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TATA NEXON XZA+ - COMING OF THE BLUE THUNDER
THE PRELUDE
My more than 8 year old Ford Figo diesel (March 2011) had served us well. Ninety percent of our usage was within Chennai city with trips to Madikere, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Gandhigram (near Dindigul) being our usual out-station trips. The vehicle started giving problems since last year and in May 2019 the gear shift broke stranding us fortunately close to our home. I had been keen to get an electric vehicle and hence didn’t want to change the car till 2020 when more options in the electric car segment would be available. However, friends in the know suggested that it would take a few more years for the on-road infrastructure for charging to be widely available. This dampened the choice for electric cars and with potential breakdowns likely to increase for the Figo, we finally decided to get a new car.
THE NEGOTIATIONS
My choice was to have a compact SUV for under 10 lakhs and went about checking out cars in this segment. Breeza and Ford Ecosport were not considered based on the inputs about rear seating. My preference was for a Tata Nexon and lost no time in checking the on-road price from 3 dealers in Chennai. Concorde motors was close to our residence and the vehicle (XZA+) was brought for test drive. Mr. Rajesh of Concorde motors (he moved over to Hyundai before the negotiations could be completed) gave us a brief introduction to the AMT and then we went for the TD. The vehicle was awesome including the drive, suspension, the comfort in both rows with very good leg space, the ground clearance and the features including projector lamps, touch control infotainment system, Harman music system, a decent boot space, a fast cooling HVAC etc. With the top end having all the bells and whistles, it was really impressive. My wife and I were impressed (she had checked the Nexon in 2017 but had felt cramped compared to XUV500 which she finally purchased at that time; she hadn’t taken a TD of the Nexon at that time) and decided to get either the XZA+ or the XMA version, depending on the pricing and what we would get for the Ford Figo. The list on-road price for Nexon XZA+ mentioned in early June was Rs. 13.35 lakhs and the price offered for Figo was Rs. 1.70 lakhs which they increased to Rs 1.80 lakhs. They offered an exchange bonus of 15000. However, I told them that the Figo price should be 2.50 lakhs and they need to get a better offer. They were also informed that it would be down payment (had been investing in mutual funds for the last 4 years, as a saving mechanism and decided to use it).
In the period when we were waiting a family friend working in TVS suggested we could do a TD for Honda Amaze. The vehicle (bit old) was brought home and my wife and I took the TD. However, it was disappointing with the bottom scraping one of the many speed breakers in Gandhinagar, Adyar. The ride quality and comfort was nowhere near Nexon and we politely informed our friend our decision to go with Nexon.
One of our colleague who had purchased a Nexon XMA mentioned that a family friend had helped her get a good discount for the car. So, enter Mr. Karthik of Coimbatore into our negotiations. Concorde Motors, Chennai informed us that TATA had increased the price by 10000 in mid-June 2019 (now nearly Rs 13,45,000) and gave an offer of Rs. 12,97,000 and promised to match any other lower quote and the Ford Figo exchange was to be Rs. 2,25,000.
After protracted negotiations, Karthik was able to get a pricing of Rs 1285000 for XZA+ with car door visors thrown in for free, from Gurudev Motors, Chennai. Mr. Velmurugan from Gurudev Motors was involved in the negotiations and was helpful in getting the good offer. The Figo was to be exchanged at a cost of Rs. 2,30,000 (including exchange bonus). I informed Concorde that I would be going with the Gurudev Motors offer, which did upset them but I felt Karthik had done his part well and didn’t want another round of negotiations with Concorde. The final price to be paid (after Figo exchange ) was Rs 10,55,000 which included XZA+ single tone, additional 1 year extended warranty, B2B insurance and 1 year AMC. We opted for the 2nd year extended warranty and 3M rust protection to the under chassis for an additional cost of Rs. 10,000. The final payment to Gurudev Motors and TATA-AIG insurance was a total of Rs. 1065000. An additional amount of Rs 3500 was paid to Mr. Karthik for his help.
THE COLOUR CHOICE.
