[trtraj]

Nice review, Felt everything about the car. Especially the 3rd row for kids,

But, Why Tata is using Amaron batteries instead their own ? (did i assumed it wrongly as Amaron ?)

[ajay_satpute]

Here are the Tata Aria prices from the website www.tataaria.com. Please note that these prices are Ex-showroom Pune.
From the specs and feature list it seems, that the best choice out of the 3 variants should be the 'Prestige' variant. The 'Pride' variant which is the top-end, has some silly things for an additional price of almost 1 lakh.

I really like the colours Tata has introduced for Aria. The only 2 questions that still remain unanswered:
1) Is the quality of parts at par with other vehicles in this class or even just below?
2) For such super-improved, top-class vehicle, are the Tata service centers equipped technically?

I would like to wish Tata a good future with Aria. It surely is a huge huge leap for Tata's passenger car department.

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Had gone to the A.S.S to enquire about the manza & did a TD of the Aria.

Listing down only the postives here as negatives by me are not received well by some-

.

Raj, please list the negatives in your opinion. Personally I find your views non- partisan and mostly informative. Though I know you prefer the other big Indian manufacturer but that in no ways takes any credibility away from you.

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by raj_5004

7) I liked the way the bonnet auto lifts, gives a premium feel!!!

Heard about this feature for first time.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

PMed you.

Well got your PM , Since the engine is smaller then fortuner etc you are right that there is no point in comparing but Since engine is same as Safari wanted to know if it is sluggish or same when you talk of performance ?

Safari's first and 2nd gear are short compared to others so not so not peppy in signal to signal scenario in city , Is it same for Aria or any change there ?
The test figure on this thread says 15.8 sec for 0 -100 but that does not tell real world picture

[Sutripta]

Originally Posted by crazycardude198

@suttripta
If you are asking whether the financial cost is justified,
Well, what is that premium? How much do YOU think is justified. That was the original question.

...

As a general rule of thumb, if you spend most of your time within city limits doing city speeds, you dont need the ABS,

??

Hope that helps
No. Doesn't answer my questions.

Originally Posted by ACM

Laura is probably safer than the Aria on a highway, in the sense that it is planted. The faster one goes the more likely one is to require the ESP assistance, I have seen the ESP light go up only on a few instances in the last 3 years with the Laura, and would most likely have managed to control the vehicle on my own in those instances as well, it quite like an Airbag, that one wishes one never needs to use, and yet feels assured to have. Even ABS that has been touted quite a bit, has been triggered only 4 times in the same number of years by me, and once it did help me stop before I banged into a autorickshaw that had made a sudden stop in front of me.

Most people believe that they are using ABS each time they brake, but that is not the case, and one might use it as rarely as once a year. If the brakes of a vehicle are good (with four disks) and wide tyres as in the Laura and Aria, one may use ABS rarely. One comes to know of usage of ABS, through a very clear, pedal and sound feedback that is purposely kept to let the driver know that one was near the edge.

Don't really understand the section marked out. Do only cars with bad brakes benefit from ABS?

Do I take it that you feel that these safety features kick in so seldom that too much importance should not be placed on them? So what would be the premium You are prepared to pay for ESP?

Not to denigrate the Laura, and your and my evaluation criteria are sure to be different, but the Laura does not cut it for me as a highway tourer in the Indian context.

Regards
Sutripta

[raj_5004]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Raj, please list the negatives in your opinion. Personally I find your views non- partisan and mostly informative. Though I know you prefer the other big Indian manufacturer but that in no ways takes any credibility away from you.

Here you go-

The negatives of Aria:

1) The engine is not a great performer, i would expect something better than safari if i am paying more.
2) The centre display screen was very bad, in the sense, it felt very 1990ish.
3) I found the footwell to be cramped & the pedal placement to be awkward. I wear a size 11 show & forget a dead pedal, it dint even have space besides the clutch pedal to rest my left foot. only option is to ride the clutch or drag your feet behind everytime.
4) Access to the third row was very difficult. My friend who is 5'8" tall had a tough time getting in & out of that seat. also legroom was tight. me being 6'2", i dint even try!
5) Fitting of the wheel arches on the TD vehicle was bad, it had ugly panel gaps, not expected in a 16 lakh vehicle.
6) i saw the base 'pleasure' variant with beige fabric seats. it had wood inserts which looked very very fake & cheap, totally like an aftermarket fitment. black & black or black & plum is a better choice but is not available in base variant.

