[Chillout]

They indeed look stunning and the grey one is a special matt finish paint. I doubt if they will offer to public. Tata has me smitten with this car. Kudos to all of them who worked on this project.

Originally Posted by hrn658276

Guys take a look at these pictures from the AutoExpo. Don't these mods look stunning?

[DieselAddikt]

Originally Posted by Chillout

They indeed look stunning and the grey one is a special matt finish paint. I doubt if they will offer to public. Tata has me smitten with this car. Kudos to all of them who worked on this project.

I loved the white BOLT more than ZEST. Must be a personal preference as I have always loved hatchbacks. The effort so far in releasing the product and making it look desirable has been spot on. And being TATA I am sure they will price it right. The question now is reliability n fit nd finish of interiors. Get reliability right and they will register some good numbers. They are TWO CARS that can change the game for TATA. If they fail, TATA fails. This looks like their best effort ever. And it shows !!! The company might lose confidence if they don't take off as TATA expected. I am particularly interested in the petrol motor. Hope the drivability is "excellent". Being good is just not enough for a TATA. People will never care. Else vista, manza and aria would have seen better monthly sales. Heck, even Storme is excellent to drive and does not pitch and roll like Mahindras. But unfortunately, latter does better monthly sales.

[aerohit]

Interiors are good, but I didnt like this portion of exterior. If it was all one piece it would have been nicer.

[DieselAddikt]

Nice observation there aerohit. And is there any information available on the suspension setup ? As in... Improved ride and handling ? Handling needs to be improved by a great margin if they want it to become popular among enthusiasts too. Hope they have listened to the current owners and done something about it.

[400notout]

Originally Posted by BusyBoyKK

An interesting design and in the right direction. Neat and refreshing interiors.

I think, blackening the C pillar till the upper line of window would have completed its design (picture 1) than leaving it like as it is now (picture 2).

I guess that has been done quite intentionally. The cut gives a false impression of a stooping roofline with the addition of the spoiler.. Else it would seem quite similar to the Vista/indica I guess.

If you see this comparo, the Bolt gives an illusion of a stooped roofline, whereas from a clear side view you can see its definitely not.



Evolution of the species

Side profile from GTOs thread for comparision

[simplyself]

Diesel motors in Bolt/Zest are not new ones. They have done duty in scores of brands. The petrol is the new offering, though. Whether it is underpowered or not is yet to be seen. And still there is a talk about it being underpowered.

I do not think there would be many takers for petrol versions of these vehicles initially.

[chittybang]

Originally Posted by 400notout

I guess that has been done quite intentionally. The cut gives a false impression of a stooping roofline with the addition of the spoiler.. Else it would seem quite similar to the Vista/indica I guess.

If you see this comparo, the Bolt gives an illusion of a stooped roofline, whereas from a clear side view you can see its definitely not.

I beg to differ on this one. I get the sense this was done to camouflage the black panel that has now filled the gap left by the christmas lights. So with this angled cut the black panel lines up with the rear glass and appears like one unit.
Also the pics are not from the same angle, the bolt is more closer to a top view and hence the exaggerated stooping roofline. All said and done this is a truly refreshing refresh. Looking forward to the more important details such as driveability and quality of the final product.

[400notout]

Originally Posted by chittybang

I beg to differ on this one. I get the sense this was done to camouflage the black panel that has now filled the gap left by the christmas lights. So with this angled cut the black panel lines up with the rear glass and appears like one unit.

It does cover up the place vacated by the tail lamp, its also is a way to visually break the roundness of the rear part, which had been a signature of the indica. The shape is still round, save for the spoiler but now it doesnt feel roundish.

The designers only know. Im just speculating.

[jessie007]

Just returned from the Expo. Following are some pictures of Bolt.

