25 Plus

Today most automobile manufacturers in India are focusing on the B+ segment, performance hatchbacks being the latest in the trend. This year we saw Maruti Suzuki introduce the K10 engine in the Alto, which further triggered the sales of the best-selling car in India. Volkswagen and Skoda added a 1.6-litre engine to their hatchbacks to attract the enthusiast; Fiat too brought in the 90bhp variant of their multijet in the Grande Punto.  Not to be left with crumbles, Tata Motor aimed for the major share of the pie with the SAFIRE90 Indica Vista. We were let down by the performance of the 1.2-litre Indica Vista, but our initial impression of the SAFIRE90 was good. So how does the SAFIRE90 perform? We uncover the mystery on our road test.

The Indica Vista comes with a 1.2-litre 64bhp and now it gets an optional 1.4-litre engine from Fiat, one that already powers the Tata Indigo Manza. It is a 1368cc, 16-valve engine which cranks up 89bhp@6000rpm and produces a maximum torque of 115Nm@4500rpm. This is a modern short-stroke high rpm engine which produces low torque and high rpm. The engine is highly refined with very low NVH levels even while idling. The engine feels a bit sluggish at a low rpm, however it comes on right after it crosses 3000rpm. The electronic throttle is responsive and the car responds well after you plant your right foot. The Indica Vista took 13.6 seconds to complete the 0-100kph run and 19.8 seconds to complete the quarter mile.   

Tata is using Fiat’s engine, but they have revised the gear ratios to suit the Indian driving conditions. In our in-gear test, the Indica Vista clocked the 30-50kph run in 4.0 seconds in the third gear and 5.6 seconds in the fourth and it clocked 50-70kph mark in 8.0 seconds in the fifth cog. The Indica Vista SAFIRE90 returned an overall fuel economy of 11.5kpl, with the city figure being 10.4kpl and 17.93kpl on the highway.

 The Indica Vista has pretty good ride quality, that without compromising on the handling front. The one thing that could have been better on this car is its stability at high speeds, especially during strong cross winds. The SAFIRE90 didn’t feel very confident above 135kph. This however should not pose to be too much of an issue as it is difficult to drive at such speeds, both, within the city and on the highway, not to mention it would be considered illegal!

The top-of-the-line Tata Indica Vista SAFIRE90  engine will cost about Rs 5.7lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai) making it a better value for money package as it now comes with all the bells and whistles like dual tone interiors, alloy wheels and of course a more powerful engine. The only issue we had with the older Indica Vista petrol was its under-powered engine, but with 25 extra horses on the SAFIRE90 it is a great option to consider. The power petrol is something to look out for and as we advised you earlier; you could catch this hatch.