tata should really have provided a proper TPMS instead of the iTPMS. The MID wasn’t well designed and some info like driving mode was a tiny piece of info in the MID. The drive helped in easing my mind – I won’t be happy with the ZS EV either.

I wished Tata paid a bit more attention to things like how charging is done. With ZS it is as simple as unlocking the car. In the Tiago, the charging port is on the passenger side, and one must open the lid from the driver's side after unlocking the car – a push to open the lid would have made things a lot easier. Also, the charging gun can be released by just unlocking the car – no need to press a button inside the car.

Living with Niggles

I also called up a relative who had a Harrier. He had mentioned that a friend of his has a Nexon EV which was having a lot of issues and found ways to sort the issues. So, we got into a conference call which became more like a support group meeting. We lamented about the issues our cars had and how inept Tata was to sort these out. The owner of Nexon EV was in the same boat as me – the car was lovely but there were far too many issues (he had his AC and battery already replaced within 2 years). We couldn’t find another car that we liked in the respective budget. We both didn’t want another ICE car either. The suggestion I got was to keep ignoring issues till the car breaks down or till service is due – getting every issue fixed as soon as it appears will only waste your time. Looks like that is the only way to remain sane.

Tail Lamp Replacement

The next week the ASM (service manager) confirmed that my tail lamp could be replaced if I drove in. Decided to get it replaced and continue assessing the charging issue. They plugged the car into an AC fast charger, but the radiator fan didn’t have to be ON and the charging started immediately. The technician said the fan would come in after around 30 minutes. I volunteered to wait beside the car and let others go on with their jobs. I spent the time checking out other cars that came in for service.

Wonder why some owners continue to keep the plastic covers:

The dealer also runs Toyota dealerships, and the car belonged to someone in the group:

The fan didn’t turn ON after even an hour and a half and I asked the technician to try taking the car for a spin. We drove around town for some time and came back. It was scorching hot so I thought the fan would turn ON if we plugged in after a drive. The fan didn’t turn ON after even the 30-minute drive. The technician didn’t have any more suggestions and we decided to call it a day and get the tail lamp fixed. I was planning to take the car for a long drive the next day – so we thought would test the car again if I could drive into the service center directly after the drive. There was a mix-up, so the job took more than an hour (somebody picked up the ICE Tiago part once and one of the lamps had a broken clip).

I plugged the car in at night and this time the fan turned on and the car started charging immediately. I was clueless as to what was happening. Took the car for a long drive the next day but couldn’t drive back to the service center as I had to attend a funeral later in the day. Put the car to charge and the issue cropped up again. Left a message to the ASM and shared a video of this – this time with the bonnet open. I had a short vacation and damping planned so didn’t want to keep the car in the service center.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Once on the highway, it’s a smooth cruiser but not as smooth as the Mahindra XUV700.

BHPian sapien recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Did one final test drive of the latest Safari diesel AT before finalizing the only other Indian option in the segment.

Here are some quick observations

• Looks properly big from the outside, in terms of appearance, can manage to be in the same league as Fortuner if not the Legender.
• The interiors are a right balance of modern and timeless. Just the steering is overdone. Tatas are just getting better at interiors with each passing day. In terms of features, it’s super loaded, except for those ADAS lane functions which are likely to be enabled with a software update. Who would have thought cars would get OTA updates just a decade back?
• The drive felt uninspiring, quite a lot of engine noise when at idle, on the move it’s mild but noticeable. The pick up is good but not great, if you’re incremental with the accelerator input, it has a nice linear pull. It kind of nudges you to sit back and relax.
• Noise insulation is good, keep’s outside noises outside, other than that engine thrum. The vibrations are not much, but they are present in the background. Sound system is outstanding, probably the best in the segment.
• Once on the highway, it’s a smooth cruiser, and the new steering is very well-tuned, sporty on the highway but lighter in the city. It’s not XUV700 smooth though.
• Fuel efficiency is ~12 with a combination of city and highway driving, which is decent for such a huge vehicle! My petrol Tiago gives 14-15 on the same route.
• In terms of ride, it feels like a king, you are sitting on something really large and goes over rough patches without worrying too much. For the same reason, it doesn’t feel nimble and requires effort to change directions, feels ungainly! The Jeep Compass is still a benchmark in the ride and handling department. The XUV700 falls right in between, neither too sporty [Compass] nor too plush [Hector].

