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Old 31st August 2014, 00:48   #661
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

In my search to replace my 14-year-old TATA Indica, I have zeroed in on Zest petrol and the Elite i20 petrol. I have test-driven both.

In my opinion, Tata Zest has 15% more space, is 10% less premium, has 20% more features, is 15% more Value-for-money, is 10% less comfort than Elite i20.
However, what matters the most is the total cost of ownership over the next 6-7 years with my ~500kms per month running and the headache %.

I get the feeling Hyundai will turn out to be more cheaper and less-headache prone even though I think the Tata parts are cheaper than Hyundai, but it's just a guess since i haven't owned any Hyundai cars.

Any perspective? Is Elite i20 a better buy than Zest?

P.S. Or should i wait for March 2015 for the the terrible-looking, but reliable and spacious new Honda Jazz
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Old 31st August 2014, 03:42   #662
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

First Aditya & Rehaan, a wonderful writeup for these car. All details are well covered and photo shots are brilliant.

When I see these reviews of people, about a Tata Zest, all it can remind me is of the year 2011, when I made a horrifying experience of booking a Tata Indigo E-CS. I did not read reviews, saw the car daily in advertisements, and just went about to book the car. All that everyone in the family could see were "Sedan", "Tata Brand" and 25kmpl. We paid the entire amount, no PDI and all, delivery was taken in 15 days. The family was so eager to have that car that we went all the way from Whitefield to Rajajinagar (a distance of 26kms) to book that car.

I sold that car in 12 months flat because of the following reasons
1. Despite being a sedan / "tata make", it never gave me the confidence to go over 90 on a highway.
2. An EMS Malfunction indicator came on the 3rd day when I took it out. It happened near Hosur. Tata helpline does not understand Hindi / English and they spoke only Kannada. Had to come back with the same light on at 40kmph, to reach hosur to get it rectified.
3. The next day when we started for Chennai, same place, the EMS light came on. It was as if, the place and the EMS indicator had some connection. Wifey was scared as if the car was cursed at this place.
4. During our trips to chennai, the car will lose it cooling once we reach kanchipuram. We have to roll down the windows and drive it to reach chennai in the hot weather.
5. After a period of 6 months, we noticed ice formation in the passenger side / water dropping from that side. Took it to the service center KHT Whitefield, the workshop manager states "Known Problem "
and there is no solution to it.
6. 5 people in the car with low specs, had absolutely no power in it.

So my advise to all the people here in this forum is, any new tata concept has to be watched at first. Tata Indica, first version had problems, Tata Indigo CS, had problems.

Tata should also shoo away, taxi drivers. Once the car is launched, the attractive blue color, might be purchased by some fleet owner, named "Blue Cabs" and will be operating in the city.
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Old 31st August 2014, 09:51   #663
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by darkbull View Post
First Aditya & Rehaan, a wonderful writeup for these car. All details are well covered and photo shots are brilliant.
Tata should also shoo away, taxi drivers. Once the car is launched, the attractive blue color, might be purchased by some fleet owner, named "Blue Cabs" and will be operating in the city.
Nice note. Is it legally possible for an AOEM to not allow commercial registrations on its brands? and also since RTOs come under State Govt scanner, will the rules change from state to state?
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Old 31st August 2014, 10:36   #664
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunitkaul View Post
I get the feeling Hyundai will turn out to be more cheaper and less-headache prone even though I think the Tata parts are cheaper than Hyundai, but it's just a guess since i haven't owned any Hyundai cars.

Any perspective? Is Elite i20 a better buy than Zest?

