I have been reading a lot on Tata Cars on this forum and mostly what I found was reports and user experience of Tata Diesel cars. Last year I got myself a Tata Indigo CS GLS. Yes petrol engine that is. I have been searching a lot on user experience of Indigo petrol owners on this and other forums but I guess it is not much documented. So I thought to pen down my ownership experience. Although I must say that I am not big on knowledge but just learning...
When did I buy and why thought of owning a car?
I got my car in June, 2008. The reason for me buying a car was more of "time demands"; With lots of relatives planning to come down to my place. It is not so comfortable taking them around in Autos and bus. So the need to buy a car. Otherwise I am pretty happy thumping around on my bullet. More of a biker than a car person.
What I was looking for in a car?
As said above my needs were more of taking people from point A to point B without fuss. Low maintenance, lots of space, easy availability of spares and in case of breakdown, a local mechanic can fix it. And yes, a decent FE would not hurt! Also a boot was very much necessary because of long drives we do. Hatchback was never really an option until it made a kiiling deal.
Why petrol from TM when everyone buys a diesel?
Let me go back a few years in time. My elder brother had a Indica Petrol, the very few ones which had a 75BHP engine with raw power and loads of torque at low end. We used to go on long drives and it was a pleasure to drive. So much of power to unleash and a chilling AC. Fuel efficieny was not something we bothered much about. So I liked the Indica petrol! Also, since I planned to do occasional long drives, but mostly it wud be used in city driving, diesel did not make much sense. Also I prefer smoothness and silence of petrol engines vs a diesel engine (my preferences as a novice user).
My Budget
It was comfortable 5Lacs, stretchable up to 6 if I could have got real value for money.
Options that I had?
Since I had driven an Indica, I though of trying something different. So I Started with Swift Dzire. The engine as I heard from people was decent and a general low maintenance car. The dealer told me that the waiting period is about 6-7 months which could stretch upto 9 months! Well, waiting for that long was not really my idea. On the other hand the dealer tried to hard sell me a Wagon R; I still wonder that even after I told him my requirements of loads of space and a boot, he thought Wagon R would fit!
Next option was a Logan petrol. My other brother has a logan diesel and I have driven it quiet often. Once to Ooty from Bangalore. I must say its a fabulous car, specially when the turbo kicks in after 1500rpm. Its pick up and stability is way ahead of any tata diesel car. But then I do think its an over priced proposition. An almost 7L on road in Bangalore. Anywayz back to petrol version; I test drove it and was impressed with the engine performance. The pickup was decent, given the weight of the car. Space wise, I don't think any car beats logan in this segment. I had decided on it almost but then the attitude of the two Mahindra dealers really put me off. I was scared if they have a "take it or leave it attitude" before selling what will they do with after sales service! Also in the mean time I heard from one of my friends who bought a logan petrol, that it gives a FE of around 10, that kind of stopped me.
That left me with Indigo CS. It had all things I was looking for like space, comfort, service backup in terms of low cost of spares and good service network, and value for money. The test drive was good, although nothing new for me as I had driven Indica a lot. But yes there was a marked difference in handling in terms of gear box which was better than the old Indica V2 Lsi. Clutch was also light. Felt a bit more zippy to drive. But I preferred the old Indica steering, it felt solid. I don't like the new steering that much but I can live with it. So I decided on CS GLS as my car. Afterall it made a killing deal of 4.5L on road in Bangalore. I also liked the lighter shade of interiors in the petrol version of CS as compared to dark grey which comes in the diesel version. Was bored at looking at grey color in my brother's car.
Dealer and buying experience
I went to Concorde motors near dairy circle in Bangalore. There is always a good rush there, because of the number of models they offer. Tata will always have something which would interst you. I had to wait for 15-20 minutes before I was attended do. I asked them for test drive but a vehicle was not available that day for test drive. There was one parked inside the showroom but that was not a test drive vehicle. I enquired about finance option and rest of the things. There was no discounts available as it was a hot selling thing at that time. Anyway I was promised a test drive the next day.
Next day the sales person brought a GLS to my office. Test drove it and approved the booking. I settled for a sparkling gold color. Fortunately it was available and was promised the vehicle delivery in 4-5 days. I test drove it on a Monday and I had the vehicle with me on Thursday. That included loan sanctioning of abt 2 Lacs from Reliance Finance. After some hard bargaining I got 3M sun films and remote locking free from the dealer. So here I was with an Indigo CS GLS parked in my basement in a 4 day buying period. Concorde Motors really took care of everything and I was impressed with their salesmanship. They kept me informed daily about the status. They also ensured that all the loan processing formalities were done at my office, so no running around. All in all a good buying experience.
What all I fitted later?
Not much, A kenwood system with JBL 4 speaker system. PU leather seat covers, beige in color. That makes my car look really spacious.
Driving experience so far!
It has been a pleasure driving CS. It is exactly according to my expectations. Very low NVH levels, good AC, responsive power steering, good suspension and ample comfort. It is a highway car. Went to coorg with 5 adults and boot filled with baggage. Touched a top speed of 135, but genreally drove around 90. During that trip it returned me a FE of 15 with AC on 75% of time. In city driving, I get a FE of around 13 with AC always on. The second service is due in about a months time. I hope it would become sweeter after that. I love the smoothness of the engine, there is hardly any vibration and noise when running. There has absolutely been no issues with the car. I am very happy Tata petrol car owner
To maintain the interior plastic, I polish it once in two weeks. The external part of the car gets polished by me every week, so it still shining as new although it has donw thousands of kilometers. Polish also helps maintain the paint and saves you from small scratches. Also I do upholstrey cleaning myself. Basically I like spending time with my car on weekends and like to keep it sparkling clean.