[arindam_xeta]

My relation with Tata Motors

The Tata Indica V2, the Xeta as I call it, was a very stable work horse. It was entwined in the hearts of all my family members. It seems that so were we in its heart. In March 2007 we started living a dream of some freedom and luxury with our very own Indica! Till 7th November 2014, our Indica was our friend in need.

First meet with my wife with my new AC Indica in the sweltering heat of July - I still member the satisfying, proud look on her red face in the rear view mirror as I parked the car by the side of the road to pick her up on a hot summer afternoon.

A cheeky runaway trip with my wife - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...i-kolkata.html, coming home with my new born son in torrential downpour, vacations to various parts of North Bengal so many times, trip to Vizag - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...i-kolkata.html, my little daughter came home, tough roads, long roads, no roads, rain, heat - my Indica was with me. It stood by me whenever I needed. I felt that Tata Motors produces no mean cars! The Xeta was dearly called "Laal Gadi" meaning "The Red Car" by both my little ones.

First acquaintance with Zest

When the Zest was launched in August 2014, I was reading about it in various blogs. The reviews came out on Team-BHP and various other websites all over the internet and I started thinking about an upgrade from the hatchback that I had. It was one of the toughest decisions to make. We literally had no complaints, the Indica was literally giving its heart out for me and my family. Each time I would think about parting with the Indica, I retreated. One fine day in the beginning of September 2014, I tumbled upon a Zest test drive vehicle at my office. I was literally in love with all the aspects of the new vehicle. The smooth throttle response, overall refinement, suspension, interiors and build were all very obviously improved. It was hard to stop driving it. I fell in love with the vehicle the moment I sat in it! When I came to know, the price I felt it was a good deal. I drove the vehicle that day for about 15 minutes and was left thirsting for more.

I came back home and was feeling guilty - my Indica would stare at me.

A more serious Test Drive
Somehow I was dragged back to Zest and I took another test drive in a few days time - this time at my home. It was the petrol variant. I called TC Motors and they promptly came over. I took my dad, mom and my wife along. Everyone in my family liked the car. The suspension was so mature that it was literally giving a floating effect. I was driving largely on a surface-less road that was recently dug up completely for laying water pipes. The cabin was planted and silent.

I tested the drive modes. The Eco mode really lowered the throttle response, while the Sports mode increased the engine response. The car had to be around 45-60 Kmph to notice any significant difference. At lower rpms one may not notice the difference and might be left disappointed. At this point, I could not judge how less or more the fuel efficiency would be. It seemed what TML is advertising may be true.

I was changing the gears at higher rpms and the effect was that I could hear that turbo growl and the car was moving effortlessly. It was pulling real fast and I was bowled over. But I was still not sure, since my Indica was still stout and strong. I kept checking more reviews online.

I had read in some reviews that the performance in 2nd gear was a little sluggish, so I called the TC Motors folks for another test drive. They were a bit lazy and for a few days, did not respond. I called another dealer - KB Motors and they came promptly. I drove the diesel variant this time and felt that the petrol was smoother and a little peppier. The rest of the impressions were same.

I called TC Motors once again and this time they were very prompt and came to my home once again. I called them a little late so that I could drive the vehicle after sun down. The idea was to get a look at the cabin ambience and the instrument cluster in the dark. I liked the cabin lights, the impressive-looking instrument cluster, the sweep-back gesture of the dials and the illuminated key ring. All the lights which were event driven eg. luggage compartment, cabin light in front and key hole illumination had a soft glow and dim effect and the attention to detail was evident. I drove the petrol variant and noticed that once you start shifting a bit on the higher side of the rpm range the car moved really fast. I was able to take on any of the cars around and I was not even using sports mode! Parking the Zest was easy with the light steering. It weighs up as you start pressing the gas pedal. The Harman entertainment system was really impressive - first impression was great. The voice commands looked like a nifty feature. All-in-all, at first sight I thought I was ready for it.

The comfort while both, driving and riding as a passenger was far more than my Indica. With due respect to it, Indica was less than half the price on-road. By this time my heart was like that of a little boy who has fallen over for that lolly pop. It's now his whole world!

