Tata Bolt review, road test

Read the Tata Bolt review, road test from Autocar India; It's Tata's best hatchback yet, but does it appeal to the heart?

Published on Mar 05, 2015 10:01:00 AM

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Clap your eyes on the Bolt and for the most part, it doesn’t have that ‘functional’ look of the earlier Tata hatchbacks. Instead, it comes across as a fairly stylish car, especially when viewed head-on. The face sports a neatly executed grille and headlight combination and has little in common with the Vista; that’s a good thing for a brand that’s reinventing itself. Nevertheless, in profile, the blackened C-pillar (which is a stingy vinyl sticker instead of paint) and the ‘floating roof’ can’t distract you from thinking that there’s a Vista underneath here somewhere. The identical glass area and doors are a dead giveaway.

The rear now gets contemporary wraparound tail-lights that replace the dated ‘Christmas tree’ design. There’s also a chrome bar that gives the wide rear some much-needed definition and the black cladding on the bumper adds some ruggedness. And since the petrol variant tips the scales at 1125kg (1160kg for the diesel), there’s a fair bit of heft in its construction too – it’s heavier than some mid-size sedans.

The Bolt rides 165mm above the ground, which is 10mm lower than its sedan sibling. This is because, while both the Bolt and the Zest ride on 15-inch rims in their highest trims, the hatchback gets smaller 175/65 section tyres compared to the sedan’s 185/60 section rubber.