My wife preferred the silver (all her vehicles including my Figo was silver) while initially I was in favour of the Glasgow grey but after seeing one in the Concorde yard, decided against it. I actually liked the Etna Orange (a bit loud) but we both finally decided to settle on the Moroccan Blue colour. We did not fancy the Dual tone and settled with Single tone. Mr. Velmurugan was informed and accordingly the booking for the Blue Thunder was done on 22nd June with Rs. 11000 advance payment. The vehicle was to be in Chennai by 26th June and the VIN indicated that it was a June 2019 manufactured vehicle . We were also happy that this came with the rear AC vent (not just a blower) and a 2nd USB port was given behind the left rear seat.
REGISTRATION
On 27th we took the help of our friend who is knowledgable with vehicles, for the Pre-registration inspection. This was also our opportunity to see the Blue Thunder for the first time. After the check which indicated that all was well, we requested Mr. Velmurugan to complete the registration, under chassis rust protection and get the vehicle ready for delivery on 4th July. We requested him to see if he could get an even number for the car number, since wife’s XUV was an odd one – just a precaution if in future vehicles were to be run only on alternate days based on whether it was an odd or even number. However, we were not inclined to pay for the number. On 2nd July, the vehicle went for registration and by evening I got a SMS from RTO giving the car number, which however was an odd number.
BRINGING HER HOME
The rust protection was done on 3rd July, visors were fixed and the vehicle was cleaned and ready for delivery on 4th morning. On 4th July, my wife, our friend and I went to Gurudev Motors for PDI and taking delivery of the Blue Thunder. Mr. Velmurugan could not be there as he had a training meeting to attend. His colleague, Mr. Asif was there to receive us and after inspection of the vehicle , we had a small pooja ceremony. The vehicle document handing over was then completed. We handed over some sweets to the staff and a small gift to Mr Velmurugan (as he was not there, Mr Asif agreed to hand it over to Velmurugan ).
I requested my wife to drive the vehicle home. The odometer reading was 78 which was fine as the vehicle had to do close to 30 kms for registration in Chennai South RTO. We headed to the nearby fuel bunk and filled her up (28 litres with auto cut-off). The AMT was new to my wife and me but it didn’t take much time to become familiar with the drive. The first drive was through moderate traffic from Arumbakkam to Adyar. We preferred to give at least 8 to 10 feet between the car in front of us in traffic signals, which gave us ample distance to crawl (creep function) and then press down the accelerator.
After dropping off our friend, we then decided to take a drive on the ECR. We had a moderate lunch and I started driving the Blue Thunder (BT) for the first time. Till we left the city limits, I drove in City mode and once beyond Sholinganallur junction in the ECR, experimented with all 3 modes. It was great to drive a responsive car and the ride quality was superb. There was minimal head nod especially when moving from 1 to 2 gear, but hardly noticeable in higher gears. The Harman system was excellent and the HVAC system a real chiller. Being our first day, kept the speed upto 80 kms and went upto 5th gear. We did close to 30 kms from Adyar and decided to turn back, since we had promised to pickup our son from his school. He was mighty thrilled with the vehicle and enjoyed the ride back home. We had done close to 85 kms on the first day. We went to Anantha Padmanabha Swami Temple for a short pooja, finished it and returned home.
THE FIRST MONTH:
My wife and I tried to use BT for most of our rides, so as to become familiar with her. Most of our drives have been within the city, usually in City mode. We did find the initial lag when moving from complete stop position which seemed to become better in Sports mode. However, with practice we gradually overcame this in City mode itself. The MID showed a fuel efficiency of 15 km/L which based on others inputs should have been 12km/L. This wasn’t a concern being in the first few weeks and in the run-in period. Another tank fill was done on 26th July, 31.5L being added. By 29th July, crossed 600 km, almost 90% being in the city. Since, I had to travel a bit almost 7 days in a month to Delhi and other places, couldn’t do more.
On 18th July we had to attend a Reception in Hotel Accord in T. Nagar with 5 family members. The access into the hotel has an incline close to 350 to 400 with the incline curving into the portico. Vehicles were allowed one at a time, hence had stopped the Thunder near the entry gate and attempted to drive in City mode. She seemed to stall beyond the half-way mark of the incline, giving a moment of scare but with continued acceleration she got over. We handed over the vehicle for valet parking. When we came to pick up the vehicle, it had been parked outside the hotel and the driver had the same stalling when he came in. Fortunately, he also made it. In retrospect , I wondered if driving in Sports or manual mode would have helped. Barring this incident, we hadn’t have any other significant issues. Plan to visit Accord once more but drive in using the Sports mode.
