Hello All,
Its always been a pleasure to read ownership reviews here on tbhp. With every review posted here one gets to learn so much about owning a car, each cars strengths and follies. The ownership reviews here are far more comprehensive than all those fancy 'long-term ownership' features we see in the auto mags. And its always been a wish of mine to post one such thread of mine and here it goes- Presenting to you our Manza Elan. The initial Buying Experience and Ownership review at 3700kms.
History 2008(if i may!)
Though a car enthusiast since a kid, the first car in the family came only in 2008 - a 50k km, 2002 model Alto Vxi. It was bought in Chennai at Jains in T.Nagar for 1.8L. It was on this car that me and my bro learnt to
drive. The only thing we changed in the car mechanically was the 12in steel wheels to 13in alloys + gave it Michelin 155/65 tyres. Later I added a basic Pioneer 3050HU, with a used pair of JBL Gt937 speakers sold by 'Nitrous' (Thanks! The speakers are still running great!). The car is still with us, is quite battered, but still running strong at 87+K kms.
Cut to 2010.
However the itch to upgrade to a newer (bigger, better) car was geting stonger and in 2010 we started our car hunt. We had the following cars in mind.
We were looking for - Comfort and Space, Ability to handle uneven broken roads, power, Safety - Airbags+ABS.
VW Polo -
Great build quality. Interiors seemed dull, Backseat space was poor, and too low. Never took a test drive as parents werent impressed.
Hyundai i20-
Superb interiors, the blue lighting was all too cool. Quite Spacious, and a soft ride wells suited for the city. Since we hadnt decided on petrol or diesel we test drove both. The 1.2 Kappa was smooth but with a full load of 5 passengers it did seem to struggle requiring frequent gearshifts. Not exactly an issue as the gear shift were delightful. The 1.4crdi however was revelation as the only other diesel sedan i had driven earlier was an ikon tdci. The way the turbo spooled was very addictive and both my bro and me loved it. The only problem was the car was still seen as a spacious hatchback and not a sedan. 7.5L+ for a well kitted out hatchback did not work much in a Coimbatorean logic.
Fiat punto - Gorgeous Car, Lovely drivers position. Parents were not impressed by the rear seat, thought it was cramped still persisted with a TD of the Multijet car. Coming from an i20 the Punto seemed to be in superb control, but I really had to flog the engine to get the power. Sometimes a great chassis and ride which pulls you to drive faster may expose the cars lack of engine prowess. Having been put off by the punto we were in quite a contemplative mode when at the TAFe showroom we spotted the manza.
Indigo Manza-
Checked out the Car, Parents immediately impressed by the rear seat comfort. The car was big and the sedan effect was drawing admiration from us. Took a test drive, and first reaction was that this car is quite comfortable. The Ac seemed good, the NVH was quite low and the car was handling road surfaces well. Mind you the above impressions were quite flawed in the sense, we were driving around Race Course Road in CBE which is easily one of the better roads here, it was in the evening where the AC would seem comfortable and NVH levels were low as the AC was running. Never bothered to take the TD of the petrol manza as we were pretty much convinced of diesel.
However, the family was impressed and especially so with Aura ABS model that we decided to go for it. However due to some financial constrictions we were forced to postpone our purchase by two more months and then we decided that instead of buying the car in 2010 we should buy it in 2011. This was communicated to the Sales executive at TAFE.
Cut to 2011.
Having got to know that there was a refreshed model of the Manza on the way we decided to go to TAFE showroom to check out the car. Was very impressed by the new dual tone interiors though the alloy wheels were not to my liking. However the sales executives attitude completely turned us off. The guy was on the phone even when attending to us. Was extremely miffed and walked out of the showroom and went to GEM Motors on Mettupalayam Road. It seemed like a new showroom, and the executives were more than enthusiastic. They offered me a test drive of a brand new Elan (earmarked for TD) with less than 100kms on the odo. The Test route took me to small roads, broken roads etc and all the while mom was very comfortable in the back seat. A 10km test drive later we left very happy and pleased. GEM motors it was!
The next process was to identify the Car loan and thanks to someone who suggested SBI my bro got a great deal. The deal allowed us to upgrade from the Aura ABS to the top of the line Elan. We decided on the DewWhite colour as the tyrian wine colour felt very dull. We got a total Discount of 12k compared to the 2k that TAFE offered us. The only freebie we got a was the mud flaps, that too at the first service.
A few things I had to mention. Neither me nor my Bro live in Coimbatore. I was doing my MBA in Mumbai, while bro was based out Bangalore. The entire TD and showroom visit was done whenever we were in town. However during delivery neither me nor my brother were there hence no scope for the PDI. However, happy to say that the car did not have much niggles.
The Ownership Experience.
First things first, after we bought the car we realized with the current setup of our Gate the Car cannot be parked inside the house. Hence we quickly set about to re arrange the gate during which time the Elan was still with the dealership. The car finally came home after the gate was fixed.
First Impressions-
The Car felt big. Be it in the house, or while driving in the city or just sitting inside. The turbo lag or rather the rush of power after 2K rpm was something we need to get used. The beige interiors look great but get soiled so damn easily.
Had two out of city trips which made me realise how good this car is on the highway. The longer trip from Coimbatore to Hosur involved some nice flat out driving, heavy thunderstorms in the evening and some night driving. The car felt great doing all the three. The headlight were superb. During the thunderstorm almost every passenger car has parked to left with their hazard lights on, however the Manza had no problems, as the large wipers went about their duty and tyres providing lots of reassurance.
As usual there were the TATA Niggles
-the dashboard panel under the steering wheel was loose, a tap and it slotted back in place.
-there is a rattle coming from near the rear parcel shelf.
- Some door bushes are missing
-The left wiper leaves a small spot untouched
-The rear left door handle is extremely hard to pull
-The right front speaker(/tweeter) distorts badly.
-There was a metallic scraping noise from the front at low speeds, turns out to be some problem with the anti roll bar.
All the above problems have been sorted after the first service, except teh speaker issue which i really am not bothered about as i plan to change it soon. The roll bar issue was sorted out with me Rs120 presumably for labour.
One problem that has now come up is that the seat belt alarm does no work(buzzer), only a warning sign is present on the dials. Should take it up at the next service.
To note-
The Refreshed Manza does not have a Glovebox light, nor does it have the vanity mirror lights.
The Car has completed 3700kms now and the next service is due at 5000kms.
Accessories-
After a long search for Sunfilm, I finally settled on 3M Re35 for the windows and rear at Rs3600.
Since the car did not have floor mats, I bought a set for Rs650.
These are the only two additions so far. Next in list :
-Custom stitched Seat Covers
-Parking sensors
-Audio Upgrade - This will take time but I am looking at only upgrading the speakers and probably adding a 4Channel amp. Will need some suggestions here.
So I guess I will wind up for now, its been a long post (by my standards!) Will update with more pics and some interior pics as well.
I think this is the first Manza Elan on Tbhp, or at least the first ownership review, and I hope to keep updating regularly.
Cheers!
Sai