[dhanushmenon]

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

Wonderful peek there Vid
The car looks promising and hope that Tata can finally shed the image it has with quality.
Eagerly awaiting the official review where the spade will be called a spade.

[wilful]

Thanks for such a wonderful pre-review! Looks like the verdict across the many reviews is unanimous - a decent, much improved offering from the Tata stable that can hold its own against competition - even on the fit and finish front which is usually its Achilles heel.
The key will be the pricing (and later, the quality of service).

[deetjohn]

From Viddy's sneak preview, it looks like AT will be the popular variant irrespective of it missing Terrain Management. Tata will do well to prioritize the AT variant.

Originally Posted by Vid6639

- 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.

And ACI also confirms the same.

Originally Posted by Autocar India

It was the 6 speed AT we sampled first and it immediately impressed us. The engine is surprisingly responsive and has a nice, linear spread of power, pulling cleanly from about 1,500rpm. There’s no spiky mid-range surge, just a mild swell of torque across a very broad rpm band. Automatic gearshifts are quick, smooth and very fluid and it makes the most of the Hexa’s performance. In fact, the automatic is substantially quicker than the manual and a 0-100kph time of 12.71 seconds for such a behemoth is pretty respectable.

If there is one niggle, its that auto transmission is overly eager to drop a gear or two with even a gentle flex of your right foot, only to have the system upshift to the original ratio shortly after.

The Punch-sourced ’box also offers a Sport mode where the system only upshifts at the redline and you also have the option to shift manually using the gear lever itself, and it must be said the gearbox is quick to respond. Before you think otherwise, the Hexa isn’t a sporty car but it’s nice that the gearbox has provisions to make the driving experience more involving.

Source

As noted earlier on this thread, the other car using the Punch 6L50 transmission is the Chevy Camaro. No wonder the box has fun written all over it. Can't wait to drive the Hexa.

Punch PowerGlide 6-speed AT

[gsurya]

I expect TaMo would have taken note of the notchy / hard manual gearbox & try to take care of it on the production line. Thats one good thing about having the media testing done couple of months before actual deliveries begin.

This really seems to be the main glitch. I dont think they can do anything about the 3rd row seats not fully folding, thats a design issue. I went around in a couple of family cars in the US this summer & loved how the 3rd row folded absolutely flat into the floor converting into a full boot.

[vibbs]

Great mini review!!

Hexa looks great overall. Interiors really seem a big step ahead. I am still not able to shake off the Aria connection in the silhouette though.

Pricing is the key, hope Tata does not get too optimistic with it. Aria was a great car too and we already saw what pricing and initial niggles can do to a great car!

[Behemoth]

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.

Thanks for a great Pre-review Vid!
Are there any details available yet for the Trim wise features?
There are three trim levels XE, XM and XT.
What I am specifically interested in is the XM variant in 4x2 / 4x4.

If it is priced at 14.5 (4x2) / 15.5 (4x4) ex-showroom I would probably go for it.
Another aspect which several reviewers said is that the Manual gearbox is very Hard shifting and notchy. How was your experience and do you feel that Tata can make improvements to the gearbox in these two months and sort out the remaining Niggles.

From all the reviews, the Ride quality seems to be the strong point. In one review I also read that the Hexa uses MultiValve Adjustable Dampers (is this the same as Adaptive Air suspension?)

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Another aspect which several reviewers said is that the Manual gearbox is very Hard shifting and notchy. How was your experience and do you feel that Tata can make improvements to the gearbox in these two months and sort out the remaining Niggles.

He already mentioned that!

"- 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."

[Tanmay K]

Not sure if it's just me, but that center console display appears a bit too small? No factory fitted reversing camera?

[landcruiser123]

Thank Vid6639. We're waiting for the official review.

Have you got the pic of the footwell below the glovebox? I would love to see that.

Is this a heavy reworked Aria or an all new platform?

One thing that's really getting annoying is the weight of these new body-on-frame cars. Like the Honda City, I would like to see the cars getting lighter.

