[throttleking]

Year long hunt for 6 seater MUV / SUV comes to an end. From an Used MU-X to Brand Innova Crysta, varying budget from 15L to 30L, endless wait for cars like XUV 700, what not. Horrible experiences with used cars dealers to Take It Or Leave It attitude of Toyota car dealers, we had a quite roller coaster ride amidst covid situation.

Nevertheless, we settled with Aug 2018 Tata Hexa, 1st owner, 28k kms on odo, XTA top end automatic, 6 seater variant from Cars24. It comes with 7 days return policy, no questions asked and 6 months limited warranty. Picked it up for 13.35L

Cars24's selling cars directly to individual buyers is fairly new business, and we tried few cars from them before finalizing Hexa.

[ram87pune]

Hello bhpians. An update on my Hexa.

The car has run 45k kms and will turn 4 years old in the first week of August. After reading comments from fellow Hexa owners here on the forum where they stated that the battery of the Hexa has a tendency to suddenly go kaput without prior warning I thought it's better to change the battery even though the batterywala said that it has still a few months life left in it.

I am really surprised by the life of the battery as my Jetta's battery needs replacement every 2 years without fail. The cost of the battery was 6200/- after deducting the amount of the older battery. The original battery was Amaron which was replaced by Exide.


The fuel economy reading was wiped out after changing the battery but it was 13.8 kmpl for the last 5000 odd kms which is really nice. Mind you, this is with 100% AC on and purely in the city


New battery being fitted


Older battery beneath the newer one

So far it has been smooth sailing with the Hexa with no issues to report. Next big expense will be the tyres which I intend to change at the 50k kms mark. Will keep you updated.

[krish3]

Originally Posted by throttleking

Nevertheless, we settled with Aug 2018 Tata Hexa, 1st owner, 28k kms on odo, XTA top end automatic, 6 seater variant from Cars24. It comes with 7 days return policy, no questions asked and 6 months limited warranty. Picked it up for 13.35L

Good looking and good price IMO. I think you got a great piece since its run only 28k.

Is the colour light blue? Or is it silver which looks blue in the shade and possibly due to camera?

[throttleking]

Originally Posted by krish3

Good looking and good price IMO. I think you got a great piece since its run only 28k.

Is the colour light blue? Or is it silver which looks blue in the shade and possibly due to camera?

Yes, this one was in immaculate condition as against to some of the other Innova Crystas I checked of the same age and odo. Perhaps, in this Hexa, passenger seat, 2nd row and 3rd row leather appears as if it is never used at all.

Its a silver color, because of the rainy weather and green trees around it is getting that kind of a shade.

[TROOPER]

Was on a long stay in Mangalore since Jan 15th this year. Travelled back to Bombay on the 23rd of June.

There was some decent running till April, a lot of weekend drives around Mangalore, and then the lockdown started. The car barely moved for a month and half. Then got the car's minor service (18 month) done last week and drove back to Bombay.

The experience has been a fine one. 12580 km clocked till now with almost no issues post an initial hiccup. Highway drives are fun, can cruise along in the 90-110 range comfortably all day long. Since I was alone during weekend drives around Mangalore, especially to Kollur and Kudremukh national park, had a blast on twisty roads with dynamic mode on!

Special mention : the Hexa's behavior on rough non existent patches of road with rough road mode on. Hit a really rough stretch of road before Hubli Bypass and the Hexa was flying. Meanwhile saw an Innova Crysta limping!! Paisa vasool People who say the Innova is useful on countryside/rough roads have definitely never ridden/driven the Hexa. This instance wasn't the first time I encountered an Innova taking it easy while the Hexa just went on covering rough patches with arrogance.

Guilty pleasure - bullying rickshawallas Just can't do that with a sedan or the pseudo SUVs.

Hope the covid situation ends soon and can clock a lot of happy miles.

Fuel efficiency for the entire 5 month duration (Almost 15 kmpl with 100% Aircon, not bad for a 2.2 ton car)

A click during a halt on my favorite Hubli-Karwar highway during my return drive

[sandeepsc]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Special mention : the Hexa's behavior on rough non existent patches of road with rough road mode on. Hit a really rough stretch of road before Hubli Bypass and the Hexa was flying. Meanwhile saw an Innova Crysta limping!! Paisa vasool People who say the Innova is useful on countryside/rough roads have definitely never ridden/driven the Hexa. This instance wasn't the first time I encountered an Innova taking it easy while the Hexa just went on covering rough patches with arrogance.

Bingo!! Experienced similar experience yesterday at Tamhini ghat road. There are small patches of road which has deep potholes and non existent road conditions. Cars including Innova, duster, Ecosport and others were crawling at snail’s speed at those sections while Hexa dismissed all these just as piece of cake for her. That put broad smile on my face and further cemented my decision to go for Hexa. My 7 years old son called them as craters of Mars and said we can drive Hexa on Mars also. You have to drive the Hexa to believe it.

[busydrive]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Special mention : the Hexa's behavior on rough non existent patches of road with rough road mode on. Hit a really rough stretch of road before Hubli Bypass and the Hexa was flying.

Second that. Very few cars have multi link suspension in that price range. This allows Hexa to give that stability even on bad roads.
I don't think even the new Safari has similar setup.

[throttleking]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Special mention : the Hexa's behavior on rough non existent patches of road with rough road mode on. Hit a really rough stretch of road before Hubli Bypass and the Hexa was flying. Meanwhile saw an Innova Crysta limping!!

