I test drove the new TATA Indica VISTA yesterday at Pandit Auto. Pune, Mah. As soon as entered the showroom, there were 2 new cars one being FIAT 500 (kool, trendy, cute and expensive.. 17 lacs !!) and the other one being the new TATA Indica Vista in Gala Red color surrounded by many people who were appreciating the car.
This was a top model AURA. An instant thought came into my mind “Why is it named Indica Vista and not given any other name?? Indica??” Anyways lets go the car now in details..
Exterior: One look from the front angle and it’s a huge car. It has new petal shaped headlamps which big and crystal clear. I found them a bit similar to Optra Magnum but are bigger. The Aura has body colored bumpers and fog lamps too.
Now from the side angle, it is again different from the regular Indica. The rear windows are a bit stretched. The doors have grip handles which you can hold firmly. Looks good from the sided view too.. From the back, no major changes but still a few curves her and there. The tail lamps are stretched till the top. They very similar to Indica Marina. On the top, there is a stylish antenna. The external antenna is only available in the top model.
TERRA (Basic model): 1. No fog lamps
Body colored bumpers
Black door handles and OVRMs
AQUA (Middle model): 1. Front fog lamps
Body colored bumpers
Black door handles and OVRMs
AURA (Top Model): 1. Front and Rear fog lamps
Body colored bumpers
Body colored door handles and OVRMs
External antenna
Interior: Completely different and new interiors. The interesting thing is the new central instrument cluster. Yes, it’s in the center with digital kms reading in blue display and analog speedometer, fuel indicator and tachometer in white display. Also there is a light intensity adjustment for instrument cluster (only in Aqua and Aura). The seating is very comfortable in the front and as well as on the back. This car is more comfortable than swift. I have a Palio and the seating position is low. This is not the case with Vista. The seating position is good. I didn’t have any issues while taking sharp turns. The dashboard is also complete new. The glove is quite deep but there is no space to keep even a cell phone on the dashboard. The car is definitely spacious form inside. The top model has 2 tone beige interiors. Terra has black color interiors and Aqua has 2 tone black grey interiors. All models have HVAC. The A/c vents have a new look. The top model comes with 2 DIN CD system. It looks good but sound quality is average. Terra (basic) does not have power windows. Aqua (middle) has front 2 power windows and the top model has all door power windows and manual central locking.
Some good features
Tilt-adjustable steering available in all variants.
Hydraulic Power steering available in all variants.
There is height adjustment feature for the driver’s seat but available only in top model i.e. Aura.
Rear windscreen demister in aqua as well as aura.
Rear wipers in Aura. This is very useful during rainy season.
Engine: Vista comes with 3 engines and they are
SAFIRE – petrol engine 1.2 ltr and 65ps @ 5500 rpm. – Mileage: 12-14 in city
TDI diesel – 1.4 ltr and 71 ps @ 4500 rpm – Mileage: 16+ in city
Quadrajet diesel – 1.3 ltr and 75 ps @ 4000 rpm – Mileage: 18+ in city
Reliability: This is something only time and buyers will tell. The fit and finish of the car is good.
The test drive was good. I test drove the quadrajet diesel and was very smooth. I went through few potholes and found the suspension good. It absorbed the jerks very well. After 2000rpm, I could feel the boost in pick up. A/c cooling was also very good. I kept it at 2nd and the cabin chilled in 2-3 mins. The handling of the car has improved a lot. The gear shift is very smooth and better than the earlier one. Braking was instant. I didn’t get a chance to drive it on the highways and hence couldn’t gauge the performance at high speeds.
Overall, I would say the car is a good buy. Prices range from 4 to 5.5 lacs on road. It is basically meant for private buyers and not for tourist.