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August 4, 2001 |
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The big laugh doing the rounds in Mumbai is on the new TV commercial for the Tata Indica. Yes, the same one where a few Japanese (Korean?) testers wearing motorcycle helmets do various stunts and nod their approval for the car at the end of it. I don't know whether it is true, but a few friends swear to God that some of those 'Oriental testers' are employees at various Chinese restaurants in Mumbai. Don't worry, the advert signs off with a Japanese tea ceremony...in case you were wondering whether it was the Chinese who were testing the car. Let us get serious. So, Tata Engineering wants to convey the message that their car is worth earning respect from even the successful Japanese car manufacturers, right? Actually, I don't blame Tata, or for that matter, their advertising agency. To be likened to a Japanese car maker, anyone from Suzuki to Toyota, is a dream for most car companies in the world. These Japanese giants seem to have the products, manufacturing ethics and brand values that DaimlerChrysler and Ford would die for. What the heck, recent financial reports suggest that Toyota alone is worth more than what GM, DC and Ford all put together (source: Automotive World, May 2001). So if you are half as patriotic as I am and cheer Saurav Ganguly even when he seems to have forgotten the last time he made contact with a cricket ball...relax. Tata is upping their game and that can only be good news. To find out how much of good news the Indica V2 is, we managed to get a test car from Tata - and that too, one with 15,000-odd km on board. Keep your prejudices away and read on.
Automobile manufacturing is like assembling a huge jigsaw puzzle. One where pieces are supplied just in time for assembly by various suppliers and sub-contractors. So it is absolutely natural to have a few missing links or pieces that do not fit properly to begin with. Almost all car makers go through birth pangs with new model introductions, and product recalls for rectifying glitches is a common, accepted process. Recent examples being the Mercedes A-class and the Audi TT. Manufacturers who are very conscious of their image make sure that they iron out the flaws as early as possible so that the product continues to deliver its promise. And despite recalls and corrective measures, the baby Merc and the TT have not lost any of their charm, or for that matter, sales! Tata hates the word 'recall' and justifiably so. Unlike DaimlerChrysler and the VW-Audi group, Tata's situation was even more sensitive - the Indica was their very first attempt at 'proper' passenger car manufacturing and they had decided to have a go at it without any help from established car makers. They could have sourced an established powertrain (engine-transmission), but instead decided to develop their own petrol and diesel engines - that too, ones that share common components! They could have got the shell of a dated European design, instead they went to the Italian I.DE.A design house to develop a new platform altogether. The Indica was born. It answered the two all important questions that we Indians ask when we're about to buy an automobile - Kitne ka hai? Kitna deta hai? - very well, and in just two years' time, we had more than a lakh amongst us driving Indicas. There were a few glitches and Indica owners reacted to them as if they expected it - it was a cheap car to buy and run. So what if the pulley made a few unpleasant noises, gears crunched, tyres wore out prematurely, service centres were not comparable to the ones of multinational car firms. Tata did accumulate complaints and their R&D department decided do something about the MCCs (most common complaints). In place of what would have been a routine, harmless dealer level 'rectification job' anywhere else in the world, Tata did a Microsoft and launched Version 2 of the Indica. Let us stop cribbing and get behind the wheel.
The Indica always looked good and has managed to age gracefully in the past two years, so Tata didn't have to touch the exteriors. But go to an Indica dealer and take a close look at the line of cars parked there. You may notice that panel gaps are more uniform than ever before. That was thanks to better discipline enforced in the Indica assembly line. The interior of our V2 (DLS version with power steering and body-coloured bumpers) remained the same - spacious, with great seats and minimal instrumentation. One improvement is the roof liner that fits properly - the earlier ones had a tendency to come loose. Turn the key and the 1400 CC diesel wakes up to the familiar clatter but what is now missing are aching noises made by the alternator pulley. A larger pulley with bigger grooves meant the belt sat more comfortably, thus eradicating noise. Tata claims the NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) characteristics of the engine has been improved. The gear linkage has been slightly redesigned to give a better shift-feel to the driver and we found the improvement to be marginal - you still have to hunt for the second gear while downshifting and the whole process lacks crispness. To perceive the improvements made in the powertrain, you have to go through the gears with the air-con switched on. First and second gears launch you to 35 and 72 kph and that too with the engine sounding harsh and unrefined. But all that stabilises as you go into third, and from here on there is less noise and vibration eating into the cabin. The third cog takes you to the century mark and top speed - 125 kph as tested - is achieved in the fifth gear. This car is underpowered and needs a more powerful engine that can give it a decent enough top speed of say 145 kph...minimum. Remember, you buy an Indica Diesel for cheap running costs and the V2 has got that trait spot on. It returned nothing short of 15-17 km for every litre of diesel that we put in! The most important improvement that Tata R&D has done is to rework the suspension set-up - both front and back. Now loyal readers of Business Standard Motoring would remember that we always found the ride quality and the handling good, so why touch something that wasn't wrong. While the suspension set-up was almost perfect as far as vehicle dynamics were concerned, Indica owners have been complaining of uneven tyre wear in their cars. Now, that is one problem that has been troubling all Tata passenger cars. Instead of waiting for another five years before they rectified the problem, Tata gave priority to the issue. The result is a revised front wishbone set-up with a tie-rod which prevents the driven wheels from going out of alignment. At the rear end, a beefier lower arm bracket was added to the existing set-up of struts and coil springs, again with the intention to eliminate tyre wear. On top of that, fatter 165/65 radials (Bridgestone S322 rubber) were mounted on the 13 inch rim in place of 155/70s that the car was wearing. Now, according to us, that last part is the most significant improvement the Indica has received as far as ride quality and handling goes. Yes, our 15,000 km-old road test car is yet to show any uneven tyre wear. And before I forget, the power steering in the V2 is much crisper and provides better turn-ins than ever before. That steering, readers, feels very much like that of a Japanese, I repeat, Japanese car. The air-con system which blew hot and cold (literally) in the initial batch of cars has been rectified and a new heat shield over the exhaust routing prevents heat from being conducted into the passenger cabin. Retro engineering, but with great results none the less. Worth a buy? So is the Indica V2 with its stunning entry price, phenomenal fuel efficiency and class leading interior space worth considering over competition such as Maruti Wagon R or Hyundai Santro? Yes, if you are ready to accept that rather unrefined diesel motor in your stride. And there are a few rough areas still left to be addressed - like windows that rattle as doors shut, poor plastic and rubber pieces. What Tata has done with the V2 is to improve a car that was doing reasonably well for a first time effort on a small car and that needs to be appreciated. After driving the V2 and the older Indica, I do get the feeling that Tata is planning a beefier engine for powering their small car. More powerful, more refined and perhaps sourced from an international car maker. It is needed too, thanks to newer competition in the form of the Fiat Palio just round the block. Now that will be the Version 3 story, right? |
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Is
the Indica just a test bed for Tata in their efforts to become a successful
car maker? Or is the V2 a genuinely improved Indica? We find out 
Version
2
New,
improved!