Road Test and Review: Tata Vista D90 Indica has been an important car for Tata. Ever since its launch in 1998, the car has evol...
Showing posts with label Tata Safari Storme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tata Safari Storme. Show all posts
Geneva Motor Show 2013: Amazing Concept Cars
The Geneva Motor Show is well under way and the car companies have designed extraordinary, exciting and unusual concept cars. Take a look at...
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Showing posts with label Tata Safari Storme. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tata Safari Storme. Show all posts
Monday, 18 August 2014
Road Test and Review: Tata Vista D90
Road Test and Review: Tata Vista D90
Indica has been an important car for Tata. Ever since its launch in 1998, the car has evolved into a capable and practical hatchback that always stayed on top of sales charts. Now in its latest Vista D90 avatar, Indica has shifted the goal posts to another pitch. Powered by a specially tuned Quadrajet diesel engine, the new Indica is a completely different animal that delivers 90PS of raw power. However, does it live up to the hype? I recently spent two days behind the wheel of the D90 to find that out.
Tata has thrown in some new design elements that reflect the sportiness of the car. However, the new bumpers and an aerodynamic rear spoiler seen in the pictures are not part of the original D90, but a body kit that you may purchase from the dealership. What come as standard are just a contrasting roof and the D90 badge at the rear.
When it comes to the interiors, the D90 receives major changes. The Manza-inspired dashboard looks pretty neat and thankfully the centre-mounted instrument cluster is back to where it belongs. The quality of dials and other bits and bobs have drastically improved. The moonlit white illumination looks classy and creates a pleasant ambiance at night.
The centre console now houses a small digital screen that shows real-time and average fuel consumption, distance-to-empty, ambient temperature and a digital clock. You also get a large multicolour touchscreen console that combines the entertainment, navigation and communication functions.
Other convenience features include 2-way adjustable steering wheel with audio/Bluetooth controls, 6-way height adjustable driver seat with lumbar support, intelligent rear wiper, electrically adjusted ORVMs, rear charging point and follow-me- home headlamps
The overall interior quality has commendably improved and like the previous editions of Indica, the D90’s USP remains the cabin space- and a lot of it.
The Quadrajet diesel engine helped by a variable geometry turbocharger and tweaked ECU develops 89bhp of power and 200 Nm of torque. As the figures suggest, the motor snarls pleasantly under the whip. Low-end drivability is really good, which means you can scamper through urban traffic without much downshifting. Turbo spools in at around 2500rpm and dipping into the torque is delightful. The engine has a strong midrange, pulling eagerly till 4500rpm before the needle glows red at 5000rpm.
The D90 accelerates from 0-100kmph in 15.5 seconds and is absolutely stable at three digit speeds. Steering is on the heavier side and it gives you a confident drive, but it could be tiresome during long drives. The D90 is also equipped with a powerful air-conditioner that doesn't sap much engine power.
Suspension has been reworked to cope with the sportiness of the car and it has certainly taken its toll on ride comfort. Compared to Vista, the D90 offers a stiffer ride on rough patches but on the flipside, it handles well and has less bodyroll. Tata has engineered the D90 with a special NVH pack and it shows. Engine roar is well contained and road noise impressively low.
The D90 comes with enough safety and security features including dual front SRS airbags, crumple zones, side intrusion beams, engine immobilizer and ABS with EBD.
Tata claims a fuel economy of 21.12 kmpl and when driven sensibly, the D90 returned 19.8 kmpl on highway (with AC turned on). While exploiting the car’s full potential, however, the figure dropped to somewhere between 14 and 15 kmpl.
Having spent several hours driving the D90, I can attest that this car is a great package and is fun to drive. More remarkable is Tata’s undying effort to improve the quality of interiors. It may not be so refined as its direct competitors, but with a starting price of Rs. 5.99 lakhs (ex-showroom New Delhi), the Vista D90 gives you the best value for money.
Pagination
Tuesday, 2 July 2013
Geneva Motor Show 2013: Amazing Concept Cars
The Geneva Motor Show is well under way and the car companies have designed extraordinary, exciting and unusual concept cars. Take a look at the best ones...
