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Posted on: Aug 18 2007

Tata Indica

Launched in 1998, the Tata Indica was an instant success and the V2 stepped in later to sort out many of the original’s problems. Tata has now launched a turbo-charged variant and a much improved petrol version for the Indica. But are they good enough?:

Design, Engineering and Interiors:
Designed by IDEA, the design house that also designed the Fiat Palio, the handsome little Indica has a cab-forward stance, raked bonnet and windscreen and vertically stacked rear lights. The clear, winged headlamps and gorgeous tail-lights lend a distinct touch of class, while a slim air dam and smart fog lamps integrated into the lower half of the bumper look great. The latest colour palette adds to the car’s appeal and the paint job looks stunning.

New wheel arches make the wheels, which haven’t expanded correspondingly, look puny within the flared flanks, highlighting the need for bigger wheels. The doors facilitate easy entry and exit into the incredibly roomy interior — the Indica’s trump card. The front seats offer superb lower back support but visibility isn’t great: short drivers will have a problem with the top of the dashboard sill that is a bit high. The 60:40 split rear seats, too, are quite spacious and offer more legroom than even the Palio. Boot space isn’t great, though, for the size.

The airy, revamped cabin has better plastics, nice white-faced instruments (in the petrol) with an electronic tripmeter, revised air-con switchgear and new upholstery. But things are not entirely hunky dory and the interiors need a rethink. The problems with build quality still haven’t been addressed, though: paint quality is good, but panel gaps are still evident, and the rubber and plastic bits are still poor. The rubber strips feel crude and certain switches lack a quality feel. Another gripe is the uneven dash lighting and the glaring, bright blue air-con compressor indicator light that can be very distracting.

Performance, Fuel Economy and Handling: 
The Indica comes with petrol and diesel motors. The Indica Xeta's petrol engine is a slightly smaller 1396cc motor tweaked for driveability and efficiency. It is a torquey engine, with good refinement and there are significant improvements, which make it very responsive and feel genuinely refined at low rpm.

The gearshift quality, although improved still has some way to go. In terms of fuel efficiency, the tweaking seems to have worked with the Xeta engine returning a good 10.9kpl in the city and 15.9kpl on the highway as against the non-Xeta's 8.9kpl and 14.9kpl respectively.

The 1405cc diesel Indica engine makes 53.5bhp. Its fuel efficiency is much better and it turns in 13.7kpl in the city and 17.3kpl on the highway. Tata has sensibly been making constant improvements to this powerplant, the latest of which is the addition of a turbo. Power is up to an acceptable 68bhp. There is some initial turbo lag, but the engine is far more responsive than the non-turbo version. It is also pretty rev-happy, and a completely new animal when compared to the naturally-aspirated version. The turbo has even helped improve fuel efficiency, with the car returning an amazing 12.9kpl in the city and 17kpl on the highway. Refinement levels too have improved, although the engine becomes significantly noisy when past 4000rpm.

The Indica’s ride and handling are average, but still a long way from the Palio. Under the wheel arches is a sophisticated all-independent suspension and a fairly heavy chassis. It has a big-car feel and its long wheelbase gives it good stability, especially at high speeds. The steering that feels vague around the straight-ahead position could do with some improvement. The front-end with its tall stance feels light in contrast to the independently- sprung rear which is well planted to the road as a result of which the Indica has a certain ‘looseness’ in front.

The brakes are very effective but tend to feel a bit grabby and are quick to lock up. Overall, the car is very manoeuvrable and nimble, thanks to its small turning circle. The ride on the turbo-charged car, however, with its bigger 14-inch wheels and lower profile tyres is a bit jiggly over less- than-perfect surfaces.

Verdict:
The Indica offers affordable motoring for masses particularly with its diesel variant as well as plenty of space on the inside. However it is not as refined and overall quality needs a bump up. The dim-witted gearchange also needs changing. But Tata's constant improvements over the years have made the Indica a much better car for now.
Source: autocarindia.com