Tata
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Tata Cars Review, Price, Spec and more. |
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Formerly known as TELCO (TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company), Tata Motors is the third largest manufacturer of passenger cars in India. Tata is also by far the biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India. The company was established in 1935 as a locomotive manufacturing unit and later expanded its operations to commercial vehicle sector in 1954 after forming a joint venture with Daimler-Benz AG of Germany. In 1998 Tata launched Tata Indica, India's first fully indigenous passenger car. Tata has its manufacturing plants in india in Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Pune (Maharashtra), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Pantnagar (Uttarakhand) and Dharwad (Karnataka). The company has set up an industrial joint venture with Fiat Group Automobiles at Ranjangaon (Maharashtra) to produce both Fiat and Tata cars and Fiat powertrains. |
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Read Full Expert Review: Design & Features | Driving & Comfort | Engine | Competition
Tata Indigo ManzaOverview
When the Indica Vista came along, it was obvious that like its younger sibling, the Indica, the Vista too would spawn a sedan in the time to come. Within one and half year of the Vista’s birth, the obvious happened and the Indigo Manza was born. But contrary to the Indigo’s market placement, the Manza comes across as a premium sedan instead of a cheap booted version of some entry-level hatchback.
Design & Features
Tata have largely benefitted form their alliance with Fiat – and this face is evident right from the first glance at the Manza. What Tata did not learn from Mercedes Benz over a decade ago, they learnt from Fiat in a couple of years – paint quality! Look at the Manza in any shade and it looks as well finished and glossy as Linea. Even the body lines of the Manza look classy unlike the yesteryear Indigo – which looked like an Indica with crooked box hanging out of its backside. The boot on the Manza is flat and large and complements the rakish lines of the rest of the body. The wineglass shaped taillights look equally classy while the chrome lining on the boot-lip add to the premium quotient of the Manza.
Upfront the Manza looks a lot similar to the Vista. But Tata have made subtle but necessary changes here. The headlights are similarly shaped to the those of the Vista, but the internal arrangement of the upper, dipper and blinker elements have been reshuffled and restyled to suit the sedan body form. Like the tail, the front too gets its premium bits via the chrome grill unlike the black plastic smiley grill of the Vista. Overall, the Manza looks more balanced than the old Indigo, however I feel the car could have done with bigger wheels - for even the 15-inchers look slightly undersized for the Manza’s body.
The interiors are yet another step forward for Tata and look quite up-market as compared to other Tatas below the 10-lakh-rupee mark. Furthermore Tata has integrated most of the desirables from the Linea like a Bluetooth™-enabled audio system, adjustable steering wheel, steering mounted audio and phone controls, cup holder for the rear bench etc. Depending on the variant, the Manza offers safety features like ABS and airbags as well!
Drivability and comfort
The most talked about feature in the Manza is its light steering. For a moment you’ll almost forget that this car came from the same engineers who have brought you truck-like models like the Sumo and Safari. The Manza has been engineered to suit the driving capabilities of an average Indian driver, hence easy maneuverability at low as well as high speeds has been given special attention. However, if you indulge in some spirited driving around twisties, your confidence will be dampened as the Manza tends to understeer. But spirited driving aside, the Manza is a great city car with a well sorted out suspension setup for Indian roads. Furthermore, the large cabin space and generous legroom for the back bench makes it an ideal car for weekend getaways with the family.
Engines
The Manza-Linea love story continues in the engine bay as well. Tata has chosen to use the 1.3-litre Mtultijet diesel and the 1.4-litre FIRE petrol mills from the Fiat inventory for the Manza. The Multijet diesel (MJD) has proved its worth times without number in various vehicles like the Linea, Swift Dezire, Swift hatch, Vista, Punto and the list goes on…For the Manza the 1.3 MJD gets 90 horses meaning that its state of tune is similar to that of the Linea. The 200 Nm torque is available between 1750 to 2500 revs, giving the Manza great tractability in the city. The petrol engine on the hand gives a lesser torque output of 116 Nm, but gives a similar 90PS of power and a cheaper price tag. Fuel efficiency for the diesel and petrol engines lie in the range of 17-20 kmpl and 11-14 kmpl respectively.