I really had my heart set on this one, but the mind prevailed.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

He currently uses a 2015 Ford Figo automatic. He likes to try out new stuff and is in great health but I don't want him to encounter hassles with the new vehicle.

BHPian goacom recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

First of all, let me preface this by saying that this car would be for my dad. He is 85 years old, but still in great health. He currently drives a 2015 Ford Figo with an automatic (DCT) transmission. He does not drive very much - maybe 10 km a day. Hence range is not an issue for him.

One key requirement for him is that the car needs to be small as parking can be a challenge. Two EV cars that would seem to fit the bill are the MG Comet EV and the Tata Punch EV. The former is just too small, as there are times when the trips could involve having 5 passengers.

The Tata Punch EV seems in theory to be the perfect size, with the LR having a decent amount of range. It actually is shorter than his Ford Figo and the added height should make ingress easier.

However, I understand that Tata vehicles are prone to having a lot of bugs and issues that apparently never get resolved. I don't live in India and am not too familiar with Tatas. Checking online, it seems that some folks have complained about the Punch EV having all kinds of software issues, with the shifter and some basic controls. The last thing I want is for my dad to encounter hassles like this as he is too old to deal with nuisances like this.

Folks may ask if an EV is absolutely necessary. The answer is no. Still, I think, the refined nature of EVs within this small size would make his experience much better. It would also in theory reduce his need to service the car and eliminate the obvious need to fill it up at a petrol station. Plus, my dad likes to try out new stuff, so this would perhaps keep his motivation to continue being active into his twilight years.

We are not in any rush to get a replacement car, but I would still like to get it done by the end of the year. What do folks think? Is that sufficient time for Tata to fix the various issues, or are my expectations of Tata too high? Thank you.

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

This is the biggest reason to get him a new car. After driving a Figo for so long, let the man enjoy something new! Give him one more thing to smile about.

• I love the idea of the Comet, but find it too barebones & basic. It will be a massive downgrade from your Figo. Avoid.
• Punch EV is very good. If you can wait just a year (fresh new launch), nothing like it. The 2025 Punch will be a better car.
• My question is, why stick just to EVs for him? The Figo is anyway now 9 years old. Instead of a 15-lakh rupee Punch EV, how about a great Compact SUV like the Kia Sonet?

I'd pick between the Punch EV & Kia Sonet for him. Let him test-drive both.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say about the matter:

I am a fan of the MG Comet, the sheer space they have managed to squeeze inside that small footprint is genius. The car can actually seat 4 adults comfortably, something the Nexon EV struggles to do. MG has been running buyback schemes on the Comet, which makes it a fantastic value. The car is Nano level good for driving and parking in tight spaces. Pls take another good hard look at this little gem.

As for Punch EV LR, it is the default option if the MG is deemed too small. It’s a mighty fine city car, and the rear seating is not compromised like it is on the Nexon EV. More importantly, the ride quality is much better than the Comet. Now, the thing is that all niggles, real and not so real, get blown way out of proportion when it comes to Tata. I am a happy owner of a Nexon EV LR and will recommend the Punch LR wholeheartedly. Go for the top variant with the bigger screen and 360 camera. They are the best in class and make reversing/parking much easier.

Here's what BHPian thomahawk had to say about the matter:

I bought a Tiago EV for my father as he rarely used his current car.

I would recommend that you get your father to take a longish test drive of the car before committing to this. I made the mistake of making the decision without getting my father involved (was sort of a birthday surprise). Since your father is already used to an automatic, it would be easier for him. My perspective on EVs has changed now. I wouldn't recommend a Tata EV for senior citizens now because of the following reasons:

