Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Tata Indigo Manza test driven

Its been a while since i test drove a car or was requested by any of my family members or friends to join them to a test drive. life was settling back in its mundane (i use this word too often coz it perfectly describes my life through the week) routines and the only thing that was exciting was the episode of fifth gear on Discovery Turbo that i never use to miss.

All that changed one afternoon when someone i least expected asked me to accompany him for a test drive. it was my Dad!! all these years i've known him and that day i felt i didnt know him at all :-P. i was thinking to myself "he decided to buy a car without telling me about it??!!" anyway... in the fit of rage i forgot to even ask him what car was he gonna test. it wasnt very long when i saw a white colored Indigo Manza parked outside our office (for those of u who dont know... we have a family business and although we both have different locations of work, i was there with him that day.)

while walking towards the car, as a gesture of respect i was walking slightly behind Dad. although it was unlike Dad to go for a Tata vehicle coz he has a 'perfectionist' nature and seldom likes things second best, but i still thought to go with the flow as i was still a little dazed with the after effects of my just-ended fit of rage.

when we reached close enough to the vehicle, we saw the driver pulling the car out of its parked state, to make it ready for us to drive away... i felt something strange... as if something was missing. thats when i realized something i was dreading and asked Dad... "Dad, as much as i know u, i'm presuming u'd be considering a diesel" to which he just looked back and nodded. then i gulped and asked "then why do u think this guy has brought a petrol version?"

Before this question, Dad was too busy absorbing in the looks of the car, deciding what he liked and what he didnt, to notice the engine sound. it was not audible at all... thus we presumed she was a petrol. after this question, he actually stopped looking at the car and tried to listen to her. as soon as the sales executive stepped out of the vehicle and greeted us, shook hands, dad asked him about the fuel she was running on, and he confidently said "Sir, if I remember correctly, u had inquired about the diesel version."

a big smile started stretching on the executive's face... as if he was proud of the Tata product he was about to introduce to us.

i took a walk around the car and it didnt look hideous like the earlier Indigo. No oversized wheel arches with undersized wheels, drooping hood, stupid grinning grill, or any of the other annoying things about the looks of the earlier indigo. this one had better flowing lines, a smoother well put together exterior that looked like it was designed for her rather than looking like an overdose of botox in the ass of an indica.

come around to the side of the car and this, my friends, is no doubt the best side to look at her. its like she's posing and this (side) pose was what made her look the best.



if we compare the looks of the old Vs the new... it becomes clear how much more effort has gone into the design of the Manza as compared to the old version. it only says how much effort the design team at tata motors had put in trying to make tata motors' products as good as the next automobile company.

walking around further i came towards the back of the car. now before i say anything else... i would like to say that looking at the behind of the Manza kinda reminded me of J. Lo. (Aka Jeniffer Lopez) and i'd like to add here and now that unlike J. Lo. or women like her, cars dontlook good/hot with disproportionately large rear ends.

that said, the rear of the Manza did reflect the same design detail and effort that was put on the rest of the sides, but somehow it still appeared oddly large. it looked like as if the designers atTata took pride in the disproportionate assjob they had given the indica to create the indigo and somehow wanted to carry the legacy forward with the new Indica Vista and thus the Manza. if thats the case then they're majorly mistaken.

this also lets us reflect on the fact that Tata Motors does not have a very big legacy or history in India as other car makers like Suzuki or Hyundai have, which is why they have to depend completely upon the practicality of their product to make sure sales are maintained. this is one of the reasons why, even though the Indica V2 was not that good a looker either, it became very popular on the indian roads. coz it was great value for money (atleast for the first 3 years of ownership) Indicas, being Tata products, are known to be tough and sturdy, can be repaired by anyone who has the IQ equal or greater than that of a monkey, and they returned excellent diesel mileages.

come to think of it, the race to give fuel efficient diesel cars in India was started by the skoda octavia in the larger saloon and sedan segments and in the small car and hatchback segments by our very own Indica. which is why it suddenly became so popular with the travel companies.

coming back to the car it was obvious that in order to give the customers a car that was good looking and luxurious, they also wanted to give a larger boot space compared to the closest competing cars, which is where i'd connect with the above paragraphs, that they chose practicality over design thus giving such a large, brooklyn-black-woman-like behind to the manza.

after looking all around her, she did seem to be far better then her earlier version, but still somehow she wasnt exactly the most beautiful one in the industry.