Options Considered

I actually did not consider any! In fact, the Zest purchase was more an accidental purchase than a very planned effort from my side. I had a chance to look at the Elite i20 in July after it was launched but there were not too many reasons for me to consider it over our Indica at that time.

So I'll rather speak about the features of Zest that are improved over my Indica V2.

Ground Clearance - On paper, it's almost the same as our Indica. Zest with a GC of 175 mm could pass over something 5 mm taller than Indica could. But the underbody was much cleaner and well packed. The silencer box of the Indica would be dangling with a much taller design. It would be hit more often and mine was already rusted and making noise at specific rpm. The Zest had a more practical design with the silencer box tucked up much higher.

Space - We are now 4 adults and 2 kids. Thus, both Indica and Zest were not enough whenever we had to travel full house. We had actually stopped travelling together for a while. However, the Zest was roomier, head and shoulder room was a large improvement over the Indica. Comfort levels were completely of different standards. Thus, overall I thought that we will have a comparatively better in-car comfort. We did a trip to Mukutmanipur recently and all were fairly comfortable.

Features, looks, engine performance and handling were of course, few other features which had to be better in the Zest.

With the Indica on highways, I was never comfortable beyond 100 Kmph. The power on tap being less it was difficult to maintain higher average speeds. Thus, a need for a more powerful car was always felt. Space and budget constraints did not allow me to look into SUV options at all. All-in-all, with all the features on offer, the audio system, AMC, I felt that the Zest was real VFM and would just fit in my budget and garage. In fact, TML has always offered real VFM products across different segments.

Booking the Zest
On 16th September 2014 I booked the Zest. I was feeling a bit down, since I was still confused and totally undecided on what to do with Xeta. This is my Indica on my last trip to North Bengal October 2014. It did a little more than 50 K kms.


My trip was already planned by then, so we made the trip in our Indica. We were a group of 7 cars and my Xeta performed flawlessly!
Find the details of the above trip here - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...edans-suv.html

As a Tata group employee, I learned that I was eligible only for one of the welcome kits and no other discounts. In between, I was shopping for insurance and finalized on Royal Sundaram (RS), their initial quote was around INR 18K for a bumper to bumper, zero depreciation cover. By the time I bought the insurance RS increased their premium for Zest, the final quote was around 25K. RS was the only one to offer multiple zero depreciation claims. My calculation was that if I could transfer the existing NCB in my dad's name to this car, then the discount will be substantial.

Insurance - INR 22K, zero depreciation, bumper to bumper. I bought it over the phone and got a discount of INR 3k (approximately).

I was negotiating with the dealer for an exchange with my Indica, but the price being offered was not to my liking. I was still confused and was also looking for a hired garage to keep both the cars. At my residence I have provisions for one covered garage only. Its not extendable by any means.

I was still evaluating all this while if I should keep both the cars or should I let go the Indica. Finally I made up my mind - I had to let go the Xeta!

The Bills

Below are the actual invoices for the Zest, AMC and Extended warranty.

The ex-showroom price: Rs. 6,26,663.00


On-road factors: Rs. 64,666.00


AMC and Extended warranty: Rs. 16,101.00

AMC Invoice:


Extended warranty invoice:


The price ex-showroom price
INR 6,26,663.00
On-road factors
INR 64,666.00
AMC and Extended warranty
INR 16,101.00
Insurance (Zero Dep B2B)
INR 22,000.00
=============
Total = INR 7,29,430.00

I spent another INR 7,500 .00 for the genuine Zest branded covers.

So take home price is a total of INR 7,36,930.00

Funding

I took a car loan from HDFC - as part of the corporate offer I, was able to get fair deal. Interest rate of 10.25% (approx), one EMI paid, monthly EMI of INR 12,500.00 for a loan amount of INR 6,90,000.00.

The AMC Cover page:


The AMC terms and conditions:


On 8th November 2014, we took our last ride in the Xeta - to the showroom. I was sad. So were my mom, dad, my wife and my son. My little daughter is too young to comprehend what we were going through.
It's a TATA car, its an Indica! With no offence to any one, I've heard these words in so many tones in my 7 years of ownership, but I say it again with pride "It's a TATA car, its an Indica!"
Of course, Tata Service has room for improvement and so do the cars they have produced so far, including the Zest, but I really got great value for the money I paid. Tata Motors have hit that VFM spot again, only much sweeter this time.