• Tata after sales service is not great. A Tata vehicle will have niggles and an EV will have niggles that will be hard for the service center to diagnose and fix (my father asked me to sell the car off, but due to poor resale value it didn't make sense. Plus, I enjoy the performance of the car so thought I'll keep it). If your father has help to keep the car sorted, it might be fine.
• The car behavior changes based on SoC%. Full charge? No regen (it would feel as if the breaks are suddenly inadequate). Limp mode? Car struggles on inclines and you can't execute an overtake. Then there is the issue where the car leaps forward when you have slowed down for rumble strips or gutters (It is as if the regen suddenly turns off - it takes you by surprise even if you half expect it).
• The car does a lot of audio cues for stuff and sometimes you miss things. The light on the rotary dial of lower variants is hard to see in daylight. You need to make sure the car is in drive by looking at the MID. I have got myself into some tricky situations when I was in a hurry. Sometimes you might think the car is in drive and merge into the road only to be stuck in the middle of the road in neutral (especially if you were parked on an incline). The car wouldn't let you shift to drive till the car came to a standstill. Nobody expects you would stop the car in the middle of the road suddenly and fiddle with the rotary dial. I don't use the car frequently and that might be why I'm still not used to this.
• Expenses? I bought the car thinking that the per km expenses would be on the lower side and my father wouldn't be worried about the expenses and would be using the car more. An accident will offset this pretty quickly. The EV insurance scene is still muddy.
• The car doesn't have a spare tire and one has to use the inflator with a puncture repair kit.
• Your home wiring and electric supply have to be sorted. Otherwise, that is another thing you'll have to be worried about.
• You need access to a 2nd car if the EV is in the service center. Diagnostics and repairs related to batteries take a long while (perhaps months). There are no clear telltale signs of an impending failure so no preventive maintenance is possible either.

My father also likes trying out new stuff (especially gizmos and tech) and he never liked the Tiago EV because of the niggles and the EV traits (he doesn't love the sudden acceleration - which I absolutely love. My father used to drive pedal to the metal when he was young - now he can't).

As GTO suggested, since your father has low usage consider ICE ATs. They might be more predictable (and reliable compared to a Tata). Cars like Sonet are loaded with features so there are a lot of things to try and have fun with.

Here's what BHPian KA20NexonEV had to say about the matter:

Having driven Nexon EV for more than 2 years and being aware of some of the minor issues in EVs, I would strongly suggest you buy a petrol automatic car for your Dad considering his age. The reasons are:

• The charge level needs to be regularly monitored and the car needs to be charged at the right intervals. Connecting and disconnecting the charger to and from the car itself needs a lot of patience, which senior citizens might not have.
• The charging gun sometimes gets stuck even with slow chargers which will need manual unlocking, which senior citizens won't find it easy. Sometimes the charging process itself will not start due to earthing fault, plug overheating or some other issues.
• EVs do not have mechanical parking gear, which makes the use of hand brakes compulsory while parking. Senior citizens might forget to pull hand brakes when parked.
• As EV technology is fairly new in India, the charging and discharging patterns need to be continuously monitored using apps to be sure that the battery is charging and discharging as per specifications. The range shown on the odometer is not accurate and might suddenly drop in the end.
• Certain features like hill assist will behave differently while navigating slowly on speed breakers which the driver should be aware of. (For eg. in my EV I have observed that the car suddenly accelerates while reversing slowly on a hump in my parking, assuming it to be a hill).
• Most of the fast chargers in India behave unpredictably while charging, either by refusing to charge or by refusing to release the charging gun after charge. Using different apps for different makes of chargers is also frustrating.
• Long-distance travelling needs careful planning due to the limited availability of fast chargers on the route.
• The torque/pick-up is too much in an EV so the driver needs to have good control on the accelerator pedal.

If not for senior citizens, I would strongly recommend EVs over ICE.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Even after deciding to replace our old Tata SUV with a petrol automatic hatchback, I was confused between the Altroz, Hyundai i20 and Maruti Baleno / Toyota Glanza.

BHPian abusyms recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Downsizing and upgrading from a Tata Safari Dicor VTT 2.2 diesel to a Hyundai i20 Sportz (O) IVT was one of the most difficult decisions I had to take till now. It took me about half a year to convince myself to take this decision and say it out loud to my wife.

The amount of space on offer, the high-speed stability, the sheer road presence and lastly the grunt of the engine post 1750 RPM was phenomenal. On the open highway, there was no other car which could match up to this. I had bought it as it was my dream car since childhood. However, as I was using it for my commute primarily in the city, driving this behemoth in the ever-growing Pune traffic was taking a toll on my left foot and back.