The competition
At the Rs.4.8-6.8 lakh sticker prices, the Manza competes with the Ford Ikon, Renault Logan, Hyundai Accent and most importantly, the Swift Dezire. The Manza not only offers better features than most others but is also easier to procure than the Dezire (which has an ever increasing waiting period). The only thing that works against the Manza is the consumer’s lack of faith in Tata quality. Tata NanoOverview
The Tata Nano was the buzz around the world ever since Ratan Tata hinted towards the development of a 1-lakh rupee car approximately a decade ago. His vision was to create a car that even a lower middle class family consisting of up to four members could afford – which in turn would allow the entire family to commute from point A to point B without worrying about the weather. But in spite of the Tata Nano having fulfilled his dream, one would still not call it a poor man’s car – for it’s a lot more exciting than what you can expect!
Design and Features
While there were many speculations and apprehensions about the design of the 1-lakh rupee car being similar to a rickshaw, the Nano in fact turned out to be a stunner. With its unique, tiny bean shape the Nano looks cute no matter what colour, perspective or variant you are looking at. Though it’s a sacrilege for an automotive purist, I would still go ahead and say that the air ducts for the engine are placed next to the wheel arches in a manner similar to the Lamborghini Gallardo’s design. The engine is mounted at the back of the car but this time I would rather compare the mounting arrangement to a rickshaw than maybe umm, a Porsche! The design has somehow restricted the engineers to incorporate any hood to make the engine easily accessible. Instead you need to strip down the rear seats to gain access to the Nano’s powerplant. What looks like a conventional bonnet up front is actually a ’boot lid’ for the spare wheel and air-conditioner’s routing. Don’t expect any space for luggage here – the Nano is strictly a city car and not recommended for weekend getaways with the family!
Depending on the variant, you either get a plain vanilla car with no frills (not even body-coloured bumpers), or some essentials like an air-con, adjustable passenger seat and central locking as you move up the variants. There is no denying the fact that the Nano is a puny car; so puny that only one wiper is enough to clean the entire windshield, and there is space only for four adults and a pack of chips maybe. The interiors on the top end model get two tone fabrics and floor mats with ’Nano’ written all over, while the lower priced versions get all-black interiors with no mats at all. The centre-mounted instrumentation console looks as cute and unconventional as the rest of the car and makes no attempts at packing unnecessary information – what you get instead is a basic speedometer, odo, tell-tale lights etc. The cheap quality of plastics is evident but you can’t expect anything better from a 1-lakh rupee car!
Engine, Driving abilities and comfort
The Nano is powered by a 624cc two-cylinder petrol engine while produces a little over 30 horses. But nevertheless, the Nano can still attain a respectable and electronically governed top speed of 105 km/h. Acceleration figures are not what the Nano is all about, so we are leaving those aspects unsaid. The engine note sounds a lot similar to the diesel rickshaws running around town, but some intelligent cabin insulation has kept the ridiculous burble from reaching the passengers. After the 70 km/h mark the body tends to vibrate as if it were a motorcycle – consider that as a speed limit warning!
The tiny 12" wheels are a tad too puny for the tallish design of the car and hence hint towards unnerving handling characteristics especially when making sudden direction changes. But since you are going to use it mainly in the urban environs, toppling over the Nano doesn’t look like an easy probability. Their slim form reduces rolling resistance and contributes to the high fuel efficiency of the car. The ARAI approved figures revolve around the 20-21 kmpl mark which is not too optimistic for a car of this size and weight. The suspension of the Nano is comfortable enough for the city, but like the first generation Indica, even the Nano’s rear suspension tends to squat under a four-person load, leading to an increased inner wear on the rear tyres. The high front seats are comfortable and eradicate the need for a conventional head rest. Overall, with 21% more cabin space than the Maruti 800, the Nano feels roomy while the ride quality is decent enough for the city commutes.