We met the new Zest:


Zest in Red, we'll call him ZED -Z:


Some more pictures of our new family member:




When we were driving back we all looked back at the Xeta. It was parked by the road side! I wish it finds a good home. I wished it could stay!
I wish every Tata car story makes us feel this way and starts a new Tata car story right from there! Well done Tata! We bid the Xeta good bye!

The welcome Kit:


The user manuals;


The AMC and Extended warranty booklets;


Before going on the road - the puja and offerings at famous Dakshineshwar:

A view of the temple:


The Revotron Puja;


Design
As you all might have guessed by now, my choice of this car was more out of falling in love with it than actually buying it out of need. One of the the few elements that played an important part in my buying decision was of course, the design elements. The front fog lamp fittings have the same pattern as the front grille design. The plastic material used is of premium quality. The Tata logo is not just the adhesive pasting it used to be but completely etched into the grille. It's also easy to clean, thus making the design more practical. On the inside the instrument cluster design with the colours used on it adds to the look of the car. The ICE blends really well both in design and functionally departments.
The Zest has already bagged a prestigious award:
http://www.autocarindia.com/auto-new...rd-391867.aspx

Some shots from Samba, highlighting the design elements:

The angel eye ring:


The illuminated keyhole:


The fog lamp:

Negatives:
I would have liked a more unique exterior design, not a design language from the existing line up of Tata cars!

Style
The car has already made a serious style statement all around. The humanity line as it is called by Tata is one such style element which I liked. The LED back lights have already received some accolades from friends and onlookers. The scoop on the bonnet along with the creases on the sides of the body adds a tad masculine look to the design! The stance is taller and wider!

The front view, Samba style:


The rear LEDs:


The door window controls illuminated ... all shots from Samba:

Negatives:
I think TML has produced a very unique style of its own and put in a lot of effort to reach here. I like it a lot, not many negatives here. Full marks for features like - angel eye rings, DRL, and such a high stance.

Handling

The car has very mature handling. So far I have done a short weekend trip from Kolkata to Mukutmanipur (total driving of approximately 650 KMs). As a part of this trip, we drove through very scenic winding sections from Mukutmanipur to Jhilmil. The car remained very poised. I felt completely in control and safe. These roads were like typical ghat sections and I was able to do these at 60 - 75 kmph depending on the amount of bends. There was some rolling inside, more when I was trying to challenge the limits, but with the higher stance I think it was well within acceptable limits.

Negatives:
Well! I'm not very experience in handling different segments and qualities of cars! With my limited experience in driving different types of cars I can say this is a car that will make one feel really safe with out any surprises.

Ride Quality

This is one characteristic of the Zest which made me fall in love with it during test drives. I felt the car has a really good ride quality. The suspension will give one a gliding feeling. On the 650 KM highway drive with four adults, two kids and a fair bit of luggage, there was only one occasion when the car's suspension had trouble. For most of the journey, it was more than enough and felt very comfortable and silent. Another thing I noticed is the fact that even though the suspension is a bit on the softer side (I never felt it's very hard) with all passenger, seated the resulting compression which lowers the car is minimal. So the GC advantage is not really sacrificed much.

Negatives:
I did not find any negatives as such for the ride quality. Full marks here.

Engine Performance
Once again my experience here is not very mature so I'm unable to put any comparative information here!

The Specifications on paper
4 Stroke Engine, Turbocharged inter cooled MPFI
2 Valves per cylinder
Max output 90 PS @ 5K RPM
Max Torque 140 NM 1750-3500 RPM

The on road experience so far

City mode (default):
In city mode this engine should give a very linear and predictable power. At any gear its better to be close to that 1750 mark RPM. As you climb towards that 2000 RPM the car eases into a very smooth acceleration. I have not gone beyond 3000 RPM as yet, but felt one would continue to have power on tap beyond 3000 rpm since even at high 2000 RPM I felt the car was at remarkable ease. For example, I'll reach 80 Kmph in 4th gear and still not feel a need to shift into 5th gear just by hearing the engine noise. Close to 2000 RPM and beyond you will not have too much problems overtaking on open roads.
With ECON AC in CITY mode, if one is driving in decent traffic with occasional open roads you can expect 14 KMPL (in running condition with 1000+ KM on odo). If you turn off the AC expect something close to 15 KMPL.