P.S. Or should i wait for March 2015 for the the terrible-looking, but reliable and spacious new Honda Jazz
Sunit
Am not sure how you gave those % figures but except for comfort ( where you rate i20 better than Tata ) agree with you. Since I've owned both brands, from my limted experience, probability of non routine visits could be higher for Tata ( although I had a ac failure in my i10 immediately after warranty expiredy ). But you should note that the Zest is very attractivel priced ( incentive for early adopters ) and comes with a good warranty + AMC package. You can choose to wait and buy it maybe after a year once initial issues settle down but you will end up paying more most likely. I'm in a similar predicament. Actually I would have loved to trade in my current Vista for the Bold Revotron but am tempted to go for the Zest
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Old 31st August 2014, 10:50   #665
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunitkaul View Post
In my search to replace my 14-year-old TATA Indica, I have zeroed in on Zest petrol and the Elite i20 petrol. Or should i wait for March 2015 for the the terrible-looking, but reliable and spacious new Honda Jazz
Hi there. In fact after my friend's i20 was totalled in a terrible accident, I am also evaluating the Elite i20 and the Zest for him and I totally agree with your statistical findings.
Now, thing is that for us, ABS and 2 airbags are a mandate. The Zest offers these features in the XMS trim which costs around 6.60 L on road, Bangalore. Hyundai doesn't offer passenger's airbag in the Sportz or the Sports trim which we didn't find OK. Sportz costs about 7.22 L here, with 60k more, you get one lesser airbag and while the previous gen i20 had alloys in the Sportz trim, the Elite i20 misses on this one too. Either you pay ~40k for the option package to get the alloys, taking the total cost to 7.70L, and even then you are not getting the other airbag. For the airbag, you got to pay 7.93 L and get the Asta trim. This is costlier to the Zest by about 1.35L. With lacklusture handling and bumpy ride in rear, the Hyundai loses its cases, yes it has some nice features, like auto folding mirrors, reverse cam and ACC, we can live without them for sure and if you need them, get the Zest in XT trim, you are paying about 90k lesser and you are getting even more features.
I understand better quality interiors, but then HK music system, the turbocharged engine which you can remap later hehe, and more space prove Zest as a better buy against the Elite i20. Its simply more value, plus there is a huge difference in the driving dynamics of these two. Lighter clutch means better in city and better steering, suspension and the Corner Stability Program means better on highways. Yes, there is no dead pedal in the Zest, which is I really didn't like but then it is not really a deal breaker.
If you can wait for the Jazz, why not? I am sure it will be a much better car than the Elite i20 and being FTD, with that iVtec 1.2, more space, better dynamics, may be with lesser features, it can just be your car. Only one thing that goes against waiting, only 1500 Jazz production capacity from Honda means that they may price it higher, they are not looking for the masses.
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Old 31st August 2014, 10:53   #666
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by darkbull View Post


I sold that car in 12 months flat because of the following reasons
1. Despite being a sedan / "tata make", it never gave me the confidence to go over 90 on a highway.
2. An EMS Malfunction indicator came on the 3rd day when I took it out. It happened near Hosur. Tata helpline does not understand Hindi / English and they spoke only Kannada. Had to come back with the same light on at 40kmph, to reach hosur to get it rectified.
3. The next day when we started for Chennai, same place, the EMS light came on. It was as if, the place and the EMS indicator had some connection. Wifey was scared as if the car was cursed at this place.
4. During our trips to chennai, the car will lose it cooling once we reach kanchipuram. We have to roll down the windows and drive it to reach chennai in the hot weather.
5. After a period of 6 months, we noticed ice formation in the passenger side / water dropping from that side. Took it to the service center KHT Whitefield, the workshop manager states "Known Problem "
and there is no solution to it.
6. 5 people in the car with low specs, had absolutely no power in it.

So my advise to all the people here in this forum is, any new tata concept has to be watched at first. Tata Indica, first version had problems, Tata Indigo CS, had problems.

Tata should also shoo away, taxi drivers. Once the car is launched, the attractive blue color, might be purchased by some fleet owner, named "Blue Cabs" and will be operating in the city.
I am still driving my Dad's 2003 indica V2 but I haven't faced too many issues. Yes I must agree there are niggling issues but in all long tours car has never shown any unpredictable behavior related to cooling or engine... etc

It still does 100 - 110 KM / hr without any confidence loss, not sure why a newer version that is indigo e-CS behaved other way ... might be some issue in your car but I am pretty much sure it cant be with call tata e-CSs

EMS indicator is a known issue to many cars maker and again it could be local issue specific to a car but not an issue for all cars of a specific make, check out this link


Seems to be you are too unlucky with E-CS but indigo is not that bad I guess. There are small headaches and issue with AC cooling on hill slopes (upwards) I faced in my car but then it was the first small diesel car of India and imperfection was expected.

Overall I am still confident to take it on highway any day I want without giving a second thought.
In fact in Dec-Jan 2014 I had a trip to Dalhousie and even after 2 days of continuous snow fall, engine started in a single try with heavy snow on roof and engine bonnet.
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Old 31st August 2014, 11:41   #667
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Mod note: Post deleted. It is now imperative for you to upload pictures directly to the Team-BHP Server. Click here to view our pictorial help article on uploading pics.

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Old 31st August 2014, 12:21   #668
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by narayan View Post
Sunit
Am not sure how you gave those % figures but except for comfort ( where you rate i20 better than Tata ) agree with you...I'm in a similar predicament. Actually I would have loved to trade in my current Vista for the Bold Revotron but am tempted to go for the Zest
Yeah me too, Zest is a mighty fine looking car. What has been your experience with Vista? I have spent so much money on fixing my Indica, that i could have easily bought a Nano with the money! Haha!
Quote:
Originally Posted by itsashishsharma View Post
Hi there. In fact after my friend's i20 was totalled in a terrible accident, I am also evaluating the Elite i20 and the Zest for him and I totally agree with your statistical findings....Zest is simply more value, plus there is a huge difference in the driving dynamics of these two. Lighter clutch means better in city and better steering, suspension and the Corner Stability Program means better on highways.
Hopefully Honda doesn't price Jazz too much. I feel Honda petrol would be a better option than Hyundai petrol. I truly hate how it looks, but reliability scores over everything else for me.

