Tata Indica Vista- the all-powerful evolving hatchback for the city

Tata as a brand name is synonymous with heavy vehicles in India. In fact, when they moved into the passenger vehicle segment, there were known as a brand for heavy vehicles and SUV styled options. But with time, they have stepped up their advances towards segments such as compact sedans, and most importantly, the medium sized city hatchback. That's where the Indica Vista comes into focus, as it remains main offering of this category which is highly populated looking at the recent trend. Trademarked with traditional bulk bodied design to take on the rough terrain of Indian roadways, the Indica Vista is ever changing, sometimes major bits and sometimes just a tad bit, in it's effort to target it's loyal customers hungry for an upgrade.

Available across 8 model variants, with 2 options from the petrol driven range and 6 diesel driven models, the Indica Vista is anyone's pick who can afford to spend between Rs 4.70 to Rs 6.89 lakhs. Alongside this, there are 6 colors to pick one's favorite edition from, just to suit personal style statement.

The exterior

Anyone who sees the Tata Indica would say that it is perhaps on the bulkier looking range, but comes with a good deal of modernity and fluid design, which has come through subtle change in time. But unlike earlier, this Indica Vista comes with the strong front chrome grille, with the head lamps being more fluidly spread to the side. One cannot ignore the large triple barrel headlamps playing a role in the aerodynamic look of the car at the front. The extended tail lamps on the rear, are tall and visible from a distance. Though this hasn't seen much of an extensive change in it's looks, but has served to blend well with the rest of the looks.

Gloss does make cars to attractive to us, something Tata has taken care of from the very beginning. The mirror finished polishing, matching the chrome lining alongside the hood of the car, give it a premium feel. The body colored bumpers come as standard offerings now, which certainly looks like the thing to do with a car such as the Indica.

The interior

Tata's philosophy has been to treat the customers of Indica Vista hatchback with as much luxury in the interior, as it would do with the sedans. The fabrication has received major upgrades adding to the premium feel of the car, with softer textures and richer dual-tone hues. Alongside that, there are technological inputs which makes the features rather attractive, including the USB, AUX, and blue-tooth connectivity system which can bring together 5 handsets under a common connection. With the 6.7-inch touchscreen TFT panel and its voice activated GPS system, finding lost ways also becomes much easier.

If one is looking for long distance travel, additional benefits would include the specially designed ergonomic dual-tone bucket bucket seats, which are comfortable for longer durations. With the 6-way adjustable positions, one can customize for the perfect comfort especially when there are long distance to be covered. The instrument cluster gives clear indication of conditions outside including temperature, other than tyre pressure, mileage, etc, making the Indica Vista totally in the owner's control over long distances. Also, during rough weather, one can adjust the rear view mirrors from within the vehicle itself with the electronic joystick, and may not need to roll down the windows.

Most premium cars which have a manual transmission system have the 'clutch-start' system, the Indica Vista gets it too this time around. Until the pedal is fully pressed, one will not be able to start the vehicle, which could also be seen as a better security measure.

The Engine

Tata's high point in whatever vehicle they manage to create, remains the engine which is usually power packed and well suited for taking on the Indian roads. The Indica Vista has 2 fuel options; the diesel and petrol run engines. The petrol is a 1.2-litre, 1172 cc, Drivetec4 SAPHIRE engine which generates 65 BHP of output. This would give out an average of 17 kmpl of mileage around the longer roads, and around 12 to 13 kmpl within the city boundaries. On the other hand, there are 2 diesel engine options, The main is the 1.4-litre 1,405 cc TDI edition, which features a special turbo inter-cooled system, which can dish out around 19 kmpl of milage. This is followed by the 1.3-litre Quadrajet diesel engine which has a capacity of 1,248cc displacement, and a fuel efficiency of around 22.3 kmpl at maximum levels.

The evolution of the Tata Indica Vista is always going to be bringing in something new and more sophisticated for it's loyal customers. One of those things is the value for money offering which many vounch for, without being a misfit for comfort and performance demands.