Sports mode:
This really transforms the car into a different car. The change can be felt immediately. I could not perceive this difference in the TD vehicle or even in the reviews from the different auto websites. In fact some of the reviews actually stated the difference is so little that its better not to have the drive modes. Well I assure these modes are indeed what TML is claiming! I tried the Sports mode during the highway drive and immediately got an aggressive throttle response. Overtaking any vehicle was a piece of cake and even at lower RPM you can get back to higher power RPM real quick. I felt really happy with the performance I got in this mode!
If you use this mode occasionally say for about 25% of the entire trip it will not have a serious dent on the FE figures. The instant FE can still be high if you stay at 75 KMPH in 5th gear for example. The more you slow down and accelerate hard, the average FE will taper down.

ECO mode:
This mode gives the least throttle response. If used properly you can still do overtaking maneuvers on open roads, but on busy roads you will be left wanting! It's better to use this on open highways where chances of slowing down are less. I felt it's something really good to have as a engine configuration. Again, this mode is very usable in the city, but being at the right RPM is important, else you might get honked at!

Overall, I'm happy with the performance. It's not a rubber smoker or tarmac scorcher, but a very capable highway performer and an able city car for office and home bumper to bumper drives.
Switch to Sports mode and you will surprise a few people on the road including yourself. You need to get used to the gear ratios, so one needs to spend a little time with this car and each day you will fall in love with it!

The below mileage is after driving for near 300 Kms to Mukutmanipur from Kolkata in a mix of modes (City , Eco and Sports), with AC in ECON Auto:

Negatives:
Except Sports mode in both City and Eco mode its very much required to stay at the right RPM for a rapid move ahead. Especially on slopes, if you end up at a very, very low RPM, you will have to downshift, else the engine will slowly die into a stall. So when you first start driving this vehicle, there is ample chance you may be a little disappointed. Do not underestimate it. Just keep it where you feel comfortable and Zest will unfold!

In Car Infotainment System

The Harman Kardon audio system is simply mind blowing! It really proves the kind of attention to detail that has been put in by TML. Audio, I think, is just one of the functions of this head unit. It's an integral part of the car both physically, enhancing the dashboard center looks, and functionally, extending the otherwise manual controls digitally.

Ease of use - The user interface is colourful and logical, which makes it easy to follow once you get a hang of it.

Voice Commands - It works! Well like any voice recognition system, it has its limitations but the success rate is fairly high. The voice commands may be increased with future upgrades and if more keywords are added the system will be even more logical and natural to use.
Negatives: The automated system voice is too mechanical and there is no option to choose a voice type (male/female). Commands are limited. I'm yet to find a list - none of the user manuals seems to have a definitive list of voice commands.

Quality of Software - The software is definitely upgradable. My system was last upgraded on 14th August 2014, while the car was delivered on 8th November 2014. So far I have not got any system hang or audio skipping problems and mainly used the Bluetooth streaming mode. I have not check iPod and USB connectivity yet.
Negatives: GPS integration missing as of now. I feel GPS integration is very much possible and should have been included. In fact the system platform has great potential and a lot of features can be included and existing ones can be improved upon.

Key innovative infotainment system features include: (The below features seem possible but not all currently implemented)

• 5-inch touchscreen supporting rich multimedia experience
• Support for a diverse range of Multimedia devices over various connectivity mediums including USB, Bluetooth, Auxiliary audio and advanced smartphone integration
• Advanced Bluetooth technology
• Smart voice recognition
• Social media integration and touch phone controlled interface
• Industry leading smartphone integration supporting phone enabled navigation, internet radio and pod casts for a rich and seamless connected driving experience
• Communication with apps residing on the smartphone opens a gamut of possibilities to extend functionality of the system and keep pace with the relevant trends in the mobile world. For example, the infotainment system will support smartphone-based remote control for rear seat passengers and smartphone-based navigation screen mirroring implemented using HARMAN proprietary technologies in conjunction with our partners.
• HARMAN audio system will offer Tata customers an unmatched listening experience with our acoustics solutions including microphones and speakers.