Most certainly yes, I have driven many MPVs and SUVs recently, back to back. The first one that caught my attention was All New Tata Safari, nothing soaks up bumps, rough patches and still offers a planted ride like Safari. Hexa comes next, and yes I was surprised, could not believe what Hexa really offers, sad to see such product fail in our market.

Crysta is my super favorite MPV for many reasons, compared to Hexa it is not as comfortable or as planted on rough road, but its not bad either.

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by busydrive

Second that. Very few cars have multi link suspension in that price range. This allows Hexa to give that stability even on bad roads.
I don't think even the new Safari has similar setup.

Dear busydrive,

The Hexa does not have an independent suspension at the rear. It has a coil spring 5 link rigid axle suspension. While at the front it has double wishbone type suspension with coil springs.

Inspite of not having an independent suspension, it offers an unparalleled ride comfort to its occupants at all speeds and on all types of terrain. Tata guys have really done an outstanding job with the suspension where biggies like Toyota have failed. I remember reading somewhere on the forum that GTO or some other moderator had mentioned post driving the Hexa at the media event that it has the best ride quality this side of 1 crore rupees. Can't have a bigger complement than that.

And yes Safari has a basic twist beam rear suspension and still it has the best ride in its segment.

[throttleking]

While my Hexa had a 7 days return policy from Cars24, I decided to take it for general check up and full inspection to see if there is anything that needs attention.

Through a friend, I connected with Saibaba Autowheels in Pune. Well coordinated effort, booked an appointment, ordered one part that was broken well in advance, and spent a whole day at their Service center.

Man, I am overwhelmed with their attitude, from receptionist to engineer in workshop everyone has such a welcoming attitude. Add to it, their Sr. Service Advisor Mr. Sameer, turned out to be quite an enthu person to interact with. He clearly understood what I was looking for and helped me throughout. He kind of maintains a list of Hexa and Safari owners, and knows pretty well what this pedigree of customers look for.

Here are some findings after the visit :

1. Excellent service, I judge even by the washing and cleaning quality, job really well done, despite of load
2. Car is absolutely clean and as good as new, there were no surprises in full inspection
3. Few things replaced under warranty, but check for parts availability, not everything is stocked up for Hexa. However, if you know what you need, it can be ordered easily, parts arrive in 2 to 4 days max
4. Since service record was clean, and current warranty was still valid, I managed to get Extended warranty for another 2 years
5. Engine Gargle or whatever they call it, is very evident and annoying. Confirmed by many, there is nothing to worry. I need to learn to ignore it
6. While overall experience was great, I felt they were substantially overloaded. All of a sudden number of Tata Dealerships have closed in Pune, dont know the reasons. Despite of load, Saibaba Autowheels is managing the show really well


All in all, very happy with Hexa, and very happy with Tata's Service.

[throttleking]

Little adventures began with our Hexa, while this is not a 4x4, but still the rear wheel drive, it's heavy weight and that 400nm torque makes it a go anywhere vehicle. Smaller, uphill trails which I generally do walking with my pet, are now done in Hexa with entire family. Good old Safari 2.2 Dicor days are back.

Spot the peacock behind the bush in second pic!

[kovilkalai]

Just crossed 26,000 kms in 26 months with my Hexa 4X4. I am happy to report that I have had no problems whatsoever; no niggles, no squeaks nothing. The only irritant continues to be the manual shifter - the throws are painful, although they are better than what they were when the car was new.

Looking for suggestions. What is the ideal tyre pressure recommendation for the most comfortable ride when the car is carrying:

1. 2 adults + no luggage?
2. 4 adults + full boot?

Looking for opinions from Hexa owners. Thanks in advance!

[throttleking]

By now on multiple occasions my Hexa refused to crank up, as in no starter action at all, completely dead response. Then I removed the key couple of times, switched off the DRL, basically did some trial and error and it started. Before that I noticed a little prolonged starter was required to crank it up, and on that particular day, apparently tail gate was open, leaving the lights in the cabin onn. So I thought definitely must be a weak battery. Immediately spent 6500 rupees and got new battery, lag is gone, but gain on 2 occasions it refused to start. Removed the key, switched it on again, move the gear from P to N and it started. Same thing second time, switched of DRL, shifted to N, and it started. Finding it quite strange.

Is this a known behavior? Or what could be the reason?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by throttleking

Immediately spent 6500 rupees and got new battery, lag is gone, but gain on 2 occasions it refused to start. Removed the key, switched it on again, move the gear from P to N and it started. Same thing second time, switched of DRL, shifted to N, and it started. Finding it quite strange.

Is this a known behavior? Or what could be the reason?

Normally Hexa is fitted with a starter motor protection logic, if the battery level is less than ideal the starter motor won't budge, if the brake pedal is not engaged and vehicle set to P then AT version won't engage starter either.

What you are doing is engaging starter while it is in fail-safe mode as per the owner's manual. You should probably get it checked.

[throttleking]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Normally Hexa is fitted with a starter motor protection logic, if the battery level is less than ideal the starter motor won't budge, if the brake pedal is not engaged and vehicle set to P then AT version won't engage starter either.

What you are doing is engaging starter while it is in fail-safe mode as per the owner's manual. You should probably get it checked.

Thanks for the helpful tip, will play around with it for some more time, and if the problem persists then definitely I will get it checked.