Tata Indigo Marina TDi

Estates cost more than their hatchback brothers and sisters

Published on Dec 08, 2009 08:00:00 AM

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Riding on suspension that has been visibly raised to deal with our roads and generous 175/65 tyres on 14-inch rims, the Marina possesses decent ride quality. This is especially true over broken surfaces at speed, where it feels composed and transmits only a few of the bumps through to the cabin. Low-speed ride is stiffer, the Marina getting jiggly over broken patches of road, despite softer springs at the rear.
Discomfort however is only mild. We loaded up the rear with luggage, added a full complement of passengers, and the Marina crests bumps and speedbreakers well, and ride doesn’t suffer on even poor roads.
Straight-line stability is also average. Bumps taken at speed nudge it mildly off-course, and the slow-acting steering makes keeping the Marina headed in the intended direction of travel more challenging that it should be.
It doesn't particularly enjoy being driven hard either. Despite front and rear anti-roll bars, body control is not great and the Marina looks at the world at a jaunty angle when cornered. Driven hard, the estate car begins to understeer and needs to be coerced back onto a chosen line. But push harder on tighter corners and it's the rear wheels that tend to lose grip first, and the tail tends to step out.
The brakes have a decent amount of feel, and retardation is pretty impressive too. A word of caution about the air pressure recommended by Tata, 26psi for all loads and speeds. It's too low, especially if the car is loaded with luggage and passengers, and is being driven at high speeds. Under these conditions, an additional five to seven pounds would be ideal. Happily, the rear doesn’t squat under loads.