Tata Manza [2011-2015] User Reviews

Firstly, this review was not written by me. I found this review on www.teambhp.com. Credit to the original author.

Don't discount this Tata product. Think about it, at Rs 4.8 lakh, ex-showroom Delhi, you don't get any better space than this. And come to think of it, the competition looks overpriced. Consider this, the base version of both the petrol and diesel come with a 2-Din stereo with all the necessary aux-in(s), power windows, steering, central locking and decently finished interior trim. Besides, Tata isn't even shoving the regular Indigo down your throat anymore - so what if you have to live with the CS, Marina and XL!

Everything on the inside feels a generation up and is better built. There's acres of space, the dashboard has a nice soft-touch material and the Blue5 system works very well. The 5 in Blue5 means it can pair up to 5 phones at a time. Of course it will only engage one at a time, so don't get other ideas. Sound quality from the system is what one has come to expect from OE systems these days with sorted out treble and half decent bass. Our friends in the ICE section will be better able to dissect the system for us.

What matters most in a Tata car is the seating and seating comfort. On that front, the Tata continues the tradition well. You get lumbar support of some sort for the driver's seat that doesn't really aid much, but the seats are comfortable and large. The rear seat exceptionally so with its deep recesses for the seat squab and a comfortable position to place your feet on, unlike the predecessor where the front seat's rails would impinge on space.

Now, I can give you a good lowdown on the diesel, since I never got the opportunity to tell you about the petrol. The diesel is the same unit as on the Linea. There are marginal changes to the ECU programming and gear ratios, but the rest stays the same.

So to the most delicious part - it drives well. There's turbo lag, or at least my test car was afflicted with it. At 50 kmph, I shifted into 5th, the needle just ticking over at 1100 rpm. So I stepped on it, and for the next 20 seconds there was.... er, nothing! In the meanwhile, India could have engaged with a war with one of its neighbours, have planned out another green revolution, asked for three more commissions to be setup - and then I was sitting at 1800 rpm, the turbo boost kicked in and everything was as it should have been.

A small hiccup then. So why do I still insist on being a decent driving car? Well, if you know your Lineas, you know that the Multijet with VGT delivers most of its power at the upper reaches and when it does, there's no looking back. I saw a genuine 170 kmph (and am not talking odo here!) and it didn't feel strained at all. When was the last time you saw 170 on a Tata, folks? The metres are pretty accurate too, with the needle hovering at 175 kmph or so. Pretty impressive.

While the engine does lack low down grunt, correct use of gears prevents a repeat of what happens at 50. But the reason why I did that test was because most Indians go into top gear by 50-55kmph and even if they overtake, say a slow moving truck, they won't bother downshifting. Which is why, the nicely spaced ratios do the trick and one must learn how to use it to prevent yawn inducing moments.

Meanwhile, the steering is large and uses good quality materials, but is vague at some speeds and completely devoid of feel at others. Tata Motors insists they've tried their best, but I think they need someone who can tell them what a 'feelsome' steering is about. The gears engage quite well, and notchiness is on a lower scale than before.

Ride is extremely well settled at all speeds, while handling is more dependent on the good tyres rather than steering feel. Body control is pretty good for a car that weighs nearly 1200 kilos and has a tall and wide stance. And yes, these are the best brakes you will find on a Tata, with the Aura+ that I tested braking without a fuss. The ABS never felt intrusive or had a staccato feel to it.

I wish I could tell you more, but since the drive was kept to a fixed loop with limited kilometres to drive, so there are things that are better left for a much longer drive.

But for now, all I can tell you is, if you want something spacious, with lots of kit and features and at a price that doesn't shake you off your chair, then the Indigo Manza is the car for you. Add a more reliable diesel engine and decent fuel efficiency, impeccable ride and good braking ability to the equation and it seals the deal. For under Rs 7 lakh, this car is great value and makes the Linea feel a bit overpriced in the bargain. Tata really have yet another winner on their hands, which they promise to not sully by launching a Manza CS or XL. A Manza Marina perhaps, can't be ruled out.

