I own an XMS Quadrajet, dune beige, September end registration. Its clocked 4100 km now and thought I will share my experience with the car on the forum.
Why I bought the Zest?
a) Actually I was in the market for a premium diesel hatch, my options being the Punto evo, elite i20 and the new Polo. The Punto evo disappointed me with its cosmetics, exterior>interior. The i20 Asta OTR price tag of 8.7 lakhs, I felt, was a bit too steep for a hatch. Plus, not to offend any owners/fans but I feel Hyundai cars, though feature rich, have very ordinary mechanicals. The Polo would have been it if I hadn't seen the Zest.
b) I checked out the Zest after hearing a few good things about the car in its reviews. After spending close to an hour in the showroom and the TD, I was impressed and booked one.
Why XMS and why diesel?
a) I needed a manual, so no AMT. When comparing the features list of the XMS and the XT, the only two features I felt I would miss on the XMS were the automatic climate control and reverse parking sensors for which I didn't want to fork out another 70k. The ICE indeed is drastically different but I need it just for the music and bluetooth telephony which the XMS does provide.
b) I booked the car August end. I was not that sure about the Revotron engine, being new and yet to prove itself. The multijet engine, being time tested was the choice for me. Diesel>Petrol, also because I run around 1000-1200 km per month on an average.
Dealership experience..
Very good. I booked the car August 28th and received the vehicle on September 27th. 7.48 lakhs OTR. The whole process was smooth enough and no issues whatsoever in that department.
Friends, family, neighbours..
9 out of 10 people discouraged and chided me for going with a Tata. On an average, 7 of those 9 changed their stance after seeing the car in flesh and having a ride on it.
My Zest experience..
1) Ample amounts of space. It can seat 5 adults comfortably. The leg room, head room and shoulder room are good.
2) The seats are comfortable with adequate under-thigh support. I have done quite a few long drives on the car and though the seats are soft, it supports you well enough on those long drives.
3) Usable storage spaces are few. The boot is reasonably adequate.
4) Easy to get in and get out of the car as doors open wide and the seating position is high.
5) Excellent driving position. Road visibility is very good with the large glass area and optimally high dashboard design. Further, the seat height adjustment feature allows you to improve on your driving position. Without reverse parking sensors, parallel parking is tough though. Rear visibility is poor.
6) The small-radius steering wheel looks fantastic and is easy to manoeuvre. Its lifeless though. Be it 30km/h or 110km/h, the feedback from the steering is the same. Good for city driving. Good, but not fun when on the highways. I would have preferred the wheel to weigh up a bit as the speed increased.
7) Handling is pitch perfect. Nothing to worry.
8) In spite of the 90PS, I feel a lack of power at times, especially when trying to overtake. Its difficult without downshifting to complete the manoeuvre then.
8) The key should have been a bit more chunky, I feel. You need to exert some extra force to insert the key, be it the ignition, the door or the boot. You get used to it, but then..
9) The clutch is light and the gear shift is smooth. There's no dead pedal but I don't miss it. My left leg aches after driving my brother's Palio, my cousin's Vento and my friend's Laura. No such problems with the Zest.
10) Gear lever vibrations are indeed there, especially in the lower gears. I'm not sure if its something to be concerned about though. I don't know how to put it but 1st, 2nd and 3rd are not very usable gears. You will have to upshift to 4th and 5th from the lower gears quickly to get the ratios right.
11) I found it difficult to slot the 1st gear a couple of times in my car. I don't know if its something to do with my car or me.
11) Mud in engine bay is indeed an issue, which I understand, is being addressed by TML.
12) The air conditioning is very efficient. However hot it is outside, the cabin is cooled fast enough.
13) The stock headlamps, I feel are not good enough. Visibility is good when you're driving in the dark, but when on the highways with some street lighting and other traffic, the visibility is not as good as you would like it to be.
14) Brakes are adequate, not great. The brake bite seemed especially poor to me.
15) FE figures (as per the MID):
Highways (a/c): 20-22
Highways (without a/c): 22-24
City (stop-go traffic, a/c): 13-15
My average over 4000 kms with around 40% city and the rest highway driving: 18.9 km/l
16) The Harman Kardon ICE is very good. I tried comparing the sound with that of the XT and felt the quality in my XMS a bit lacking at very high volumes, ie, in the 20-30 range. But realistically, how many of us hear music at volumes that high?.. I go between 10 and 16 most of the time and couldn't perceive much of a difference between the XT and the XMS in that range.
17) Good NVH levels. Cabin is silent enough at low to medium speeds, but then on, some of the gruff filters through.
18) One feature I felt very useful was the gear shift indicator. I depend quite heavily on the engine note to change my gears and when the music is on at high volumes, this feature helps me shift the gear properly.
Niggles so far..
a) Severe echoing and distortion with the bluetooth calls. Its been a week now since it started.
b) Underbody scraped once when a truck forced me off the road and I hit a rough patch. No damage though.
c) The distance to empty meter got stuck for a while in between. The fuel guage also got stuck at the same time. It got OK on its own later.
Wishlist:
Boot lamp and electrically foldable ORVMs, though its a bit greedy to ask for since TATA has packed in quite a lot of things at such incredibly competent price points. |