The competition
The Nano’s only competitors as of now are the used Maruti-Suzukis (Altos, 800s, Zens etc.) and the Santros in the aftermarket. But for a prospective buyer looking at buying a brand new car for his family, the Nano ends up being a great choice for its value for money performance and features and small size which makes a highly convenient city car. Tata Indica VistaOverview
The Indica was Tata’s first attempt at making a hatchback and more so, a people’s car. And though the car was an instant success, many cursed its lack of quality and reliability. So when the Indica Vista was conceived, Tata had to make sure that all the negative tags that were now synonymous with the word ’Indica’, had to be eradicated if the Vista was to become popular as a quality product. And for achieving this, their obvious ally was FIAT – the Italian company that has done more good to Tata than itself in recent times.
Design and Features
Look at the Indica Vista from the side profile and it looks under-tyred and yet too tall, like most other Tata cars. The large wheel wells have been designed while keeping in mind the 15” rims that would later go onto the Vista’s sedan sibling – the Manza. But in the tradeoff, the Vista looks weird with small 14-inchers trying hard to fill in the large gap. A saving grace is the subtly flared wheel arches, which if more pronounced, would have made the Vista look like a sumo wrestler tip-toeing on a pair of stilettos. The rest of the car follows subtle lines too – like the crease on the boot-lid and door handles, or the centre parting on the bonnet etc. Contradictory to the subtle lines, the Vista has an aggressive front end, with the large, swept back headlights, a stubby nose and the mischievous smiley grille. The taillights still follow the Indica’s familial stack-up design theme but their narrower form distinguishes this Indica in a jiffy from the old school one.
The car’s high shoulder line and comparatively flatter curves than the old Indica make the car look fresh and a tad Italian (Palio-esque) in design. The interiors too are a departure from those in the old Indica and have a centre-up instrumentation console and a cleaner dashboard layout. Depending on the variant, the Indica boasts of all the creature comforts that you would expect from a standard 5-lakh rupee hatch – no extra frills here. There are no variants that offer alloy wheels either, which is a downer considering its competitors like the Swift, Ritz, Palio etc. have them in atleast one variant. The music system offered on the top end variant however, is decent and on par not only with the units in the competing cars but also units available for serious bucks under some notable entertainment brands.
Drivability and comfort
Thanks to the tall suspension, the Indica Vista has a fair amount of body roll. Hustle it around in the twisties and the Vista starts breaking a sweat. The skinny tyres further deplete your confidence and are vocal about their inability with a fair amount of squeals. Tata claims that the new chassis is stiffer and more sophisticated than the Indica. But the sophistication doesn’t seem have taken inspiration from the Palio’s chassis which in itself is a much better car when it comes to spirited driving.
Though the Indica Vista isn’t a great enthusiast’s car, it does its job perfectly well in the urban environs. The tall suspension may induce body roll, but when it comes to the great Indian potholes, the Vista’s shockers are amongst the best in its class. They’ll absorb most of the undulations and craters with utmost ease but tend to fret when these undulations are too sharp to steep edged. Overall it’s a potent city car and the light steering wheel takes the effort out of the traffic maneuvers in busy metros.
Engines
FIAT’s blessing comes in the form of engines as well! The Indica Vista benefits from one of the best engine options in the hatchback segment – with the 1.2-litre FIRE petrol mill and the highly acclaimed 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine. While the petrol mill is tuned well enough for a 11-12 kmpl overall, the Multijet manages a frugal 16-17 kmpl! However, if you are not ready to pay the extra money for the Italian powerplants, Tata has its own 1.4-litre TDI engine powered variants at the cheaper side of the price range!
Competitors
Being a player in the hottest segment of the Indian car market, the Vista competes with the Swift, Ritz, Grande Punto and the Hyundai i10 to name a few. While the Korean car can be left aside for its smaller size, the rest of the hatchbacks pose a serious challenge with better design and quality in the FIAT and a strong after sales service back-up for the Maruti Suzuki. But these basic factors apart, the Vista holds its ground firmly with a fresh design, better reliability and frugal engines, as compared to the old Indica.