Read details here:
http://www.harman.in/news/press-rele...hes-bolt-zest/

Audio Quality - Well, this is based on individual perception, but the general consensus about the quality of audio has been largely good. I take some pleasure in audio listening and the frequency response is very well distributed across the bands. Base response is rich and not at all a hollow blowout. The treble is also clear and gives a rich surround sound experience. Most of the parameters have decent customization ability. The fader control works really well.

Negatives:

• Full marks here. TML and HK have put in a lot of thought in designing the system.
• The radio for example supports RDS (infotainment user manual has a mention of it on page 49 - noticed it later, after seeing BIG FM 92.7 being picked up automatically). I had not expected this feature. Not sure if any others in similar segment have this. It's capable of picking the station name, song name, artist name (if the radio station supports it), probably not very useful in India as of now, but a nifty feature to have.
• The warranty is for 3 years or 36K KMS, I did not find this 36K clause to be very logical, probably I'm missing something.
• The display has a warranty of only one year or 36K, again why 36K limit on something which has no moving parts involved with the car's running. This need some enlightening.
• One thing worth mentioning is the system currently supports USB up to 32 GB only. That needs improvement - probably a future software upgrade can take care of this and support 64 GB USB sticks.
• The audio system starts in radio mode by default when you switch on, if you did not turn off the device. It should try the last source automatically or else go to a configurable default source or turn off as per user config. I found this is a bit irritating.
• Adding video feature and some other BT profiles like throwing video would be nice to have.

Electronics and Safety Features

Park Assist Delay Timer: Park assist will remain activated even when the reverse gear is disengaged. This is a nice feature to have. We also have a physical button to activate it anytime.

Parking Sensor - The parking sensor has been working really well on the field. It's also detecting obstacles which are are just very close to the rear wheel sides. In fact, it detects obstacles which are on your sides from behind the bumper to the point where the rear wheel starts. That's been useful for me while parking in tight spots. Integration with the head unit is also good. There is an option to fade in the sensor beeper with the music or just mute the music while in reverse gear. I think the manual button to activate the parking sensor is handy. If only there were such sensors on the front corners!

Negatives:
I really did not find anything missing or lacking. A rear camera would have been perfect, but it's available as a separate accessory.

Vehicle Locking: The vehicle will not open from outside when one has turned off the engine and is waiting in traffic. This is a very important safety feature and I feel the importance of it since my previous car in similar use case would just unlock all doors, until I turn the key back to ignition mode.

Negatives:
I felt a little audible alarm should have been kept as a configurable feature when locking or unlocking doors. Probably all new cars are not having such an audible alarm but its useful in case the car is not in direct line of sight or you just lock and walk away without having to look and confirm that the car is indeed locked.

Backseat Space and Luggage Space

The back seat of the car is comfortable - the recline angle is perfect as per my family members (mom and wifey). The ingress is comfortable, the doors opens in 3 stages and they open wide, so no problems.
Luggage space is adequate for a week long trip. This was another problem we faced in Indica. With the Zest we have ample luggage space for 4 adults and 2 kids. 390 Ltrs. of space iss enough for 2 medium-sized suitcases and a couple of soft kits bags.

The snaps here onward, courtesy good friend Sambo (Tbhp handle Samba), he took great pains in clicking these snaps on our trip to Mukutmanipur - Thanks buddy!

The below snaps gives an idea of the space inside:

Inside view from back seat:


Backseat view from RHS:


A similar view of the front seats from the RHS:

Negatives:
The door sill is tad higher making it more prone to get the accidental kicks. It will surely get scratched easily. The rubber sealing around this area will also get dirty real quick and a lot due to this. The suspension turrets intrude in the luggage space, thus reducing the space utilization.

