[DieselAddikt]

Good wishes to all my fellow TeamBHPians. This is my first thread in this forum. I am not a good writer anyways. I have not seen a comprehensive long term ownership review about the Indica Vista anywhere. So, I thought I’d share my experiences with you. Here it goes.

Story behind the purchase:
I was happy driving my M800 (mpfi). But once I got married, the number of people who travel with me on long trips increased. So, I wanted a car that can take 5 people over long distances in reasonable comfort. Moreover, I was on a strict budget. I could not afford a 7 seater MPV. Went to a Maruti showroom first. But I was put off by the waiting period for Swift and the lack of enthusiasm in the staff’s attitude. Did not find so much value in it that I have to wait for 5 months to get that car. Would have gone for it if there was no waiting period. Figo was not available back then. If I was to make a decision today, I would have gone for it. So finally, went straight to Concorde and booked a Vista.

Model: Indica Vista Quadrajet Aqua (phew !!.... a long name it is.)
ODO: 27500kms

Initial Niggles:

1. Wiper not working at intermittent speeds.
2. A plastic cover from left side of the front windshield coming off.
3. Loose contact for AC compressor relay.
4. A sound from the front left wheel as if the bearing has gone bad.
5. At speeds above 120kmph, braking becomes a drama. The pedal vibrates a lot and at times even the steering shakes.

Solution for niggles by TASC:

1. Wiper stalk replaced under warranty. Issue fixed.
2. Replaced the cover. Issue was partially fixed. But it comes off at times even now. I just press it back to place and it stays there for at least 5K kms. I learned to live with it.
3. Relay replaced under warranty. Issue resolved.
4. Some Stabilizer bar was replaced under warranty. I don’t know if I got the name of the part right, but the issue was solved.
5. Brake bleeding was done. They said the problem might be gone and also said that they couldn’t test it since it happens only at high speeds. They asked me to check and confirm when I take the car on the highway next time. I liked their honesty. After a long time, I took the car above 120 and the problem was still there. But I kept on forgetting about it when I gave the car for the next services. My mistake!! The problem is still there. I suspect a bent disc.

My Verdict: TASC was very responsive and prompt in solving the issues. Issue no. 2 has to be the result of the bad quality plastic used there. TASC can do little about it. Overall, I am happy with what they did.

Long trips done:

Kochi - Coimbatore - 5+ times
Kochi - Tvm - 10+ times
Kochi - Pondycherry - 1 time
Kochi - Chennai - 1 time
Kochi - Munnar - 3+ times
Kochi – Madurai – 1 time
In short, the car has seen the good and the bad. It has been driven through top class roads as well as the worst National Highways available in South India (Kochi – Tvm and Kochi - Coimbatore). I don’t usually slow down unless the potholes are really deep.

Drive on highways:
This car loves straight lines and open highways. It has enough power for a small car. Allows easy overtaking maneuvers with a good amount of torque at disposal. Turbo lag is minimum. You won’t feel the turbo kicking in at 2K RPM. But the progress is more linear and slow and you get the max torque before 2K RPM. Nice to drive even in city speeds. I liked it. It soaks up almost all bad patches on its way. Maximum comfort inside the cabin. A few undulations filter in to the cabin, but perfectly fine and acceptable.

Drive on twisty roads:
There is only one thing I can say. This car is simply not for people who love to throw their cars around corners. A high speed cornering will actually disappoint you. There is considerable amount of body roll. You will have to learn to take it a little slow. But it can gain pace fast enough for you to catch up with the others.

Drive in city:
The gear ratios are best suited for city driving than open highways. The turbo lag is minimum. Decent low-end grunt. Below 1K RPM, it is almost dead. But the other side of 1K mark is all nice and pleasant. In-gear acceleration is good and I felt it is even better than that for Figo TDCi. I may be wrong though.

[DieselAddikt]

Comfort:
Vista can seat 5 people in reasonable comfort. Leg space is excellent for front and rear passengers. But rear headroom is just about enough. Nothing great there. I expected more head room for a car of this size and stance. But nothing to complain as long as your head does not touch anywhere.

Maintenance/Costs incurred:
After about 15K kms, there was a rattle inside the steering column. It sounded as if a screw inside was loose. Told that to the SA and he said it was fixed during the 20K service. It was indeed fixed, only to come back after a few thousand miles. Have to mention that to him in the 30K service. At 25K, right headlight high beam stopped working. Had to replace the bulb. Other than that only the routine services were done.
Tyres had uneven wear and became unfit by 20K. I suspected a problem with front left suspension. But later it was found to be a misalignment which was corrected by TyreX, Kochi. Changed the tyres to Continental CEC3 and no sign of uneven wear after that. (touchwood).

Service Experience:
Better ask your driver to take the car to the service station. If you are doing it yourself, be prepared to spend some time there. The people there are overworked numerous Indicas and Sumos coming in for service. They may attend you late. Every time I go, I have had to wait for at least 45 minutes for someone to attend me. Building a rapport with somebody will help you for sure. Otherwise, you are bound to wait.
Once they attend you, they are patient and listen to all that you have to tell them. They even confirm the complaints by driving with you. Never show any urgency or tell you that they don’t have time. And while delivering the car, they explain all the work they have done on it and drives with you to make sure the work is done to your satisfaction. Neat. I will give them 8/10. I will reduce 2 points for making people wait for an hour.

