Indigo Manza Quadrajet

Here's a review of the Manza by my friend - it was originally posted by him on gearheads.in, I have his express permisson to reproduce it here.  Its beautifully written (which is why I asked for permission to put it up here - I had to share it!), and straight from the heart from a person who is a self-confessed disbeliever of Tata products:

TATA INDIGO MANZA TEST-DRIVEN, by rippergeo

Went to Concorde for the 3rd time, before I got the TD, that too after some serious yelling.
I was hungry and had just battled around 20kms of NH47byepass hell in a LPG Wagon R.

Saying that I was in a bad mood was an understatement. Just before I entered the showroom, I recieved a call from Tata Indicom saying that I had exceeded the download limit on my "unlimited" broadband plan.

Anyways, I was actually feeling sorry for the car i was planning to review.  The car didnt seem to have a chance in hell to do well in my eyes. I actually considered coming back later when i had a better chance to give it a fair review.

Not necessary. The Car asked for no quarters. It was absolutely delightful.

Well, the cat is out of the bag. You know, I'm seriously seriously impressed. Read on to find out why it impressed me.

Basic Facts
This car is HUUUUGE

It is comfortable

It is amazing VFM- 6.24 on road for the base version qaudrajet. Power steering, power windows in front and AC as standard.

 That is not why I'm impressed.

THE ENGINE

We know what's there. its the 1.3 MJD national engine from fiat with a VGT. You have seen it in action in the Linea. You were disappointed. You expect the same in this car too, right?

WRONG!

The Manza has a very well thought out gearbox, that makes good use of the available grunt. makes a world of difference. 1st gear is short. enough to get you moving. 2nd gear is taller and has the same irritating habit of dropping you into turbo lag when you upshift(just like the swift)

But the throttle response in turbolag is far better than the swift. The linea does not even come in the picture.  2k rpm in 2nd sees the car lifting its nose and launching itself down the road. It is great fun. 3rd pulls with ease, producing ample torque all the way to 4k rpm. 4th and 5th are also very driveable and provide enough acceleration to outrun boy racers in petrol hatches. I'm not a top speed person, autonut is your man to tell you how it behaves above 120kmph. 

Engine is very refined. hardly any noise in cabin even when being revved above 4k rpm.

THE STEERING

Nice feeling, chunky steering wheel that feels good to grip.

Well weighted, No play. very direct. To me, it felt superbly communicative. The steering encourages you to throw the car around. This car will be a total hooligan

THE HANDLING

Sure footed. turns well. Turns quickly. Holds line well through a slalom or a lane change at high speeds.

The suspension is perfect, with the right balance between ride and handling. I felt the linea was sprung too softly. Has less body roll than expected. And it is not scary body roll that is unpredictable. it progressively increases as cornering speeds increase and has no tendency to snap/swing back the other way when the corner is done. I felt very safe cornering in this car. Never did in any other tata.

THE RIDE

Is brilliant. not a magic carpet, but very very good compared to cars it competes with. Thuds when ypou go over sharp bumps are louder than I expected, but still far better than the swift/fiesta/logan.

The manza feels stiffer in the ride department than the older indicas and indigos, but still is a very comfortable car to be driven around in.

BRAKING

Did not panic brake, but braked like I normally do. taking ito to the limit of what i feel is impending wheel lock up. the pedal is surprisingly good enough to do that. The pedal gives great feel and can be modulated well.It bites when you want and lets go when you want. all instantaneous. It gives perfect braking control. I simply loved it. It can be made to lock. I did do so. But the car held it's line without its rear stepping out or front end pulling either way.

GEARS

Simply brillinat. made me want to keep shifting all the time. slightly rubbery, but very precise. The gearbox sucks the lever into the next slot when upshifting. it is smooth, short throw and feels extremely nice. I cant stop talking about the gear ratios. They have reallly thrashed the italians with the new gearbox. The driveabilty is excellent.You can leave it in 2nd and 3rd and run around the city all day.

The clutch feels heavier than the diesels I'm used to, and had a grating sensation in the pedal while it was being depressed, but maybe it was a lubrication issue. This was the first thing i noticed as I got the car moving , and was expecting everything to be downhill from there, but the car redeeemed itself sooooooo well that I can almost ignore this.


Keep those wheels turning!

