Tata Zest compact sedan first look review

Here's a closer look at Tata's upcoming Zest compact sedan.

Published on Mar 17, 2014 08:00:00 PM

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Tata Zest compact sedan first look review

Viewed in profile, the Zest boasts a thick character line, and it's even got a black strip on the running board and the lower side of the bumper to help reduce the visual bulk.

The car we had was a fully loaded variant equipped with projector lamps and a touchscreen infotainment system (developed in conjunction with Harman) that features voice controls and navigation. You also get Bluetooth connectivity, an SD card reader, USB and aux-in, along with a trip computer, power windows, power mirrors, parking sensors and climate control.

The Tata Zest will be available with both petrol and diesel engines. However, the talking point of the Zest is the new Revotron engine. It’s a 1.2-litre turbocharged, multi-point, fuel-injected petrol motor that makes 84bhp. Although this figure is lower than the Amaze’s 88bhp and Swift Dzire’s 86bhp, the Revotron’s USP is the meaty 14.3kgm of turbo-aided torque it makes right from 1750rpm, 11.2kgm of which is available right from 1,000rpm. So, you will have plenty of power to play with.

The diesel engine is the same 1.3-litre Multijet unit as seen on other Tatas. It will feature a variable-geometry turbo (VGT) that helps bump up power to 89bhp and 14.3kgm of torque. The Zest diesel will also come with the option of an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT).

Tata hasn’t announced the variants or prices for the Zest yet but expect it to hit showrooms in the latter half of 2014. It also remains to be seen how good it is on the road and how well it performs against its rivals, but Tata is clearly banking on the Zest to revive its fortunes. Now all Tata has to do is price it competitively.

2014 Tata Zest Production Spec Review

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