[RavenAvi]

Confirmation:




Some detailed shots shared by Autocar India:

Plus a few other notable shots from Facebook users:

[CarguyNish]

One thing which I disliked in Hexa are ABC Pedals.

No Tata No, you have placed the same Pedals as that of the Much Cheaper Tiago. I expected better one's especially considering the price & positioning of this car.

You still have time, change them. A size bigger & also a Organ Type Accelerator Pedal would be very nice.

I am sure our Moderators have noticed this one & the same will be mentioned in the Official Review

[esoticoreventon]

This is probably going to amount to nitpicking, but isn't that RHS wiper going to be an hindrance/distraction while driving? It seems the same was seen in the Aria, was it a problem in the Aria? If the Honda Civic can have similar type of wipers and not intrude too much into the windscreen area, why is this so bad in the Hexa?

[r0nit7]

The reason Tata should ("should" being the keyword here) be able to give Hexa a VFM pricing is the comparatively lesser amount of R&D costs involved in making it.
Every auto manufacturer, while pricing their product would keep in mind the cost of all inputs & try to recuperate, amongst other things, the R&D costs involved in some specific time frame.
Hexa is based on the same platform as Aria plus it has the Varicor-400 in the same tune as the Storme. Pardon my ignorance, but I feel the platform & the engine would require a major portion of expenditure on R&D.
Hexa is nothing but a face lifted Aria (massively face lifted ) & face-lifted models, ideally, should not be priced much over their predecessors.

PS - The writer is posting this hoping for a very VFM pricing

[RavenAvi]

Some notable ones from NDTV Auto's photo gallery:

In addition, a couple of shots of the Hexa and the Innova Crysta together. Thanks to Rohit Paradkar & OverDrive:

[toothless]

Originally Posted by r0nit7

The reason Tata should ("should" being the keyword here) be able to give Hexa a VFM pricing is the comparatively lesser amount of R&D costs involved in making it.
Every auto manufacturer, while pricing their product would keep in mind the cost of all inputs & try to recuperate, amongst other things, the R&D costs involved in some specific time frame.
Hexa is based on the same platform as Aria plus it has the Varicor-400 in the same tune as the Storme. Pardon my ignorance, but I feel the platform & the engine would require a major portion of expenditure on R&D.
Hexa is nothing but a face lifted Aria (massively face lifted ) & face-lifted models, ideally, should not be priced much over their predecessors.

PS - The writer is posting this hoping for a very VFM pricing

I do understand the logic (and hope) behind the VFM pricing expectation. But to me, it feels like a much greater effort has gone into developing the Hexa. Agreed the engine is the same Varicor 400 as in the Storme. It is the same platform as the Aria/Storme. However, there are lots of other changes that have gone into the vehicle, least of all the 4x4 version with driving modes. Plus, from what we have seen in the sneakpics till now, the interior is a huge departure for Tata vehicles. That alone would have required a significant R&D expense. I read somewhere that Harman took ~1,000 hours to fine tune the audio system of Hexa. That would not have been cheap! All in all, I do not think its fair calling this a 'mere' face lift of the Aria as a lot of people have in this thread. Massive face-lift sounds right though
Just my point of view.

Anyhow, as a potential future buyer, I too hope for a VFM pricing!

[djay99]

I am extremely happy to see such a quality product from an Indian company. I know that engine and platform has been carried over from Storme and Aria respectively, Hexa still looks to me like an all new car.

Tata's have worked with quite a few European suppliers (Suppliers to JLR) to get quality stuff designed and developed in India and it clearly shows. They seem to have put everything well together this time and I expect this car to be niggle free, unlike previous cars (except Tiago).


Hope hexa sells in good numbers consistently and hope tata would export hexa to European markets.

[esoticoreventon]

For the first time, I am gonna watch ET now and the Autocar show on TV!

I am just hoping they do not give the job of reviewing it to Renuka Kirpalani. Ideally Hormazd Sorabjee or Kartikeya Singhee could do a better job, and their presentation is better.

And is the Team-BHP review going to be up at 10 pm?

[Sherlocked]

Disclaimer:
I am no Toyota lover. In fact, hate their egoistic behaviour which they display wrt their pricing.
OTOH, I have a soft corner for TATA motors. Love their passion and dedication which they have shown from Zest onwards.
- - - - - - -- - -
Now coming to the point:
All those who are comparing Crysta with other cars should not forget why majority still prefer the Innova despite the high pricing. No, its not the features or less niggles in initial period. It's simply the long lasting nature of their cars (their engines, mostly).

A customer who is buying a car for running lakhs and lakhs of kms will honestly be willing to pay a couple of lakhs more if he has the surity that this car will be able to do so without breaking a sweat. A proven track record of reliability highly matters.

Have came across numerous Innova taxis having odo reading anywhere between 1 lakh to 3 lakh kms without any engine overhaul.

I feel this is a important ground which TATA Motors has to cover i.e. Long term reliability which only time will tell.
Their Indica and Indigo days plays a spoilsport here (maybe Sumo too) where as for Toyota, its the other way around as people still do remember the Qualis (for all the good reasons).