The main factors due to which I took the decision to let go of my Safari were:

1. A mere half an hour's commute which I used to previously enjoy turned into a nightmare and I used to be exhausted driving it. Almost 70% of the travel time I’d have to struggle on half clutch in the bumper-to-bumper traffic and this is where the size of the vehicle was felt. I noticed that I started using the Safari less and less and chose to use either the bike or the Alto instead to enjoy the easy manoeuvrability in the city traffic for the past 1 year.
2. Due to the car’s age and less use, the maintenance cost per km was going up day by day.
3. The year of manufacture being 2010, the registration was valid till 2025 and would come to re-registration and honestly, I was not sure if I would continue to use it for another 5 years.
4. No safety rating – Now I know that people will tell me that the Safari was a tank and doesn’t really need the fancy safety features like Airbags, ABS with EBD, Traction control, etc. To which I agree and I had the same opinion, but it all changed when I was travelling with my 6-month-old daughter and having all these safety features was for my peace of mind.
5. Diesel phase-out plans initiated by the Government.
6. Lastly, the car being 14 years old, was starting to show its age. Basically, there was no problem with the engine or transmission or even the Air Conditioning, but the rattling or squeaking noises from all over the cabin were starting to get to me.

The Safari was immensely enjoyed by me and my family for almost 5.5 years (I was the second owner). I clearly understood that I was not letting the car live up to its true potential and that it needed to be driven more. Hence I finally took the decision to stop being selfish and let someone else have a chance to explore this beast. Possibly someone who drives more on the highway. Fortunately, I found the right match for my Safari. Although I had difficulty parting ways with it, it was the best alternative.

Nevertheless, I decided to replace my craze of owning a diesel manual SUV with a more convenient petrol automatic hatchback.

Now moving on to the second part of this write-up:

Considering my daily commute and occasional long drive I was looking for a premium hatchback with an automatic transmission. With these criteria in mind, my research narrowed down my search to 3 contenders.

• Tata Altroz – XZA Plus (s) (DCT)
• Hyundai i20 – Sportz (O) (IVT)
• Baleno/Glanza – Alpha AGS (AMT)

Why I chose Hyundai i20

1. Good space and Premium interiors – the Baleno/Glanza interiors have started looking a bit dated and even the new head-up display is more of a gimmick for me. Further, out of the 3 contenders taking into consideration the interior design, layout, rear seat space, premium feel of the cabin, the i20 was just a better place to be. The Altroz with its dated instrument cluster, smaller infotainment screen, the ambient lighting did not cut it. Specifically, I was not expecting the back seat of a 4 mtr hatchback to be that cramped. I20 had the best of both worlds - interior design, quality and space.
2. IVT Transmission – I had also read that DCT transmission tends to overheat when driven in bumper-to-bumper traffic and the maintenance cost is a tad on the higher side as compared to CVT/IVT. I understood that DCA has wet clutch technology which solved the overheating issue and I attempted booking a test drive but ‘Tata’ being ‘Tata’ they never had the DCA model available for a test drive, and I wasn’t going to take a decision to buy an automatic based on a test drive of a manual. All other features can be imagined, but transmission is something that you have to take a feel of before you make the decision. Baleno was struck off from the list as soon as I understood that it is no longer offering CVT transmission, only AMT was falling in my budget and having driven AMT before, I was not a fan of it. Although CVT/IVT doesn’t have the same level of punchiness as a manual but what does?
3. Extraordinary customer service – I have always been a fan of the new range of Tata cars but reading the reviews online I was not confident about their After Sales Service. The fact that they could not arrange a test drive with the DCA version for almost 2 weeks did not help nudge me towards Tata. It felt like ‘I’ wanted to buy a car from them that they didn’t want to sell. On the contrary, I was really impressed with the Hyundai Customer acquisition process. It felt like they were eagerly waiting to welcome me to the family. The entire journey from the scheduling of a Test drive on the Hyundai website which happened at the scheduled time at my residence till taking delivery of the vehicle at the showroom, the entire journey was very flawlessly executed by the Hyundai salesman. I agree that it’s the car that’s important, but these are little things that make a huge impact and aid in customer acquisition.
4. 1.2 L petrol engine paired with an IVT was promising decent punchiness and mileage. Turn it to sport mode and the revs go all to way to the red line (but the engine gulps down fuel like water). I am not an engineer, so I don’t understand whether there are any gears in IVT or not, but whatever there is or isn’t for a normal driver like me doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that I barely noticed any gear shifts.
5. Safety and other features – 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Traction control, Drive modes, Sunroof, wireless charger, wireless Android auto and Apple carplay, etc. The i20 feature list far exceeded my expectations and minimum requirements.

In the end, although I feel sorry for letting go of my childhood dream, I am happy with how things worked out for the Safari as well as for me. I will soon be posting my overall experience of owning and maintaining the i20 as well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Tata Motors had pipped Hyundai to take the second spot in December 2021.

