[harishpr]

This is my first independent thread on T-BHP and Im feeling quite excited writing about the car that I more or less purchased with my MIND !!! Im sure you know why i say that.

My apologies if i sound naive at times !!! Im a new kid on the block...

I purchased Manza on 4th Nov 2010. It wasn't an easy decision and it took well over 3 months to search through the market. Vento wasn't launched by then, even it was Im not sure if I were to book one considering the long bucket list I had as Criteria for my new car..


NEED
My previous car was Maruti Zen Vxi (2004 model) and it served me well for over 6 years with absolutely no issues. Drove over 130000 KMs and never had any issues or breakdowns.. Did Bangalore to Goa (7 times) , Bangalore to Mumbai (5 times), bangalore to Chennai/Mysore (n number of times) and never faced any breakdown !!! So all in all it was a very reliable and fun to drive car. Had to change tyres couple of times during 45K and 100K + regular wear/tear.

With marriage and kid (living with parents), Zen was proving to be a challenge due to lack of space for 5 adults. Also my trips to fuel bunks were lot more frequent, and with petrol prices soaring high I was feeling the pinch during every 'full tank'...

Thats my Zen, the last picture I took before I left her forever ...



REQUIREMENT
So, the Need was pretty well defined. I wanted a car that fulfilled following requirements (priority list) :

• Diesel Only, No more Petrol since my commute is over 18000-20000 per year.
• Sedan to seat 5 full grown adults without any trouble during long trips.
• Space
• Roomy interiors
• Big Boot to do airport duties as needed + carry the family luggage during trips.
• Reasonable Mileage
• Safety Features (ABS, Airbags for sure) - Never felt a need for this while driving Zen as a bachelor but with a new born Kid, its a different story altogether..
• Good Service Network
• Reasonable maintenance cost
• Budget was 7 to 9 lakhs. All Cash deal, no Auto Loans. Strict instructions from my dad.

Hmmm.. Yeah those were it. I wasn't too keen on Looks since they are subjective by nature + not particular about dynamics since those weren't high on my priority list. I wanted to stay practical and my budget wouldn't let me go for those.

SELECTION
With the priority list in mind, only handful of options were available in the market for consideration... Manza, Linea, Indigo/CS, Logan, Fiesta and Verna.

Indigo CS and Logan were out since family didn't prefer them though I personally liked Logan a lot. I saw Verna as too price and the nearest Hyundai showroom was 12 Kms away.

DECISION
The decision came down to Fiesta, Linea and Manza.
Fiesta – Great car, the diesel was torgee enough. Fiesta wasn’t new to me or family. I had rented out Fiesta for self-drive from ‘budget cars’ on couple of occasions. The rear was cramped for my family and I always knew that this will be shot down as well.
It was clear that I had to choose between Manza and Linea. Took my entire family to Tata Concorde showroom (Dairy circle, Bangalore), didn't expect the sales experience to be good but they proved us wrong. Sales experience was good and I had no issues there. But i must admit how Tata cleverly play the cards and end up converting the customer to buy Manza… Let me explain.
I first wanted to drive Manza, but they said it's out on TD and will be back in an hour or so. By then they offered by Linea to TD. Linea looked awesome from outside, the paint quality was excellent. All of us were excited to get into Linea and started the TD. He let me choose my own route and explained all the features. I'm 6.1 tall and somehow my left knee wasn't feeling too comfortable, I didn't mind but my Dad did notice that. The ride and handling was too good for someone like me who always drove Zen till then.
After finishing Linea TD, Manza was ready and waiting for us. Manza wasn't a great looker and I wasn't impressed with it either. The moment we entered the car, everything changed. My dad and wife were so pleased with the space inside that they asked me to book this vehicle without even letting me take TD. I put my foot down since I wanted to get a feel of this vehicle. Seriously, IT DIDN"T DISAPPOINT. I was pleasantly surprised with the ride (though not comparable to Linea) and the turbo kick-in (remember, i had never felt the Turbo kick till I sat in Manza, only then i realized why my friends were going gaga over Swift). The space was humongous and the feature list was endless. we pretty much took the same route for TD and came back to showroom.
The salesman asked "Sir, how did you feel ? you want to go with Linea or Manza?". I said "not sure, let me think and come back". I think he knew that his job is done and I will be back soon. Left with a confused state of mind.
Back Home, everyone including my mom wanted Manza just because of the space and roomy interiors.
Almost everyone including my wifey were like “hey, it’s a lakh and half cheaper than Linea + it’s spacious”. I was like, ‘is this all you look for ?’
I was somehow feeling it should be Linea. Compared both the cars, feature by feature... Heck, Im in for Manza. Why ?
I can save a cool 1.75 lakhs between those cars !!! Indian Mindset you know
Manza clearly emerged as the winner in all aspects until I booked the car (more on that later) !!