Tata Indigo ManzaOverview
When the Indica Vista came along, it was obvious that like its younger sibling, the Indica, the Vista too would spawn a sedan in the time to come. Within one and half year of the Vista’s birth, the obvious happened and the Indigo Manza was born. But contrary to the Indigo’s market placement, the Manza comes across as a premium sedan instead of a cheap booted version of some entry-level hatchback.
Design & Features
Tata have largely benefitted form their alliance with Fiat – and this face is evident right from the first glance at the Manza. What Tata did not learn from Mercedes Benz over a decade ago, they learnt from Fiat in a couple of years – paint quality! Look at the Manza in any shade and it looks as well finished and glossy as Linea. Even the body lines of the Manza look classy unlike the yesteryear Indigo – which looked like an Indica with crooked box hanging out of its backside. The boot on the Manza is flat and large and complements the rakish lines of the rest of the body. The wineglass shaped taillights look equally classy while the chrome lining on the boot-lip add to the premium quotient of the Manza.
Upfront the Manza looks a lot similar to the Vista. But Tata have made subtle but necessary changes here. The headlights are similarly shaped to the those of the Vista, but the internal arrangement of the upper, dipper and blinker elements have been reshuffled and restyled to suit the sedan body form. Like the tail, the front too gets its premium bits via the chrome grill unlike the black plastic smiley grill of the Vista. Overall, the Manza looks more balanced than the old Indigo, however I feel the car could have done with bigger wheels - for even the 15-inchers look slightly undersized for the Manza’s body.
The interiors are yet another step forward for Tata and look quite up-market as compared to other Tatas below the 10-lakh-rupee mark. Furthermore Tata has integrated most of the desirables from the Linea like a Bluetooth™-enabled audio system, adjustable steering wheel, steering mounted audio and phone controls, cup holder for the rear bench etc. Depending on the variant, the Manza offers safety features like ABS and airbags as well!
Drivability and comfort
The most talked about feature in the Manza is its light steering. For a moment you’ll almost forget that this car came from the same engineers who have brought you truck-like models like the Sumo and Safari. The Manza has been engineered to suit the driving capabilities of an average Indian driver, hence easy maneuverability at low as well as high speeds has been given special attention. However, if you indulge in some spirited driving around twisties, your confidence will be dampened as the Manza tends to understeer. But spirited driving aside, the Manza is a great city car with a well sorted out suspension setup for Indian roads. Furthermore, the large cabin space and generous legroom for the back bench makes it an ideal car for weekend getaways with the family.
Engines
The Manza-Linea love story continues in the engine bay as well. Tata has chosen to use the 1.3-litre Mtultijet diesel and the 1.4-litre FIRE petrol mills from the Fiat inventory for the Manza. The Multijet diesel (MJD) has proved its worth times without number in various vehicles like the Linea, Swift Dezire, Swift hatch, Vista, Punto and the list goes on…For the Manza the 1.3 MJD gets 90 horses meaning that its state of tune is similar to that of the Linea. The 200 Nm torque is available between 1750 to 2500 revs, giving the Manza great tractability in the city. The petrol engine on the hand gives a lesser torque output of 116 Nm, but gives a similar 90PS of power and a cheaper price tag. Fuel efficiency for the diesel and petrol engines lie in the range of 17-20 kmpl and 11-14 kmpl respectively.
The competition
At the Rs.4.8-6.8 lakh sticker prices, the Manza competes with the Ford Ikon, Renault Logan, Hyundai Accent and most importantly, the Swift Dezire. The Manza not only offers better features than most others but is also easier to procure than the Dezire (which has an ever increasing waiting period). The only thing that works against the Manza is the consumer’s lack of faith in Tata quality. Tata NanoOverview
The Tata Nano was the buzz around the world ever since Ratan Tata hinted towards the development of a 1-lakh rupee car approximately a decade ago. His vision was to create a car that even a lower middle class family consisting of up to four members could afford – which in turn would allow the entire family to commute from point A to point B without worrying about the weather. But in spite of the Tata Nano having fulfilled his dream, one would still not call it a poor man’s car – for it’s a lot more exciting than what you can expect!