The new Toyota Innova has gone up by 170-200 kgs. I would have loved to sees the bigger car within 100 kg of weight of the old one.

The Hexa weighs a whopping 2.3 tonnes? That's Fortuner territory.

[discoverwild]

You are comparing apples and oranges. One is a ladder on frame while the other is a monocoque. You would have also read about the issues with thinner metal.

Technically, why do you think a Hexa should weigh lesser than a Fortuner?

[Aditya]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

Is this a heavy reworked Aria or an all new platform?

The Hexa uses the same X2 platform as the Aria. Nothing wrong with it. But yes, the weight is crazy. Lower kerb weight would have given it better acceleration and braking as well as handling and off-road capability.

Still, it's a very good vehicle with excellent ride quality. The autobox and Super drive modes are great as well. The manual transmission isn't.

[Dr.Suraj]

Originally Posted by Tanmay K

Not sure if it's just me, but that center console display appears a bit too small? No factory fitted reversing camera?

Definitely there.
With adaptive guidelines as well. And audio sensors too.
Images found in one of the review links given few pages ago.

It was also mentioned somewhere, that with a press of a button you can turn on the rear camera EVEN without slotting the gear lever into R
(goes without saying that it does come on automatically when slotted into R - this is in ADDITION to that)

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by landcruiser123

The Hexa weighs a whopping 2.3 tonnes? That's Fortuner territory.

Not sure what you meant by that. Just because it is going to cost less, doesn't mean it can't be as heavy.

Factually speaking, Hexa is heavier than Fortuner by approximately 10%. And it is a longer and wider vehicle (bit shorter, though). As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the dimensions and kerb weight are comparable to Ford Endeavour and Trailblazer.

[RavenAvi]

IAB has posted a comprehensive image gallery of the Hexa.

Some notable ones:

The 2nd row in the 7-seater variants.


Accessing the third row in the 6-seater variants.


Curtain airbag placement.


B-pillar AC vent.


Central AC vents and storage spaces.


Storage space under front armrest.


Pedals in the AT. Pseudo dead pedal can be seen.


Roof lights and fan controlling options.


Choosing the mood lighting in the HU.

Motorbeam has posted their review.

The Hexa’s engine has been tuned to produce the same amount of torque at lower RPMs which offers better drivability. There is a mild turbo lag under 2000 RPM but it picks up good pace in the mid-range, which is an ocean full of torque. Despite being heavier than the Storme, the Hexa feels responsive with this engine. The NVH of this engine has been improved and it isn’t noisy when driven sedately but it gets loud near the redline. The manual feels quite notchy specially while shifting to the 5th gear. However, the clutch is light and the ratios are well stacked for both city and highway drivability.

As has Motor Trend.

In terms of ride and handling the Hexa surprised us with its agility and ride. The suspension just swallows everything and we through some bad roads at high speeds which proved to be no issue at all. It is also massively more agile than what its size suggest which means I was carrying a lot of speed into corners with confidence. Roll is much less and well contained. Yes, it is a big car and its weight is felt but this is as good as it gets for this class. The steering- which is heavy at low speeds, gets much better as you go faster.

And ET Auto.

While clutch is soft and comfortable on the feet, brake is also responsive, however, the gear box needed to be improved as the driver struggles to chose the gears in H-type 6-speed gear box, especially first and second gear is quite inconvenient. Steering is much more lighter in the automatic variants compared to the manual 4X4 model. While on the road at lower speed, the heaviness of the Hexa is clearly felt and that is also further accentuated on the sharp turns. However, the braking has a scope of improvement but it has quite a good response, it worked quite precise when applied at a speed of 90kmph.

Video review by AutoX:

https://youtu.be/e2MTYLlYmG4

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by Behemoth

Another aspect which several reviewers said is that the Manual gearbox is very Hard shifting and notchy.

I guess it will be similar to Storme 400, if not same. It requires some amount of efforts to slot into 5th. You are welcome to try it on my Storme if you want to experience it first hand.