Some negatives and teething troubles :
1. The auto lock facility when car speed crosses 15km wasn’t working. However, we were informed that this option was not available in this model. I am not sure if this is correct, need to check with Tata Motors. There is a central locking button on the fascia, though.
2. I downloaded the ConnectNext and Android Auto into my smartphone and used a USB cable to connect it to the infotainment system. It worked the first time, however, when I tried connecting Navimaps for offline navigation, it couldn’t connect and worse the Android Auto also stopped working. I tried another cable which also couldn’t help and hence ordered a USB cable from Amazon to be placed in the car permanently. I then requested Mr. Velmurugan to send someone to re-flash the software for the infotainment system. Mr. Asif and a software personnel (Vetri) came, checked and finally decided to re-load the software. To my surprise this was a May 2019 version, whereas the earlier one was Nov 2018. Tata Motors could have updated their new vehicles sold from June with this updated software. Since, the service staff had come to the hospital to help, I did not find it as a major issue but don’t know if this is done as door step service for all. The Android Auto is working fine and I decided not to risk connecting Navimaps now to the infotainment system. Maybe will try doing it when we go for the first service.
3. The opening of the boot using the remote key was a bit of a concern initially but after reading through the manual and experiences of others, that was sorted.
4. The cubby hole for umbrella needs a special type (needing to be very thin, width of a rolled up Hindu newspaper only without its supplements). Gurudev motors was unable to help in providing information as to where that type would be available. Again Tata Motors could have provided this as a complementary one.
5. As pointed out by others the low beam intensity is poor. This I would like to upgrade without warranty issues.
6. The A pillar interferes with clear vision. This can pose problems especially when cyclists, autorickshaws and pedestrians dart in from the right.
7. On a drive on OMR to go to SSN College for a lecture, beyond Siruseri the traffic was less and I was able to push the speed above 80 km. With the audio muted, was able to hear some noise from tyres creeping in.
8. The car charger, USB connector and Aux are placed at a very cramped and difficult to reach recess below the fascia buttons. This makes access to plug-in the USB cable really difficult and once I got a cable for car use only, decided to leave that in place plugged in and merely connect my mobile when entering for driving.
9. The bottle holders in the doors are back slanting and hence the initial thought was it can’t take a 1 litre bottle. But by positioning it back slanted, there was no issue.
10. The coat hanger near the rear right grab handle is a neat one but a long doctor’s coat as mine, runs the risk of being soiled at the lower edges. (Not the fault of Tata, guess it is my fault being 6 foot).
11. The glove box has a cooled section but honestly can’t decide what you can keep there (May be tetrapacks of juice or 200 ml water bottle).
12. The steering wheel adjustment option is only for up and down. Tilt function is not available.
13. The FasTag fixing by the dealer has been discontinued and you need to get it from authorised banks or at Toll centres.
14. On 18th August, wife and I undertook a drive to Mahabalipuram and back. We were able to cross 100 km/hour speed in 6th gear for the first time, staying within 2500 rpm. A beeping alarm sounds every time the speed crossed 80 km/ hour in 6th gear and comes again when you cross 110 km/hour.
WHAT WE LIKED IN OUR FIRST MONTH
1. The ride handling was very good and solid. The AMT was easy to get used to and the City mode fits the bill as a default for ride within Chennai. Our usage of Sports and Eco mode has been far less, so will update after doing a longer drive (have a visit to Vellore coming up this month and a visit to Kollam in October – can’t wait to do them).
2. The Harman music system is very good and a joy to listen to hit Tamil and old Hindi songs.
3. The driver’s seating comfort is good but will need to wait for better evaluation after longer drives.
4. The HVAC is excellent with incredibly fast cooling, a delight in hot and humid Chennai.
5. The rear seating comfort has been appreciated by all who sat behind, including those who were reasonably tall.
6. The boot space is good with small carry bag holders, a thoughtful inclusion.
7. The glove box is quite large with compartments for segregated storage.
8. The infotainment controls and HVAC controls are easily accessible and the buttons and knobs solid. It would have been nice if the monitor can be tilted towards the driver’s seat, which could have helped when using navigation from Google maps.
