Tata is betting big on the Hexa, its properly loaded premium crossover which dons the cape as the company’s new flagship. It’s aimed squarely at the Mahindra XUV500. However, its size, positioning and price of Rs 11.99-17.49 lakh(ex-showroom, Delhi) puts another car in its crosshairs – the Toyota InnovaCrysta. Time to find out how Tata's latest stacks up against its rivals as far as its numbers go.
Tata Hexa dimensions
Save for being marginally lower than the Innova Crysta, the Hexa quite clearly has an advantage when it comes to size, which should translate into it having the most spacious interior here as well. And given the car’s massive 19-inch alloy wheels (16-inchers on the base variant) and aggressive styling, it’s sure to look imposing on our roads. The downside, of course, is that finding a parking spot for something this big is going to be a task.
Between the InnovaCrysta and the XUV500, it’s the Toyota that is the longer and taller one, while the Mahindra is wider. As a result, packing three in the rear of the XUV500 should be easier than in the InnovaCrysta (8-seat version; seven-seaters get captain seats in the middle row). Both get 17-inch alloy wheels on their fully-loaded variants, while lower variants of the InnovaCrysta come with 16-inchers.
It’s worth pointing out that while the Hexa and the InnovaCrysta are built on rugged ladder-frame chassis, the XUV500 has a monocoque frame. And so, wheelbases cannot be considered indicators of interior space. However, it can be an indicator of the car’s straight line stability; the more the better. Here, it’s the Hexa’s 2850mm wheelbase that’s the longest, followed by the InnovaCrysta’s 2750mm, the smallest being 2700mm of the XUV500. crossover positioning.
| Dimensions |
|---|
| Tata Hexa | Mahindra XUV500 | Toyota Innova Crysta |
| Length(mm) | 4788 | 4585 | 4735 |
| Width | 1903 | 1890 | 1830 |
| Height | 1791 | 1785 | 1795 |
| Wheelbase | 2850 | 2700 | 2750 |
| Wheel-size | 235/55 R19 | 235/65 R17 | 215/55 R17 |
Tata Hexa engine and transmission
The Hexa gets Tata’s 2.2-litre diesel engine in two states of tune. There’s a Varicor 320 on the base ‘XE’ variant which makes 150hp and 320Nm of peak and comes mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, while all other variants get the Varicor 400 motor which is rated at 156hp and 400Nm of torque. The more powerful engine can be paired with new six-speed manual or automatic gearboxes, with the top-end ‘XT’ manual getting an all-wheel-drive system.
The XUV500 too, offers an all-wheel-drive system on its W8 and W10 variants. However, unlike the primarily rear-wheel-drive Hexa, the Mahindra’s 140hp, 2.2-litre diesel engine sends a maximum of 330Nm to the front wheels in its non-AWD variants. Like the higher variants of the Hexa, this motor too, can be had with either a six-speed manual or a
six-speed automatic gearbox.
Among the three cars in this comparison, the InnovaCrysta is the only one to not get all-wheel-drive. On the other hand, it’s also the only one to offer the option of a petrol engine, a 2.7-litre unit that makes a healthy 166hp and 245Nm. This motor comes with either a five-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. There are two diesel engines too – a 2.4-litre and a more powerful 2.8-litre unit, of which the 2.4, making 150hp and 343Nm, comes mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The 174hp, 2.8-litre unit (the most powerful engine here), however, can be had only with a six-speed automatic gearbox.
| Engine and Transmission |
|---|
| Tata Hexa | Mahindra XUV500 | Toyota Innova Crysta 2.8 auto | Toyota Innova Crysta 2.4 | Toyota Innova Crysta petrol |
| Engine | 2197cc, 4-cylinder turbo diesel | 2179cc, 4-cylinder, turbo-diesel | 2755cc, 4-cylinder turbo diesel | 2393cc, 4-cylinder turbo diesel | 2694cc, 4-cylinder, petrol |
| Power | 156/150hp at 4000rpm | 140hp at 3750 rpm | 174hp at 3400rpm | 150hp at 3400rpm | 166hp at 5200rpm |
| Torque | 400/320Nm at 1750-2500rpm | 330 Nm at 1600-2800 rpm | 360Nm at 1200-3400rpm | 343Nm at 1400-2800rpm | 245Nm at 4000rpm |
| Gearbox | 6-speed manual/automatic | 6-speed manual/automatic | 6-speed automatic | 5-speed manual | 6-speed automatic/ 5-speed manual |
Tata Hexa price
At Rs 11.99 –17.49 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the base variant of the Hexa undercuts both, the
Mahindra XUV500 (Rs 12.43-17.53 lakh) and the
Toyota Innova Crysta diesel (Rs 14.22-21.19 lakh). Tata has clearly learned its lesson, after burning its fingers with the capable, albeit overpriced Aria. The Hexa has the makings of a premium people mover. It's got all the SUV styling, a solid set of mechanicals, a premium interior, and a long features list. What remains to be seen, however, is whether it can set Tata's cash registers ringing. To know more about the Tata Hexa, check out our review of it
here.
Tata Hexa launched at Rs 11.99 lakh
Toyota Innova Crysta image gallery
Toyota Innova Crysta variants revealed
Tata Hexa variant details
Tata Hexa image gallery