[Vid6639]

Mod Note: Our detailed Official Review has been published at this link (Tata Hexa : Official Review).

Seeing the excitement on this thread over the past few days, we thought of sharing a sneak preview on the Tata Hexa before our comprehensive review goes live; the official review will easily take a few weeks given the importance of this car as well as the vast amount of things to cover.

Fellow Mod Aditya and myself drove the Hexa yesterday in Hyderabad for nearly 200 km. We also got a chance to see its offroad capabilities in the hands of an offroad expert.

Exteriors:

- There's no hiding the fact that this is a reincarnation of the Aria. Tata Motors would like you to think otherwise, but the MPV silhouette is very much obvious. Interestingly, the word 'Aria' wasn't mentioned even once in the event .

- A lot of changes have been done to beef up the looks all-round and they do work to an extent. The wheel cladding, aggressive bumper, new clamshell bonnet and piano black grille - all contribute to give it an aggressive stance and hide the MPV design. The front has been squared off so to say. Also glad to see minimal chrome.

- The side profile is where the Aria DNA shows. The D-pillar has again been squared off. Body cladding and huge 19" wheels try to hide the MPV silhouette. Keep in mind that 19" tyres will be very expensive to replace.

- The highlight of the rear is the full LED tail-lamp.

- Paint job and fit & finish are surprisingly good. The panel gaps are consistent. Gaps around the new clamshell bonnet are wider, but consistent.

- Doors are heavy and when pulled from inside, don't close properly unless some force is used.

- Overall, the Hexa looks like a smart crossover and *almost* pulls off the butch SUV look.

Interiors:

- This was the biggest surprise to us...and a very pleasant one . The interiors are a huge departure from earlier Tata cars.

- All-black cabin gets a big thumbs up from us. There are soft touch plastics on all doors and the dashboard. The chrome rings look fab as they are smoked chrome (not the normal shiny chrome).

- Very few rough edges in the cabin. Whatever rough edges were there were out of sight / touch. Someone has gone to town with attention-to-detail in this department.

- The seats are supremely comfortable all round. Front seats have excellent support and good travel range.

- Steering has only tilt adjustment, but not telescopic!!! For drivers who like to push the seat a little behind (e.g. me), the steering is too far away. Shocked to see this omission in a car that's otherwise so well equipped.

- Front center armrest has a cutout for the handbrake on the right side. As a result, it's more useful for the passenger than the driver.

- The 6-seater version with captain seats in the 2nd row is amazingly comfortable. The seats have lumbar support and are basically the same as the ones at the front.

- The 7-seater middle bench is flat and wide. 3 abreast is easy and again, seat support is spot on. The bench seat height is a little lower than the captain seats.

- Rear A/C vents provided on the B-pillars as well as behind the front center console.

- Third row is not bad at all. It can accommodate a proper adult. Under-thigh support is lacking, but it's still more comfortable than an XUV500. The third row is more comfortable in the 6-seater version than the 7-seater. Both variants have middle row seats that slide forward, allowing more space for third row passengers.

- Third row passengers get a power outlet, A/C vents on C-pillars and 2 cup-holders.

- Luggage room with all 3 rows up is lesser than the Innova, but can still hold a couple of bags.

- Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ESP and disc brakes on all four wheels with ABS.

- 10-speaker infotainment system from JBL is kickass! 8" subwoofer in the tailgate as well as components on all doors, and a center channel speaker - all powered by an amplifier in the boot.

- Includes maps and a new smart remote app that allows any passenger to control several functions of the car (e.g. music playback and mood lighting).

Driving Impressions:

- We drove the 4x2 AT and the 4x4 MT. Engine is the familiar 2.2L VARICOR with 154 BHP and 400 Nm of torque mated to a 6-speed AT or MT.

- Performance is acceptable considering the near 2.3 ton weight. It won't blow you away, but at the same time won't leave you wanting. XUV500 has the upper hand here.

- Only the MT gets an option to choose from various driving modes via a rotary knob placed in front of the gear lever. The driving modes are Auto, Comfort, Dynamic and Rough Road. Comfort and Dynamic are 2WD modes. Comfort uses a less aggressive map vs. Dynamic. Dynamic sharpens the throttle response as well as brakes and relaxes the ESP to kick in much later. Rough Road engages the AWD system and changes the ESP settings for a bit of offroading.

- Manual gearbox isn't as slick as the Innova Crysta's, but is better than the XUV500's. The throws are long and will be a stretch for shorter drivers to operate. It also requires some strength to put into reverse. There is some amount of vibration too. The clutch is light, but springy and lacks feel.

- There is some lag below 1,700 rpm, yet you can easily drive at anything above 1,000 rpm. Slight surge felt after 1,700 rpm. Engine revs to 4,500 rpm.

- Automatic gearbox is the highlight and a revelation. It's easily the transmission of choice. 6-speed AT from Punch Powertrain for a RWD longitudinal layout. Very enthusiastic AT box with a Sports mode, Race car mode and manual tiptronic. Shifts are not the quickest, yet it does a very good job without any complaints. It's a likeable transmission.

