Tata Indica Xeta 1.2 GVS

So what’s the smaller-engine Indica like? Does it lose out a lot to the 1.4? Our timing gear says it does.
The dash to 100kph is significantly slower (16.9 seconds versus 16.1) and so is the 20-80kph trek in third gear (15.2seconds versus 14.03seconds on the 1.4). For the 40-100kph fourth gear dash, there is a one - second difference between the 1.2 and 1.4. But these figures don’t always tell the whole story and the 1.2 isn’t as underpowered as the numbers suggest, not in town at least.

The engine is quite tractable for slow-speed commuting and it’s easy to keep pace with the traffic. It’s only when you have to drive with a sense of urgency that you feel the 1.2 doesn’t surge forward as effortlessly as the 1.4. There’s a slight initial hesitation in power delivery but beyond 2000rpm, the engine pulls quite strongly upto 4200rpm, beyond which power tapers off rapidly and the motor feels strained and labours upto the rather low redline of 5250rpm.

The rev limit on this engine is 350rpm lower than on the 1.4, possibly in the interests of fuel economy. However, when you downshift for overtaking, you wind the needle smack into the red zone up against the rev limiter. This isn’t good at all, especially if you are on the wrong side of the road.
Indica owners will also expect the car to do a little highway duty, and this is where the 1.2’s shortage of horses really shows up. Though the car can cruise at three-digit speeds comfortably and top speed remains almost identical to the 1.4, the smaller engine feels more strained on the highway, possibly due to the shorter gearing.

Part-throttle response is pretty good and so is the torque spread, so you don’t have to change gears frequently in traffic — a good thing as the gearshift action hasn’t improved. The gearshift still feels rubbery and continues to be the Indica’s weakness, especially since other small cars have a far superior shift.

The most important question however, is how much better is the Xeta 1.2 at the fuel pump? It’s not, actually. We achieved 10.5kpl in the city and 14.5kpl on the highway, which is marginally worse than the 1.4. The smaller engine may suck in less fuel but it has to work hard (for the same kerb weight) and the low gearing has penalised efficiency as well.