• Best in class Space.
• Best engine - Our national engine.
• Udupi menu card type Feature List that had almost everything and more I would ever need in a midsegment.
• Good presales experience.
• Car screams "Value for Money" from all angles.
• Best Tata Sedan yet.
• Plastic quality not great, i really didn't mind about this.

Now, coming to color. I wanted to choose the regular Maroon but just then the sales guys told me about the new color launched a month back and that was "Gothic Olive". There wasn't any car in the showroom or in service with this color but he showed me the safari that had a quite similar shade. I liked it and booked "Gothic Olive". I still thank myself for choosing this color, more on that later !!


DELIVERY
Nov 4th 2010 was an auspicious date (Diwali) and thats when i wanted to take delivery. They kindly obliged. Made full payment in Cash and got call as promised on 2nd Nov that my car had arrived to showroom and will go through PDI. I was present on 3rd Nov and ensured PDI was complete as per my need (thanks to t-bhp PDI checklist).

4th November 2010 - The delivery experience wasn't too great since it was diwali and half the staff were on leave BUT they had 4 times the regular customers who wanted delivery on that day !! Lesson learnt - never be too sentimental, always get the vehicle on a non-festive weekday.
To make things worse, it was raining that day in bangalore and my new car was parked out in rain. The backseat was soiled with shoes marks and the interior fabric on front door had grease marks from hand !!!
Not so happy with the experience but I left with my car after all the formalities.

Pics from the day I took the delivery.





B]Detailed Report[/b]

Manza looks big on road but it isn't as tough to drive the vehicle as it seems. The power steering does the job quite well, the large tyres ensure the small/medium pot holes aren't issues any more.


Engine
What i Like?

• Not an expert with engine but this car does feel more powerful than what many may think.
• The 90bhp is adequate for most of my commute, be it city or highway.
• Highway ride is an absolute delight. I usually cruze at 120kmph and the car feels very settled, ABS and Airbags are reassuring.

What i didn't like?

• The City ride can get a bit annoying at times due to frequent down shifts.
• Car feels planted till 140kmph, but anything post that gets a bit nervous. 165kmph is the max after which power runs out.
• Engine noise isn't too loud but you get to hear in the cabin, better insulation is needed here.

Transmission
What I like ?

• Most say this the perhaps the best gear-box from Tata yet, i don't know about Aria. Shifting gear is smooth and easy; it slots as you want. Haven't had any issues with gear skips so far.
• Power is more than sufficient to overtake most of the blackmarkers.

What i din't like?

• Overtaking needs some planning since it's almost impossible to overtake in 4th or 5th gear (those are to cruze only). Sometimes even 3rd gear isn't sufficient.
• I mostly down shift to 2nd gear for overtaking since thats where torgue helps you..

Interiors
What i liked ?

• Beige interiors does help to make the cabin feel more airy and plush. It doesn't rival hondas or Hyundais or toyotas but does feel good enough for that price point.
• The panel gaps are visible but not as huge as some of the other products from Tata.
• No loose wires seen, good on that front.
• The Winshield is huge and external view is quite good.
• The height adjusting drive seat is a boon. I love it.
• Electrically adjustable ORVMs are just great. Mirrors are broad and covers a whole lot.
• Car had Parking sensor fitted to the Internal Rv Mirror, It just works great and a need for a car of this size.
• Glove box is quite deep.
• Undertray for passenger is a very thoughtful addition. I like it.
• Rear reading lights are quite bright and good.
• 2-Din with Bluetooth support is a charm. I have paired my phone and it works just great ! No more getting caught or driving dangerously with Phone in hand.
• The headlights can be adjusted but it doesn't impact much.
• Mileage of 14 in City (with 50% AC on) and over 19 on highways.

What I didn't like?