Air-Conditioning

Cooling is adequate as of now. We will be able to do a more fair check during summer months. I use it in ECON Auto mode most of the time. I find the design and behavior of the AC quite to my liking. Auto mode switches the various parameters like the air flow, fan speed, etc. very logically. If required one may manually control them as well. In the morning when I'm just setting off, the air flow is directed at the wind shield. Then it changes to front vents. Fan speed also changes as required. All in all, if you choose the right temperature, it really controls the cabin temperature beautifully. These days the heating is working to perfection at night times to give a pleasant cabin.
There are 3 sensors - the left knob for fan speed has a sensor, there's one in the middle for inside temperature and there's one in front engine bay area of the car. Also, there is a light sensor right next to the windshield vents on the right - not very sure about its use. I presume it uses all these sensors to come up with various outputs of the AC like fan speed, temp and humidity control.
On our weekend trip, my whole family was very comfortable inside the cabin with the AC ECON Auto mode.

Negatives:
Not much to report as of now. For the sake of comparison, no rear AC vents. Though as of now, my family have not felt the need for them.

Overall Fit and Finish

I'll wrap up the rest of the details in this section.

The steering - The controls on the steering exude decent quality. Almost all controls are lit and dim when parking lights are switched on. The stalks on the steering column are of very good quality. Low speed maneuverability is great. It weighs up significantly when the car attains speed gradually. Very little feedback as of now. Overall, it is to my liking. Remember I'm coming from Indica V2 standards.

Negatives: Not much as of now

The gear lever - Look-wise it's good. Throws are short and it feels good to use. The shiny upper part is good and fairly scratch resistant.

Negatives: There seems to be some black fabric used on the front part of the gear lever. This material is prone to scratches. I have scratched it in 2 places with my watch already.

The doors - The doors feels solid. The European thud is not there, but it does close with some solidity. The door windows can be used even after taking the keys out for about 15 secs or so. The front RHS window has one touch down function. The fabric used has now been changed to a black-coloured one, which makes it easy for maintenance.

Negatives: The pockets provided are small and not practical. Any one with some decent sense may change the design to accommodate a space for bottle.

Quality Control
Tata has come a long way. There's a significant improvement from the earlier generation of cars. But, they still have a long way to go. Two minor instances of QA issues I have found till now:

The entire hollow body of the car, it seems is filled with an absorbent spongy rubber material for sound absorption and improved shock absorbing. I could see a piece of such material, striking out form the right A pillar with some adhesive on it. I took a blunt knife and had to carefully push that spongy rubbery stuff inside the A pillar. It's perfect now.

The dash board plastics have improved, but still need a more premium feel. I do understand it's proportional to the cost of the vehicle, but I think a slight increase in cost if required will not hamper the overall sales figures.

Some general pointers which could have been better -

• There is no rear wiper in any of the trims. I think this should have been provided.
• The car charger point placement is a bit weird - it's right next to the cup holder. It's not hard to find a better place, also this should be illuminated (I'm not sure if its really not, at-least mine does not glow).
• The foot well may feel to be tight-spaced especially if one is wearing big-sized footwear. There is minimal space on the left of the clutch pedal.
• The space utilization in side the car has room for improvement, more cubby holes and places to keep knick-knacks.
• An arm rest for the back seat would have been perfect.
• The Revotron engine is not an enthusiasts' machine. Tata should build some engines for the more enthusiastic drivers.

All in all, as a buyer I'm satisfied, the package offered is excellent with the features and quality provided. The car has now done 1600K KMs+ and I'm satisfied till now.

Lastly a shot by another good friend Sumitro at Mukutmanipur (TeamBHP handle Blackpearl).... Many thanks Sumitro

[e46]

Hi Arindam,

Let me be the first to congratulate you. Red looks smashing, guess its the revotron XT. Is it from TC motors.

Keep updating the thread.

Abhishek //M

[arindam_xeta]

Originally Posted by e46

Hi Arindam,

Let me be the first to congratulate you. Red looks smashing, guess its the revotron XT. Is it from TC motors.

Keep updating the thread.

Abhishek //M

Thanks Abhishek! Yes Revotron it is. I took delivery from TC Motors, Salap! I'll keep updating my experience from time to time!