9. The ORVM adjustment knob does a good job. The automatic folding of the ORVM when you lock the car is nice.
10. The fog lamp lighting up on the side to which you are turning the car while driving with headlights is a useful feature.
11. The park assist camera is fantastic, even better than in XUV500 (Nov 2017 model).
12. The ground clearance of 208mm is a boon in pothole filled stretches in Chennai. I no longer worry about speed breakers.
15. Our ride to Mahabalipuram on 18th August was fantastic, with superb ride quality in the ECR. The up and down drive was done completely in City mode and achieved a MID FE of 25km/liter for the nearly 100 kms. Till we crossed Mayajal complex, it was slow going with bad traffic till Sholinganallur junction. Diesel (33.1 litres) was filled with auto-cut-off and the odometer reading was 986. Between first tank fill and second, the FE was 12.6km/l; between 2nd and 3rd filling FE was 15.4 . There appears to be a 2 to 3km/l difference in FE between MID and tank full method, which others have also pointed out .
CAR ACCESSORIES PURCHASED.
From Amazon India, Jopasu car dusters combo pack; Amazon Basics 4 gauge 20 feet jumper cable; amiciAuto tubeless tyre puncture repair kit (comes with handy bag and gloves); My Shaldan Lime and orange car air freshener (using lime now, placed in stowage under arm rest covered by Tambour lid, with lid partially open); boAT dual port rapid car charger; Rain-X 2-in-1 foaming glass cleaner with rain repellant. I have got a Vgate iCar pro BLE 4, OBD2 scanner and using it with Torque Pro.
From Ali Express, Portable air compressor pump 150psi digital tyre inflator auto tyre pump with emergency light; car organiser trunk backseat adjustable; Vodool 5M 5Ton tow strap towing ropes with 2 tow hooks; magnetic car repair work light COB LED flash light with USB charging cable, with seat belt cutter and window glass breaker (placed in stowage under arm rest covered by Tambour lid).
I will need to get a few spare bulbs and fuses and additional suggestions are welcome and doubly appreciated. I am also looking at the option of getting SensAiry TPMS.
The odometer reading on 1st September was 1122. The first service is booked for 9th September after return from Vellore.
I will update on this ride beyond the city, later. Bye for now.
THE PRELUDE
My more than 8 year old Ford Figo diesel (March 2011) had served us well. Ninety percent of our usage was within Chennai city with trips to Madikere, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Gandhigram (near Dindigul) being our usual out-station trips. The vehicle started giving problems since last year and in May 2019 the gear shift broke stranding us fortunately close to our home. I had been keen to get an electric vehicle and hence didn’t want to change the car till 2020 when more options in the electric car segment would be available. However, friends in the know suggested that it would take a few more years for the on-road infrastructure for charging to be widely available. This dampened the choice for electric cars and with potential breakdowns likely to increase for the Figo, we finally decided to get a new car.
THE NEGOTIATIONS
My choice was to have a compact SUV for under 10 lakhs and went about checking out cars in this segment. Breeza and Ford Ecosport were not considered based on the inputs about rear seating. My preference was for a Tata Nexon and lost no time in checking the on-road price from 3 dealers in Chennai. Concorde motors was close to our residence and the vehicle (XZA+) was brought for test drive. Mr. Rajesh of Concorde motors (he moved over to Hyundai before the negotiations could be completed) gave us a brief introduction to the AMT and then we went for the TD. The vehicle was awesome including the drive, suspension, the comfort in both rows with very good leg space, the ground clearance and the features including projector lamps, touch control infotainment system, Harman music system, a decent boot space, a fast cooling HVAC etc. With the top end having all the bells and whistles, it was really impressive. My wife and I were impressed (she had checked the Nexon in 2017 but had felt cramped compared to XUV500 which she finally purchased at that time; she hadn’t taken a TD of the Nexon at that time) and decided to get either the XZA+ or the XMA version, depending on the pricing and what we would get for the Ford Figo. The list on-road price for Nexon XZA+ mentioned in early June was Rs. 13.35 lakhs and the price offered for Figo was Rs. 1.70 lakhs which they increased to Rs 1.80 lakhs. They offered an exchange bonus of 15000. However, I told them that the Figo price should be 2.50 lakhs and they need to get a better offer. They were also informed that it would be down payment (had been investing in mutual funds for the last 4 years, as a saving mechanism and decided to use it).
