INITIAL IMPRESSIONS | REVO "V" | after 250km of use
Reviewed from a "Daily driver - home to office and back; & Weekend excursion vehicle" perspective
1) EXTERIOR:
a) Shape: Subjective really and a matter of personal preference. I however, love it, especially the front shape and the view from the sides. Much sportier look as compared to the previous model.
b) Paint Job:
The quality leaves much to be desired. I fail to understand why none of these three assemblers vis-a-vis Toyota, Honda and Suzuki, have figured out how to properly paint their vehicles. The paint finishing quality on imported vehicles, even hatchbacks, is head of shoulders above Indus, Atlas and Suzuki's paint job quality.
c) Tyres: Indus provided Dunlop GrandTrek PT tyres with the Revo. Based on reviews available on the internet, it is a very good tyre from dry surfaces whilst a poor performer on wet surfaces. Personally, I drove it on tarmac, beach sand, gravel paths and unpaved roads - all in dry conditions and didn't find them lacking in terms of grip and performance. The max speed I drove on tarmac road was around 160 km/hr and I felt comfortable and experienced minimal cabin noise.
d) Wheels: The 18" wheels provided by Indus are well-designed and compliment the overall aesthetics of the vehicle.
e) Lights: The DRLs look really cool, both during day-time and well as during the night. The LED headlamps amply light-up the path ahead and are more than adequate for city and highway drive. However, one would have to put in additional lamps for off-road excursions involving night driving.
f) Bed and BedLiner: Revo "V" and "G", both come with bed-liner pre-installed. The bed is slightly wider and longer than the outgoing model's. The quality of bed-liner (material and finishing) is pretty decent.
2) INTERIOR
a) Dashboard:
Simply put, you just don't feel like sitting in a truck, rather, the design and aesthetics give you the feeling that you're sitting in any modern sedan or SUV. The quality of plastics, chrome and aluminium trims is considerably improved from the outgoing model and comparable (although not at par) with imported Revo model.
b) Seats and Seat Leather: Seats are much more comfortable than PKDM Vigo's seats, especially at the front and also at the rear. The automatic adjustment options in the driver's seat is a welcome and convenient feature. Leather quality is good and appears durable. The color of leather seats compliments the overall theme of vehicle's interior.
c) Instrument Cluster:
The TFT screen in between the two dials is pleasing to the eye and useful and easily readable info with respect to transmission modes (Eco/Sports, H2, H4 or L4), driving style (eco), economy, etc is available for the driver.
d) Multimedia and Steering Controls: These take the cake really. The Multimedia along with steering controls, is much better than the 2016 Civic's in terms of features, ease of use, synching with iOS, making and receiving calls, navigation system, sound quality (6 speakers), visibility, etc. Yes, I've personally compared the two. I'm no gadget geek and I didn't have to pick up the manual once to figure out all the multimedia's features in just a 60 minutes fiddling session. The quality of buttons on the steering controls is very good - neither hard nor soft, just about right.
e) Airconditioning:
The auto climate control layout is similar to that of Altis and the quality of air conditioning is very good. The four vents up-front are appropriately placed to enable decent air throw towards all four passengers.
3) PERFORMANCE:
a) Transmission: The five-speed triptronic transmission is pretty fast in selecting appropriate gears, however, I would like to share detailed feedback on this after having driven 1,000km at least under varying conditions.
b) H4 / L4 and Traction Control: Have only used H4 so far and climbing up and down 40 to 45 degrees steep terrains, both hard and soft, has been like a walk in the park for the Revo. Drove around 10 kilometres in soft dry beach sand, at speeds ranging from dead slow up to 60 km/hr and had no issues whatsoever. Will share detailed review after 1,000kms or upon usage of L4 and Traction Control.
c) Power:
The previous PKDM 2.5L D4D Vigo surely did lag behind in terms of power. However, this 3.0L VN Turbo Diesel certainly does not. I haven't clocked my speed runs but I can share that one will definitely not feel it lacking anywhere in power. Ofcourse, for serious rally racers and shodas (show-offs), there's always the UniChip option which can take it's stock 162hp to 200hp and maybe slightly beyond. I'm averse to such modifications.
4) SUSPENSION / DRIVE COMFORT:
I can comfortably say that upfront it feels at least 35% softer (less bumpier) and at least 25% softer in rear seats, as compared to the previous PKDM Vigo model. I'll share the technical reasons behind this in my detailed review. Together with improved suspension and better seats, the driving comfort has significantly improved, without a doubt, from the previous model. Ofcourse, one would be silly to compare it's comfort level with an SUV (let alone a sedan). This is, by design, a pickup truck. There is less weight at the back in this vehicle, as compared to an SUV. So, therefore, it will inherently be bouncier especially at the back, as compared to an SUV.
More to follow shortly after 1,000kms