Segment leading room, a proven fuel efficient engine and a much improved product (in terms of qualitToo early to tell

Interiors of Tata Manza Interiors Are where the Manza scores highly. The cabin feels airy and there is a sense of space. In fact, interior space is probably best among the sedans. The large windscreen is best. The A pillar is small and does not restrict much vision.

Space – ‘Unbelievable’

There is only one word for the amount of room at the rear 'Unbelievable'. The wheelbase is now 50mm longer and the space is visually evident. Even with the front seat in their fully back position, the rear seat passenger’s legs don't touch the front seat. The angle of the seats is also perfect and makes them the best place in the car to be in. The rear can easily accommodate 3 passengers comfortably and the rear armrest with built in glass holders gives the car an expensive look. The Boot is massive 460 litres.

Seating

The front seats are pretty firm, and they are quite large and there is plenty of space for the elbows on both sides. Driver seat has height adjust too. Lumbar support has two stages, in and out. With the Manza, Tata has also shown that safety is on their minds. The Manza is equipped with ABS, Dual Front Air-bags, and Collapsible Steering Column etc. The front Passenger airbag can also be turned off if it’s not required.

Plastics and Storage

Plastics used are of high quality and totally the opposite of what you would expect from a Tata product. The feel of the Dashboard is awesome and I particularly like textured feel and the slightly Grey colour near the windscreen which does well to block the sun’s reflection off it into the driver’s eyes (apart from the Front Defogger Vents which are clearly visible). The two tone fabrics, which are available across all variants, also look and feel very good. Storage space is pretty good. The door pockets each were able to hold two 500ml aerated water bottles. Seat pockets also are just adequate enough to hold a few magazines. However the Glove Box is very spacious. It could easily hold my laptop. Tata has put some very nice thought into it. The glove box is lit (though not cooled like in the Fabia) and has a slot where you can keep your pen and visiting cards. There is also a Sliding tray under the Front Passengers seat. The gear knob is wrapped in quality leather and feels good to hold and use.

Ride & Performance:

The Quadrajet Engine (Diesel) / Safire (Petrol)

The diesel engine on the Manza is the same that we have seen on many cars in India. It must be noted that though the same powertrain is used on many cars, each manufacturer has the engine in a different state of tune and refinement. The 1.3 Quadrajet on the Manza produces 90PS@4000RPM. Torque is rated at 200NM @ 1750-3000RPM. Even though the Manza is on the heavier side at 1210kgs, its power to weight ratio at 74.3PS/ton is much higher than the competition. The engine is pretty and feels highly refined too. Above 1800RPM it feels like a little rocket. Hit the throttle a little and it zooms past the vehicle in front. Climbing up the Ghats was a breeze and we did it in such quick time that we didn't realize the climb section was already over.

The 1.4 Safire petrol units produce 90PS@6000RPM and have Torque figures of 116NM@ 4750RPM. It has a 'Continuous Variable Cam Phaser' as Tata calls it along with an intelligent port resizing which translates into better power delivery and higher fuel efficiency. The engine is quiet, pretty Rev Happy and has a very linear acceleration curve. I felt the steering to be pretty precise and the car went wherever I wanted it to.

cont......

Fuel Efficiency, Engine, Features, Price, Space, Looks (based on evryone's taste), ride quality.Platic quality of the Interior Handles and the Glove box knob.

I had a Ford Ikon 1.3 clxi earlier; I sold it out recently for very high maintenance cost. Now I am researching the market for a new sedan and found that the new Manza is an amazing entry in the market.  I had a test drive of Aura ABS Safire and my experience is really satisfying.

 At first I should say that the looks are much refined from Vista or any other TATA car, especially the front is not alike Vista and its not a Vista with a boot. The interior is very spacious and well designed. Loaded with lots of features (u can see the website so I am not describing), which are not available in this segment.

The engine (Safire 90 from FIAT) is totally silent at static condition and I had mistaken it as ‘off’ while the engine was ‘on’. The power and pick up are too good to zoom over 100 kmph, even in a short stretch of road. The roaring sound is little higher in high rpm. The gear changes smoothly and even in low speed as 20 kmph, the car picks up smoothly in 4^th gear, so the city drive will be hassle free. The handling and stability is too good, I took a U turn at almost 80 kmph with the EBD and ABS worked just fine and the car did not have any skidding sound. The high speed stability is better than any other car in its segment. The suspensions are also good enough to make you forget the bad roads. AC is pretty strong and music system is also quite hi-fi.