• This is perhaps what i hate the most - The stock music system is pathetic. Though the 2-Din is from Balupunkt, whats the use ? The speakers and tweeters are of Lowest possible grade. The stock speakers were imported from Malaysia but they dont' have any brand name. It looks like a galli made speaker with 20W output Anyways i got that changed to a good pair of Pioneer speakers/twitters with Sony Amp !! Got this done through reliance autozone and ICE sounds fantastic.
• USB and Aux slot - It's become a standard these days.
• AC takes few mins to chill the interiors. Rear passengers don't get enough with AC.
• The lumbar support is negligible.. I think it's just shown as a feature but doesn't help much.
• The cubby holes are useless.
• The rear arm rest feels weak and almost useless.
• The plastic holder surrounding the seatbelt is flimsy. I still haven't learnt of art of tucking it back. Pics will show that.

Exteriors:
What i Like ?
Paint Quality is amazing (marvelous). I remember reading few months back that the tata paint factory now serves Mercedes as well !! Not sure if it's true, but one look at Manza in "Gothic Olive" eludes Quality atleast in the paint job. Recently i got the 3M paint protection and the quality has improved even further with more gloss and shine.
Rest all normal.

What i didn't like ?
The quality of plastic used around the window and Windshield is of very poor quality. It's suppose to be black but within 3 wash, the plastic is showing signs of white shade in patches.... My Zen had better quality plastics i think. The pictures below will help understand my point.
The wipers are of low quality. I had to replace the left wiper during 1st service, and right wiper during 2nd service !! Grrrrr

Thats about my review on tata manza after searching for it for over 3 months and owning it for 7 months now... Posting the pictures below with the titles.

7 months Later - Still looking newly baked.





Huge Boot... Just what my family wanted. can stuff a whole lot.


Too bright here but thats to do with my CAM. Quite comfortable front seats. Do you see a lumbar control, it's of no use in real world.


this is where you get acres of space ingress/egress is not an issue any more.. Note: both front seats are pushed all the way back !!! can't believe, trust me.


cabin neatly laid out, doens't rival Hondas or Hyundais !!! 2 Din system works but the speakers were crap. Note the tiny teeny volume/music controls on the steering wheel. Steering wheel is quite big, turning is quite easy. Bluetooth works well. The large buttons on the dash is appreciable.


Panel gaps are noticable. Thats the seat belt holder, it keeps coming off everytime we use and it's so very irritating.




Glove box... capable of holding a lot and more.. even my lenovo t410 laptop fits in


USB and Aux in. works without any fuss


The DTE is not accurate, neither is outside temp. Anyways, it's there.


Clean and neat. OD0 is classic but the fonts are bit small. This car wont get to 180kmph i believe.


lot of storage and cubby holes that are actually usable.


6 months in; the art leather around gear lever is wearing off !!! Quality issues.


Height adjustable driver seats. Works well and very helpful.


Thats the rear view visibility..


Add on - Reverse indicator. Works quite well and very very useful.


I have tried being as unbiased as possible and perhaps help few who are wanting to buy a VFM sedan in this price range.

Overall, i would conclude this as pure Value for Money car.. Just the way Autocar India verdict for Manza says "We don't know of any other sedan offering so much value at this price point". QUITE TRUE

[Reinhard]

Hearty Congratulations on the Manza!! Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with her. Excellent colour & a nice review too.
As for the seat belt cover, why not drive to Concorde? A pal of mine had this issue in his now 3 year old Vista. They fixed it in 5 minutes. Probably replaced it simply. Good luck and keep the updates coming.

[aaren]

Hello Harish,

Congrats on your Manza which looks great in the Gothic Olive color. The review is detailed and gives lot of valuable inputs to would be buyers. Over the 6 -7 months that you have been using the vehicle, has the car been giving any niggles ? But I guess what is important is that it meets your requirements. Wishing you safe rides !!

[charthom]

@harishpr,

Congrats on the nice car.Thank you for the detailed review.

It is good to note that you painstakingly went though your selection process and came out with the most sensible buy. Also good to note that your review is very balanced evaluating the goods and bads with equal consideration.

You must have already taken the car to the dealer for 1st service.How did you find them? Any niggling issues in the 7 months?

You appear to be a very fast driver-120 km being your regular speed.Please drive safe.

Enjoy the ownership experience and keep posting the updates.

Rgds,charthom.