Disclaimer: this is strictly my opinion & others may or may not agree.

Originally Posted by amitk26

Heard about this feature for first time.

same here. i was not aware of it until i popped the hood to see the engine.

i feel there are many such small surprises in the Aria which only its owner would know, like in the punto & fabia.

till now, i thought that the Aria dint have a MID screen but it does have a MID display, right in the centre of the instrument console.

Well got your PM , Since the engine is smaller then fortuner etc you are right that there is no point in comparing but Since engine is same as Safari wanted to know if it is sluggish or same when you talk of performance ?

Safari's first and 2nd gear are short compared to others so not so not peppy in signal to signal scenario in city , Is it same for Aria or any change there ?
The test figure on this thread says 15.8 sec for 0 -100 but that does not tell real world picture

well, i wont exactly call it sluggish as such, but IMO there is some lag at low rpms. it is not a torquey diesel in which you can slot in 3rd gear gear & putter around town without changing. but yes, safari owners will feel comfortable. i dont know whether its turbo lag or wrong gearing as you said.

[crazycardude198]

@ Sutripta

Okay I guess I didnt understand the question fully. My bad. Anyway if you're asking me how much I would pay then here is my response. The one thing I would like to purchase is ABS and I would be prepared to spend upto 25K on it but no more. I wouldnt buy the extras like Airbags and ESP because frankly I don't travel at speeds where these features would be any use to me.

Now most cars in India have these features as options. India still does not have that kind of strict legislation, it only has emission regulations.

If you want ESP then be prepared to spend a lot of money! ESP is almost always standard in foreign brand cars especially SUV's.

Is it worth the investment? Well in the case of the superb and laura I would feel comfortable knowing that my car has the ability to protect itself and me from harm. But I would never buy a car simply for its safety features. Volvo is famous for that kind of marketing, so is Mercedes Benz.

Does that help you now??

[GTO]

I believe Tata has taken a leaf from Hyundai's i20 strategy.

Sorry, but that just doesn't cut it. For one, Hyundai meets the segment-toppers in terms of reliability, fit and finish. Tata doesn't. Hyundai after-sales is rated amongst the best in India, Tata the worst. I've said it before and will say it again : The Aria is overpriced by atleast 2.5 - 3.0 lakh rupees.

Originally Posted by crazycardude198

The one thing I would like to purchase is ABS and I would be prepared to spend upto 25K on it but no more.

FYI : ABS is standard on all Aria variants, including the base.

[Latheesh]

Looks like Tata got decent response for ARIA. Any idea about initial booking numbers?

If TATA improve it A.S.S I think the price is more than justified, but we need to wait and watch for the feedback from initial owners. I think around 4-5 BHPians already booked ARIA.
TATA could have removed few of the features that an average Joe do not appreciate and made the pricing of variants attractive.

[valhallen.282]

Originally Posted by GTO

Sorry, but that just doesn't cut it. For one, Hyundai meets the segment-toppers in terms of reliability, fit and finish. Tata doesn't. Hyundai after-sales is rated amongst the best in India, Tata the worst. I've said it before and will say it again : The Aria is overpriced by atleast 2.5 - 3.0 lakh rupees.

sir i wouldnt completely agree. when the i20 launched it was large and underpowered. seemingly overpriced and nobody (at that point) wanted to buy a car without a boot at that price point. thanks to the venerable esteem.

but now look at that segment it is choc-a-block with cars all the way upto 9L without a boot like the jazz. this is just path breaking to create a new segment. while i agree about the *** i believe by your own admission it is shockingly better built than most other cars.

Personally i want to wait and watch what segment this car is about to open up. should be interesting dont you think?

[praveen_n]

Originally Posted by crazycardude198

@ Sutripta

Okay I guess I didnt understand the question fully. My bad. Anyway if you're asking me how much I would pay then here is my response. The one thing I would like to purchase is ABS and I would be prepared to spend upto 25K on it but no more. I wouldnt buy the extras like Airbags and ESP because frankly I don't travel at speeds where these features would be any use to me.

Actually airbags and ESP has nothing to do with what speeds you are travelling at.Your logic about airbags may be true if you travel at about 30 km /h and ram in to stationary object.What will happen if your vehicle is hit by another speeding vehicle?
The ESP on my vehicle gets enabled when I take my vehicle through unstable and sloppy roads even if the speed is very less.
I have seen esp getting enabled on my vehicle when I took it for small offroading action.