Few more points:

I test drove both Zest XT and i20 Asta twice over large distances. There's very little space to the left of the clutch in Zest, while i20 has quite a lot. But ingress and egress was very easy in Zest while in i20, it felt like I had to place myself down. Another note I managed to stall the Revotron engine with a wrong gearshift. Tried to do the same in i20, but it didn't stall. I expected it to be the other way round.

Zest was more quick in pickup, especially in the Sport Mode. i20 steering made me feel disconnected with the road (which is personally not even a tiny bit of an issue). In traffic jam, i loved driving the i20. The convenience of start stop button was awesome. The gear lever vibrated and shook a little bit in Zest. i20 was solid.

My 5-ft tall mom said she could not see the road sitting at the back. She said she felt wrapped in a bubble. In Zest, she could see everything. It was easier to reverse and park the Zest than the i20. Having been used to Tata Indica, reversing the i20 felt less comfortable. Both ACs were equally effective. So effective that the rear AC blower was not needed. I would have preferred more leg space for the middle passenger than the AC option to be honest.

Really poor visibility of touchscreen in sunlight, and fingerprint magnet. I could not see a single thing! Touchscreen is very slow to respond. It is a resistive touchscreen, not capacitative like the ones on our phones. The voice functionality's response time is slow, but definitely works. I won't go for the XT though, that is for sure.

i20 ORVMs are not biker proof. They don't collapse backwards :(

On-road Delhi prices:
Zest XM - 5.9 lakhs
Zest XMS - 6.2
Zest XT - 6.8

i20 Magna - 6 lakhs
i20 Sportz - 6.5
i20 Sportz O - 7.1
i20 Asta - 7.3
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Old 31st August 2014, 19:11   #669
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

I have owned a Tata Manza Quadrajet Aura+ for 4 years now. Bought it that time for airbags and abs - not offered at that time in any other car except Linea.

Car has done 66k and is fairly strong performer as of today. It offers great space, excellent comfort, and very good value for price i bought it at (less than SX4 petrol at that time). Of course, I have tried to take very good care of it with regular services and synthetic oil changes at 10k every time.

Issues that happen with Tata cars are well documented on the forum. More non-routine visits to the service center, more problems with electrical stuff like power windows, service needs monitoring by someone so that they do not mess up or miss things, parts quality is not awesome etc. But if the 'strong Germans and Czechs' can lose gearboxes and have plenty of niggles in new cars, I do not think Tata is so bad. I have a WagonR CNG - though Maruti service experience is top class, this car already had its share of problems in 38k it has done in last 3 years.

So, all in all, I think that niggles and discomforts are accounted for in the delicious pricing and these issues are omni-present now in most brands. How these issues get fixed at service centers is the only difference. Giving 6 years warranty on any product - when quality kings of market (again Germans and Czechs) are scared to offer extended warranties (I recall some thread of this type, but am not 100% sure) is a big deal.
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Old 31st August 2014, 20:39   #670
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

test drove the zest in its diesel avatar yesterday and thought it to be a very competent package (this is the first Tata car I have driven ever)

The lightness of the clutch was unbelievable, given that it was a diesel. Decent ride, could not check handling much given the short TD, interiors had a premium feel.

The RPM counter went right upto 8k, is that normal in a MJD? Had to ask the SA twice if it was a diesel (before cranking the engine of course )
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Old 31st August 2014, 21:14   #671
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Quote:
Originally Posted by sunitkaul View Post

I test drove both Zest XT and i20 Asta twice over large distances. There's very little space to the left of the clutch in Zest, while i20 has quite a lot. But ingress and egress was very easy in Zest while in i20, it felt like I had to place myself down. Another note I managed to stall the Revotron engine with a wrong gearshift. Tried to do the same in i20, but it didn't stall. I expected it to be the other way round.