I drove my earlier Ford Ikon for many thousands of miles and also drove a Nissan Almera in the UK and a Toyota Corrola in the US, with this experience, I can conclude that this car is going to win a big market for TATA if it can perform well for years. It is now to be tested by time only.

The only bad thing I noticed that the plastics and fabrics used are not as good as the similar sedans of Maruti Suzuki, Ford  or Hyundai. You may have to choose some good leather seat covers to match the class ;-).

Excellent design of both exterior and interior, well built, loads of features and damn good pricingPlastic and fabric quality is not so good.

I was planning for my first car since November '09 and almost booked Hyundai i20. I was convinced with the styling, looks, power of i20. But as soon as I sat on the rear seat of i20 that slight doubt creeped in (Me being a 6 footer). The roof was almost touching my head on bumps and gave me uncomfortable feeling. So we went to a multi-car showroom to just check out some other options but still i20 always had that soft corner (As I would be the one driving it all the time, so no worries - Right ??).

Thats when I saw Manza for the first time (Real bad ground work by me - Before buying my first car). Stepped in with preconcived notions of a Tata product and was slapped by the excellent work done by Tata people. Front row was OK to sit, dash was looking cool. But when I switched to the Rear row "Absolute Jaw dropper" Huge space, leg room in thr and absolutely comfortable seats and with the armrest it is nothing less than a luxury sedan (It was 10 lacs plus written all arround). But when I got out of the car I was still in two minds. Then we checked it out from outside and the Boot was huge (2 adults can fit in easily :P).

However this time I told to myself, that let do the ground work and check out other options if any and then freeze it. Checked out Linea's, Swift Dzire's, Ford Fiesta's, Punto's, Swift's, Aveo's but none could match the rear seat leg room, head room, space & comfort. Logan was never in my option list. Next on the cards was to check the reviews and talk to few owners for the user comments. Test drive was done for more than twice on both Petrol and Diesel. Petrol was my initial option in all cars but this Fiat engine is too good for Diesel (I was not sure about the Saffire engine). Power was good and handling was decent enough. If driven properly you will never feel the lag (Just need to switch the gears properly). I personally found Diesel more peppier and powerful while driving it.

We booked Tata manza on Dec15th (with a clause of 2010 manufactured model) at Krishna motors. And Booking it at Krishna motors was the biggest mistake ( Though 10000 Rs was the booking amount). We booked it at Krishna motors as he promised discounts of 15000 Rs. But then realized that recognized banks deny loans to Krishna motors in particular. Krishna motors asked me to tell the banker that the car is booked at WASAN motors which was an authorized dealer (where Krishna motors booked car on my behalf). I was reluctant to do so and lie the bankers and get in trouble. So I investigated about Krishan motors and found that they do some sort of unethical operations while registeration and Insurance. So I cancelled the booking from him. PEOPLE PLEASE THINK TWICE BEFORE BUYING A CAR FROM KRISHNA MOTORS MUMBAI. I lost arround a week in sorting out this issue.

Finally I got my Tata Manza Quadrajet Aura ABS  booked at Wasan Motors on 19th Jan 2010 and got the delivery on 4th Feb (since the satin gold color was out of stck for almost a week in specified model).The agent from Wasan motors were very responsible and supportive. The car was deliverd as promised with films, mud flaps, matting, anti rust, car perfume & car cover.

It is more than a week old now and going well. I have complete almost 700 Kms on it. Mind you this is my first car, I still manage to extract good 16 - 17 KMPL (mix of 70% highway and rest city with 100 % AC on). Not touched 5th gear yet, and max speed of 80 KMPH (That is comfortable for me).This was when I took it to my office thrice last week. And Considering the fact of being a new driver "Manza Rocks". You drive within 1700 - 2200 rpm and it bring a smile on your face when you look at the DIS ( Instantaneous FE is always hovering over 20 KMPL and goes upto 25 KMPL). We drive it a lot in city and it still gives a healty 13 KMPL in City traffics of Mumbai (signal to signal and bumper to bumper). The tank full method has confirmed it by showing 14.5 KMPL. Doesnt that brings a big smile on your face ( A new car, new driver, and good 14.5 KMPL overall in Mumbai).

