Re: Tata Zest : Official Review Took delivery on 15.10.2014 of silver Zest XM D.
Opted for an additional warranty for fourth year/1.5 lakh kilometres for Rs.8000.00, standard offer being 3 years/1 lakh km. Standard AMC - AMC Silver- is maintenance upto 3 years/45,000 km which includes cost of oils, coolants and scheduled consumables.
The interior is quite spacious and the driving position good. Having driven extensively Vista, Santro and Dzire, driving position did not overwhelm me but Zest has an edge. Space-wise, it betters even Vista.
The car has a commanding presence, especially when viewed from behind. The good ground clearance is accentuated at the rear with the high loading lip. The ground clearance feels, for all practical purposes, more than the 165 mm mentioned.
Ingress and egress is not at all a problem.
Rear bench can seat 3 comfortably.
Tilt-able steering does block the view of top of instrument cluster when set at lowest point. However, when positioned half way up, the cluster is not blocked (at my hieght).
The Fiat engine, though not exactly silent, is very muted inside the cabin, especially when the vehicle is past 60 kmph and in 5 th.
Turbo lag is lesser compared to the 75 HP engines.
Clutch is smooth, gear shifter too doesnt need much effort. The smaller steering, after getting used to, is a delight.
AC is very good. The car was parked for a couple of hours in mid-afternoon sun. Cooled the cabin in no time with five people in it and running up a steep incline. And the blower speed was set at second.
Suspension is quite good. Vertical travel is minimal. I made a 460 km round trip where 160 kms are ghat roads and the remaining road is a broken tarmac with frequents bumps, pot hole and craters. Except for the tyre noise while going over the broken tarmac, I did not feel any concern. However, I did find an annoying issue-while going over disturbed crests - deposits of gravel, bitumen and the like - I felt a very muted clinking sound from the steering coloumn. There wasnt any vibration but I repeated the same maneuver whenever I found that sort of patch on road. Same muted clinking sound without any vibration of steering.
One more thing is the placement of front indicator right below the headlamp. I doubt whether the oncoming driver can see the indicator if the headlights are on. I feel the side indicators placed on ORVMs are more visible.
First mileage check showed 16.2 kmpl.
Seat covers ( art-leather ) were charged Rs.6,700 at the dealership.
Did a trip to Sabarimala. Three members were accommodated in reasonable comfort on the rear seat. Footwells are quite deep so that the person sitting in the front can stretch legs without pushing the seat backwards too much.
Noice intrusion is quite less even at three digit speeds.
AC was never required to be set beyond the first speed, with 5 people onboard, but then this is winter.
The engine pulled cleanly, linearly even while in higher gear and lower speeds.
Handling was superb. Road was never straight for more than 100 metres for a stretch of 400 kilometres. Body roll is very less, occupants are not thrown around while negotiating turns at good speeds.
Vertical movement is very less while coming out of a hump or pot holes and the like.
Suspension felt quite solid and sounded solid too when negotiating pot holes. Faced with a curious problem. After travelling for three hundred kilometres, the air speed was reduced drastically but the sound of blower was still the same. I switched off the AC for a few minutes and then started it again. Still the same problem. I disengaged recirulation mode. Then the AC started functioning normally. This had happened for several times in succession but was not repeated again. When taken to the first service, the SA said it was due to some aberration in the function of the AC thermostat. He said the service people had cleaned the deposit of ice around the thermostat ( no ice should be formed on it). If the problem persists, then they would replace the thermostat, said he. The problem didnt repeat, nor did I travel 300 km non stop.
Had a quite a few people curious about it. Looks were appreciated, cabin space impressed people, and fuel consumption figures bought smiles.
Alternatives considered were Dzire and Xcent. I have driven and travelled extensively in Dzire. Though a bit cramped and sounded a bit hoarse at above 100 kmph, it is a very good car, its sales a testimony.
Xcent was spacious, more smooth, looked good too but I was apprehensive of 3 cylinder diesel.
Zest looked alright, sounded powerful enough at 90 HP, features like music system and alloy wheels too added to its allure.
Cabin space is what floors a prospective customer ( atleast that was my requirement, among other things).
Driving position was commanding. It was commanding in Dzire too but not quite so in Xcent. But Dzire's bonnet stretches more.
When I test drove the Zest, I was surprised by the low noise levels and the cabin space.My son, at 14, is 5'11". I made him sit on all sides ( though not in driver's seat) to make sure there is enough leg and head space for him presently and for the future. Dzire was okay too but Zest surpassed Dzire.
The 'shove', associated with the 75 HP FIAT diesel past 1750 rpm was very much less in this engine, though the boost is palpable.
