Tata Zica First Look

With the Zica, Tata promises to make the same impact which the original Indica had created back in 1998. The Zica looks very stylish with its sharp lines and well-proportioned body. The car gets a bold front-end with the signature Tata smiling mesh grille with hexagonal elements and the curvy and well-designed headlamps. The large rounded front bumper also gets the mesh treatment with a horizontal bar, and chrome surround for fog lamps completes the catchy front look. Even the rear appears thoroughly striking with the wrap-around tail lamps and the crease running across the boot-lid, lends it a lot of character. The profile is dominated by the mildly flared wheel arches and the prominent crease running across the shoulder. 

 

In terms of dimensions, the Zica is 56mm longer and 50mm taller than the Indica. While the Zica’s width is similar, its wheelbase of 2400mm is the same as the Indica – as the Zica is based on the same albeit heavily modified platform. The Zica petrol weighs at 1012kg for petrol and 1080kg for the diesel. This makes it quite a heavy weight especially when compared to the Celerio which weighs more than 150kg less.

 

 

Like with the earlier car, the Zica promises to deliver abundant space and comfortable interiors. The hexagonal theme from the exterior continues inside with the centre console and the steering boss design. The interiors look really elegant for a budget car with the smart dash and neat instrumentation console. Where the Bolt and the Zest are plagued by lack of storage, Tata has put in a lot of effort and have claimed to have 22 stowage elements in the cabin. We will tell you more about seat comfort and cabin quality when we drive the car in Goa. Boot space is quite decent at 242 litres.

 

 

 

In a segment where its main rival is the Maruti Celerio, Tata has upped the ante and have filled the Zica with loads of features. In the top-of-the-line trim, the Zica will get all the regulars like power-steering, power windows etc. It will also come with steering mounted controls and a Harman developed eight speaker music system which will get aux-in, USB and Bluetooth connectivity. The car Bluetooth also comes with smart phone integration where the small infotainment display will show turn-by-turn instructions if you are using navigation on your connected device. You also get a bespoke mobile app which creates a hotspot so that multiple users can play their favourite songs on the music system. The Zica will also get rear parking sensors with display, two airbags and ABS with EBD as standard.

 

The Zica will be powered by an all-new line-up of petrol and diesel engines.

 

The petrol Zica is driven by a three-cylinder 1199cc all-aluminium engine. Power figures are rated at a healthy 83.8bhp which just 5bhp less than the Bolt’s 1.2-litre Revotron engine which also employs a turbocharger. In terms of torque, the Zica petrol gets 114Nm. It’s a modern engine with all aluminium construction and 4 valves per cylinder DOHC head.

The diesel motor, on the other hand, employs a cast-iron block and an aluminium head. Christened as Revotorq, this motor displaces 1047cc and like the petrol has a 16-valve DOHC running gear. Power is rated at a very healthy 69bhp and pulling power is 140Nm. With an extra cylinder and much more power, the Zica diesel promises to have an edge over the Celerio in terms of power and refinement. 

 

Initially, the Zica will be launched with a 5-speed manual gearbox, but an AMT option will soon follow which should appeal to urban users. 

We expect Tata to price the Zica very aggressively and when launched early next year it will rival the Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the Chevrolet Beat.