[newenergy]

I have no issues buying v1 of anything based on previous reputation of a manufacturer. If the previous track record is good then you can trust that there won’t be any issues. At least not the major ones.

So my vote: Yes, but it depends on manufacturer.

[sanr1303]

I was on the lookout for my first car for years together. I was almost about to book a Skoda Rapid when i came to know that the vehicle would be put out of production any time.
Being a sedan lover, as there was no other option in the price range other than the City, Ciaz and Verna I booked a Kia Sonet and waited for almost seven months, but still couldn't get the vehicle in the colour and variant I wanted.
I was attracted to the Kushaq and I happened to check out a Kushaq belonging to a friend's friend from one of the very first batch. I did test drive it but want for sedan was something which could not be satiated. But as there was not much sedan, I booked the Sonet and waited till eternity.
As things didn't happen the way wanted I started looking for other cars. That's when the Slavia was launched, sometime during late February and I guess the deliveries started during March. I booked mine during April and took delivery during July. Though I was initially scared, I was pretty sure Skoda had somewhat learned from Kushaq's initial batch and has sorted many of the issues.
Though I had taken a huge risk that too with Skoda, I'm pretty happy with it. My car has till date visited the Service centre only once for the one year service and has done 17k kms without other issues.
So, yes may be Version 1 is not that risky (tough wood).

[Bit]

Interesting discussion. There are multiple layers to this decision though and the answer is not plain black or white.

Generally, it's always preferred to buy the version 2 of the vehicle, despite slight price hike as peace of mind trumps everything else IMHO but it begs some questions:

1. When does actually a vehicle starts being "Version 2"? Unless it's an official facelift (or even a refresh), we never when/of the vehicle has improved, especially if it's unofficial. Mahindra has been updating THAR's suspension quietly but when exactly did that happen? There is no point of reference to understand whether it's version 1, version or, or 1.2, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9....

2. Many a times, the passing of time doesn't even guarantee the improvement, despite the price increase. The prime example being XUV700, that even after 3 years of launch and almost a hike of 8 lacs on road gradually, still isn't completely bug free.

3. And then there are some notorious manufactures that DELETES the features in version updates from the lower trims and some delete it completely from all variants. Kia removed all 4 one-touch windows from their recent seltos, or Mahindra removed body colored bumper from THAR.

4. And then finally, some V2 can completely break the things too. The second gen. creta had a serious manufacturing defect upon it's launch (can somebody help me in recalling?) which was rectified soon but people buying the "second generation" in hopes of all niggles of first gen being ironed out and getting a perfect product, were left with an empty bag.

How do we tackle these issues while preferring for V2?

[nmn.070]

Voted for "depends on the brand".

If picking a vehicle from Honda, Toyota, Hyundai or BMW, I would be happy going for v1. Any other brand I would consider v1 if it is a cbu being introduced in India after a model year run in the international markets.

Tata, Mahindra, Mercedes, Audi, JLR I would wait for the first major facelift at the least.

Finally it depends on your circumstances, with good awareness of customers and strong warranty support one could easily work with a v1 purchase if a good deal or novelty of the product is enticing. Most modern cars have niggles in v1 but none that are extreme in hazard or driveability. Usually one can learn to live with the faults as they don't seriously affect the products core experience.

[vzvish91]

Voted for "Wait for Version2"
Even with past track record, there is no guarantee that the same brand will churn out a perfect product this time. There are lot of other variables at play. Recent one such example is KTM's new 390s (check Shumi's video below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX9KxkQjL54

At the end, it depends upon your situation & your risk appetite.

[jensjoseph]

I voted for 'Wait for Version 2'.

Irrespective of manufacturer, I would prefer to wait for version 2 or even version 3. All version 1's of all manufacturers have niggles of some sort or the other that get ironed out. I wouldnt want to spend money on a vehicle with niggles, issues or what have you and would prefer to wait long enough for the manufacturer to learn from version 1 and bring out version 2 with not only those issues sorted out, but also more features.

Having said that, I prefer buying used cars and I have enough time to decide whether I would want to spend money on a used version 1 of any manufacturer. The length of this time allows me to understand the niggles/issues in detail, what the manufacturer did to fix it in that version, what the manufacturer and dealer sentiment was and so on before making a final decision on a purchase.