ERGONOMICS

Fantastic. Nice upright posture, with great visibilty forward and to the sides. rear visibility is a little compromised by the high boot, but still better than the Swift,SX4 Dzire
The control stalks, the switches all feel ok. Just dont look at the fit and finish.

Legroom/headroom/luggage space etc are irrelevant. if you think there isnt enough, you need to see a doctor. you might have a endocrine problem

SUMMARY
This car appeals to the head and heart. It is cheap, it is unbelievably spacious, it is comfortable, it is really really fun to drive. I cant ask for more than this in a car. Anyone looking at a diesel sedan/ or hatch should TD this car.

Basically, that is what I want to tell you, dont disregard this car because it is a tata. It is VFM, like all Tatas, but it is also a hoot to drive. TD it! TD it! TD it!

I LOVE THIS CAR!

It is surprising, to me, myself, that I'm so impressed. I did check under the bonnet to see if they had a Pete's box hidden somewhere, but that was clean too. This car was fresh out of the yard, having run 34kms and was still so refined. It was silly.

What I dont want, is people reading my review and going to the Tata showrooms expecting the earth and sky. Go there without any preconcieved notions and this car will be a pleasant surprise.

The reason why I felt this car was fun, is because it is so eager to do what you ask it to do - eager engine, steering, braking,and nice gear shifts.The car wants to move and communicates its eagerness well.it is not a rocket, but it is very willing to play accomplice when you feel like being a getaway driver. It is very involving to drive and I cant believe its a Tata.

Car Vs Car-

The Dzire stands no chance. The Dzire has a slight edge in acceleration(purely based on feel) Dzire is better at handling, but the Manza is close. The ride is better in the manza.
Space and cost more than compensate for this slight edge.

To me, it would be silly even bringing the Linea into this comparo. That car is totally outclassed on every front , except cosmetics.

The experience at concorde

However the treatment I got at Concorde(which is one of the better Tata ASCs) was significantly inferior to what I'd get at maruti or hyundai. That is a worry. I had to yell at people , after making 3 seperate visits for a TD. This inspite of being invited for TDs all 3 times, only turn up and find out that the car was not available/not ready/gone elsewhere/sorry saar,we dont know who invited you

I went asking around for parts cost and other details and was given the brush off by the works manager, who shunted me to the spares shop. The spares shop didnt have computer access because power was down.

The lady at the reception was misinformed(too lazy to pick up phone and get correct info?), and tried to pass on the wrong info that the car was again unavailable,while I myself knew that it was being washed in the back of the service station.

If this is what happens when I go for a TD, imagine what will happen with a warranty claim!

Inspite of this really lousy start, the car gave me reason to smile. The salesman was however, quite nice.

BTW- tuning box for the manza is the same as the Linea. bumps up power to 100bhp on stage 1.

Nice review by your friend Steeroid. I'm waiting for D'zire to get bashed

I read in another review that the steering, although good, was no match for the Fiat steering. 

In Punto/Linea/Palio - the steering provides a lot more feedback to the driver.

Hey Steer, Thanks for the review. Was quite entertaining, a nice break from the reel-out-narration style of reviews one generally sees.

So can we say Manza has already performed the last rites of Logan quietly, and is bound to give Dzire a serious bout of envy?

Stunning review there.

Saw the review this afternoon.  That time I couldn't read it but gave a quick glance.

Now when I read it, I re-read it - not that I didn't follow but because I liked it very much; the way it is written - wonderful.  It gave me a feeling as if I myself was there for the test-drive

Manza has very encouraging reports/reviews - everything about it is fine.  A true VFM car.  Will be giving tough time to its competitors & others as well.

Its simply awesome. Ask(get permission) ur friend to provide some more reviews that he has published in past for other sites etc.

However, I saw in some reviews in TV/newspaper that Manza has a bit vertical motion at higher speeds.

I have a question abt Manza Aqua/Aura --- Does the audio system having remote in the listed version? There is somethg called infrared remote, which is not in Aqua...is it the normal remote? Dealer was not clear abt whether there is remote in base version.

Thanks Steeroid....keep mailing.

abhishek

Drive both and then comment - this guy has.

Nope.  The Logan's last rites were performed by Mahindra and Renault quite some time back, no sense in exhuming it for it to be killed all over again.

I will ask him, but its unlikely.  He's a Doctor who is busy creating business for himself by driving a mad uprated Swift that allegedly does about 120bhp around the city streets.

This was the first review of his that I have read and I must say I was floored.