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Hearty Congratulations on the Manza!! Wishing you unlimited safe & happy miles with her. Excellent colour & a nice review too.
As for the seat belt cover, why not drive to Concorde? A pal of mine had this issue in his now 3 year old Vista. They fixed it in 5 minutes. Probably replaced it simply. Good luck and keep the updates coming.

I have visited Concorde thrice in the last 2 months; they fix it and within a day it falls apart !!! It's not broken, just that it keeps dislocating itself quite often !!!
They changed it during 1st service, no respite.

Originally Posted by charthom

@harishpr,

Congrats on the nice car.Thank you for the detailed review.

It is good to note that you painstakingly went though your selection process and came out with the most sensible buy. Also good to note that your review is very balanced evaluating the goods and bads with equal consideration.

You must have already taken the car to the dealer for 1st service.How did you find them? Any niggling issues in the 7 months?

You appear to be a very fast driver-120 km being your regular speed.Please drive safe.

Enjoy the ownership experience and keep posting the updates.

Rgds,charthom.

Not many issues discovered so far, except for the plastics around seatbelt that i have been trying to get fixed.

120Kmph is not my regular speed, but i do like to cruise at around 120 on a good NH. Car feels quite stable there.

[bluevolt]

Congratulations Harish on your Brand new Tata Manza. I also got my ANHC during Diwali days. I requested Honda people to deliver the car to me on Diwali day but they told me to take delivery early as on Diwali day there is rush and things may go unpleasant. I took delivery of my ANHC on 28 Oct. i.e. a week before Diwali.

The car looks cool in this shade. I hope you will get a pleasant experience every time you visit TATA SVCs. Do keep the thread updated with service updates and pictures.

Wishing you happy and safe driving.

[sachinj12]

Belated wishes on your new car.

Wishing you many more miles with her!

Thanks for sharing.

[amitwlele]

Congrats Harish. Gothic Olive looks awesome.

Sad to read that the delivery experience is not always good irrespective of the city or the dealer. I also had a not so good experience in Pune with Pandit Auto.

[ajay387]

Originally Posted by harishpr

..........................
Add on - Reverse indicator. Works quite well and very very useful.
.........................................

Congras on your buy !

Can you please provide the details such as no. of sensors (front and back), price including install ?

[Fordmanchau]

Congratulations Harish for the New Manza.
For sure nobody can beat Tata's in the VFM Quotient. IMO not even Maruti comes close to it .
The space inside the Tata car's have been their best USP coupled with the lower price then their competitors. With the same Engine in both the Manza and Linea, see how well priced the Manza is and it's appeal for people looking for great value for their money.
But have to add, that Linea is a different class altogether. I think Manza competes well with the Dzire and looks a lot better too.

^^@ajay: the reverse sensor were probably prefitted in the car. What I inferred from Harish's post is that the reverse sensor is a standard fitment on the car. He didn't do it outside.

[Sridhar K]

@Harish. Welcome to the Manza Gothic Olive QJD club. I picked up Gothic Olive because my wife wanted it but I have fallen in love with it. It is a pity that they have replaced it with Sienna Gold.

I too have the same problem with the seat belt holder plastic. Finally got it resolved at Jewajee car accessories while installing ICE. They replaced the clips that holds the panel to the b-piller.

[harishpr]

Originally Posted by ajay387

Congras on your buy !

Can you please provide the details such as no. of sensors (front and back), price including install ?

the reverse sensors are for rear only. It comes with 4 sensors, good enough to cover all corners at the back... The package is of good quality and works mostly with Display on Mirror coupled with beeps. As you get closer to an object, the beep volume escalates before making a STOP signal at .3meters away.
This didn't come with car, ordered it separate with Tata. Got the fitting before delivery.

Car is through with the first 2 services. The service experience has been good so far.
We need to take prior appointment from Concorde and they give you the available slot. No Fuss, the costs are bare minimum.
1st service was within a month and i don't think they do anything beyond Wash and general checks.
During 2nd service, opted for 3M Paint protection and that costed me around 2900 + taxes, along with 2 free reapplication coupons during the 3rd and 5th service.

Thanks all for encouraging words... I need some advice from you all on the following:-

1. The current headlight is insufficient during nights and esp travelling on rural roads. The fog lights are useless since it doesn't add any visibility. What i can upgrade to on both the Headlamps and Fodlights ? I have heard abt Osram nightbreakers and Philips XV but both are equally appreciated and bashed on this forum.. Need some suggestion here.