Hyundai has reclaimed the second spot in the Indian car market, registering a 5% growth in sales last month.

Hyundai’s domestic sales for March 2024 stood at 53,001 units, up from 50,600 units in the same month last year. Exports grew by 16% from 10,900 units in March 2023 to 12,600 units last month.

Hyundai registered record sales in FY2024 and a growth of 8%. The carmaker sold 7,77,876 vehicles, up from 7,20,565 vehicles in FY2023.

Hyundai beat Tata Motors, which dropped to third place with 50,297 vehicles sold in March 2024. Still, Tata sales were up 14% compared to March 2023.

Tata Motors registered an annual sales growth of 6% in FY2024. The carmaker dispatched 5,73,495 vehicles in FY2024 compared to 5,41,087 units in FY2023.

Tata Motors had pipped Hyundai to take the second spot in December 2021.

Source: Business Insider

The situation was such that I went ahead and booked a Mahindra Scorpio N automatic assuming that my pre-owned Tata is not going to get repaired.

BHPian puneetakhouri recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The Storme goes to the Garage for 6 months, brings me to my knees

Yes, you read it right, that was also the reason this thread was super silent for over 6 months because I did not have the car with me.

TLDR - The car required ECU replacement but diagnosis and finding the right mechanic took a long long time.

What Happened

After getting the fuel lines cleaned, diesel filters replaced and EGR cleaned, I took the truck to the office the next day. The drive to the office was very smooth, but the moment I turned on the vehicle during my return journey, the Check Engine Light came on again. I knew where this was headed with injectors knocking, Check Engine Light, ABS Light, EMS Light coming on and staying that way, misfiring and whatnot, I still drove the car back somehow for 22 kms to my home.

For reference, this is one of the videos of how and what used to happen.

Also, note that the engine is louder than it should be.

The mechanics were advising me that this would require, injectors and pump service but this time the engineer in me decided that I would tackle it methodically, so found a mechanic near my house. He scanned the vehicle and we had the exact same error codes as earlier.

So I decided to tackle them one at a time, found a local mechanic and got the following done

Mechanic #1 - July End to August Mid   

• It showed a Rail Pressure Sensor Error, so got the sensor replaced, and tried, no change.
• It showed Metering Valve Issues, so got the metering valve placed in front of the High-Pressure Pump cleaned out. No effect.

Basically, I thought of working on the error codes before going for the main pump injector service. Now seeing that nothing else is working, gave the truck to my old mechanic for the same. Do note that they are not a Tata expert and deal primarily with premium cars, they just handle my Safari as a gesture of friendship. My Safari is the cheapest car that they service.

Mechanic #2 - August Mid - September End

Car goes to my mechanic, he gets the pumps and injectors removed and sent for service. They found an issue in two injectors but the pump seems ok. The pump injectors come back, they are fitted. Car runs fine but the error comes back again. After giving ample time to mechanic #2, I decided to take the truck to another mechanic. Mechanic #2 was also very happy that I was taking the vehicle away as he was clueless.

Mechanic #3 - October

The car goes to another mechanic, again the pump injector are opened, went to service, put back, same issue comes back. They are also clueless. I was very unhappy with these folks and then desperately was looking for another mechanic.

I also booked the Scorpio N Z8 D AT 7 Str at the end of October assuming that Safari is not going to get repaired and no other car comes close to it in road presence, comfort in that price range.

Mechanic #4 - The Expert - November to December End

This was the guy who fixed my car. Somehow found him and he said that if I was not going to shy away from spending some money then he would guarantee that he would fix the car. I was sceptical as to what he meant but he said in the ballpark of 30-40k as most owners shy away from spending so he didn't want to waste labour. Now calculating the EMIs of a new car, this one-time expense made a lot of sense to me. So I gave him the go-ahead and gave some advance as an assurance as well.

The work done is listed below.

The car had wire mesh wrapped over all the wires in the engine bay, he took all of it out and checked the connections and found the first fault. Wrongly connected wire taking power from some other source creating a higher voltage in the circuit. This mechanic was an ex-Tata guy and he knew of the older Tatas well. He even had the Service manual of a Safari Storme with the complete wiring diagram which he referred to and rebuilt the entire wiring harness of the ECU.

The Pump and Injector were again sent for service, they said the pump was ok but two of the four injectors were choked creating back pressure and causing rail pressure sensor high errors.

