Team-BHP - Tata Hexa : Official Review

When the Illuminati of TBHP have spoken so highly about the review, we as the newbies have very less to say!

This definitely has to be one of the most comprehensive reviews on TBHP. Para by paragraph, it shows the intent and the love that you guys have for automobiles. A very well rated 5 stars!

Have a few observations for TML. Last week, I had gone to finalize deliver of my colleague's Nano Automatic. He had paid all the monies upfront and was all set to take delivery on the auspicious Malayalam month Vrischikam, day 1. The Sales adviser had given a commitment that it would happen. Sadly, it has not happened till date. Tatas have to ensure that no such incident occurs to any of their probable customers. I had very enthusiastically enquired about Hexa and all the sales guy could do was flash his card and say sir, please give a call when the product is launched and I will help you with the necessary steps.

I mean, any other sales guy would have atleast taken my number and given me one follow up call. I sat in a Tiago , Bolt and Zest and thanks to TBHP, knew my cars well. Never once did SA offer a test drive. At this point, I lost all interest in test driving any of them.

While the company seems intent on making good cars, there is a severe lack of the same from the dealerships.

After all our experiences in predicting the pricing with Creta, I will hold until they officially release the price list.

With Hexa at least, I sincerely wish Tata Bosses keep their ears to the ground and like the most abused word in Tatas' "pro-actively" address customer concerns.

Finally, some exciting time for Tata Motors!!

What a Product ! 5 stars *****
What a Review ! 5 stars ***** (again)

Guys at TATA's R & D unit deserve more than a pat on their back. They deserve to see the Hexa succeed. It's now up to the TATA Marketing and Sales team to do their job. And we all at T-Bhp surely hope the Hexa does well.

Just one look and I was sold. I hope it gets the cash counters of TATA ringing just the way XUV did for Mahindra.

Though certain features which even the tiny hatches have are missed, the soul of the car is perfect (if I can say so). The features can always be added by TATA later. I noticed that the roof is ribbed from the B pillar onward, possibly because a sunroof can be added later on.

And though the 19 inch rims might be too big, they really do look stunning and add a lot of character to the Hexa.

I would say it has been priced right, if I can buy 2 Hexas at the price of 1 Fortuner stupid:

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004 (Post 4096719)

Also, I did not see any mention of TPMS in the review. I remember the Aria had it. What about the HEXA?

The performance being poor when compared to the XUV is a downer though. Also, the fact that you need to connect your phone via USB to access navigation is a huge disappointment.

Nope Aria didn't have TPMS.

Performance compared to XUV is a relative term. While one may not be able to accelerate as fast as the XUV the confidence doing it will be greater. Also one would be more comfortable throwing the Hexa into and through potholes at speed relative to the XUV. (Due to the Ladder Frame Chassis).

The Aria in fact had SatNav built in. That said today nothing beats Google Maps and getting access to Google Maps via USB is good enough for all practical purpose.

Excellent review, covering every aspect of the car - I mean everything.

Coming to the car, Tata has made a sincere effort while building Hexa and it shows. "Race Mode" - in a MUV :D, but from your review, it seems the vehicle is indeed FUN, in this mode. I know that Aria had a very good ride quality but looks like this one had taken it a notch higher almost better than the Duster - that's no little feat.

Also, the Captain seats looks fabulous and it seems they are very comfortable too - and adjustable lumbar support for the middle row passengers.

My main grouse with the car is that puny 5" touchscreen which feels so small when compared to the size of the vehicle. Talking of size, Hexa is longer in its segment, even longer than current Fortuner / Pajero Sport and wider than all those big SUVs from the segment above. And HEAVIER than everything out there :Shockked: (only except 3.2 Endeavour).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya (Post 4096455)

Tata says the Hexa has variable density foam seats. Whatever it is, it just works!

Details:- http://www.google.co.in/patents/US5000515

Quote:

This method is basically the formation of a foam cushion body within a cover member by placing the cover member into a mold cavity having a predetermined shape and then pouring an expandable foam into the cavity, allowing the foam to expand and solidify thus forming the foam cushion. This method of constructing a vehicle seat or back is desirable where a seat cushion having a single density is utilized. An additional set of fabrication steps is required for vehicle seat assemblies having cushions and bolsters positioned to the side of the cushion. Conventionally, separate bolster cushions are formed and covered with a fabric cover and then secured together by means of a frame or by sewing the covers together so as to form an integrated seat and/or cushion assembly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iliketurtles (Post 4096570)

It was only a few week back that a friend and I were discussing 7-seater options at this price and invariably, my mind came around to the Hexa and I recommended she wait for it, to which I got the expected "Really? A Tata car?" with a grimace of the face.

This, in itself, is a huge challenge which Tata has to overcome. Combine "premium pricing" with "dependable 7 seater option", and immediately prospective customers start to look elsewhere.

Let's hope that the sales of the Tiago is a healthy indication of a possible turnaround of the perception Tata has in the minds of the car-buying public, and that the Hexa builds on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunishsamuel (Post 4096571)

3) Curious enough, any word on the fuel economy under real world conditions?

