Tata Motors have now equipped the XM and XMS variants of the diesel Zest with the 75PS engine, which was earlier offered only in the base XE trim. The oil-burner XM and XMS variants are priced at Rs 6,83,298 and Rs 7,10,868 (ex-showroom New Delhi).
First introduced in August 2014, the Tata Zest was basically offered in three variants - 90PS petrol, 90PS diesel and 75PS diesel. The petrol was launched in four variants (XE, XM, XMS and XT) and the diesel was available in six trims (XE, XM, XMS, XMA, XT and XTA). Earlier, only the base XE version was offered with the 75PS engine. Now, the petrol variants remain the same, however, the diesel is now offered in three 75PS and three 90PS variants. The 90PS motor from the XM and XMS trims will be replaced by the 75PS powerplant.
The Tata Zest diesel is powered by the Fiat-sourced 1.3-litre Quadrajet mill that comes mated to a five-speed manual or a five-speed AMT gearbox. On the other hand, the petrol Zest is powered by Tata's homegrown 1.2-litre Revotron engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission.
The Tata Zest competes with the Maruti Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent and Ford Figo Aspire in the compact sedan segment in India. Though it is priced lesser than the competition, Tata Motors has rejigged the line-up to be able to price it even more competitively without compromising on their profit. This is reconfirmed by the fact that only the top-of-the-line XT and XTA models will now get alloy wheels.