First thing it hits one when the car is first seen is ground clearance. And true to looks, we didnt scrape the bottom any where even with full compliment of passengers.
Clutch is very smooth and effortless, gear shift is smooth too, albeit with a longer throw. Once got used to, no issues there. Slots in effortlessly.
Th car is equipped with ABS. We never faced a situation where ABS would be put to use. Twice we had to come to stop from 100 kmph very soon. The brake bite was very progressive but picked up after a couple of seconds, and the braking was superb. Tyres didnt lock, and the vehicle stopped well ahead of the pot hole. I was used to good braking vehicles like Bolero and Santro. Still I am pleasantly surprised. Braking is that effective.
The smaller steering wheel was quite odd at first but we got used to it. It is chunky and nice to hold. Buttons (audio) on it functioned well. Didnt use phone buttons. Steering, as seen from my past experiences, is okay. Steering returnability is very good. I did hear a very low cling-clang noise from the coloumn when going over a particularly bad strech with almost vertical stones placed like speed brakers. The SA they made some tightening. The sound didnt go away. As a matter of fact, I have observed such sound in Dzire and Santro too but in Zest it is wee bit more frequent ( I mean, even on lesser bad patches). The reason I compare the Zest to Dzire and Santro is because I have driven/drive these cars as often as I drive Zest. I have travelled extensively in Indica, Swift and Vista.
Other than that, I did not feel any difference compared to other vehicles. The difference between Dzire and Zest steering is the size and the returnability. Preference for size is subjective; returnability is superior.
Audio sounded very good, compared to the competition. Lack of disc player is a bit disappointing. Also irritating is the placement of USB socket and auxiliary input jack way down the centre console. While the aux - in may be placed at the bottom due to the cable which will be out of way, USB socket placement is not convenient. Placing it on top along side the system head would have been far more convenient for the user. Having said this, the quality of music is very, very good.
Lights are okay for stock headlights but they are better than the competition - in illumination, width of the throw. Length of the throw should have been more. Switching on fog lamps improves illumination side ways.
Turbo-lag, as mentioned, is there but not quite obvious as in 75 HP engines. Only when faced with steep inclinations and delayed down shifting does one find the lag glaring. For normal city and highway driving it wouldnt be bothersome. It revves happily upto 3500 rpm; I didnt go beyond that, so no comments. However, vehicle pulls effortlessly, very effortless is the drive.
NVH levels are superb, way better than the competition. In fact, this is one of the first things one notices in this car.
Boot space is adequate, almost all the space is usable, except for the extreme nooks. I didnt like the rear parcel tray placed so high.
No cubby holes/ internal storage space except a small one on the central console. Door pads do not hold litre water bottles. We were forced to shove the bottles into the pockets of seat covers. Passenger seat does have a tray but we didnt check whether it would take a water bottle.
Tyres, at 185, are wider, well planted and look substantial on this car.
Rides very well. One doesnt notice small pot holes, humps and undulations except at lower speeds. The vertical travel of the rear is very limited and only rarely does it heaves multiple times. In this area, the car is superb. Seems TML atoned for the soft sprung Vista.
Fuel consumption is on expected line. On sedate 80 - 100 kmph driving on high way alone produced 21.9 kmpl, with 5 passengers and luggage. It varied according to the terrain, gave 15.44 once in the hill section. Overall figures are about 20.5 kmpl. However, the in-dash FE average indicator does show atleast a couple of kilometres per litre less return when compared to the tankful to tankful method. The in-dash indicator's highest recording was 19.8 kmpl.
I was interested in the stance of the vehicle. When I got inside, I was impressed by space. Felt quite comfortable.
Pick up was good. Engine was proven, so I didnt give it much thought. NVH levels were quite good
Boot space is adequate for my foreseeable requirements. Tyre size, Alloy wheels, music system, ABS, 3 - year maintenance, option for extended warranty added to the allure of the package with price lower than the less equipped Dzire.
Neither the Dealer nor TML provided any booklet/acknowledgement for the extended warranty. The Sales Advisor and his higher-ups didnt have any clue about that. However, the SA requested me to call/mail the customer care. I emailed them. Prompt came the reply that the Dealer would contact me very soon. Within a few minutes the SA called me and said they were instructed to raise an invoice for the extended warranty. The problem was solved within a few minutes.
No document was presented as a proof for the 3 year maintenance plan. However, I was informed all the cars have default 3 - year maintenance plan. The Service Advisor confirmed both the extended warranty scheme and the 3 -year maintenance plan were updated in their database.
What would I change in Zest if given a chance ? Door pockets, which are too slim to hold water bottle, a couple of more cubby holes, placement of USB and Aux-In ports. |