Disclaimer: The service center mentioned here is Concorde, Kochi. I am not sure of any other place.

My Verdict: Overall, I am satisfied with their service. You have to be patient. Shouting at them will not work. Make friends with them and your voice will be heard.

Fuel Efficiency:
City with heavy foot: 13kmpl
City with light foot: 14-15kmpl
Highway at cruising speeds above 90: 16-17kmpl
Highway at cruising speeds below 90: ~19kmpl

Interior Quality:
My car is not the top of the line one and has the normal grey dashboard. It looks cheap at first glance and looks boring after a few days. To be frank, the dashboard is hard, but definitely not cheap. There are cheap plastics on the door pads. The handle provided in the door pad squeaks when you hold it. The door open latch is flimsy and feels outright cheap. This is the worst thing in the car. Other than these two, there is nothing much to complain.

Overall Performance: Handling at high speeds around corners is an issue and it has to be rectified. This car is not exceptional at anything in particular except comfort. But it is good at everything it is supposed to do. It takes you from point A to B in good comfort. It is reasonably fast and fuel efficient. It is reliable. What else could I ask for in a 5 lakh rupee car ?

[CliffHanger]

A well written report buddy! :o) And I like your following statement,

"But it is good at everything it is supposed to do. It takes you from point A to B in good comfort. It is reasonably fast and fuel efficient. It is reliable. What else could I ask for in a 5 lakh rupee car ?"

[4x4addict]

Thanks for the very detailed and well written report. Especially for someone like me who is going to take a chance with Tata.

[DieselAddikt]

Thank you CliffHanger and 4x4Addict.

@4x4Addict. It is worth taking a chance now. Things have changed for the good. At least that is what I have experienced.

[DieselAddikt]

Just an update, at a time when TATA has launched a car that can possibly turn around their fortunes. My Vista completed 95K kms now. Following are the parts replaced apart from what I mentioned in my earlier post.

1. Clutch plates twice (more than 3 people were driving the car including women. So this is expected and the job was really cheap)
2. Tires (3 sets). 3 sets because i blew one set when i hit a median.
3. Front right suspension parts including all bushes and rods because of reason number 2. Suspension took a huge beating that day.
4. Horns (2 times). Aftermarket ones. Always blew when there was water. More to do with their placement (inside the bumper) rather than their quality.
5. Wiper blades (at least 4 times). Again, wear and tear expected.
6. Glow plugs (2 numbers). One failed at 60K and the other at 90K kms. A 400 INR thing and I had to wait less than an hour.

What doesn't work now:
1. Driver side power window switch LED that lights up at night. I stopped bothering about it. It will never work.
2. SA said the front suspensions are weak and will need replacement soon. I think so too as I seldom slow down for bad patches. Now I can really feel those bumps inside and the already average handling has worsened.
3. Spots of rust (2 of them) on the hatch door. This broke my heart. Tata has access to some industry leading metallurgy in the world and this is all I get. A car that starts rusting after 5 years. But if I think again, it has received the worst treatment of all cars that i have owned. It has hardly seen covered parking. It has seen the worst rain and the hardest summer in my state.

The only time I got pissed with TATA Concorde service in Kochi is when they took eternity to replace clutch plates. But they duly apologized and one of the SAs stayed back till 7:30PM to finish the job on a friday. When I reached the showroom, he was the only person left along with the gate security staff. Even then he did not show any hurry. I was given ample time to test drive the car before i signed the doc saying that I got the car back in perfect condition. I asked him how he will go home since I kind of felt he did not have a ride on his own. Said where his house is and told me that he might just get the last bus back home. I felt bad and i dropped him home in my car and tipped him nicely too. He deserved it.

Something worth mentioning:

On a friday night I gave my car to one of my relatives to drive since I was a little drunk. He was a young guy and had just started driving. On our way home, there was a huge piece of concrete, supposedly a divider. It was not painted at all and was very difficult for him to see. We ran right on top of it and I lost an alloy (it broke) and a tire as well. Tried changing to spare tire, but in the process, lost a thread for one of the nuts. Thankfully this happened right in front of a TATA ASS and when they opened we told them what happened. They took the car inside and did a gas cut to remove the stuck nut. Replaced the nut and bolt and changed to spare wheel so that we could continue back home. Cost incurred : 0 INR... They did 1.5 hrs of hard labor on goodwill. The cost was on them. I loved it.

The car has not let me down even once. It has taken me back home every time I set out on a long drive irrespective of the road conditions. I even completed Trivandrum - Pune - Trivandrum with my family without any hassles. Only wish the handling and dynamics were a little better.

Will I buy the ZEST ? Probably not, as I am more of a hatchback guy than a "semi" sedan guy. Will I buy the BOLT, No, again, as I would like to explore more options. I am not a conformist of any kind. But did I make a bad decision by buying the Vista ? I don't think so. It was a car well worth the money. I have often seen people trying to double check in their mirrors to make sure that they saw is a TATA. The Zest can only get better in this area !

By the way, this is how my car looked almost a month back. No pics after that. And this workhorse will soon be gone !!



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