2014 Indian Auto Expo: 5 must-know facts about the Tata Zest

  • Feb 4, 2014
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The Zest is the latest compact sedan from the Tata stable that will take on the Dzire, Amaze and Xcent. Here are five facts you need to know about it

Tata Zest Front

What’s new?

The Zest (codenamed Falcon 5) is a sub-4 metre sedan based on the X1 platform that underpins the Manza and shares a common framework and chassis. It will take on the Honda Amaze, Maruti Dzire and the soon to be launched Hyundai Xcent when it is introduced in the second half of FY2014-15. It is 3995 mm long, 1695 mm wide and 1570 mm in height. While in profile, the Zest resembles the Vista /Manza duo, the front and rear styling are completely new as are several ingredients in the car like the petrol engine, suspension, steering and ABS and even the electricals have been overhauled. The interior template is same as the Manza but has been thoroughly re-worked as well to give the Zest a more premium feel.

Tata Zest front

Any mechanical changes?

The Zest has been extensively re-engineered since Tata Motors wants this car and its hatchback sibling, the Bolt to have a fun to drive character. The company says that this has been achieved by putting the car through its paces with ex-F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan at the helm. His inputs have made the Zest and the Bolt more enjoyable driving machines adds Tata Motors. The front suspension is all-new dual-path McPherson strut setup and the rear independent suspension has been tweaked as well. Tata Motors says that it isolates the cabin better from road surface undulations and improves handling characteristics. Tata Motors has also developed a new ABS system with Bosch to improve cornering stability. With suspension and braking covered, the steering was the final part of the re-engineering. This has been addressed by switching the hydraulic power steering with the easier to use electronic power assisted steering. 

Tata Zest 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine

What about engines?

The recently unveiled 1.2-litre Revotron engine unveiled by Tata Motors last month will make it to the Zest as well. The turbocharged petrol engine develops 85PS of peak power and 140Nm of peak torque. This new engine comes at the right time for Tata Motors. The price difference between petrol and diesel has reduced as a result increasing the demand for petrol cars. The Zest will also get the tried and tested 1.3-litre Fiat sourced Quadrajet diesel engine. It makes 90PS of peak power and 200Nm of peak torque. 

What is this AMT?

It is a Automated Manual transmission similar to the one in the soon to be launched Celerio hatchback from Maruti. Tata has christened it F-tronic to the Maruti’s EZ drive. The the big surprise is, it comes mated to the diesel engined Zest making it potentially the most affordable automatic diesel car in the country. Like with Maruti, this unit too has been developed by Magneti Marelli and will come to the country via the Fiat route (which makes us wonder if Fiat is focusing more on being a systems supplier, but that’s a different story altogether). In fact, only last week, Vikrant analysed the sense in introducing an AMT equipped diesel car. The gearbox has pre-set ratios and uses drive-by-wire technology to shift gears in automatic mode and also gives you the option of choosing your gear in manual mode. Tata engineers say that the AMT equipped diesel is 5 percent more efficient than the manual gearbox fitted Zest. It is not as expensive as an automatic gearbox and thus could become quite popular in congested cities.

Tata Zest interior
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Are the interiors any better?

Tata Motors wanted the Zest and its hatchback cousin Bolt to look and feel more upmarket than the current crop of Tata cars. A solid white colour adorns the dashboard and the piano black finish around the centre console and the 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system add to the Zest’s appeal. The electricals are all-new as well says Tata Motors. We hope the gremlins Tata cars are known to face in the electricals department are ironed out with the Zest and the Bolt. The steering wheel has been re-designed and comes with audio and phone controls and the instrument cluster too look contemporary. At a later stage, you will also be able to stream apps from your phone to the car.

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