This car has got very good features like Bluetooth integration with the music system is one of them, light dimming effect, speed controlled wiper (yet use them), ABS gives you authourity to rush it and yet be in complete control. Seat belt alarm keeps a check on you and save some extra bucks from going into the traffic controllers pocket. Auto lock and Auto unlock, height adjustable driver seat(which I dont require much) Armrest and cupholders on it look good and gives luxury car feeling to it.

Fit and finish is decent enough but can be improved a bit to match and compliment the features that this car brings to you. I see no problems with fit and finish till now. All said, If the fit and finish is futher improved then this car will become straight rivals of all 10 lacs plus cars (Luxury sedans).

All in all, Its a very balanced car with loads of space inside, loads of features, decent styling, excellent engine to power the beast, big boot, high stance. Happy with the overall performance of the car that gives you feeling and comfort of luxury sedan and FE of good Hatchback.

Guys drive safe

 

Good FE, Good features, Good comfort, Huge space, Excellent engineFit and finish to some extent and good speakers if you are a music freak

The initial assessment of Manza when launched was based on the looks and the specs sheet at the brochure. I had to wait for a while before I could take a test ride of the car, but each time I approached the dealership I could see people packing off with the car without needing a test drive. To me it seemed that customers are increasing putting their trust on the TATA brand. A question I put on hold is if it is pragmatic.

While I waited for the opportunity for the test drive I had a chance to take my existing drive for a service at Maruti and take the chance on test driving a ‘new – improved – SX4’. I had the opportunity to test drive the top end Manza – Aura Quadrajet last week and below is a small assessment of the car. I was given the car on a relatively less congested highway and as I switches seats with the driver I tried to hear the engine noise from near the driver’s door and also close to the bonnet. The engine is relatively silent and bonnet doesn’t vibrate much as one touches it.

The visibility from the driver’s seat is good and there are utilities like the fuel consumption indication and distance to fill (fuel) is of good help and doesn’t need to be toggled around from the drive console like in Linea. The plastic in the front is not as good as the SX4 but good enough and an improvement over the Indigo. Utilities like electronic mirror adjustment is good, the stereo sounds well but the steering mounted controls will need to practice to master. The car moves well in low gear, even at low rpm the engine responds well. Keeping the rpm at 1100 I moved towards 50 Kmph I did not feel any lag or sluggishness. On contrary I felt the car was quite spirited compared to the competition. The accelerator was feather light and to me it’s a great boon for the long drive. The steering responds well and is light. The gear shift is very precise but hard to move sideways. Now once on a bit of an open patch I decided to put the pedal to the floor and as the engine revved above 4000 I could hear a grunt that is very similar to the one I had heard from Linea. The speed climbed to 100 kmph quite easily but less elegantly than Linea. The car would surely pick more speeds but  I could not check that. I compared the quality of drive and surely put it ahead of my experience with SX4 which tells you the weight it carries as it drives and with respect to Dzire, Manza surely is way ahead in terms of space, power and drive quality. The point it gets beaten is the fit and the finish of the car interiors, to my opinion there is scope of improvement in terms of quality of plastic and the finish. This includes the finish of the fitted stereo system which looks and feels like ‘China company ka maal’.

Glances at the fuel meter indicated the engine was doing well (4L/100 KM) when eased at 5th gear. This certainly would need more road experience to verify. The air con was excellent as it cooled the cabin in a breeze. The rear seat has a lot of space and the knees don’t need to touch the front row, this would make the long drives easy to traverse. 3 persons can seat in the rear seat without a fuss.  It was a wonderful drive on a wonderful car. Tata is surely moving towards the global arena.

Engine power, fuel economy, space, drive quality, costFit and finish can be improved

Let me start with whats not good in the car.
The only thing which could have been better is the Plastic quality used( eg places like door handle, instrument control like the headlight/wiper, glove box locking). Its good enough. You'll notice it only if u meticulously look at it.

Now comes the good part of it.
Everything about this car is gr8.


