ToyCar joins family -- Tata Tiago XZA ( Petrol, with AMT)

[SachinOnTop]

This afternoon ToyCar got a chance to flex its legs.
Touched 140kmph with AC in Sports mode. No drama. Easily attainable.
Reached 150kmph with AC in manual mode in 4th gear. Easy job.
Switched off AC for a good 155-160kmph (on speedo) in 4th gear in manual mode.
I think that's max for this tiny 3-pot car.
I'm impressed!

Might get a ticket soon though.

Tata Tiago XZA -- Redlining & upshifting automatically in Manual mode

Shown another round of sticks to 3-potter...

2nd/3rd in AUTO CITY upshifts between 2000-5500 RPMs depending on throttle input [5500 Max cut-off.]
3rd in AUTO SPORTS upshifts at 5500 RPM [Max cut-off.]
2nd in MANUAL upshifts automatically at 6000RPM [Max cut-off. Needle turns red for a moment]
3rd in MANUAL upshifts automatically at 6000RPM [Max cut-off. Needle turns red for a moment]

 

[SachinOnTop]

Tested the ABS on XZA yesterday after light drizzle in morning leaving some backroads with wet gravel and some mud. A perfect combination for skidding and locking of wheels under slightest of braking. It was pure fun to test it on empty stretches.

I tried atleast 10 hard braking manoeuvers after hitting the brakes at a good speed of about 40KMPH. The pedal vibrated harshly, I panicked a bit for a moment but kept it pressed.
There was no skid noise, mark or any other tell-tale of a hard braking. It seems that straight line braking distance has increased, but I have no clue how it would have behaved in given conditions in a non-ABS car. And the steering control during subsequent attempts was awesome.

I was easily able to change the directions by flicking the steering few times from left to right to left to right! Car never felt out of control. Luckily no fish-tailing either.

With this mischief, I reached my office with a grin plastered on my face. Loved the first ABS car in our home.

 

[jeetcp]

Such a wonderful post. Makes my day.
Needle turns red for ... such a party trick. Good jobs Tata. Minor details to love.

So she does 120+ in 3rd and still climbing. Wow. Lovely engine. I hope it did not feel exhausted?
This does a clear idea on how capable the engine will be in 4th gear. I mean, you could be 130+ in 4th and still having enough juice to overtake safely.

Money wisely spent.

Tata Tiago XZA -- Redlining & upshifting automatically in Manual mode

Shown another round of sticks to 3-potter...

2nd/3rd in AUTO CITY upshifts between 2000-5500 RPMs depending on throttle input [5500 Max cut-off.]
3rd in AUTO SPORTS upshifts at 5500 RPM [Max cut-off.]
2nd in MANUAL upshifts automatically at 6000RPM [Max cut-off. Needle turns red for a moment]
3rd in MANUAL upshifts automatically at 6000RPM [Max cut-off. Needle turns red for a moment]

 

[SachinOnTop]

Such a wonderful post. Makes my day.
Needle turns red for ... such a party trick. Good jobs Tata. Minor details to love.

So she does 120+ in 3rd and still climbing. Wow. Lovely engine. I hope it did not feel exhausted?
This does a clear idea on how capable the engine will be in 4th gear. I mean, you could be 130+ in 4th and still having enough juice to overtake safely.

Money wisely spent.

Hahahaha...
Yes, I was also surprised by the performance of this tiny 3-potter.
I was under the impression that needle turns red at 5K RPMs and then goes on till 6K. For last many weeks I was trying to check it, but could not make it turn red for I was doing it alone with mobile camera in one hand. A risky task, you know.

Yes, it can easily do 110 in 3rd. 120 is max where rev-limiter kicks-in. And it did felt out of breath at 120 in 3rd. Till 100+ it was a cakewalk in 3rd.

And a yes again for 130+ in 4th. It cruises with very less stress in 4th manual gear at 130. In 5th, 130-140 is quite cruisable without any major noise intruding inside cabin. Anything beyond 140 is a chore, and engine feels out-of-breath.