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by GTO

Sorry, but that just doesn't cut it. For one, Hyundai meets the segment-toppers in terms of reliability, fit and finish. Tata doesn't. Hyundai after-sales is rated amongst the best in India, Tata the worst. I've said it before and will say it again : The Aria is overpriced by atleast 2.5 - 3.0 lakh rupees.

with you when you say that Tatas are at the bottom when it comes to A.S.S.

I believe, many would call the Aria VFM, when it has the same features as the Innova (i.e. the AWD, ESP, Airbags, ACC, Rear AC Vents, power windows, etc) all go out & the price of the Taxi version is Rs.8 lacs [actually lower than the Innova base model (with power steering only), & in the price range as that of Safari LX].
In my opinion, the value of all of the above features, that it has over the Innova, & in fact the Fortuner, should be be in the the range of Rs. 5-6 lacs. I wish there is such model in Aria line-up in Future.

I also agree that a Tata won't be as reliable as Toyota, but, a lot of people will be wanting to consider other options after of Toyota mess (the recalls date back to couple of days, & include their premium brand... &, yet I am dreaming for the Camry ).

Just see from the perspective of the many who live in interiors of India, & have to drive to 250-ish odd kms to a Toyota dealership rather than the Tata dealership within 50 kms. I know a situation in Assam where the nearest Toyota dealership is 350+ kms from the house of my friends family, who own a Innova, an entire weekend & 2 mandays of the family driver are wasted for a routine service. This is where Maruti, Tata & the likes score over the premium car selling companies, with their .

Even in Delhi NCR, I recon there aren't half the number of dealers for Toyota as compared to Tata. So probably it is a matter of finding the right A.S.S. in this case, as as been the case of another senior TBHP-ian.

In my case too when I moved to an outside mechanic for my vehicles, I realized that my vehicles (except the HH Splendor) weren't as bad as the A.S.S. had made them, & it took a while to restore them to original good self.

[himanshugoswami]

why are we crucifyng this car and Tata even before the deliveries have commenced? All initial reports on teh car have been positive and hence I am quite opimistic about this product.

As regards reliability and quality, of late we have been seeing gremlins in every manufacturer present in India, whereas, TML is actually moving in the opposite direction- lets have some faith in the comany and support its bold initiative.

Of course, ont heri part, TML have to ensure that the product and the experience both live up to a "premium" customer's expectations. If yes, then I seea potential for the Aira to wean away customers from teh likes of the Laura and Corolla diesel as well as the likes of the Accord and Civic.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Don't really understand the section marked out. Do only cars with bad brakes benefit from ABS?

Do I take it that you feel that these safety features kick in so seldom that too much importance should not be placed on them? So what would be the premium You are prepared to pay for ESP?

Not to denigrate the Laura, and your and my evaluation criteria are sure to be different, but the Laura does not cut it for me as a highway tourer in the Indian context.

Regards
Sutripta

Actually have driven the Laura for over 30K kms purely on the highway and the experience was I guess to me about as good as it gets in entry luxury segment.

ABS solves the problem of a car skidding due to brakes locking up, if well adjusted and well setup the problem would be lesser in cars with better tyres, profile, and braking systems.

I am prepared to pay even upwards of Rs. 3L towards safety. I drive quite fast, and do know that one mistake from me or others on the road could be the last one, the more the safety equipment the better. It is like taking an insurance policy, but this one prevents the injury itself rather than paying for the repairs / recoupment.

Originally Posted by raj_5004

Here you go-
The negatives of Aria:

2) The centre display screen was very bad, in the sense, it felt very 1990ish.
3) I found the footwell to be cramped & the pedal placement to be awkward. I wear a size 11 show & forget a dead pedal, it dint even have space besides the clutch pedal to rest my left foot. only option is to ride the clutch or drag your feet behind everytime.
4) Access to the third row was very difficult. My friend who is 5'8" tall had a tough time getting in & out of that seat. also legroom was tight. me being 6'2", i dint even try!

same here. i was not aware of it until i popped the hood to see the engine.
.

Being 6.2 you should just not have tried to get into the back seet - right decision, have assumend the rear seat to be meant for kids (less than 5 feet) or in very short emergencies for longer people so that they travel in discomfort for short distances.

