Sep 21, 2008 11:00 PM
14328 Views
(Updated Jun 13, 2011 06:16 PM)
Updating the review after 43000 kms . Maintenance issues :-
Changed all four tyres. Wheel alignment needs to be done every 5000kms for better life of tyres. No maintenance cost as such other than the regular servicing.
Mileage has dropped a little 16 kppl with AC in city and 18 KMpl on highways with AC . Add 2 kmpl without AC. There is a eletrical problem which no one is able to resolve .
Negetative :- Wiring not done properly. I own a Indica Turbo DLG TC and writing this review for buyers. Took time till I have done some driving before writing this review to get an understanding this car. I bought this car in the month of March 2008 and have drove more than 10000 km.
I went through many reviews in MouthShut_Official to get users feed back. The 'Good' and 'Bad' perception of a vehicle is solely how you look at the car and map it to your needs. This car is not a very good city car for driving bumper to bumper traffic but a dream on highways and long drives.
I will limit my scope to Space , Comfort , Driving Ease , Safety , Speed and reliability , Fuel efficiency and why I chose this car. SPACE INSIDE :-Indica V2 DLG / DLX /Dicor:-
The Indica series of vehicle has maximum space in its segment. You cannot compare any car less than 4.5 Lakh with such inside space . Enough legroom for a 6 footer to drive and sitting posture is good to stretch your legs for long drives .
COMFORT:-V2 DLG Dicor .
Negatives: - The seats provided by Tata are hard and not comfortable. You can feel the steel under your butt if you do not get a seat cover done with proper cushioning. A feedback to Tatas is to improve their car's seat quality. The interior quality needs to be addressed too.
AC is good. I will rate it 3.5 out of 5. With 5 adults at 35 degrees outside temperature you need to blast AC in full to keep the inside temperature comfortable. (This is for default factory fitted sunflims with acceptable RTO norms). You may have a cooler car by violating the RTO norms.
Fuel Consumption: -
In City with AC and heavy traffic - 16 KPl . Without AC in City - 17 Kpl.
with AC on highways with speed less tha 110 km/hr, 20 kmpl, for speed between 100-140 km/hr - it gives 18 kmpl.
Without AC increase 2 km/Pl for the above.
Safety:-
Extremely safe car. Rock solid suspension. Excellent for rough roads. It seems Tata has used the shockers of its pickup trucks for front suspension. (I don't know if this is true but when saw the shockers of Indica and compared with Santro , Wagoner , Alto it seems the shockers did not fall in car segment type). Excellent balance at turns at high speed.Best driving speed is 110-120 km/hr.
Engine: -
If you start this 1405 cc early morning your will say “Oh what did I buy ? A car or a truck? ". But as the engine warms up and the oil rises in the chambekar_ashishr the eventually becomes silent and smooth. It’s recommended to drive the car at less than 1800 rmp for the first 7-10 km before bringing up the rev more than 2500.
Power to weight ratio: -
Good power to weight ratio but less than its petrol competitors (santro, getz, and wagoner). Feels a but sluggish in low speed with AC on, but once it gains some momentum it is as good as a petrol vehicle.( Better than native Indica and Indica DLS TC but not as good as Dicor )
Do not get carried away by 68 Bhp at 4500 rmp. See how much you get at 1500 - 3000 rmp which most used RPM in this vehicle. The maximum torque at 2500 rpm is a feather in the cap for all Tata vehicles.
Tatas has worked on all the drawbacks in Indica before they bought a fault free vehicle . Indica has gone through many changes and evolutions.
All drawbacks of Indica were addressed in Indica DLG/DLX TC and one new problem did arise. Mileage! DLG / DLX TC have 1.5 km less mileage than native Indica. This was addressed in DICOR with all the drawbacks removed with improved mileage.
The DLG TC is real value for money if you want to save that extra 20 K that you need to buy a DICOR.
Drawbacks:-
1) Driving View is very bad. 10 feet from the driver’s seat is blind.
2) Low silencer.
3) Wheel balancing required every 3 months if driving on bad roads.
4) Inside comfort is low because of hard seats.
Positives:-
1) Excellent on highways
2) Value for money
3) Fuel efficient.
4) Excellent balace and safe.
From
Swarup Sarkar
email :- sarkarsw@yahoo.com
Bangalore