2. The earlier version of Top-End Manza never came with Alloys. I didn't plan to upgrade then since I somehow couldn't see alloys going well on Manza, it kinda looks out of place and too small. Any advice here ?

3. Im planning to change the stock horn to Octavia horns.

4. Are additional add-ons like Underbody coating or Engine waxing really help Or is that just another way of making money from car lovers ? My earlier vehicle Zen that ran for about 130000 over 7 years never had any of these done and was still in good shape.. Im confused, kindly advice.

5. The oil is not changed. I was told that synthetic oils from Mobile1 is good for 20000KMS from Service manager at tata!!! Im not comfortable with running 20K on the same oil, planning to change oil at 10K. Do you think this is right way to go OR wait till 20K ?

[harishpr]

Friends,

here is the link to my original initial ownership review of Tata manza Aura+ http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ms-report.html

Need some help since im through with 2 services and planning for following minor upgrades, still would need your advice since Im naive when it comes to mechanical/technical stuff . All i know is to drive and I enjoy my driving

1. The current headlight is insufficient during nights and esp travelling on rural roads and highway runs. The fog lights are useless since it doesn't add any visibility. I have heard abt Osram nightbreakers and Philips XV but both are equally appreciated and bashed on this forum.. I want to upgrade both the headlamps and Fog lights.. Need some suggestion here.

2. The earlier version of Top-End Manza never came with Alloys. I didn't plan to upgrade then since I somehow couldn't see alloys going well on Manza, it kinda looks out of place and too small as you see in the following pic, the alloys supplied by tata for Manza doesn't really add to it's character. Im looking for something that would make the car look meaty and thereby make it look less disproportional. Any advice here on which alloy would suit better for a car of size manza ?


3. Im planning to change the stock horn to Octavia horns. I always wanted one.

4. Are additional add-ons like Underbody coating or Engine waxing really help Or is that just another way of making money from car lovers ? My earlier vehicle Zen that ran for about 130000 over 7 years never had any of these done and was still in good shape.. Im confused, kindly advice.

5. The oil is not changed. I was told that synthetic oils from Mobile1 is good for 20000KMS from Service manager at tata!!! Im not comfortable with running 20K on the same oil, planning to change oil at 10K. Do you think this is right way to go OR wait till 20K ?


Thanks in advance...

[Cyrus43]

Will answer your query's stepwise:

1. 140/110 GE with a Roots Relay kit. The ULTIMATE in headlights. you can forget xenons and Projectors, the above is the way to go.

2. You cant really upgrade much on a Manza as there are known clearance issues. But I think the Linea's OE wheel and Tyre should be a match. Do check for PCD though. I think it is different. 195/60 R15 is what I believe you run with currently isnt it? That is good enough IMHO.

3. A simple two min job from any electrician.

4. One word answer: NO!

5. One should ideally change oil at manufacturer specified intervals, however, 10K is good enough for an oil change. Please stick to specs that match the engine's OEM spec for oil though. So in short, you can go in for an oil change at 10k

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by harishpr

2. The earlier version of Top-End Manza never came with Alloys. I didn't plan to upgrade then since I somehow couldn't see alloys going well on Manza, it kinda looks out of place and too small as you see in the following pic, the alloys supplied by tata for Manza doesn't really add to it's character. Im looking for something that would make the car look meaty and thereby make it look less disproportional. Any advice here on which alloy would suit better for a car of size manza
I feel Alloys are just a cosmetic look change, better use the money to upgrade the HU which I feel is very basic.

3. Im planning to change the stock horn to Octavia horns. I always wanted one. Are the Stock horns in Manza that bad, I never felt so.

4. Are additional add-ons like Underbody coating or Engine waxing really help Or is that just another way of making money from car lovers ? My earlier vehicle Zen that ran for about 130000 over 7 years never had any of these done and was still in good shape.. Im confused, kindly advice.
Underbody anti rust coating is a definite yes, teflon coating can be omitted.

5. The oil is not changed. I was told that synthetic oils from Mobile1 is good for 20000KMS from Service manager at tata!!! Im not comfortable with running 20K on the same oil, planning to change oil at 10K. Do you think this is right way to go OR wait till 20K ?
Does Tata suggest that you use the synthetic oil, there is a thread somewhere which talks of the actul advantages/disadvantages of the synthetic oil usage. Search the thread and you will get your answer.


Thanks in advance...

My suggestions in bold.