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-   -   Tata Hexa : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/181903-tata-hexa-official-review-8.html)

Excellent review with a eye to detail (incorrect placement of the "I" on RHS stalk.)clap:
Tata has brought another excellent product. Hope the pricing is on spot.

The XM variant has 16" wheels and other has 19" wheels. Isnt it a too much of difference?

I got a call from Concorde motors here in Prabhadevi (Mumbai) and the sales manager told me that both the XTA and XT 4x4 will come with both seating (6 & 7) options. Phew finally! Test drives to begin starting next week (but didn't commit a date) will call me back for scheduling this. I've asked for both the XTA and 4x4 versions.

Cheers

Their website still doesn't say that. But if it's true then I must say that Tata are listening, reading these forums and course correcting. This is very good.Let's hope that this news is confirmed soon by Tata and they update their website accordingly.

After going through the awesome review, here is my take on Hexa.

The good things:

• Tata has styled the Hexa quite well. The front especially is quite nice. Replacing the Xmas tail lamps with LED tail lamps has improved the looks by a huge margin. Only the side reminds of Aria. Above all the styling is quite likeable and not overdone lie XUV.

• They have improved the ride and handling.

• They came up with the best iteration of their 2.2 litre engine. Bump up in power, torque and an extra gear for manual transmission. [Storme also benefited from this engine.]

• Great selection of automatic transmission [applauded by all the reviews till now]. I hope this turns out to be a reliable one.

• Addressing the quality issues and lack of premium-ness by roping in international vendors.

• Standout features like 10 speaker JBL sound system with amplifier and subwoofer, drive modes, coloured MID screen, lumbar support on all 3 passenger seats [automatic version], fast charger, LED tail lamps and retractable sun blinds. The closest competitor XUV doesn’t have them.

• Safety is top notch on the top end manual version. ABS and two Airbags standard.

The not so good things:

• The weight is on the higher side. However I think they need a new platform and extensive engineering to reduce weight, which would have meant more delays and costs. Trivia: Aria brochure mentions the Gross Weight as 2850 kg. So they have achieved quite a bit of weight reduction already. :D TataAria-1.pdf

• Why some of the bits are still from Aria bin? (Front headlamps, side mirrors, dashboard, door pads.) I opened the Aria review and I realized Tata has taken Aria interiors as a base template rather than starting afresh. When they could do extensive sheet metal changes like front bonnet, rear side panels and tail gate, they could have done the same with interiors as well. This would have upped the premium quotient by quite a bit and would have covered some shortcomings like, no space in front dashboard for mobile, weird shape of armrest, better design for handbrake and rear ac console, loose door unlock knobs. They had ample time too.

• 19 inch wheels look awesome but the replacement costs will be high. Tata and MRF should supply these tyres at reasonable rates to customers.

• In the review I noticed some of the plastics like around the headlamp switch, panel near the seat height adjustment lever, rear ac console are already looking old, scratched and of poor quality.

• Piano black will attract quite a bit of scratches and this has been pointed out in some reviews.

The unforgiveable things: :Frustrati

• No Auto dimming rear-view mirror. Common Tata it is not such a hard thing to do pricewise or technology wise.

• The sensor for automatic wipers which is at the base of windshield rather than top, and sticks out like a sore thumb. Common Tata was that too hard to re-locate or you didn’t bother?

• Being stubborn on providing the kit from lower end of products as they don’t have OEM supplier for certain things like head unit with integrated navigation [Mahindra and Maruti have one], keyless entry, and telescopic adjustment for steering wheel.

• Rubbery shifts for manual gearbox. Same was highlighted in Aria review as well. This is simply not acceptable that in 6 years this issue couldn’t be sorted out!

• Same design of flippy key as Tiago and Zest. No boot open functionality through key fob.

• As per RavenAvi insider scoop, Tata is working on improving the low end torque before launch. Common Tata you are already late to the party by 6 months and you are still tweaking the product!

Please don’t get me wrong. My post is not meant to bash Tata. I really like their approach and direction, however given their capabilities and the time frame they could have certainly improved on some of the points. It all depends on the pricing now. I personally believe that if they can price the top variants of manual and automatic at an introductory shock price, this product is bound to succeed.

I have a question. The kerb weight is mentioned as 2280 Kgs. But is this specifically for XTA or XT 4x4 variant? If so, will there be any weight reduction without the AT or AWD options on a particular variant (and by how much)?

Initially I thought it was a typo.
But on checking again, I saw that it is really 16 inches for the XM. :Shockked:
Immediately, I suspected that the tires will look very puny.

However, when I calculated the overall diameter of the tyre, it comes to be 29 inches.The overall diameter of the the 19 inch one is 29.2 inches.

So, the difference in diameter is very less, due to the generous 70 profile of the 16inch tyre. This profile is a good choice for those who want even better ride comfort on poor roads. :thumbs up

......except on the automatic gearshift lever. ;)


Excellent review guys! You made me read about a car that I didn't really follow all these months. In fact, just today I knew it's gonna be launched. Good job!

Thanks a lot abhishek46 for clarifying stupid:

Is this the new trend automakers have of not quoting the name?
Just saw Baleno, Creta, Elantra and no where manufacturers name is mentioned. Its only logo

If I am right, both 16 & 19 inch tyres are of same width of 235mm and profile is 70 and 55 respectively. If abive is correct, 16 inch tyres side wall will be approximately 35mm taller, so how will overall dia so close?
Or am I missing something?

The tyre height for 235/70 R16 is 6.5 inch, whereas for 235/55/ R19 is 5.1 inch.

So, the tyre height difference is 1.4 inch. This is multiplied by 2 to get diameter difference, which is 2.8 inch.

Now, 3 inch extra rim diameter of the R19 minus the 2.8 inch leaves us with 0.2 inch difference in overall tyre+rim diameter.

Hope this clarifies. :thumbs up

I used the website https://tiresize.com/height-calculator/ for calculations.

Even here the local dealers say that the XT 4X4 comes with 7 seater. But the website doesn't say so. So I was confused. So thought of checking with Vid and Adi.

Can Pirelli file for a law suit against MRF for copying their tread design completely?

The Pirelli Scorpion ATR's and this MRF wanderer in 19" appear exactly same.

I would like to know as to what made Tata opt for 19 inch rims? Maybe just because the new Endeavor and Fortuner got 18?

I too would say, that anything over 16 inch for a SUV is a waste in practical terms.

As far as Hexa goes, I am waiting for all the goodies to be transferred to Storme [as few people need more GC and 4L]

The details are amazing in the review, can't imagine the hard work being done to compile it :thumbs up

Both the official website and the one-page brochure mention that the XTA and the XT 4x4 come in 6-seater (captain seats) configuration only.

Should be by end-November and the XMA/XTA variants will be available for TDs, I suppose.

Manual variants (including 4x4) should reach dealerships by the first week of December.

'Fantastic', 'Awesome'! Words that best describe the review. Rated 5 stars. clap: But these are also words you don't expect to see in a Tata car review. Tata continues to build on the start it made with Bolt, Zest and Tiago. Well begun but the job is only half done! A good product will have to backed by an equally good after-sales support as well as long term reliability. The road to redemption will be long and rough for Tata. Hexa might just smoothen it out a little!

' ..wheel arches get black plastic cladding, lending the Hexa a rugged appearance. The cladding should've had a perfect half circle over the wheel arch; that rectangular protrusion on the upper edge sticks out like a sore thumb (it's there on the rear wheel arch too):'

This seems to be a design element carried over from the Evoque and Disco sport. Not sure if its aesthetic or functional.