- Sport mode blips the throttle with engine braking and keeps the revs above 2,000 rpm! Within Sports mode, there is a "race car mode" which holds revs till the redline; it even downshifts at 3,400 rpm to hit the rev limiter. Which diesel AT you know downshifts at 3,400? To activate "race car mode", you need to drive with a very heavy right foot. Race car mode is deactivated after a few minutes of driving with a light foot in sport mode.

- Ride quality of the Hexa is brilliant. It's difficult to think this is a ladder-frame chassis as it doesn't behave like one. Ride at slow speeds as well as high speeds is just impeccable. Nothing filters into the cabin; even huge craters leave the Hexa unfazed. It's soft, yet very stable even when cruising at high speeds or weaving through traffic on single lane highways.

- Handling is also surprisingly good. There is body roll, but it's not alarming. The dynamics are very predictable considering this is a 2.3 tonner. I was able to flick the Hexa in and out of slow moving traffic like I would do on my EcoSport, even at triple digit speeds - something I didn't expect of a car that rides so well. ESP keeps things under control too.

- The AWD system is from BorgWarner. For something so large and heavy, the offroad capability is neat. It doesn't have a low ratio gearbox, but the 'Rough Road' engine mode makes it quite capable. Acceleration and braking on rough roads is improved, and the hill descent control keeps things well under control while tackling steep descents. Tata has definitely learned how to use electronics to improve offroad performance from Land Rover.

- The hydraulic steering isn't the lightest at slow speeds, although it's better than the Crysta's overly heavy unit.

- All round disc brakes get the job done. Sharper braking experienced in Dynamic mode in the manual transmission. That said, the overall bite could be better.

Tata have really gone all out with the Hexa and it shows. As a product, there is little to fault with it. It's actually better than the segment leader Innova Crysta in some aspects and matches it in some. Mahindra have the advantage of the SUV image with the XUV500 as well as an AWD AT.

There are only 2 things that can prevent this car from becoming a success. The first is the pricing. Tata needs to get this bang on. Memories of the Aria's debacle send shivers down my spine. They can go against the XUV500, but not the Innova which enjoys tremendous brand value. They shouldn't even be looking in the direction of the Innova Crysta. Even a superior product will not work as the Toyota brand image is just too strong. People walk into a showroom, ready to buy the Innova blindly.

The second is Tata's brand perception when it comes to reliability. They have their work cut out to fix this. There are no shortcuts here and the perception will have to change over time. Even if they get the pricing right, it's only half the battle won. Lots of Aria customers had burnt their fingers.

Tata will launch the Hexa only in January 2017. Why they take so long is beyond us. Even the car itself has taken longer than expected to arrive. Bookings are expected to open shortly.

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thats a first in Team Bhp. Awesome job coming up with such a nice report so fast.

Only the pricing remains to be seen now, in an otherwise very competent package. As mentioned, nothing can be done for the brand perception severed by the Aria debacle, and they will need to work with a lower price point and build the reputation of the brand over time.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Seeing the excitement on this thread over the past few days, we thought of sharing a sneak preview on the Tata Hexa before our comprehensive review goes live; the official review will easily take a few weeks given the importance of this car as well as the vast amount of things to cover.

Interiors:
- This was the biggest surprise to us...and a very pleasant one . The interiors are a huge departure from earlier Tata cars.

Great summary. Thanks for sharing. How would you rate the interior quality as compared to the Germans or even the Hyundai's (Jetta/Octavia/Creta types). In the pictures the interiors look really good and seem to be of high quality. In reality are they 'Germanesque'?

[RavenAvi]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Seeing the excitement on this thread over the past few days, we thought of sharing a sneak preview on the Tata Hexa before our comprehensive review goes live; the official review will easily take a few weeks given the importance of this car as well as the vast amount of things to cover.

And this is Team-BHP's way of saying

"Team,

SURPRISE!

Enjoy this wonderful weekend treat, until we bring out the whole banquet for you all to feast, when we can."



Thank you so much, Viddy, Addy & GTO.

[uday.ere]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Seeing the excitement on this thread over the past few days, we thought of sharing a sneak preview on the Tata Hexa before our comprehensive review goes live; the official review will easily take a few weeks given the importance of this car as well as the vast amount of things to cover.

Fellow Mod Aditya and myself drove the Hexa yesterday in Hyderabad for nearly 200 km. We also got a chance to see its offroad capabilities in the hands of an offroad expert.

Whoa, that was quick Vid6639 and Aditya. Thanks for the detailed sneak preview if I may say so. You have covered most of the pertinent points and answered many a question before they can be asked

Eagerly await the comprehensive review and ofcourse the test drive vehicles from Nov onwards.

(Second surprise from Team-BHP today, alongwith this sneak peek, there is the e20 plus review thats gone live!!)

[niv26]

Thanks for sharing preview. Have we got any pictures when all seats fold down? I didn't find on any site so far.