Tata Motors is an India-based auto-maker, which produces passenger cars under the Tata marquee. The company stepped into the passenger vehicle segment in the year 1991 with Tata Sierra, an MUV, followed by Tata Estate in the year 1992 and then Tata Safari in 1998, which was India's first Sports Utility Vehicle. The first fully home-grown Indian passenger car launched by Tata was Indica in the year 1998. This hatchback was among the most successful cars of its time and attracted a whole lot of Indian customers. Seeing to the success of this model, Tata decided to give it a facelift and soon the second generation of the hatch was launched, in the year 2008, named as Tata Indica Vista. New Tata Vista is available in Indian market in twelve variants, featuring both petrol and diesel engine options. Out of these twelve variants, six variants are powered by Safire petrol engines, and the other six are powered by Quadrajet and TDI diesel engines. Tata Vista Quadrajet 90 ZX is the top end variant of this hatchback. It is powered by a 1.3-litre, 16V, VGT diesel engine, which produces a top 88.6bhp at the rate of 400rpm and a torque of 200Nm for a range of 1750-3000rpm. Mileage delivered by this hatch is exceptionally good and is surely going to attract the Indian buyers. Apart from the new looks and features, it has segment leading interior space. An all-new front chrome grill now steps up the front look of the new Vista coupled with the new triple barrelled headlamps. A chrome package adorns the exteriors in addition to the sporty new alloy wheels. Tata Vista is also available in a new colour - Summer Sparkle. There is also a mirror polished garnishing below the rear wind-shield that gives the new Tata Vista a distinct appearance among the hatchbacks. The interiors of the new Tata Vista have also received a good makeover. The four spoke steering now has audio controls to keep shuffling the numbers played on the 2-DIN music system . The audio system has USB, Aux and Bluetooth connectivity that can connect to 5 mobile phones at a time. The all new Vista has another new feature - Clutch-to-Start, which does not allow the car to crank unless the clutch pedal is fully pressed. There is also lower pedal clutch effort and smoother clutch operation, braking efficiency has been improved by 15%, steering is more responsive now, and the gear shift has also been made smoother. The safety features added to this hatch include both active and passive features to ensure safe riding along with comfort.
Exteriors
Tata Vista comes with new exterior looks that are much more stylish as compared to the older version. In the front we have a horizontal chrome grille with Tata symbol embossed in the centre. There are large and trendy four barrel headlamps, which enhance the front beauty. The lower grille is integrated with fog lamps to provide better visibility at night. Other classy features that are available with the new Tata Vista include body-coloured bumpers, chrome plating for the exhaust pipe, stylish full wheel covers, body-toned door handles and ORVMs, Rb Rail and roof antenna. This Tata Vista model is available in the market in 8 amazing colours, namely, Mint White, Arctic Silver, Cavern Grey, Gala Red, Infinity Black, Porcelain White, Marine Silver and Solar Orange. In terms of dimensions , Tata Vista is 3,795mm in length, 1,695mm in width and 1,550mm in height, providing a wheelbase of 2,470mm besides a ground clearance of 165mm and a minimum turning radius of 5.0 meters.
Interiors
Tata Vista has been adorned with a very attractive dual tone theme composed of Ebony Black and Sahara Beige shades, which give a soothing effect to the whole cabin area. The dashboard is also in dual tone and is equipped with an advanced instrument panel. It is fitted with an effective Air Conditioner with Heater to control the temperature inside the car. Adjustable steering column allows you to adjust the steering wheel according to your own convenience. The instrument panel includes a tachometer, an electronic multi-tripmeter, a digital clock and an outside temperature display.
Comfort Features
The comfort features in the hatch include power steering wheel, which provides you easy handling in any kind of terrain and also a low turning radius. It has front and rear power windows we can easily open or close with a single touch of the button.The other standard features are low fuel warning light, accessory power outlet, trunk light, vanity mirror, front cup holders, seat lumbar support and multi function steering column. Tata Vista is an ultra spacious premium hatchback model holding the seating capacity of five passengers. It offers a generous headroom of 960mm (in the front) and 915mm (in the rear), with a front legroom of 1180mm (at the maximum) and 1015mm (at the minimum), a rear knee-room of 910mm (at the maximum) and 705mm (at the minimum) and a shoulder-room of 1340mm. These offered dimensions are enough even for a six feet tall person. The boot capacity of this SUV is 232 litres.
Engine and Performance
It is powered by a 1.3-litre VGT diesel engine with 16 valves and CRDI fuel supply system . This diesel engine produces a peak 88.6bhp at the rate of 4000rpm and a torque of 200Nm over a range of 1750-3000rpm. It also has a turbocharger, which further helps in improving the acceleration and pick-up of the car. With the kind of power and torque generated here, we can easily accelerate the car from 0-100kmph in 15.5 seconds and can touch a top speed of 156kmph. The mileage delivered by it is around 19.1kmpl in the city and 22.3kmpl on the highways . The diesel engine complies with BSIV emission norms, instituted by the Government of India to keep a check over the pollution caused by the internal combustion unit.
Braking and Handling
In the brake mechanism, we have disc brakes in the front while drum brakes at the rear to provide effective braking . For handling purposes, we have a power steering wheel with collapsible steering column that provides a turning radius of 5.0 meters.
Safety Features
Safety and security features in this car include ABS with EBD, dual airbags, crumple zones and side intrusion beams. Besides, engine immobilizer and remote key-less entry are also among the security features of new Tata Vista . Other standard features are central locking, child safety locks, driver and passenger airbags and a centrally mounted fuel tank.
Pros: Impressive standards of comfort and safety, and superb interior design.
Cons: Acceleration and pick up needs to be improved.