-The bonnet is all new - there are two subtle ridges which look nice
- Interiors look fairly well-made
- No soft touch plastics though - but definitely better than the ones on current Vista
- Entertainment system is from Harmon Kardon
- Steering is the most well made part which I liked - soft touch feel
- Buttons also felt fairly well made
- Boot size looks similar to the Vista
- Seems positioning will be premium only

[jessie007]

Some pictures of the Zest

- Cream & black / grey combination for interiors looks nice
- Rear seat legroom seems to be more in the Zest, even though it shares the same wheelbase with Bolt
- The rubber flip cover for the SD card does not look like a Rs 2 one - it is well-made with two anchor points
- The chrome finish inside door handle looks nice, but doesn't feel solid
- There is some padding on the rear part of the armrest, but it is more of soft touch rather than real padding - but nonetheless a good touch
- There is space for tweeter near door handle
- 195 / 55 R16 tyre / wheel-rim combination looks nice
- Boot capacity is 360 litres - about 20 litres less than the eCS (as advised by the TATA rep. over there)
- LED taillights & front DRL lights look neat

[jessie007]

Some more random images

Bolt interior



Pedals (clutch pedal still off-set and no place to rest ones' left foot - not good)



Zest exterior random shot - note defogger



A grainy shot of the automatic



MID of Zest (All the info. is there - 2 trip meters, DTE, avg display, ext. temp. - but a possible negative is that one has to toggle via a small stick on the speedometer console. There could be control on steering also, but can't say - none on the stalk though, like in the Punto)

[GrammarNazi]

What seriously disappoints me about this launch is that TATA MOTORS is now contradicting itself on what they're actually offering.

They promised one thing during the launch and now seem to've changed their stance.

THIS OFFICIAL TaMo LINK presented at the time of launch(and even now) said that the rear suspension will be a "Independent 3- link Mc Pherson strut with Antiroll Bar", whereas THIS OFFICIAL TaMo LINK now says it'll be a "Semi-independent twist beam with coil spring".

Its been 4 days(?) since the launch. And even yet they've not bothered to clarify their stand.

Why I'm making a big deal out of this, is because Independent suspension provides MUCH more dampening than the regular suspension. Something as important as the suspension setting of the car isn't supposed to be ambiguous.

[JagMan]

I'm disappointed with the design of the Bolt and Zest. And this is from a tata fanboy. I even registered on their website for availing their december scheme for the vista. Its been over 2 months now and there is still no sign of a test drive.

Whats the use of a new product when their sales setup is so lethargic. I am convinced that their dealer network will fail the new products as well.

What tata should do IMO is create a value oriented subsidiary perhaps under JLR and transfer the premium passenger vehicles business to them and let tata concentrate on the commercial vehicle and taxi segment.

By placing the subsidiary under JLR they could also disassociate the brand from the negative connotations associated with TATAs taxi image.

@GrammarNazi: the original indica had an independent suspension setup but the vista with a semi independent setup rides better than the indica. An independent configuration does not automatically mean better ride quality.

[Steeroid]

Pleasantly surprised by TML - I am personally used to being hugely underwhelmed when they actually launch the final product, but in this case (for that hatch at least) they have managed to go beyond expectations with the Bolt and surprise with the Zest. While everyone knows these are based on the existing Vista platform, they do look sufficiently different even for those in the know.

Really surprised to see the quality of fitment and the interiors from the pictures here - am used to seeing people crawling under a Tata to find that one imperfect gap that they can shout about from the rooftops and thus cement their place in the pantheon of experts.

[torquecurve]

My father saw the pictures of the Bolt and Zest earlier today. Frankly he is impressed, so much so that he is already decided that one of these should be the next car! Guess like father like son.

I am a hatchback person, and the Bolt does appeal to me. The proportions are the same as the Vista (which is great) so will be spacious. The existing suspension, seats are excellent for long drives (my dad, all of 74 finds it absolutely fatigue free). From an Ingress/Egress perspective it is easy for older people. It does tend to be fun to drive (after changing the tyres). With the Tata Platinum package (AMC) I have not spent a single penny since purchase (till 50K kms) and recently did the 60 K service at about 6.5K including changing the front right shocker (which was damaged by a rock. It also included the cost of a miniature Xenon Model (which now graces my desk).
So, if priced right, this will be a Fun to Drive, Comfortable, Spacious, VFM vehicle!