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Posted on: Aug 18 2007

Tata Indica Turbo

Ever since its advent the Indica has been perceived as a sedate hatchback and often defined as an economical point A to B mode of transport.

The staid people mover image assumed larger than life dimension after attaining status as darling of taxi fleets. Shift to the present, and whoa!

The new Indica Turbo diesel has shed the demure veneer and like a loaded magnum has come out smokin?... Bertrand D?souza traces the trajectory.

Style, Build and Performance:
We expected the Indica Turbo to be a fantastic performer and she does rattle off mighty impressive test data. Thanks to a strong power-to-weight ratio the Indica Turbo is capable of smoking the competition on any performance parameter. And the competition is not just relegated to the diesels but some of the petrol hatches too.

With the turbo kicking in at just 1800rpm and with some spirited driving, harnessing all the horses takes the Indica Turbo to a 142kmph before she runs out of steam. I expected her to better the top speed of the Indigo but with a shorter final drive she fails to cross that hurdle. Perhaps given time for her engine to open some more post the run-in period I expect the speedo needle to crawl up a few more numbers but nothing close to the 153kmph of the Indigo.

But a 0-60kmph in just 6.55 seconds and moving on further to the ton in 17.77 seconds is what ascertains her status as the hottest diesel hatchback around. Compare that to the 6.99 seconds taken to reach 60kmph and the 19.36 seconds to cover the ton by the Indigo and you will see just why she rates so hot in our books.

But that?s not all. The manner in which the torque is laid out, thick and meaty over a broad rev range gives her pretty good driveability in the city. This not just necessitates fewer gear changes but also ensures better efficiency.

Braking is one aspect that needs some more tweaking. Despite coming to a dead halt from 80kmph in 44.04 metres, the rear does a mean jig which only gets worse when hauling in the anchors at 100kmph.

Engine & Transmission:
The new Indica Turbo employs the same engine used in the Indigo diesel, thus getting the Turbo Energy turbocharger and intercooler. Tata Motors has just plonked the engine from the Indigo diesel into the Indica albeit with minor plumbing and mounting work. This has not just boosted power and torque figures but also made the Indica a far more powerful yet efficient performer. With the turbo spinning at full steam the 1405cc engine makes 68PS@4500rpm, while 130Nm of max torque at 2500rpm is the highest generated in its class.

The addition of a turbocharger has increased power output by a massive 28 per cent, which also gives it a fantastic power-to-weight ratio. To be precise the Indica Turbo now makes 64.7PS per ton with a specific output of 48PS per litre. Having employed the turbo, compression ratio at 21:1 is lower than on the Indica, the charge showing sufficient potency to breathe fire down the tube. Max engine speed has also dropped and instead of revving all the way to 5500rpm like in the older V2, the engine now redlines at 5000rpm. The most appreciable bits come from the transmission unit which in itself is quite a letdown. Having blown the engine, Tatas should have also reworked the transmission. The short ratios, especially the first and second, ensure the engine is spinning well beyond the 1800rpm required for the turbine to spin in no time.

This reduces the lag generally associated with turbo units and improves the response of this engine. Stamp in a bit too much gas and you need to slam the shifter into second gear lest the engine over-revs. But the shift quality on this transmission unit is among the worst we have encountered. Notchy, elastic and vague, engaging gears on the Indica still feels like the shifter is held together by rubber bands. Tata Motors needs to look into this.

Fuel Efficiency :
While the Indica does travel a tremendous distance on a litre of crude I suspect she would do better were she to be driven inside the optimum operating range of her turbocharger. The problem is that the optimum range in this case comes up somewhere above 2200rpm. By which time you would be doing over 90kmph in fifth gear and most probably be out on an expressway. On the highway she easily runs to 21.5km before sipping on the next litre. With the air-con, this figure just drops a notch to 19.8km.

What amazed us are the city runs where she does around 15.1km to the litre, air-con at full blast and pedal to the metal whenever we got out of crawling traffic. The superb torque band does ensure that the engine is never straining at the leash, grunting and grinding, toiling aimlessly. So you can hold it in a higher gear and yet harness all that power with a slight nudge at the gas pedal.

Verdict:
The Indica Turbo offers great performance with fantastic mileage. Which is exactly what makes this a versatile yet exciting set of wheels. You can impress your mother-in-law to be with how frugal the Indica Turbo is (shows how cleverly you manage your money) and then whisk your girlfriend off on a whirlwind tour to the nearest hill station and back in no time, with far less than a fortune spent on gas.

The engine is highly charged and responsive and can put many a diesel sedan to shame. She has good ride quality and there?s enough space inside to put the suspension to good use on that ride up into the hills. And no matter how late this car has been coming, it is here before Maruti sparks off its diesel plans. Strike one for Tata Motors, for sure.
Source:indiacar.com