The price is unbeatable no competition at all.
Only car clsoe to this is DZire, but Dzire loses out on space( by a large margin) and DZire is easily the ugliest car on road( no offence to DZIre owners).

Space is unmatched. No car comes even remotely close to the space it offers. Legroom, headroom, bootspace( 490ltrs) is too good. even with the front seat fully pushed back. the rear seat has so much leg room. Logan is kinda spacious too. But its got the taxi image and never looks lik a car any1 would want to buy.

Features are too good for the price. check out the official link here for features http://www.cars.tatamotors.com/IndigoManza/Spec_Int.html . It has steering controlled volume. can also connect ur phone via bluetooth and can make calls, and receive calls. comes with a pretty decent music system. has numpad also to dial numbers. has a display to show how many litres of fuel is left. also shows how many kms u can travel with the fuel left.

Coming to the heart of the car. i.e.
The Engine. It comes in 2 variants. the world renowned Safire and quadrajet engines. Both these engines and gearboxes are from fiat. ( in swift diesel the gear box is from maruti, only engine is from fiat ).  check out this link for tech specs. http://www.cars.tatamotors.com/IndigoManza/Tech_Specs.html
I test drove both the petrol and diesel. the petrol is decent enough not as peppy as my 15 year old esteem though. but the diesel is just too awesome. once the turbo kicks in @ 1800rpm. It feels lik u got NOS on ur car. pulls u like mad. 200 Nm of torque. amazing. never felt lik drivin a petrol again. and also the engine(&gearbox) is designed so well that even at very low rpms the car never jerks. this is sth very very much needed in traffic( i live in Bangalore). at speeds of around 15kmph in 4th gear, ther were no jerks. Wonder how Fiat managed to do this. Hats off to them. and hats off to TATA for using this engine.

Looks.
I loved it. It looks like a BIG car, which it ofcourse is. its anyday better than logan and DZire( seriously what was maruti thinkin when they approved the design of DZire??). Agreed that city and civic and cruze look stylish. This one is stylish and classy too in its own terms. ages ahead wrt DZire and logan.
When u look at the car from inside its looks very posh with the dual tone interiors. It looks lik you are in a 14lac car.

Ride quality.
The suspension was dam smooth when i test drove it. it feel lik u are just flying in air. way way better than the comfort offerred by my esteem. the view for the driver is gr8. no black spots or claustrophobic( like in the swift). The bonnet of the car is small enough[remember this is an extention over Indica vista]. WAsnt able to drive it on a highway, but when i drove in the city the car felt very stable and dint experice any understeer or anything.

BE Indian BUY Indian.
I'm finally so happy. A fully Indian  company has launched a superb car thats gonna thrash the competition from all sides.

Service network. Its a TATA car. so u'll find ur nearest service station no matter wher you are in the country. Some people say aftersales service is not good. I have no idea about it and will not comment without any knowledge.

Coming to Fuel Efficieny.
Not many cars are on road, and no feed back is available yet. but since the saem diesel engine is used in swift/manza/punto/linea. the figures are close enough to compare. The diesel is expected to give around 16 and petrol to give around 12 in city with AC. When i was test driving diesel ( very rashly, that how i drive) i asked the showroom guy.. "This is how i drive.. how much mileage will i get?? he said the worst mileage diesel can come down to is 14. This is purely based on wjhat the showroom guy has told. I havent tested anything. The showroom guy also told that in diesel if u dont go above 2000RPM( i.e. if u dont use the turbo).. u can get mileage of 17 in city.

Seriously speaking. This is the best car launched in a long long time. If i were given this car and told to improve it. I wouldnt know what to do. May be i would ahve made the plastic wuality used better. Dont go by this, or dont rule out the car coz of this. See for urself once.. it may not appear bad to u at all.

In many reviews you'll find that the plastic quality used is not the best.. My explanation for that is people have to fill something for the cons section and thats the only thing they can point at, coz everything else is so awesome. It doesnt mean worst quality plastic is used. It's just not as impressive as everythin else in the car.
FuelEfficiency,Engine,Features,Price,Space,Looks,Indian,ServiceNetwork,ride quality.Plastic Quality Not The Best, tagged with name Indigo

I am a proud owner of this car. It gives me more pride when people aroud looks at it when its passes by. I took Wine Red colour and its so Sexy that people falls in love with it.  Even one of my neighour regret for not waiting one month and took Swift Dzire. After thoughly seeing my car, he was looked like a looser. Hats off to TATA. 

