VERY SEXY CAR...

OK guys, here's what you have been waiting for- a full detailed initial review of the indica vista quadrajet aura, priced at Rs. 4.88 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi. (sincere thanks to Him motors, east Delhi for providing me with a demo car to test drive it)

what you get over swift vdi for Rs. 80, 000 approx less:

rear defogger/wash wipe
integrated 2 din stereo with 6 speakers, USB port and remote
huge length, width, wheelbase
parcel tray
driver seat height adjuster
tilt steering
5-speed variable intermittent front wiper
beige interiors etc..

what you don't
ABS

but the big question is, still you want that swift? (PS, swift diesel owners, do not take this personally, these are just my view points and opinions may differ from person to person.)

looks and styling:

subjective, pretty big and that front end is simply imposing in flesh. you have to see it to believe it. erest, all indica trademarks like bison tail lights and similar evolutionary look remain. this car simply deserves 15 inchers to look aggressive.

fit and finish:

quantam leap. considering the standards of tata motors, they have shown a huge improvement in this. barring a very few miniscule shoddy plastics around the steering wheel, the fit and finish was even better than safari VX and indigo XL. All panel gaps were, thankfully even.

interior:

simply huge. more width than a getz from inside. highly comfortable front seats with dual adjustable head restraints ront and adjustable head restraints from rear with 60/40 split rear seat.

boot space:

disappointing. was expecting more bu just only marginally btter than old indica

head, legroom and shoulder room:

NO OTHER CAR i this price tag can fit 5 FAT adults comfortable as this new vista, not even getz and palio and u-va, leave alone swift which feels terribly cramped.

seat comfort:

lumber support for BOTH DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER makes it extremely comfortable and no other small car provides this feature.

a combination of heigh adjustible steering wheel and hiegt adjustment for driver's seat makes it perfect to find the driving position.

rear seats offer the best-in class comfort, even better than the getz and u-va.

stereo:

system looks great, can play mp3/wma/cd/pen drive but sound is not. speaker change recommended.

engine, at idle:

almost zero vibration through the gearbox. LESS NOISE inside than wift, leave alone the palio mjd which is noisier.

initial pick-up:

DARE i say, this car is amazing.IT HAS LIGHTER PEDALS THAN EVEN MY SANTRO!! I can't believe that i was driving a TATA INDICA!

just leave the clutch pedal lightly and that high torque at lower rpm than the swift and palio-simply works. no turbo lag, you never know when the car reaches 3-digit speeds with ease.

mid-and top range:

i drove this car in busy treets and highway-24 also.

pull at 3rd gear is simply great. unlike at other diesel cars, you simply don't need to downshift. at highway, cross 2000 rpm and the car goes like a missile. I EEL it may b faster than the swift diesel. but only when magazines conduct a road test we will come to know about the real figures.

gearbox:

hughly improved and simply smooth shifting 5 M/T with dual synchronizers.
almost butter smooth but can be better.

brakes:

did some hard braking. brakes are pretty powerful and that big ventilated disks do a great job of stopping the car. however, whels tend to lock pretty easily. fora car with such power, ABS IS A MUST.

steering, chassis, ride and handling:

great communicative steering combined with semi-indepedent twist-beam rear setup (similar to the ikon) actually helps in providing better dynamics than the outgoing indica, a quantum-leap improvement.rie over ruogh roads was simply amazing, with no one getting thrown around like in th swift.
suspension was robust enough to withstand potholed roads in patparganj induatrial area.

squeaks and rattles in demo car:
none. the build quality was consistent and vastly improved over the V2.

some negatives:
paint finish on the OSRVM was not as glossy as that of the body.

inconsistent quality of rubber beading around the windows and turn indicator lights.

rear-end styling not to my taste as it looked like a marina.