[anand_roy]

Voted for "Depends on the brand"

I burnt my fingers while buying v1 of the VW Polo when it was launched in India in 2010. As many would be aware, the launch version had an engine vibration issue. My car also developed the same issue within 2 years and the entire engine head had to be replaced during the 2nd annual service. Thank God that I had purchased extended warranty, so it did not dent my pocket, but was still a hassle nonetheless.

Decided then and there never to buy a v1 of a brand which is not a leader in the Indian market (notwithstanding their position in the global market where VW is a leader). Actually, if it is not a Maruti Suzuki, I will never go for a v1 ever again.

Peace of mind is more important for me as compared to running to the Service Center every few weeks.

[speed79]

I did not vote as there is no suitable option for me. The third option is basically for avoiding brands like Tata and Mahindra new launches. For me it depends on which car suits my needs fat my budget at that point of time, irrespective of if it is first iteration or second one, or if it is from Tata, Mahindra or any other brand.

In past I have bought Vista Refresh in April 2011, Safari Storme v2 in Oct 2015, Punch AMT in Sept 2022 and Aria v2 (viz Hexa XTA as used car) in 2023. One thing about Tata cars is that Tata keeps on improving their cars, but you cannot time it. Once I had bought Vista Refresh, in October Vista facelift was launched with lighter clutch, and then there was Vista Tech launch. After I had bought my Safari Storme (320 Nm, 150 BHP) in October 2015, in December 2015 Tata had launched 400Nm Storme. Vista, Storme and Punch have been niggle-free for me, and Hexa has thrown an issue since last few months that Manual and Sports mode cannot be engaged, and TASS is not ready to touch the transmission. Though i expect it to be a micro switch issue.

[aqualeo2040]

Voted for 'Depends on Brand'.
Given that a lot of cars sold in the Indian market are also sold worldwide, some of the first batch products are more aligned to the International standards before being Indianized

A classic example would be Fiat Grande Punto (also my first car) which came with sway bars at both ends in the first editions which were replaced as a part of cost cutting in the later models. Thus my launch day Punto was always a much better handler than the next gen ones.

However, if we are talking about India launch/India specific vehicles, it's wiser to wait out. Given the reputation of Tata/Mahindra/Eicher (Royal Enfield) using the first batches for beta testing, it'd be a wiser decision to wait for the 3rd/4th iteration. Yes, I DO NOT trust their QC team to get it right at 2-3 iterations at least

[myavu]

Voted for Depends on Brand

Our Version 1 till date

• Ford Figo 1.2 Petrol | April 2010 (Sold)
• Chevrolet Beat 1.2 Petrol | May 2010
• Renault Kwid 0.8 Petrol | Dec 2015
• Ford Figo 1.2 (New Model) 1.2 Petrol | June 2016
• Honda Elevate 1.5 Petrol | November 2023

All the above cars and within few months into the launch and never disappointed us.

e.g For a Tata car it could be Version 3 or 4

[evil_grin]

I always wait. Cars are expensive and I have very high expectations of them. I also keep them forever. So long term ownership trumps novelty for me. I need to know what I'm getting into.

I ignored the recently launched Seltos, Hector and Harrier and bought an Octavia.

I ignored the newly launched Speed 400 and X440 and got the Meteor.

[RaviCar]

Want to vote "I am not sure."

Just pre booked Tata Punch.Ev and majority views here are against V1 of Tata/Mahindra. I have waited for this car for a while now and this looks like a decent fit to my requirements. I am scared now. Maybe I should cancel it.

[chanz2015]

I will wait for at least 2 years before buying a freshly launched car.

I bought my Brio in 2015. One of the major drawbacks mentioned in the team-bhp review from 2011, were missing rear defogger and lack of driver seat adjustment. Both of these features are present in my brio.

[linuxworld]

I am also waiting for Curvv EV and will most likely book. However, this thread seems to be against V1 Tata for legitimate reasons. I feel Tata is making decent progress in the EV space, and their EV product maturity level will keep improving. Others like Maruti, Toyota, and VW have hardly any presence in the Indian EV market. Hence, I am doubtful about the overall performance of these manufacturers' new V1 EV products.

However, I would really like to hear the opinions of seniors in this forum and comments on whether we can go ahead with Tata for V1 when it comes to EV cars.

Originally Posted by RaviCar

Want to vote "I am not sure."

Just pre booked Tata Punch.Ev and majority views here are against V1 of Tata/Mahindra. I have waited for this car for a while now and this looks like a decent fit to my requirements. I am scared now. Maybe I should cancel it.