Looking at the review pictures till now, around 11 kmpl for the manual and around 1 kmpl less for the AT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptushar (Post 4096579)

So the only downside I see on the XTA is that it misses the ESP. Any reason why Tata don't have this on the XTA?

Costly miss. For such a heavy car with a large footprint and a tall size, ESP is a must for all variants. Unfathomable why they chose to skip it for the AT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by igp_79 (Post 4096769)

Even then the XUV500 W8 AT provides the buyer with Projector headlamps, TPMS, ESP, Traction control and Hill Descent control which the XTA does not have.

Smoked projector headlamps are available on the Hexa across the range.

The other three are misses, and how they will affect the driveability of the car remains to be seen. I intend to check this out completely when the test drive cars are available near me.

Great review and probably one of the much awaited ones as well. Read through it entirely in one sitting. While TATA seems to have a really good product at hand, I feel some of the observations brought in the review (e.g. no auto dimming IRVM, no button start etc.) could shy off potential customers because these are the minimalistic things expected. Just a vague guess but possibly TATA could reserve this for a mid life facelift depending on how the market receives the Hexa initially.

Also after having working on it so long I never expected to see wires or a mis-oriented MID Button. While the button can be dismissed as a one off but still it shows that some minor things are escaping from the QA department.

I also see some scratch marks on the head lamp controls already. So not sure how it will fare over a period of regular use.

For door unlock, I feel TATA could have used another option than the knob - a personal opinion though. Feels very dated as an option even if the knobs in itself might look good. The passenger side footwell is another thing which could be a potential "turn-away" for new buyers IMHO.

Wish TATA all the best with Hexa. Hope they pull another tiago

Quote:

Originally Posted by ortho_surgeon (Post 4096920)

But how many of us are willing to gamble on a Tata vehicle. Certainly not me.

Important thing will be the pricing of this vehicle.

The Innova crysta Gx itself comes to 20 lacs. But 5k service interval is a rip off. But still Toyota is a Toyota.

For a change I am. Unfortunately I am not in the market to buy a new car. At least for the next 1-1.5 years. But hey who knows? I will be taking a test drive of the car once its available to the public.

You see I have done a few Pune-Mumbai airport trips on Aria as well as Innova. My experience has been that Aria has been more comfortable in the second row as compared to Innova (I am talking only about the bench seats version and not the captain seats). If Hexa is a much improved version of Aria I expect it to maintain that superiority over the New Innova too. Plus it looks good inside out and is well loaded. Yes the reliability factor of a Toyota cannot be dismissed. But I am willing to give Tata benefit of doubt. And if priced right, I would have no qualms regarding buying a well priced Hexa over an over priced Innova.

Excellent review Aditya & Vid6639, well covered to the minute details possible. No other online reviews, tv shows or magazines had provided me the insights which I was looking for. Only thing awaited everywhere is price!

Here's my take-away on Hexa as a potential upgrade from Xylo. I can confidently say it ticks all my needs plus a lot more features. Eagerly waiting for a test drive of both MT & AT. I prefer MT though.

What I am excited about the upgrade (in the precedence of liking)

Handling. Really glad to hear it can handle three digit speeds with ease irrespective of its size and tall stance. Xylo was a bad boy at high speeds.
Safety features. All 4 discs, 6 airbags, ESP etc are certainly worth it.
Boot luggage space was a big miss in Xylo while fully boarded. Hexa looks like sufficient space for a weekend trip even with all 6 passengers without needing a roof top pannier.
AWD option is really welcome for weekend getaways. But price difference would decide if I could opt for it.
Ride quality. Xylo wasn't bad, but Hexa looks way above the segment standards based on all reviews.
Premium feel all around. Good plastics, metal finish inserts, leather like sporty seats etc
Equipment level. I am not a feature freak but many nice to haves ticked in the list.

What I will miss (Some are subtle things)

Dead pedal for MT version is certainly a big miss for HEXA being built as a comfortable mile muncher.
A proper armrests for driver seat is also a serious miss for UV's seating position.
A flat floor for second row passengers would have been nice.
Grab handles for driver which is an interim relief in long high-way drives and for getting in or out with ease.
Foldable food trays behind Driver and front passenger seats in Xylo were really cool during getaways with kids.

Concerns in mind

Total Cost of Ownership of HEXA for 8-10 years and around 100-120K KMs of usage. My Xylo had been really light on wallet except for the fuel efficiency compared to any other cars my family has owned till date (discount Nano). 19inch shoes considering the weight of the car could mean at least 3 change cycles costing INR 60-70K each? Too many electronics and features would mean expensive part replacements for long term owners? Poor resale value is a sad part of most TATA car ownership.
Reliability in long term - My Xylo has not given up even once (touch wood) in its 7+ years and almost 100K KMs of journey. List of features on HEXA and TATA's history of passenger cars (though trying to forget) is not still convincing. Will these OEM contracts go a long way in ensuring replacement availability for next 10-15 years?