
Originally Posted by
k0mpressor
I also own an Indigo. I use it as a daily driver to the office and also part time ferrying Grabcar passengers. Here are some honest inputs:
- this car is not for you if you treat your car as an accessory. It has ZERO looks. It's like having a small submcompact/supermini british/european car in terms of looks. Very spartan/utilitarian looking.
- Interior sidings look quite dated, like an early 00's car. Power window switches are positioned in odd places. Central PW switch is located at the center console, INFRONT of the gear shifter and you will bend over to reach it.. Beige interior needs TLC in keeping it clean.
- Dashboard is quite ok, although looks dated similar to a 00's Ford Lynx or Mazda Protege. Has no cupholders but has a generous amount of space inbetween the passenger airbag and the instrument console for all your gadgets/devices. I had to install an adhesive mounted dual cupholder in the area that cost me P88 in Japan home.
- Hydraulic power steering is on the heavy side, feels similar to an '03 Altis or a Tamaraw FX GL. Steering column is fixed and the wheel is quite large at 16" diameter compared to the common 14" steering wheels. Steering feel is like driving a pickup with power steering as the turning radius is also quite long, feels like exceeding 6 meters.
- The wheels are fastened using BOLTS instead of nuts fastening on stud bolts.
- The seat recline mechanism is ROTARY. You need to twist and twist and twist and turn and turn and turn for the seat to recline compared to a spring loaded lever type mechanism.
- Airconditioner is tuned to Indian conditions. Tends to fog all windows even on a warm summer night. Earns a lot of praises from passengers at noontime (had solargard HP Quantum and HP DLN series installed on all windows) but at night, passengers also take notice and will request the temps can be increased/warmed a little, especially those who came in from airconditioned offices. Can get uncomfortably cold in a rainy night even at the minimum blower speed.
- Passenger legroom is awesome! Even 6 footers above can fit in without bumping their knees. Seat height is quite high which enables one to sit in an anatomically correct position and your feet still touches the running boards.
- Stock audio system is a spartan 1-din AVT unit with only aux, usb and SD connectivity but is rated at 50w x 4 RMS. Stock speakers are crappy as hell. However, this car has 6 (yes, SIX) speaker pods. I replaced my speakers with 4" Crystal seps for the dashboard pods, 5.5" crystal midrange driver for the front door pods and 5.5" crystal coaxials for the rear pods near the rear windshield coupled with a powered underseat subwoofer and ended up with a budget friendly SQL setup.
- Instrument panel has a white backlight with adjustable brightness. Has basic dials for speed, rpm, temps and fuel and the rest are warning lamps.
- Suspension is tuned for Indian conditions, meaning this does exceptionally well in handling potholes quietly. However, the car exhibits a lot of body roll if you make sudden turns at expressway speeds. Not for high speed cornering.
- Engine is a Turbocharged and Interecooled traditional diesel. Still has a mechanical injection pump but surprisingly is loaded with sensors here and there. Has an ECU beneath the passenger seat and I was able to read data using an OBD II connector.
- Accelerator input is not needed in stop and go traffic as the car rolls when you let go off the clutch. Ooomph can be felt above 2000rpm but low end torque is sufficient enough for normal traffic conditions without having to reach turbo levels. The turbo is very conservative compared to the boost response of CRDI engines.
- NVH levels are ok and I can say a lot lot better than a brand new Mitsu Adventure. I saw a fair amount of deadening here and there although I'm planning to add more near the interior firewall area. Most curious passengers get the surprise of their lives after I divulge that the car runs on diesel.
- Fuel economy is AWESOME! EDSA, Makati, C5 and BGC traffic still yields me 12-13km/h. Best record for a long drive is 24+ km/h at a steady average of 90-100km/h. Engine RPM is at around 2500rpm/100kph.
- No idea on the top speed yet although I managed to reach 150km/h during the break-in period before I let go of the accelerator. I have a feeling that this will top out at 165 more or less.
- gear shifter is wrapped in leather but really feels gummy when shifting. Gearbox is also quite heavy so one should have a mental note of waiting for 2 seconds while depressing the clutch before shifting to reverse or you'll end up hearing your gears grinding against each other (because of gear inertia). Clutch feel is ok, and is quite on the light side but make sure to maintain your clutch cable.
- Trunk space is HUUUUGE. Can close the tailgate even if loaded with 2 full sized suitcases, 2 hand carry suitcases and 3 backpacks.
- Rear seat folds and tumbles.
- Windows are HUGE. Good for those who tend to suffer from motion sickness.
Will try to add more inputs if other queries arise.