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Unveiled: Tata Indica Vista
NEW DELHI — After nearly a decade's wait, Tata Motors has launched its next-generation Indica hatchback. The B-segment car, code-named X1, has been named the Indica Vista. It's built on an all-new platform and is a quantum leap forward from the car it replaces.
The Indica Vista is just now reaching Indian showrooms, priced from $7,500. While that's roughly three times the anticipated price of the media darling Tata Nano, the larger and better-equipped Indica Vista still represents good value to many Indian consumers.
When the original Indica was launched in 1998, it was an instant hit thanks to its aggressive pricing, interior room and economical diesel engine. However, quality problems plagued the original Indica and gave it the reputation of a poorly built car, which resulted in poor residual value.
With the Vista, Tata Motors has used the past decade well to learn from its past experience and mistakes. The Vista has a larger body shell, which is not only bigger in every dimension but 25 percent stiffer as well. This has greatly improved comfort and dynamics. Although the Indica still doesn't come close to the class best in ride and handling, the suspension, which is biased for low-speed ride comfort, works well on India's potholed streets.
Thanks to the Tata-Fiat alliance, the Vista comes with a pair of Fiat four-cylinder engines: a 1.3-liter Multijet diesel and a 1.2-liter gasoline engine. The diesel has proved to be the most popular and accounts for 70 percent of Vista sales.
The aggressive pricing of the Vista has resulted in huge demand, but Tata Motors hasn't yet been able to ramp up production fast enough, which means a current waiting list of a couple of weeks.
What this means to you: Finally, Tata has made a car Indians want to have and not just need to have. — Hormazd Sorabjee, Correspondent
The Indica Vista is just now reaching Indian showrooms, priced from $7,500. While that's roughly three times the anticipated price of the media darling Tata Nano, the larger and better-equipped Indica Vista still represents good value to many Indian consumers.
When the original Indica was launched in 1998, it was an instant hit thanks to its aggressive pricing, interior room and economical diesel engine. However, quality problems plagued the original Indica and gave it the reputation of a poorly built car, which resulted in poor residual value.
With the Vista, Tata Motors has used the past decade well to learn from its past experience and mistakes. The Vista has a larger body shell, which is not only bigger in every dimension but 25 percent stiffer as well. This has greatly improved comfort and dynamics. Although the Indica still doesn't come close to the class best in ride and handling, the suspension, which is biased for low-speed ride comfort, works well on India's potholed streets.
Thanks to the Tata-Fiat alliance, the Vista comes with a pair of Fiat four-cylinder engines: a 1.3-liter Multijet diesel and a 1.2-liter gasoline engine. The diesel has proved to be the most popular and accounts for 70 percent of Vista sales.
The aggressive pricing of the Vista has resulted in huge demand, but Tata Motors hasn't yet been able to ramp up production fast enough, which means a current waiting list of a couple of weeks.
What this means to you: Finally, Tata has made a car Indians want to have and not just need to have. — Hormazd Sorabjee, Correspondent
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