Tata Zest Review
Tata has recently launched the new Zest 'Premio' to extend the life of its slow-selling compact sedan. It is priced at Rs 7.74 lakh, thereby attracting more buyers and after selling 85,000 units of the Zest on Indian roads, Tata is celebrating the special edition with more enthusiasm. Exclusively diesel engine is available under the Premio Edition and sits right under the top-spec diesel XT trim for Rs 8.13 lakh.
Zest had passed the safety tests with flying colours by scoring a respectable 4-stars in the NCAP crash tests. Together with the seatbelt reminder for the driver, the sub-4-meter sedan from Tata scored an impressive four-star rating for adult occupants.
Zest is currently available in the market in 11 different variants, which have two engine and transmission options each. Transmission options consist of a 5-speed manual unit or a 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT).
Exterior
Zest is a sub-4-meter sedan which looks very attractive and has all the features to attract the customers. At the front, there is all new ‘Signature Tata Grille’ which restates the company motto of “humanity and trust line.” Basically, it has a plastic grille that has the logo with chrome lining on top giving it a classy look. It has a combination of projector headlamps with LED daytime running lights along with a light guide which enhances the beauty of the front fascia.
The body-coloured door handles are decorated with sharp lines, side view mirrors with ORM inserts and a set of elegant 8-spoke alloy wheels which further accentuate the side profile of this sedan. The rear features are wrapped around LED tail lamps and chrome lining together provides it with a unique appearance. It has an overall length of 3995 mm, the width of 1706 mm and overall height of 1570 mm with a ground clearance of 175 mm. Zest has 15-inch wheels which occupy the wheel cavities very well and add to the balanced look of the car.
Interior
The cabin has been improved drastically to make it appear more and efforts have been put to accentuate the embellishments provided onboard which are of superior quality. The most noteworthy improvement is the quality of plastics. The new improved quality grabs the attention immediately you enter the car. There is a perfect blend of black and beige interiors which makes it appear more spacious. The three-spoke steering wheel with steering mounted controls not only looks good but is firm to grip while driving and is a welcome addition to the design. Instrument cluster with chrome surrounding two analogue dials – RPM and speedometer along with a digital display is located at the right place and provides information like trip meter, average fuel economy, and instant consumption of fuel.
The temperature and fuel gauge are represented separately in two different analogue dials. Zest has a 5-inch touch screen display, along with an advanced Bluetooth technology that enables smartphone integration.
The car has 4 speakers and 4 tweeters which provide excellent audio quality. It also has a smart voice recognition which provides the users with an easy to give commands to read out SMS notifications.
Seating at the front and rear are comfortable but lack under-thigh support for those who are a bit tall. There are a good shoulder and legroom in both rows.
Safety Features
It has all the active and passive safety features onboard including elements such as central locking, driver and front passenger airbags, burglar alarm, rear parking assist, immobilizer.
Engine Options
The Zest is available with a choice of both petrol and diesel engines, giving the car a versatile customer appeal.
The petrol power engine with a capacity of 1.2-liter features shift-on-fly technology which targets to provide three different driving modes comprising City, Economy and Sport. The petrol variant A 1193 cc engine comes on board with the petrol variant and provides a maximum power output of 89 bhp with 140 Nm of torque. This 1.2-litre petrol is a smooth and clean engine and at the same time very effortless.
On the other hand, the diesel engine, which is a popular choice in India, is not a new engine. It is the same Quadrajet engine that is sourced from Fiat and tuned by Tata Motors. You get a max power of 90 PS at 4,000 rpm and 200 Nm of max torque between 1,750 and 3,000 rpm.
Pricing
Tata Zest price range starts from ₹ 5.82 Lakh and can go up to ₹ 9.87 Lakh. The Petrol variant for Zest prices between ₹ 5.82 Lakh - ₹ 7.30 Lakh and Diesel variant price varies from ₹ 6.94 Lakh to ₹ 9.87 Lakh.