[Aditya]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[VeluM]

Congratulations! Looks like the first owner-review of the Zest on TBHP, and a wonderful review at that. Beautiful snaps too. Wish you a happy experience with your Zest, and do keep us updated on your experiences with the car and Tata after-sales service.

PS. You're lucky to get one with the 8 spoke alloys. I prefer them over the 18 spoke ones, and don't know why Tata changed them. Should be available as an option at the very least.

[hillsnrains]

Arindam,

Car looks red hot. Congratulations on your new(another TATA) acquisition.
I notice Indigo Manza typed on your "Extended warranty invoice" instead of Zest . Hope you noticed it.
Thanks for summarising your first experience very nicely. Wish you many more happy miles!

[motomaverick]

Congrats on the ZED-Z. A true blue Tata fan. Mr. Samba has done a great work with some of the pictures.

Those angel eyes look killer. Is the DRL not working as in the night pictures its not glowing, or I am guessing it can be switched off independently, which actually defeats its purpose.

[apoorv agha]

Hi Arindam,

Congratulations on the red hot Zest. Happy to see a satisfied Tata customer, kudos to TML for their efforts in taking the brand name higher from the Indica phase. Keep updating the thread as this will help many of the potential Zest buyers to finally go for it. Enjoy driving your red hottie.

[rajshenoy]

Congratulations. Wish you miles of happiness filled with Zest

I have just voted for Zest to be the T-BHP Car of the year award. Really i have high hopes from this beauty

[greenhorn]

Thanks for the review arindam, how is the interior space and ergonomics vs the Indica?

[Arkesh]

Originally Posted by arindam_xeta

My relation with Tata Motors

Some general pointers which could have been better - [list][*]There is no rear wiper in any of the trims, I think this should have been provided.
Attachment 1315850

Zest is a sedan and rear wash and wipe is not provided in sedans.
Congratulations for your car and happy mile munching. I too fell in love with the Zest when i took it for a test drive.

[Mr.ASG]

Beautifully narrated review, Wishing you many more miles behind the wheels. One quick question,Is it possible to add Camera to the Harman audio system?

[viper_711]

Arindam,
Congrats, she looks hot in red! I too have owned 3 different iterations of the Indica in the past and I am happy to see Tata have upped their game. Enjoy many miles and memories!

Originally Posted by motomaverick

Congrats on the ZED-Z. A true blue Tata fan. Mr. Samba has done a great work with some of the pictures.

Those angel eyes look killer. Is the DRL not working as in the night pictures its not glowing, or I am guessing it can be switched off independently, which actually defeats its purpose.

DRL's usually go off when lights are switched on.

[marsbhp]

Congratulations, Arindam . The Zed looks great. Hope she serves you well for many many kilometres to come. Many people have a prejudice against cars from TML. I have owned an Indica and she gave me joy for almost 5 years. Had to upgrade to a sedan from another manufacturer as the family was getting bigger but I had absolutely no regrets with my old faithful Indica.

I really hope the Zest and the Bolt turn things around for Tata. They deserve it.

Originally Posted by VeluM

PS. You're lucky to get one with the 8 spoke alloys. I prefer them over the 18 spoke ones, and don't know why Tata changed them. Should be available as an option at the very least.

I believe the petrol comes with 8 spoke alloys while the diesel comes with 16 spoke alloys. This to the only visible differentiation on the exterior (other than the badging).

[Samba]

A great review Arindam da. The Zest looks much more smashing in real than the pics. This is certainly one of the most VFM cars available at this moment. Looks great, ravishing interiors backed up with two great engines and extremely good mileage. Tata after sales service has improved a lot too. Plus the new Tata cars are more or less niggle free and at par with the competition in regards to reliability. What more does one need for a car! I was really impressed with your red beauty. After this trip i recommended this car to one of my close friend too. He was looking for a petrol car with in 7 lakhs.

Originally Posted by arindam_xeta

[b] The snaps here on courtesy, good friend Sambo (Tbhp handle Samba), he took great pain in taking these snaps on our trip to Mukutmanipur - Thanks Buddy!

That was my pleasure. Sadly i could not do full justice to this beautiful looking car due lack of light. But will definitely love to shoot this beauty once again some other day.