Design and Features
While there were many speculations and apprehensions about the design of the 1-lakh rupee car being similar to a rickshaw, the Nano in fact turned out to be a stunner. With its unique, tiny bean shape the Nano looks cute no matter what colour, perspective or variant you are looking at. Though it’s a sacrilege for an automotive purist, I would still go ahead and say that the air ducts for the engine are placed next to the wheel arches in a manner similar to the Lamborghini Gallardo’s design. The engine is mounted at the back of the car but this time I would rather compare the mounting arrangement to a rickshaw than maybe umm, a Porsche! The design has somehow restricted the engineers to incorporate any hood to make the engine easily accessible. Instead you need to strip down the rear seats to gain access to the Nano’s powerplant. What looks like a conventional bonnet up front is actually a ’boot lid’ for the spare wheel and air-conditioner’s routing. Don’t expect any space for luggage here – the Nano is strictly a city car and not recommended for weekend getaways with the family!
Depending on the variant, you either get a plain vanilla car with no frills (not even body-coloured bumpers), or some essentials like an air-con, adjustable passenger seat and central locking as you move up the variants. There is no denying the fact that the Nano is a puny car; so puny that only one wiper is enough to clean the entire windshield, and there is space only for four adults and a pack of chips maybe. The interiors on the top end model get two tone fabrics and floor mats with ’Nano’ written all over, while the lower priced versions get all-black interiors with no mats at all. The centre-mounted instrumentation console looks as cute and unconventional as the rest of the car and makes no attempts at packing unnecessary information – what you get instead is a basic speedometer, odo, tell-tale lights etc. The cheap quality of plastics is evident but you can’t expect anything better from a 1-lakh rupee car!
Engine, Driving abilities and comfort
The Nano is powered by a 624cc two-cylinder petrol engine while produces a little over 30 horses. But nevertheless, the Nano can still attain a respectable and electronically governed top speed of 105 km/h. Acceleration figures are not what the Nano is all about, so we are leaving those aspects unsaid. The engine note sounds a lot similar to the diesel rickshaws running around town, but some intelligent cabin insulation has kept the ridiculous burble from reaching the passengers. After the 70 km/h mark the body tends to vibrate as if it were a motorcycle – consider that as a speed limit warning!
The tiny 12" wheels are a tad too puny for the tallish design of the car and hence hint towards unnerving handling characteristics especially when making sudden direction changes. But since you are going to use it mainly in the urban environs, toppling over the Nano doesn’t look like an easy probability. Their slim form reduces rolling resistance and contributes to the high fuel efficiency of the car. The ARAI approved figures revolve around the 20-21 kmpl mark which is not too optimistic for a car of this size and weight. The suspension of the Nano is comfortable enough for the city, but like the first generation Indica, even the Nano’s rear suspension tends to squat under a four-person load, leading to an increased inner wear on the rear tyres. The high front seats are comfortable and eradicate the need for a conventional head rest. Overall, with 21% more cabin space than the Maruti 800, the Nano feels roomy while the ride quality is decent enough for the city commutes.
The competition
The Nano’s only competitors as of now are the used Maruti-Suzukis (Altos, 800s, Zens etc.) and the Santros in the aftermarket. But for a prospective buyer looking at buying a brand new car for his family, the Nano ends up being a great choice for its value for money performance and features and small size which makes a highly convenient city car. Tata Indica VistaOverview
The Indica was Tata’s first attempt at making a hatchback and more so, a people’s car. And though the car was an instant success, many cursed its lack of quality and reliability. So when the Indica Vista was conceived, Tata had to make sure that all the negative tags that were now synonymous with the word ’Indica’, had to be eradicated if the Vista was to become popular as a quality product. And for achieving this, their obvious ally was FIAT – the Italian company that has done more good to Tata than itself in recent times.