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-> 1st impression:

- looked a lot better than the previous Indigo, leaps and bounds ahead of Tata's earlier indigo in terms of looks, design, exterior fit and finish. However still might not appeal equally attractive to all.

- the engine was the most silent diesel engine my ears have ever heard! which is why i mistook it for a petrol!!
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sitting inside was yet another pleasant experience at first. the interior was yet again leaps and bounds better than the previous Indigo. The Dashboard did not look like it was put together as an after-market, modular, make-do-with-whats-available, fitment.


it looked like it was actually designed before they decided to start making it. everything has a place and it was sitting flush in it. the sound system was integrated in the dash, something most hatches and sedans are now looking towards. the switch gears, the bells and whistles, the fit and finish, everything was a giant leap forward as compared to the earlier Indigo. One thing u'd notice as soon as u sit inside the car is the space. the interior space is much much more than the earlier indigo, even more than the indigo XL. because she's such a large car, there's excellent rear seat leg room and head room, the cabin feels really airy and large. being a patriotic guy myself, i was feeling proud that this was a product that was "made in India" and now it was just about good enough to compete in the world market. Kudos to Mr. Ratan Tata and Tata Motors.


while sitting inside the sales exec gave us a quick 101 on how to drive a diesel and about a turbo charger (which although i knew, but dad didnt, that it was installed in the car he was about to drive) and various features that would be needed in driving the car safely.

while he was telling dad, i was trying to absorb and retain as much detail about the interior as possible. on 1st glance she appears to be a very well put together car. both the exterior and interior were well designed and felt of a decent build quality. however, take a closer look, fiddle with a few switches and dials here n there and u'd notice that everything is only made to look more up market. but still the materials and build quality of the interior fits and finishes were still the same old cheap like the earlier indigo/indica. only everything 'looked' better. here i would like to strongly point out that the price at which this car sells in India more than justifies the quality. size wise the car is almost as big as the Fiat Linea and yet is more than a Lac cheaper than it. price wise this car is competing with the Suzuki Swift Dzire and its much much bigger than it. so i'm pretty sure she'll find a place for herself in this crowding market.

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-> Interiors:

- designed with care and attention to detail. lots of cubby holes to put things here n there. leaps and bounds better than its predecessor.

- quality is still an issue... its not as good as international brands like honda, chevrolet or Fiat, but still equivalent to products from suzuki and hyundai and also selling at a better price than japanese or korean products.
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enough about the car while its still standing still. lets get this mama rolling!! after the 5 min crash course on driving a diesel, dad engaged the 1st gear and we were off. he drove around a bit on different stretches like open straights, traffic-stricken areas and also bad patches of road, he pulled over to give the car to me.

its showtime! as soon as i set the car in motion on 1st gear... one thing was more evident than any other thing and that was the turbo lag. she had tonnes of it. if i were to buy this car i'd be literally pulling my hair out in traffic! in conditions where i'd constantly have to stop and go, and also not get the opportunity to rev my way out, i'd be frustratingly and constantly switching between 1st and 2nd gear. not cool!

later i found out that the huge turbo lag was thanks to the oversized turbo they had slapped on to the 1248 cc fiat engine. now if we sit and ponder, why wud they ruin such a good engine's performance like that? well the answer is... us indians hardly consider the test drive before deciding upon finalizing the car. we usually decide by the specification and performance figures on paper and also the mileage figures (may or may not be approved by ARAI). and that exactly why that over sized turbo was married to that fiat engine. to get better BHP and torque figures on paper. so they gave us a product in the way we decide to buy. here i would like to point out that 90% of passenger vehicle buyers and drivers are commuters. all they care about is the cost of maintenance and fuel consumption. which is why they buy their cars based on paper facts. wake up Indians, become drivers not commuters. buy a car that u enjoy driving and thus enjoy the car u drive.