The Prestige version screen is small, and the Pride version (with satnav) has a bigger screen. I guess you checked out the Prestige version.

If you do raise the seat to the max that the head premits (without hitting the roof, then you get a safarish seating position and one then keeps the leg in front of the clutch and does not ride it. It is something that all safari drivers are very comfortable doing, the driving position is quite different from that in the fortuner.

Originally Posted by praveen_n

Actually airbags and ESP has nothing to do with what speeds you are travelling at.Your logic about airbags may be true if you travel at about 30 km /h and ram in to stationary object.What will happen if your vehicle is hit by another speeding vehicle?
The ESP on my vehicle gets enabled when I take my vehicle through unstable and sloppy roads even if the speed is very less.
I have seen esp getting enabled on my vehicle when I took it for small offroading action.

Very Very true, Airbags come into play even in an impact at 30Kmph, and if one does bang a stationary car ahead at that speed or a wall or a divider the impact would be big. Also what if there is another vehicle traveling at a higher speed than yourself - possibly in the opp lane on a road where opp lanes are seperated only by a double white line, even two cars at 20kmph in opp direction would imact at 40kmph, and at higher speeds this could be even worse.

Originally Posted by GTO

Sorry, but that just doesn't cut it. For one, Hyundai meets the segment-toppers in terms of reliability, fit and finish. Tata doesn't. Hyundai after-sales is rated amongst the best in India, Tata the worst. I've said it before and will say it again : The Aria is overpriced by atleast 2.5 - 3.0 lakh rupees.

FYI : ABS is standard on all Aria variants, including the base.

GTO I do get your thoughts at a certain level, but there are no similar options in the segment either. Somehow the pricing has been found to be VFM by all the other car show reviewers - whom we probably have a similar opinion of.
I get a feeling that over time the car will gain acceptance on the price front, and I also get a feeling that TATA is looking at sub 1K per month qtty levels, and that is the original plan. Also this if probably the start of TATA taking the brand internationally in a bigger way as a contempory product.

Originally Posted by crazycardude198

@ Sutripta

Okay I guess I didnt understand the question fully. My bad. Anyway if you're asking me how much I would pay then here is my response. The one thing I would like to purchase is ABS and I would be prepared to spend upto 25K on it but no more. I wouldnt buy the extras like Airbags and ESP because frankly I don't travel at speeds where these features would be any use to me.

Now most cars in India have these features as options. India still does not have that kind of strict legislation, it only has emission regulations.

If you want ESP then be prepared to spend a lot of money! ESP is almost always standard in foreign brand cars especially SUV's.

As mentoned by me in a response above speed does have a higher level of relevance for features like ESP, TC etc, but for case of accidents, requiring Airbag deployment, Aquaplaining over water, Oil Slick slips, sand on road scenario ESP would be of great use even at speeds of 30kmph and would save lives. 25K is too less a price for Safety, even good tyres that we invest in today cost upwards of 30K, ever small thing that is done to reduce driver fatigue adds to safety. There are passive and active safety features, and these take of not just what happens in the event of an accident, but also work towards preventing accidents in the first place, and that is just how it should be.

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

why are we crucifyng this car and Tata even before the deliveries have commenced? All initial reports on teh car have been positive and hence I am quite opimistic about this product.

As regards reliability and quality, of late we have been seeing gremlins in every manufacturer present in India, whereas, TML is actually moving in the opposite direction- lets have some faith in the comany and support its bold initiative.

Of course, ont heri part, TML have to ensure that the product and the experience both live up to a "premium" customer's expectations. If yes, then I seea potential for the Aira to wean away customers from teh likes of the Laura and Corolla diesel as well as the likes of the Accord and Civic.

Agree 100% You have hit the nail on the right spot.

I also worry that those who have critique the vehicle, would be jumping at even a minor opportunity to pull down the vehicle and TATA needs to take care of avoiding these pitfalls.

[damodar]

I have experienced tata service at concorde in bangalore and hyderabad. We gave our safari for servicing at concorde 2 times till now and the response of the service advisors at both places was good. Always gave the vehicle back on time. Once they even serviced on a sunday on request for a warranty claim. I just hope that tata motors open more concorde showrooms in tier 2 cities too.Or will tata confine aria to those cities which have atleast these standards of service,because i dont see the present service centre in place like vijayawada capable of handling the aria.