Regarding the money spent wisely, I'd say that if it had 4-cylinders I must have echoed my voice with you. But the current 3-pot layout is li'l dampener.

 

[SachinOnTop]

For the first time, I tried to capture the performance of Tiago XZA's original headlamps.

I find them pretty okay. Although the intensity and performance looks slightly better in (phone) camera, these can be improved a bit with better 'plug and play' bulbs having same wattage.

Will try clicking photos instead of shaky video when the new bulbs arrives.

 

[SachinOnTop]

*Update*

ToyCar's zero-dep bumper-to-bumper insurance is renewed online myself for 2nd year.
First year insurance was for 14,535 and now for second year it is for 11,263.

 

[SachinOnTop]

Update: 3rd Service @ 7500 KMs

Since I was not satisfied with overall performance of car after getting it serviced/repaired 7 times in less than a year (Apr'17-Dec'17 only) at Concorde Mathura Road, New Delhi (purchased car from them); I switched to Sagar Motors, Sector-5, Noida.

Although they too avoided many of my queries, the overall work done on car seems to be slightly better than my earlier experiences.

They couldn't reply to my following queries:
1. Jerks while driving at a constant pace on smooth road
2. Turbo-lag kinda no-response from throttle between 1500-2200 RPMs when car gathering momentum in 2nd gear
3. Almost no-cooling in glovebox
4. Stereo gives loud "KHAT" noise when switched-off in One-Hour Mode (i.e., when engine is completely off. Key is out!)
5. Reverse Sensors get auto-activated while car is in front motion
6. Stereo restarts when it is not being used, and only clock and date are appearing on it.

For all stereo related queries they tried to push me towards contacting Harman on my own. When I confronted they agreed to call Harman guy at their workshop in next week!

7. As per them, none of Tata Workshop has a Tyre Changing machine. I asked them to rotate my car's tyres including the spare one which is on a steel rim. They said not possible and rotated tyres without including spare one.

Conclusion:
I'd say I had a li'l apprehension of such experiences before picking up a Tata product.

So, a not-so-good experience so far with Tata Tiago XZA and their A.S.S. as well.

 

[zack2137]

1. Jerks while driving at a constant pace on smooth road

3. Almost no-cooling in glovebox

Sad to see the servicing isn't at par with the products Tata has been pushing out off late.

Regarding the jerks, could it be garbage in the fuel line/ pump? That's the first thing that came to my mind.

Cooling is glovebox is a gimmick in Indian cars I feel. The ducting as strong as it's marketed. You should compare it to the demo car at the service centre to highlight the issue in a practical manner.

 

[SachinOnTop]

Sad to see the servicing isn't at par with the products Tata has been pushing out off late.

Products are loaded to gills with features. Marketing is on an all-time high!
Most features are not working properly even in Hexa. Take the name of Hexa, they beam with smile as if that's the best vehicle in world and under their belt. And when I start uttering the shortcomings of Hexa, they start arguing and giving vague reasons to end the discussion. Once a Tata, will always be a Tata. OK TATA Bye-Bye (for my next purchase).

Regarding the jerks, could it be garbage in the fuel line/ pump? That's the first thing that came to my mind.

No. They had checked even fuel pump and everything. One spark plug had oil in its seating. New gasket was not available. They chose to replace complete cylinder head cover.

Cooling is glovebox is a gimmick in Indian cars I feel. The ducting as strong as it's marketed. You should compare it to the demo car at the service centre to highlight the issue in a practical manner.

Hyundai Xcent has much much better cooling in its glovebox. A cold water bottle (not chilled) remains cold after a day-long drive. Chocolates doesnot melt down in Xcent. In Tiago, a 5-star is reduced to worth just 0.5-stars. It melts down. They always start reciting a Defective Product Design song!

 

[SachinOnTop]

And the so-called best OEM car stereo in its category, went dead today!
Calling the Service Station to fix an appointment for tomorrow.
Refer #6 above ...