after initially setting the car in motion i engaged the second gear with the intention of revving it to see what the turbo could do... as soon as i revved past 2000 RPM, Woooshh!! she was unleashed! she ran like a dog was running behind her trying to grab a chunk of her fat ass!! the pickup and acceleration is good enough to give the passengers whiplash! it was phenomenal!! yet again, as soon as i run out of revs i put her in 3rd gear and was back to reality with the turbo lag. which soon turned into another whiplash as the engine passed the 2000 RPM mark again.

the pickup was great, but the constant switching between turbo and turbo lag through all the gears kinda made it a very uncomfortable ride for the passenger. just think about it, u're sitting in the back seat completely at the mercy of the driver and he's sadistically putting u through a cycle of being pushed forwards and pinned backwards all through the gearbox till the driver reaches the top gear (that too if he ever reaches the 5th gear in delhi traffic). and because as soon as the turbo kicks in, she lunges forward, the driver would eventually have to break hard in order to avoid kissing the ass of the car in front of him, making ur pendulum-like motion all the more worse.

it was insane! one moment she's stubborn as a donkey, the next moment she gallops like a horse!! i dont know how the test drive executive survives through the day without neck and back aches by the end of it!!

she was a beast to zip on the open straights as long as u keep her in the turbo rev range. but as soon as u drop out of that power band , she immediately transforms back into a stubborn donkey, that i sometimes even felt like getting off and giving her a push!!

a good car is about balance. its about poise and finesse. she should be well planted on the tarmac, should zip at the slightest push to the throttle and still make the ride comfortable for all the occupants in the car. not to mention stop when she's asked to and turn when and where she's asked to. the perfect harmony of power, performance, handling, comfort and, coz i'm a tree-hugger, fuel consumption.


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-> Engine and performance

-> 90ps of power @ 4000 rpm and 200 Nms of torque all through 1750 till 3000 rpm.

- atleast tata wont be known for making underpowered cars anymore. the engine is powerful but the delivery of that power still needs fine tuning. none the less its a commendable effort to have come so far.
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coming to the suspension and handling, she was fairly decent in that department. at slow speeds up to around 40 kmph she handled well. but as soon as u reach cruising speeds of around 60 and above, she was a boat!! with 2 passangers in the rear and that famous J.Lo behind, all that weight was making her a little tail happy, but i guess that was the price to be paid to make the suspension a little soft to make the ride more comfortable for the rear seat passangers. however here too there was scope for improvement. they could have made the torsion beams a little stiffer, the stabilizing bars a little stiffer to control all the body roll she had, which was making her tail happy. its not difficult to pitch her in a corner and find urself facing where u came from coz the body roll had flung the rear around. that makes her an unsafe car at high speeds.

come to think of it, isnt this a signature trait of all tata cars!!?? i mean have they ever got the ride and handling of any of their cars right?! i guess thats the weakness of the tata engineers but i'm sure, at the pace at which tata is improving itself and its cars, i'm very sure they'll get even better than other competing products very soon!!


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-> suspension and handling

- designed with comfort of passengers in mind. excellent if ur car will be chauffeur driven.

- designed for indian road conditions in mind and absorbs bumps and pot holes with ease

- being on the softer side, the handling is sacrificed a bit.
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now comes the part which most commuter Indians and tree-huggers like me would pay close attention to, the fuel consumption. since our drive was a short one and most of it was with the intention of testing everything in the car, we still managed to get around 14 kmpl which was not at all bad. my guess is she should return around 16 kmpl of diesel in normal city drive with the air con switched on.


overall the Indigo Manza is a majorly commendable improvement over the earlier Tata products and although no indian car can be labelled as the perfect car, she still has a purpose. it all depends upon what do u have in mind when u go out to buy a car. its a much better product than the earlier indigo. has a great space and room and yet returns of a good mileage. its cheaper than other competing cars in the market and yet provides better comfort than them. that said, tata still has a lot of improvement to make in its products which i'm sure would not be far looking at the pace at which they are improving their products.

thats it for this edition of Autonauts. watch this space for more such reviews and if u have anything to share or discuss, you may feel free to write in the comments.