Finally! Took delivery of our Hexa XT 4X2 June 2019 Make last evening.
Dealer is Inderjit Cars, Mira Bhayandar. Showroom is not humongous but decent by Tata standards. Observed that the Nexon was moved out and the Harrier had taken up its place. Nexon facelift prep I guess. Service center is in a secluded place and a bit cramped. Only downside, we stay in Dahisar & I’ll have to cross the Dahisar toll naka every time to go there and traffic there is a royal pain in the rear cheeks. Hope visits stay to a minimum.
After some initial goof up by the dealer in the car allotment, the remaining process was quite smooth.
Delivery event too was very smooth. The usual cake cutting etc. Above expectations to be honest. All the paperwork was in place, warranty stuff was explained. Tire change process and tools were explained. ICE & feature demo was given. All in all, a great experience.
Just one issue. Tata has some strange rule where they expect the delivery process to be completed in half an hour! We were there for over an hour, and still I felt the delivery process to be rushed, Team-BHP effect I guess. In the end our SA said, when Tata calls, tell the delivery was done in half an hour. Personally, I feel, it’s a double-edged sword. In a way its good that there won’t be any lag in the process, but all the rushing would irritate people like us.
The Car The Good:
One word, PRESENCE. Trumps the Harrier in presence. Turns heads too. Post booking, I felt we made a mistake with the Tungsten silver. Should have gone for safe white. But no, the Tungsten Silver with Black roof looks S-E-X-Y. Have seen similar shades on Range Rovers and a society member was appalled by the presence and exclaimed that it looks like a Land Rover w.r.t. color and presence. Passed by a couple of fortuners & innovas. Feels good to see eye to eye. The Innova seems so puny in presence. Simply Meh! (Sorry all Innova owners)
And rickshaw drivers can be easily bullied now. Have observed how they take a quick right or U turn and cut you off without looking back? Yeah, that’s gone. One honk and they scatter. Small car drivers who pay attention don’t dare to cut you off. Two wheelers ? No change. Be it a Nano, or Hexa, zero effect. No offense to bikers on this forum, but Indian 2 wheel riders are the worst. They’ve got zero patience.
Fit and finish is excellent. Everything feels solid. A test drive 2018 Hexa was standing next to ours and I could make out the difference in the shut lines. Slight improvement. Harrier effect?
The ICE is excellent. May not cater to true audiophiles, but way more than enough for the masses.
The seats are so good, I’m worried I’d doze off on long highway drives.
The Turbo Woosh sounds so good. Dynamic mode on. 3rd gear on and you’ll find me grinning like a fool.
To Hexa fanboys who have ridden with 19” wheels, try riding in the 17” ones, Bom-bai craters seem to be filled with Amul butter now.
The Bad:
I don’t think the dealer has done any extensive PDI corrections, as expected. The rear doors handles don’t move back to their original position, sometimes they close, sometimes you got to push them shut. That’s probably because of lack of use and no lubricant. Went for a drive last night & today morning. Air con off, windows up and no music. Could hear a squeaking/creaking sound on undulating and bad roads. Have consulted with bhpian ram87pune and we feel it’s the driver’s door hinge which needs some lubrication.
Also, the panel beneath the steering wheel is not shut properly. Have observed the same in other Hexas. Some people in the QC department @ Tata are still snoring.
The Notchbox – Not Gearbox: 1st and 2nd gears are notchy as hell. The remaining gears too are notchy. The test drive car was 50-60% smoother. Hear & feel that thunking sound BEST buses make while changing gears? Same here. Hope it improves with mileage, like other owners have reported.
Don’t let Tata fool you when they say that they switched to the 17”ers for easy steering at parking speeds. My forearms hurt as I type this. The 19” wheel deletion is pure cost cutting.
Lazy Tata. As if the Aria hangover wasn’t enough, you brought back those wheels. Although the wheels in black don’t look cheap, neither lack presence TBH.
Pathetic rear view camera for the price.
Lack of storage space for the driver. No space for mobile, wallet, keys etc. How much can one store in the box below the armrest?
FEATURE DELETIONS: Shot the Harrier in the foot, so swung an axe at the Hexa’s knee to keep the Harrier happy.
That sexy Varicor 400 branded engine cover is gone! Sunglass holder gone. Roof rails gone. 3rd row charging socket gone. Puddle lamps gone.
Will post a detailed ownership review after covering some miles.
Special Thanks to Bhpians ram87pune, sandeepsc and Satshan for having patience and helping me with my queries. Also to this amazing forum, the ownership reviews and all members to help us finalize on the Hexa. Dual tone looks damn sexy in person Oodles of presence
The Varicor 400 branded engine cover is gone!