Design and Features
Look at the Indica Vista from the side profile and it looks under-tyred and yet too tall, like most other Tata cars. The large wheel wells have been designed while keeping in mind the 15” rims that would later go onto the Vista’s sedan sibling – the Manza. But in the tradeoff, the Vista looks weird with small 14-inchers trying hard to fill in the large gap. A saving grace is the subtly flared wheel arches, which if more pronounced, would have made the Vista look like a sumo wrestler tip-toeing on a pair of stilettos. The rest of the car follows subtle lines too – like the crease on the boot-lid and door handles, or the centre parting on the bonnet etc. Contradictory to the subtle lines, the Vista has an aggressive front end, with the large, swept back headlights, a stubby nose and the mischievous smiley grille. The taillights still follow the Indica’s familial stack-up design theme but their narrower form distinguishes this Indica in a jiffy from the old school one.
The car’s high shoulder line and comparatively flatter curves than the old Indica make the car look fresh and a tad Italian (Palio-esque) in design. The interiors too are a departure from those in the old Indica and have a centre-up instrumentation console and a cleaner dashboard layout. Depending on the variant, the Indica boasts of all the creature comforts that you would expect from a standard 5-lakh rupee hatch – no extra frills here. There are no variants that offer alloy wheels either, which is a downer considering its competitors like the Swift, Ritz, Palio etc. have them in atleast one variant. The music system offered on the top end variant however, is decent and on par not only with the units in the competing cars but also units available for serious bucks under some notable entertainment brands.
Drivability and comfort
Thanks to the tall suspension, the Indica Vista has a fair amount of body roll. Hustle it around in the twisties and the Vista starts breaking a sweat. The skinny tyres further deplete your confidence and are vocal about their inability with a fair amount of squeals. Tata claims that the new chassis is stiffer and more sophisticated than the Indica. But the sophistication doesn’t seem have taken inspiration from the Palio’s chassis which in itself is a much better car when it comes to spirited driving.
Though the Indica Vista isn’t a great enthusiast’s car, it does its job perfectly well in the urban environs. The tall suspension may induce body roll, but when it comes to the great Indian potholes, the Vista’s shockers are amongst the best in its class. They’ll absorb most of the undulations and craters with utmost ease but tend to fret when these undulations are too sharp to steep edged. Overall it’s a potent city car and the light steering wheel takes the effort out of the traffic maneuvers in busy metros.
Engines
FIAT’s blessing comes in the form of engines as well! The Indica Vista benefits from one of the best engine options in the hatchback segment – with the 1.2-litre FIRE petrol mill and the highly acclaimed 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine. While the petrol mill is tuned well enough for a 11-12 kmpl overall, the Multijet manages a frugal 16-17 kmpl! However, if you are not ready to pay the extra money for the Italian powerplants, Tata has its own 1.4-litre TDI engine powered variants at the cheaper side of the price range!
Competitors
Being a player in the hottest segment of the Indian car market, the Vista competes with the Swift, Ritz, Grande Punto and the Hyundai i10 to name a few. While the Korean car can be left aside for its smaller size, the rest of the hatchbacks pose a serious challenge with better design and quality in the FIAT and a strong after sales service back-up for the Maruti Suzuki. But these basic factors apart, the Vista holds its ground firmly with a fresh design, better reliability and frugal engines, as compared to the old Indica. Show Less
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[+]Tata Safari
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Pow.Str |
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Fuel |
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Ex-Showroom Price (Delhi) for
Tata Safari 4X2 EXi BS III
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Rs 8,88,614*
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[+]Tata Safari
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Pow.Str |
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ABS |
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Elec.Mirr |
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| AirBag |
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Fuel |
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Ex-Showroom Price (Delhi) for
Tata Safari 4X4 LX DICOR 2.2 VTT
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Rs 9,70,099*
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