After both of these were done, the error still did not go away and as per the Service Manual, there was only one thing left to do - Replace ECU.

Now Storme is not a Maruti with everything readily available, sourcing the ECU became a pain with nobody having the same ECU as we wanted. This delayed the work by a lot of time and finally, the ECU was sourced from Delhi and settings from my ECU were copied onto it.

The mechanic tried the vehicle and it seemed to be working fine now. But having faced problems during drives, I had totally lost faith and confidence in the vehicle. I asked him to do a test drive of at least 500 kms before handing it over to me. He happily took the vehicle for his personal trip to Pune and did a round trip of 450kms following which he handed over the truck to me.

The Ending

Finally, the truck was given back to me in the first week of January and so far I have done over 2000 kms with it with no problem whatsoever. Slowly I am also regaining my confidence back with the vehicle.

The last 6 months have been so difficult with having to use a cab for everyday office travels, having no car in monsoons, and weekend travels with family restricted to cabs. But during the entire duration, I remember what vigsom sir used to tell me over the phone - Do not give up. Go to the root of it and get it fixed, it's a car after all. And here I am enjoying the vehicle thoroughly again.

Oh btw, I cancelled my Scorpio N booking.

Here's what BHPian vigsom had to say about the matter:

That's the reward that perseverance gives you - in the form of Mechanic#4, and your loving steed back on the road. Kudos for hanging in there. Easy to state this now, but let me be honest (as always) - I knew all along that this was an electrical issue, but every time you seemed to have gotten out of the issue, I'd tell myself, "Oh, new learning". You've also done another good deed - helping someone on the ScorpioN wait list realise his/her dream.

Here's what BHPian PrasannaDhana had to say about the matter:

Damn, this thread kind of scares me to have a Storme in my garage. Glad everything worked out fine at the end.

Key takeaway from this thread - Don't ever buy a used, last-gen Tata SUV/MPV!

To the OP, I would suggest you to go ahead with the Scorpio-N booking and part ways with the Storme.

Here's what BHPian zadoom had to say about the matter:

Glad that you are able to finally enjoy the beast.

As usual please do share the details of this ex-TATA guy who was able to work wonders with your car. Though for now, I am managing okay with my current FNG at Kharghar, you never really know when you might need help. Since you also have experienced parts procurement by multiple garages, is this person any better than the others at procuring the rarely available Storme parts?

I have been unable to source the dashboard storage lid lock for almost a year now and would gladly go to him if he can procure it.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

With the planning done, I set about getting the old SUV serviced as it had clocked over 1.65 lakh km and was in its 16th year.

BHPian darklord recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

After the successful long-range road trip of last year, it was more or less fixed that we would be doing a similar trip this year as well. After permutations and combinations of leaves and driving and school vacations across two states, we fixed our destination as Ajanta and Ellora Caves. The Gujarat trip of the previous year involved hectic driving and applying the lesson learned, the driving and destinations were kept as low as possible.

Looking at GMaps and reading through our travelogues sections, we finalized our plans and made hotel bookings accordingly. The travelers were dad, mom, me, wife, kid, sister, BIL, niece, and nephew; so six adults, one child, and two toddlers. This required a few pieces of luggage to be tied on the roof to make space available for all. Even then, adults would have to take turns sitting on the jump seat as it was uncomfortable sitting there for long distances.

The rough plan was thus: On day 1, me, mom, wife, and kid would drive to Bangalore and stay at my sister's home. Dad had already reached my sister's home a few days earlier to run a few errands. We would rest there on day 2 and start from Bangalore with the full complement and drive till Vijayapura (Bijapur) on day 3. On day 4, we would drive till Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) and stay there for two days and explore Ajanta and Bibi Ka Maqbara on day 5 and Ellora on day 6 and then drive back till Vijayapura and stay there. On day 7, we would drive till Bangalore, rest on day 8, and return home on day 9. We also hoped to squeeze in Gol Gumbaz on any one of our two stays in Vijayapura.

Hotels were booked accordingly through Makemytrip and we counted the days down impatiently.

With the planning done, I set about getting the Safari serviced as it was running at the 1,65,000+ km mark and 16th year and was at the precise interval for the periodic service. I took it to an FNG and got the filters and oil changed as well as checked and topped up the GB and diff oils:

A/C required a top up of gas and that was attended to as well. All paperwork was in order and did not require any special attention.