In the period when we were waiting a family friend working in TVS suggested we could do a TD for Honda Amaze. The vehicle (bit old) was brought home and my wife and I took the TD. However, it was disappointing with the bottom scraping one of the many speed breakers in Gandhinagar, Adyar. The ride quality and comfort was nowhere near Nexon and we politely informed our friend our decision to go with Nexon.
One of our colleague who had purchased a Nexon XMA mentioned that a family friend had helped her get a good discount for the car. So, enter Mr. Karthik of Coimbatore into our negotiations. Concorde Motors, Chennai informed us that TATA had increased the price by 10000 in mid-June 2019 (now nearly Rs 13,45,000) and gave an offer of Rs. 12,97,000 and promised to match any other lower quote and the Ford Figo exchange was to be Rs. 2,25,000.
After protracted negotiations, Karthik was able to get a pricing of Rs 1285000 for XZA+ with car door visors thrown in for free, from Gurudev Motors, Chennai. Mr. Velmurugan from Gurudev Motors was involved in the negotiations and was helpful in getting the good offer. The Figo was to be exchanged at a cost of Rs. 2,30,000 (including exchange bonus). I informed Concorde that I would be going with the Gurudev Motors offer, which did upset them but I felt Karthik had done his part well and didn’t want another round of negotiations with Concorde. The final price to be paid (after Figo exchange ) was Rs 10,55,000 which included XZA+ single tone, additional 1 year extended warranty, B2B insurance and 1 year AMC. We opted for the 2nd year extended warranty and 3M rust protection to the under chassis for an additional cost of Rs. 10,000. The final payment to Gurudev Motors and TATA-AIG insurance was a total of Rs. 1065000. An additional amount of Rs 3500 was paid to Mr. Karthik for his help.
THE COLOUR CHOICE.
My wife preferred the silver (all her vehicles including my Figo was silver) while initially I was in favour of the Glasgow grey but after seeing one in the Concorde yard, decided against it. I actually liked the Etna Orange (a bit loud) but we both finally decided to settle on the Moroccan Blue colour. We did not fancy the Dual tone and settled with Single tone. Mr. Velmurugan was informed and accordingly the booking for the Blue Thunder was done on 22nd June with Rs. 11000 advance payment. The vehicle was to be in Chennai by 26th June and the VIN indicated that it was a June 2019 manufactured vehicle . We were also happy that this came with the rear AC vent (not just a blower) and a 2nd USB port was given behind the left rear seat.
REGISTRATION
On 27th we took the help of our friend who is knowledgable with vehicles, for the Pre-registration inspection. This was also our opportunity to see the Blue Thunder for the first time. After the check which indicated that all was well, we requested Mr. Velmurugan to complete the registration, under chassis rust protection and get the vehicle ready for delivery on 4th July. We requested him to see if he could get an even number for the car number, since wife’s XUV was an odd one – just a precaution if in future vehicles were to be run only on alternate days based on whether it was an odd or even number. However, we were not inclined to pay for the number. On 2nd July, the vehicle went for registration and by evening I got a SMS from RTO giving the car number, which however was an odd number.
BRINGING HER HOME
The rust protection was done on 3rd July, visors were fixed and the vehicle was cleaned and ready for delivery on 4th morning. On 4th July, my wife, our friend and I went to Gurudev Motors for PDI and taking delivery of the Blue Thunder. Mr. Velmurugan could not be there as he had a training meeting to attend. His colleague, Mr. Asif was there to receive us and after inspection of the vehicle , we had a small pooja ceremony. The vehicle document handing over was then completed. We handed over some sweets to the staff and a small gift to Mr Velmurugan (as he was not there, Mr Asif agreed to hand it over to Velmurugan ).
I requested my wife to drive the vehicle home. The odometer reading was 78 which was fine as the vehicle had to do close to 30 kms for registration in Chennai South RTO. We headed to the nearby fuel bunk and filled her up (28 litres with auto cut-off). The AMT was new to my wife and me but it didn’t take much time to become familiar with the drive. The first drive was through moderate traffic from Arumbakkam to Adyar. We preferred to give at least 8 to 10 feet between the car in front of us in traffic signals, which gave us ample distance to crawl (creep function) and then press down the accelerator.