2013 Volkswagen XL1. Much hype surrounds the 285mpg XL1, with impressive efficiency figures littering every appearance the lightweight concept makes. It is a huge influence on VW’s drivetrain technology development but it doesn’t look easy to reverse
2013 Exagon Motors Furtive eGT. Most car companies have someone who researches what names mean in different languages, but clearly not Exagon, whose stunning electric concept openly claims to be a bit shifty
Opel Adam Ralleye R2. What happens when you spec your Adam up to rally car levels? The Adam R2 is the answer, with huge power from its 1.6-litre engine and an uprated chassis. It will be built to compete on the world stage alongside other rally-converted superminis
ItalDesign Giugiaro Parcour. The world may not quite be ready for a four-wheel drive, mid-engined supercar off-roader with a coupe body style, adjustable air suspension and huge alloy wheels, but that hasn’t stopped the design legends at Giugiaro creating it anyway
Toyota i-Road concept. This oddball electric urbanite is Toyota’s vision for one-person transportation in cities. Think of it as a three-wheeled Renault Twizy, but the i-Road also leans into corners like a scooter. Don’t expect it to be fast, mind you
Tata Safari Storme. This is a fantastic adaptation of Tata’s answer to the Toyota Land Cruiser with snow chains on the wheels, a colour-coded roof box and ‘mountain rescue’ graphics on the side. Laugh if you like, but budget cuts affect mountain rescuers too…
Peugeot 208 T16. Those who remember the old Peugeot 205 T16 will spend long hours praying for this 208 concept to become road-going reality. It’s eventually bound for the European Rally Championship, with no talk yet about a spin-off
Alfa Romeo Gloria .Fiat’s naming department must be on holiday, because as well as the downright silly ‘LaFerrari’, the group displayed this blobby and voluptuous concept inexplicably called the Gloria. Expect major revisions before any production run
Honda NSX concept. A tweak here and there is all the NSX concept has been given lately, but there’s no doubt this is one of the best-looking cars to hit the world stage in a long time. Chequebooks are already open worldwide for this one
2013 Fornasari Hunter. The less said about this Hummer-esque concept the better, although it certainly grabs your attention. Too small to be of military value and too bizarre to appeal to the regular off-roader, the Hunter is amazing for all the wrong reasons
2013 Volkswagen XL1. Much hype surrounds the 285mpg XL1, with impressive efficiency figures littering every appearance the lightweight concept makes. It is a huge influence on VW’s drivetrain technology development but it doesn’t look easy to reverse
2013 Exagon Motors Furtive eGT. Most car companies have someone who researches what names mean in different languages, but clearly not Exagon, whose stunning electric concept openly claims to be a bit shifty
Opel Adam Ralleye R2. What happens when you spec your Adam up to rally car levels? The Adam R2 is the answer, with huge power from its 1.6-litre engine and an uprated chassis. It will be built to compete on the world stage alongside other rally-converted superminis
ItalDesign Giugiaro Parcour. The world may not quite be ready for a four-wheel drive, mid-engined supercar off-roader with a coupe body style, adjustable air suspension and huge alloy wheels, but that hasn’t stopped the design legends at Giugiaro creating it anyway
Toyota i-Road concept. This oddball electric urbanite is Toyota’s vision for one-person transportation in cities. Think of it as a three-wheeled Renault Twizy, but the i-Road also leans into corners like a scooter. Don’t expect it to be fast, mind you
Tata Safari Storme. This is a fantastic adaptation of Tata’s answer to the Toyota Land Cruiser with snow chains on the wheels, a colour-coded roof box and ‘mountain rescue’ graphics on the side. Laugh if you like, but budget cuts affect mountain rescuers too…
Peugeot 208 T16. Those who remember the old Peugeot 205 T16 will spend long hours praying for this 208 concept to become road-going reality. It’s eventually bound for the European Rally Championship, with no talk yet about a spin-off
Alfa Romeo Gloria .Fiat’s naming department must be on holiday, because as well as the downright silly ‘LaFerrari’, the group displayed this blobby and voluptuous concept inexplicably called the Gloria. Expect major revisions before any production run
Honda NSX concept. A tweak here and there is all the NSX concept has been given lately, but there’s no doubt this is one of the best-looking cars to hit the world stage in a long time. Chequebooks are already open worldwide for this one
2013 Fornasari Hunter. The less said about this Hummer-esque concept the better, although it certainly grabs your attention. Too small to be of military value and too bizarre to appeal to the regular off-roader, the Hunter is amazing for all the wrong reasons
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