On the day before the trip, got the Safari a nice wash and cleanup:

Day 1:

• Attingal to Bangalore via Thenmala-Rajapalayam-Madurai-Salem
• 0 km to 682 km.

This part is a familiar and easiest part for us as we have done this drive to and from Bangalore dozens and dozens of times. We started at about 4 in the evening after the kid had come back from school, the Christmas vacation had officially commenced. Me, mom, wife, and kid started the drive after our prayers.

The odo read 165345 and the trip meter read 0:

We filled diesel for Rs. 1000, just enough to get us to TN borders as Kerala had (has) the highest diesel rate of all the states we drove through.

The excellent road after Madathara:

A jaywalker near Thenmala:

We took a break at Thenmala for tea and resumed driving. We had to go through Tenkasi town as the bypass from Ilanji was closed.

Stopped for diesel at Chintamani:

Dinner break was had at Sivagiri. After Rajapalayam, the widening of the NH-744 stretch till Tirumangalam was going on. There were a lot of diversions and rough surfaces. This considerably slowed us down. We finally hit the four-lane of NH-44 at around 12 p.m.

Took another break at Kodai Road toll plaza:

We resumed our journey but encountered foggy conditions:

Next fuel stop was at Namakkal. This pump offered a discount:

Rs. 21 worth of diesel extra on purchase of 2500 worth of diesel:

The fog continued throughout the rest of our drive:

Hosur in the morning:

We reached home at around 7:

Continue reading about darklord's road trip for BHPian comments, insights and more information.

I met with an accident. A Honda H'ness CB350 rider collided with my 2023 Tata Safari facelift head-on.

BHPian Thinking_Slow recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Reporting an unfortunate minor accident with my new Safari. First and foremost, there are no injuries to anyone involved.

The car's front bumper took the hit when a Honda Hness CB350 bike collided head-on at about 25KMPH. My car was standing still.

Damages:

• The left rivet of the HSRP number plate broke
• Some clamp clips on the lower part of the bumper joint came out. Not sure if they broke or just opened. I could not push them back inside myself.
• The radar plate hung loose. With a little push, it snapped back into place. This is when I realized that the plate is just a façade to conceal the sensor behind it. Tested Adaptive cruise control right after the accident and it worked fine.
• The little plastic door, in the center of the chrome colored lower bumper, that conceals the tow hook (at least that is what I think it is) opened. It snaps back but not as neatly as I would like (maybe because it got a little bent due to the impact)

Thankfully, there is no metal damage/dent anywhere.

Due to the previous bad experience with this specific Tata service centre, I was reluctant to go there but went anyway as they were closest from the accident spot. The body shop advisor took the car in and mentioned they would try to fix it and if not fixable, would recommend replacing the bumper. He mentioned that only after completely removing the bumper, they can tell whether it is fixable or not. I mentioned that I was OK with whatever his recommendation was but asked him to send the car's front picture AFTER removing the bumper.

He never sent any pictures. I went back in the evening to check the progress and to my surprise, I was told that the bumper was not removed and just from outside inspection they can tell that it needs to be replaced. The part to be replaced will be the entire front bumper assembly (shown in red outline below). Since it has a substantial metal part, it will need painting. Estimate is 25K (covered under insurance). It was heartbreaking to hear it about my 2-month-old car but it is what it is.

Part to be replaced (as recommended by ASS)

I decided to only get the number plate fixed and took the car back. I am currently evaluating the following options:

• Try to get it fixed in a local body repair shop. Advantage is that I do not have to replace the bumper and risk color mismatch with the rest of the body
• But if not fixable, ask another ASS to order the part and get it replaced

Update

Visited Trend Automobiles today. Found about them from this thread.

It is a pretty decently equipped body shop in a locality called Garebhavipalya on Hosur Road in South Bangalore. Luckily it is only 15 minutes away from my place. The damages are shown in my previous post. They were able to fix it within 20 minutes!

I monitored the entire process and it looked super simple. They removed some screws under the chrome bumper (shown in the image below) and it came off easily. They used a heat gun to straighten the bumper and then nicely pushed it back. That area now looks as if nothing has happened!

This made me realize that the quality of that Tata service centre is really poor. They wanted to replace the whole front bumper for a minor damage. This also made me realize that Tata Safari is a well-built car and the bumper material is very high quality and repairable.

Trend automobiles earned a long-term customer today (hopefully I won't need them again though, LOL). I am going to have a great weekend!

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.