After dropping off our friend, we then decided to take a drive on the ECR. We had a moderate lunch and I started driving the Blue Thunder (BT) for the first time. Till we left the city limits, I drove in City mode and once beyond Sholinganallur junction in the ECR, experimented with all 3 modes. It was great to drive a responsive car and the ride quality was superb. There was minimal head nod especially when moving from 1 to 2 gear, but hardly noticeable in higher gears. The Harman system was excellent and the HVAC system a real chiller. Being our first day, kept the speed upto 80 kms and went upto 5th gear. We did close to 30 kms from Adyar and decided to turn back, since we had promised to pickup our son from his school. He was mighty thrilled with the vehicle and enjoyed the ride back home. We had done close to 85 kms on the first day. We went to Anantha Padmanabha Swami Temple for a short pooja, finished it and returned home.
THE FIRST MONTH:
My wife and I tried to use BT for most of our rides, so as to become familiar with her. Most of our drives have been within the city, usually in City mode. We did find the initial lag when moving from complete stop position which seemed to become better in Sports mode. However, with practice we gradually overcame this in City mode itself. The MID showed a fuel efficiency of 15 km/L which based on others inputs should have been 12km/L. This wasn’t a concern being in the first few weeks and in the run-in period. Another tank fill was done on 26th July, 31.5L being added. By 29th July, crossed 600 km, almost 90% being in the city. Since, I had to travel a bit almost 7 days in a month to Delhi and other places, couldn’t do more.
On 18th July we had to attend a Reception in Hotel Accord in T. Nagar with 5 family members. The access into the hotel has an incline close to 350 to 400 with the incline curving into the portico. Vehicles were allowed one at a time, hence had stopped the Thunder near the entry gate and attempted to drive in City mode. She seemed to stall beyond the half-way mark of the incline, giving a moment of scare but with continued acceleration she got over. We handed over the vehicle for valet parking. When we came to pick up the vehicle, it had been parked outside the hotel and the driver had the same stalling when he came in. Fortunately, he also made it. In retrospect , I wondered if driving in Sports or manual mode would have helped. Barring this incident, we hadn’t have any other significant issues. Plan to visit Accord once more but drive in using the Sports mode.
Some negatives and teething troubles :
1. The auto lock facility when car speed crosses 15km wasn’t working. However, we were informed that this option was not available in this model. I am not sure if this is correct, need to check with Tata Motors. There is a central locking button on the fascia, though.
2. I downloaded the ConnectNext and Android Auto into my smartphone and used a USB cable to connect it to the infotainment system. It worked the first time, however, when I tried connecting Navimaps for offline navigation, it couldn’t connect and worse the Android Auto also stopped working. I tried another cable which also couldn’t help and hence ordered a USB cable from Amazon to be placed in the car permanently. I then requested Mr. Velmurugan to send someone to re-flash the software for the infotainment system. Mr. Asif and a software personnel (Vetri) came, checked and finally decided to re-load the software. To my surprise this was a May 2019 version, whereas the earlier one was Nov 2018. Tata Motors could have updated their new vehicles sold from June with this updated software. Since, the service staff had come to the hospital to help, I did not find it as a major issue but don’t know if this is done as door step service for all. The Android Auto is working fine and I decided not to risk connecting Navimaps now to the infotainment system. Maybe will try doing it when we go for the first service.
3. The opening of the boot using the remote key was a bit of a concern initially but after reading through the manual and experiences of others, that was sorted.
4. The cubby hole for umbrella needs a special type (needing to be very thin, width of a rolled up Hindu newspaper only without its supplements). Gurudev motors was unable to help in providing information as to where that type would be available. Again Tata Motors could have provided this as a complementary one.
5. As pointed out by others the low beam intensity is poor. This I would like to upgrade without warranty issues.
6. The A pillar interferes with clear vision. This can pose problems especially when cyclists, autorickshaws and pedestrians dart in from the right.
7. On a drive on OMR to go to SSN College for a lecture, beyond Siruseri the traffic was less and I was able to push the speed above 80 km. With the audio muted, was able to hear some noise from tyres creeping in.
8. The car charger, USB connector and Aux are placed at a very cramped and difficult to reach recess below the fascia buttons. This makes access to plug-in the USB cable really difficult and once I got a cable for car use only, decided to leave that in place plugged in and merely connect my mobile when entering for driving.