Exterior

Very Good looks. Look like Ford fieasa/ Sx4. People are looking at car with surprise when it passes by. 

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

G8 Space, G8 features. You name it and it is there. All sorts of saftey warning and alarm, Bluetooth, Music system with CD, Control on steering wheel.  

Only bad thing I found is the hardness of seats. otherwise its a great car with just through away price.

IF Tata can improve their dealers and service stations in the same way they did in this car, I can challance No one can beat TATA. Gone are the day when Tata was synonomus to rattling, noice and other issues.

Just grab it guyes.  or you will be looser.

G8VFM, G8 look, style and SpaceHard Seats

Hello - This is Vasudevan murthy @ Bengaluru,

Iam a proud owner of Manza-Aura petrol version since last 9 days, The expectations are met in terms of satisfaction wrt drive comfort-features-and my Home minister ( wife! ) feels she is travelling in a volvo bus !

the fuel economy - presently11.9 -  12 kmpl is observed in Bengaluru traffic ! should improove after the first & second service.

Thanks - TATA for an excellent car with best pricing - good competetion rather, fight with similar sedan versions !

I shall keep posting my observations on regular basis

Thanks

Vasudevan murthy @ Bengaluru

FIAT 's 1.3 MJD powered Cars are ruling Indian roads. This Beast looks tiny only on Papers. On roads, its Big Big Performers.

MARUTI has made major in roads with SWIFT, D'Zire and RITZ mainly due to this Diesil Engine. Although Maruti Cars give slightly better mileage , due to lighter weight. But they have short service intervals (about 7500-8000 KM), frequent service is time wasting & costly affair.

Buyers should look at the originators of this STORM, as better VFM.

TATA-FIAT.

On Safety front, besides, tougher cars, Tata-FIAT are giving "Standard Dual Headlamps & Rear Fog Lamps" at no extra price, which are not even optional in some other Auto makers.

LINEA-Among the Most Beautiful car on Indian roads. In Comfort, Safety, Features, Mileage etc. LINEA performs much better than cars with 40%-50% higher price, All Civis, Corollas, Octavias etc. are only higher, more in price and marginally high engine C.C. Else LINEA much better package. Now LINEA Comes with Jet Turbo 120 BHP Petrol and 120 BHP+ Diesel, watch out at Auto Expo Jan 2010

PALIO- Got forgotten mainly due to Premier Auto started FIAT's problems. By the time TATA & FIAT came together, it was too late. Although the oldest among all 1.3 MJD Cars, still among the most attractive car.

PUNTO-Its LINEA without a boot. Among Premium hatchs, its much better package than i20, Fabias to upcoming Figo etc. Its tuff heavy body makes you feel safe as if, sitting in a tank not a hatch.

VISTA-Its the Best overall package that one can get in and around Rs.4-4.5 Lakhs range. Comfort, Space, Safety, it can be called Tata Version of Punto or lil sis of PUNTO.

MANZA-Steller from Tata. It can surely do in saloons, what Vista did in hatch. Teach a lesson to Japanese & Korean Car makers,who are just over charing the Buyers. In comfort, features etc. Manza is lil sis of LINEA.

Its time, Indian buyers should look at Indian makers like Tata-FIAT more seriousely. Tata-FIAT cars have long service intervals, 15000 KM for FIAT Cars & 12000 for Tata Cars, an added benefit. Where you can lose on mileage to tiny Marutis, you can more than make up with long service intervals.

SAFFIRE Engines from Tata-FIAT are equally performers. 1.3 MJD is so nice, that Tata-FIAT buyers do not look beyond it. 1.4 Saffire is also way ahead of peers in Petrol versions of D'Zire, SWIFT, Accent, Verna, Fiesta, Logan etc.

Happy Responsible and VALUE-FOR-MONEY Motoring. Cheers!!

Saurabh KG@ 9211668878

Tata Network, FIAT PowerBuyers should look Indian Automakers more Seriousely