5 reasons why Tata Manza is popular for its gadgets and features

In July, the Tata Manza (along with Indigo) topped sales in the compact sedans segment. The Manza, while not the most-talked about car in its segment, is a strong value proposition as is evident from the consistently good sales performance. What gadgets and features makes Manza a strong choice for buyers?

The Manza competes with Maruti Suzuki Dzire, Mahindra Verito and Toyota Etios. It offers oodles of space and has refined petrol and diesel engines from Fiat. Further, Manza is also loaded with gadgets; it comes in 4 different variants namely, the Aqua, Aura, Aura ABS and Elan.

In February 2011, Tata launched a new variant of Manza named ‘Elan’. Here’s a look at the features and gadgets of Tata Manza Elan, the top-end variant.

Dashboard and seats: The Manza Elan has new two tone interior color scheme, burgundy and vanilla beige. The plastic quality has drastically improved unlike other cheaper interiors of Tata sedans (Indigo CS & Indigo) in the market. The seats are adequately cushioned and offer plenty of legroom, headroom and shoulder room.

Steering mounted controls: The four spoke steering wheel of the Manza Elan feels good to hold and features audio and phone controls on it. The instrument cluster is neatly laid out and the light intensity of it can be adjusted.

Multi-information display: The central console has multi information display (MID) that includes a digital clock, distance to empty and ambient temperature indicator. The 2 DIN music system has neatly laid out controls and even the HVAC controls look modern. The two DIN music system can play AM, FM, MP3 and CD. It also has Bluetooth connectivity (pair up to 5 mobiles), auxiliary input, four speakers (on all four doors) and two tweeters.

Electrically adjustable ORVM: The Manza comes with electronically adjustable ORVM (Outside Rear View Mirrors). The round knob shown in the photo above is used to adjust the ORVMs.

Safety features: With regard to safety, the Manza Elan comes with dual front SRS airbags, collapsible steering columns, high mounted LED stop lamp and warning for seat belt not fastened.  All these work together to ensure that the passengers inside are kept safe at all times.

The compact segment has strong contenders, especially the Swift Dzire. So whether the Manza will continue to hold on to its sales performance remains to be seen (Read Manza July sales performance here).