9. The bottle holders in the doors are back slanting and hence the initial thought was it can’t take a 1 litre bottle. But by positioning it back slanted, there was no issue.
10. The coat hanger near the rear right grab handle is a neat one but a long doctor’s coat as mine, runs the risk of being soiled at the lower edges. (Not the fault of Tata, guess it is my fault being 6 foot).
11. The glove box has a cooled section but honestly can’t decide what you can keep there (May be tetrapacks of juice or 200 ml water bottle).
12. The steering wheel adjustment option is only for up and down. Tilt function is not available.
13. The FasTag fixing by the dealer has been discontinued and you need to get it from authorised banks or at Toll centres.
14. On 18th August, wife and I undertook a drive to Mahabalipuram and back. We were able to cross 100 km/hour speed in 6th gear for the first time, staying within 2500 rpm. A beeping alarm sounds every time the speed crossed 80 km/ hour in 6th gear and comes again when you cross 110 km/hour.
WHAT WE LIKED IN OUR FIRST MONTH
1. The ride handling was very good and solid. The AMT was easy to get used to and the City mode fits the bill as a default for ride within Chennai. Our usage of Sports and Eco mode has been far less, so will update after doing a longer drive (have a visit to Vellore coming up this month and a visit to Kollam in October – can’t wait to do them).
2. The Harman music system is very good and a joy to listen to hit Tamil and old Hindi songs.
3. The driver’s seating comfort is good but will need to wait for better evaluation after longer drives.
4. The HVAC is excellent with incredibly fast cooling, a delight in hot and humid Chennai.
5. The rear seating comfort has been appreciated by all who sat behind, including those who were reasonably tall.
6. The boot space is good with small carry bag holders, a thoughtful inclusion.
7. The glove box is quite large with compartments for segregated storage.
8. The infotainment controls and HVAC controls are easily accessible and the buttons and knobs solid. It would have been nice if the monitor can be tilted towards the driver’s seat, which could have helped when using navigation from Google maps.
9. The ORVM adjustment knob does a good job. The automatic folding of the ORVM when you lock the car is nice.
10. The fog lamp lighting up on the side to which you are turning the car while driving with headlights is a useful feature.
11. The park assist camera is fantastic, even better than in XUV500 (Nov 2017 model).
12. The ground clearance of 208mm is a boon in pothole filled stretches in Chennai. I no longer worry about speed breakers.
15. Our ride to Mahabalipuram on 18th August was fantastic, with superb ride quality in the ECR. The up and down drive was done completely in City mode and achieved a MID FE of 25km/liter for the nearly 100 kms. Till we crossed Mayajal complex, it was slow going with bad traffic till Sholinganallur junction. Diesel (33.1 litres) was filled with auto-cut-off and the odometer reading was 986. Between first tank fill and second, the FE was 12.6km/l; between 2nd and 3rd filling FE was 15.4 . There appears to be a 2 to 3km/l difference in FE between MID and tank full method, which others have also pointed out .
CAR ACCESSORIES PURCHASED.
From Amazon India, Jopasu car dusters combo pack; Amazon Basics 4 gauge 20 feet jumper cable; amiciAuto tubeless tyre puncture repair kit (comes with handy bag and gloves); My Shaldan Lime and orange car air freshener (using lime now, placed in stowage under arm rest covered by Tambour lid, with lid partially open); boAT dual port rapid car charger; Rain-X 2-in-1 foaming glass cleaner with rain repellant. I have got a Vgate iCar pro BLE 4, OBD2 scanner and using it with Torque Pro.
From Ali Express, Portable air compressor pump 150psi digital tyre inflator auto tyre pump with emergency light; car organiser trunk backseat adjustable; Vodool 5M 5Ton tow strap towing ropes with 2 tow hooks; magnetic car repair work light COB LED flash light with USB charging cable, with seat belt cutter and window glass breaker (placed in stowage under arm rest covered by Tambour lid).
I will need to get a few spare bulbs and fuses and additional suggestions are welcome and doubly appreciated. I am also looking at the option of getting SensAiry TPMS.
The odometer reading on 1st September was 1122. The first service is booked for 9th September after return from Vellore.
I will update on this ride beyond the city, later. Bye for now.
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