Zest was more quick in pickup, especially in the Sport Mode. i20 steering made me feel disconnected with the road (which is personally not even a tiny bit of an issue). In traffic jam, i loved driving the i20. The convenience of start stop button was awesome. The gear lever vibrated and shook a little bit in Zest. i20 was solid.
Given a choice, which of these two cars would you choose in petrol Avtar? Which one has better city drivability ? Hyndai is known for superb refinement of its cars, and how Zest weighs up here. I have driven old i20s, both petrol & diesel. Power of petrol i20 is really pathetic & it takes years to move beyond 90/100 kmph. How is Zest- petrol after 90/100 kmph? I feel cars should pull clean at-least upto 120 kmph, so that those can be used with lesser stress on highways. What I gather from the reviews, that Zest should be a better buy, at 50 k less and for better ride & dynamics. And I do feel that this TATA should prove to have much lesser niggles than earlier TATAs. I have a Vista experience ( company provided) of 1,30,000 km & touch wood, it can not be called as unreliable, for sure.
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Old 1st September 2014, 00:50   #672
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Hey friends,

After reading so much about the new Zest, i decided to have a look at it. 3 years back had ignored the Vista after several people suggesting me not to consider a Tata car.
Well, i sincerely appreciate the work done by Tata Motors. Zest is a fantastic product and should do a lot to revive Tata Motors for its Sales Revenue.
The pricing and features, distributed across its variants is a great combination.
I wish good luck to Tata Motors for this product.
I personally am looking forward for the launch of Bolt, would surely consider it replacing my earlier car.
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Old 1st September 2014, 07:51   #673
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Quick TD Feedback

Yesterday, I had a chance to TD Tata Zest at Concorde Showroom, Opp. Christ College Bangalore. The showroom was open.

Sales Personnel Experience

A young lady in her 21-25 with a HP slate showing me around the car in not so confident manner.
She was a new joinee, 30 Days old in the organization and frankly was not the most suitable candidate for selling or gaining customer confidence.

About the Car

This is one Tata thats definitely got the shutlines correct. Even at a distance the car was looking very taut and well put from the front end. The stance is quite dynamic from the front, it gets all too familiar around the greenhouse to C-Pillar and vola ! the back the all new.

Headlights looked good and the Humanity Line in the grille looks nicely integrated into the headlamp [ The sales personal was aware of the Humanity Line but not the philosophy behind it which I believe is important ]. Walking round the car I was quite impressed by what Tata has done with this particular product. While the Aria impressed me with outright build qualitya / fit and finish, this one comes as a much well put product. The design is certainly eye catching and in sync with the current generation. Infact now their product line up seems competitive.

Getting inside the car, I was pleasantly surprised. The air inside is definitely right up there with the best from the Industry. Speedo console looks very smart and legible. In fact they should export a version of the same to Aria which by comparison looks downmarket. The steering for once feel good as the size is apt and to get a comfortable position is not that hard.

The overall fit and finish of the car inside is great and the design is an absolute celebration is what I would call it. It somehow echoes a shout from the brand for how all along people detested it for being a Taxi car.

Still please note that for those perfectionist lot there are still somethings you can point out here and there. Make no mistake here it not up there with the Germans on Koreans on the interior build quality. Thats gonna take some time. What it gains over them is the layout & the design. Its very contemporary.

Waiting for Test Drive

I for once wanted to drive the petrol Variant so I thought I will be getting it straight away as all were going gaga over the diesel. Surprisingly there were no Que to TD of diesel and there were 5 waiting for Diesel. AMT is going to be launched in Oct.

Test Drive Experience

After the 5th round of Test drive, I got my chance to test. Opened the car, got myself comfortable and was nearly about the crank the engine when I saw the RPM meter. Good job there Tata !

I don't know whether the ambient sound was doing the trick but it was definitely refined. Clogging the gear was clean. It had precise but slightly long throws though nothing that you will complain about. It was good. Finally a Tata that felt like a car [ No insult intended as that was the genuine feeling that came to me at the time ] Toggling around the three modes made clear one thing.

Unlike what Mrs.Renuka from autocar hinted that it was a marketing trick than of purpose , It really made a difference. The difference between Sport and Ecnonomy is quite evident right when you press down the pedal. Power build up is very linear. Felt comfortable moving around the traffic.

The live mileage indicator on the MID in the speedo console was a neat touch though I believe for a city drive its pretty much useless as it changes to often.

The ride quality was exceptional and so was handling. It felt predictable around the corners at 70+ speed. Some disconnect is there between the steering and where the car is pointing but clearly it needn't do that as its not developed for that. For a general drive it felt really good.

To sum it up I was thoroughly impressed by the experience and has changed certain notions about the brand and what they are capable of delivering. They still have to go some way to fight out with more mature offering from tested players. I for one instance felt proud that this has the bearing of an Indian stamp. Future looks certainly bright.

Please note : I have written what I felt. I may be wrong partly or fully
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Old 1st September 2014, 08:54   #674
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Re: Tata Zest : Official Review

Somebody please enlighten me. Is this car a replacement for Indigo or the Manza?
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Old 1st September 2014, 09:16   #675
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Zest in the actual sense is the replacement for the Indigo as it falls in the under 4 meters category. But I dont think tata would discontinue Indigo as it caters to the taxi segment.
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