Reaching New Horizons

The Indica Vista is a huge leap forward for Tata. It's now far better equipped to battle in the segment.

Introduction

In the beginning there was a dream. A dream by a man with the vision to give us Indians a car with the seating comfort of an Ambassador for five people and the running economy of an 800 at the price of a small car. This dream realized itself as the Indica. Then came the V2 with improvements, the Indicab, the turbodiesel, the DiCOR, and many more variants. All of a sudden, there were rumors of a new Indica and the spy photographers posted their finds on the web. India went crazy; after all, the Indica was the first car designed for Indians by an Indian company from the ground up. The new Indica was showcased at the Auto Expo in Delhi 2008, and everyone wanted to drive it. However, time passed and the hype died down. People found other cars to get excited about. Eight months after the Auto Expo, the Indica Vista has been launched and promises to upset more than a few apple-carts.

The Vista is styled superbly and its organic lines should make it look fresh for quite some time.

Exterior

The Vista looks absolutely smashing at first glance, not just because we’re used to seeing old Indicas everywhere we look, but the paint quality is much better, the panel gaps are smaller, and the car’s size lends it a little more character.

Tata has said that nothing except the smiling grille of the car has been carried over from the old Indica, and we believe them. The first thing that grabs your attention in the front are the large headlamps which make us think of the Peugeot 207 every time we look at them. Their front edge begins from a point just outside the registration plate edges and they sweep back over the wheel arch. Looked at head-on, they seem a little too large for the car. The new wipers have dual pivot points for the left blade, to help clean more glass area. The profile is very Palio-like, but with rounded corners. The wheel arches are flared ever so slightly, but even the optional 14-inch rims don’t manage to fill them out well enough. The crease running along the door handles is a nice touch, but it is also prone to getting dinged in parking lots if someone opens a door against the car – the rub strip may not save it. An interesting design element is the inclusion of the indicator at the rear of the base of the A-pillar. It helps keep the side of the car uncluttered. The rear of the car looks similar to the Indigo Marina’s, largely due to its size and the bumper-to-roof tail-lamps. A large logo sits under the hatch’s glass, and a continuation of the door-handle crease runs between the Telco logo and the Tata badge. The hatch itself feels light to shut, something that women will appreciate, along with the notch at the center of the bottom which you can use to pull the hatch down, instead of getting your hands dirty by holding the outside of the hatch.

The paint quality has improved by leaps and bounds – we’ve seen the Vista in scarlet, blue and grey, and we prefer the blue the most, although the people from Tata tell us that the public prefers the scarlet version. Whatever the colour, the paint has a lot of depth to it. Some panel gaps remain inconsistent and the windscreen is curiously recessed, but it’s an enormous leap forward over the old Indica.

The Vista scores big on interior space and seating comfort. Some cars twice the price aren't this roomy!

Interior

If the looks don’t manage to do it, the interiors will have existing Indica owners wanting to trade in their old car. Our test car, a top-spec Quadrajet, had fresh two-tone interiors in a cheery beige and light brown. The dashboard has had everyone debating the functionality of the centrally-mounted instrument cluster – we have to admit that we had our doubts and didn’t like it in the beginning. After driving the car around for a few days, we can tell you that it in no way affects the driving experience. It is perfectly legible and you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to look at it. Its detractors will be won over once they see it lit up – the white needles and numbers and blue LCD looks stunning. Over a period of time, however, the novelty of the blue lighting can wear thin. Sensitive eyes will find it tiring to look at while driving at night, and they can be too bright. Storage space has improved with more cubbyholes to keep odds and ends. Special mention must be made of the glovebox, which is really quite large.

The air-conditioning could have been better – it didn’t chill the cabin as quickly as we were expecting, but once the cabin was cool, it maintained temperature easily enough. The blower is powerful enough and provides an even spread of air throughout the cabin, but it just doesn’t manage to chill fast enough. The Vista’s large greenhouse might be to blame for this.

The space inside is simply unbelievable – two six-footers can sit behind one another and not feel cramped! The Vista is wider than a Honda City, and the space between the front and rear wheels nudges that of a Ford Fiesta. This coupled with the new rear suspension that liberates more space makes seating five in comfort a cinch. More functionality is available with the 60:40 spilt folding rear seat and a power outlet to the right of the parcel tray.

A good driving position is easy to arrive at. The driver’s seat offers adjustable height and lumbar support. The steering wheel still feels a little too large to be comfortable, but it isn’t much of an issue since it tilts five degrees. The pedal positioning still is a little uncomfortable, but it is an improvement over the old Indica. We wish Tata had thrown in a dead pedal along with the other little touches in this car, it would’ve gone a long way towards increasing driver comfort. The indicator stalks initially seemed a little far away from the steering wheel, but one gets used to them. The quality of the stalks is still below that of the competition – some rubber trim and fittings need better quality as well. The mirrors are large and functional, but the right wing mirror doesn’t move far enough out if you’re a tall driver, and the (tall) driver ends up looking at the car’s side on the inner edge of the mirror. There are no such issues with the left mirror, it gives you a clear view of the rear.

The Indica can be specified with a double-DIN audio system that can play mp3 discs and it even has a USB slot for your mp3 player. Sound quality is decent enough and the system is easy to use.

Quadrajet has superb driveability and is an effortless and confident mile-muncher.

Engine

Fiat contributes its award-winning 1248cc common-rail turbodiesel that is currently doing duty in the Swift and Palio diesel variants as well. However, the Vista has a remapped ECU and different gear ratios matched to the engine and it makes 75bhp@4000rpm and 19.4kgm@1750rpm.The engine is audible most of the time, but it is so much better than the old powertrains the Indica used to have. No vibrations enter the cabin in normal usage, which is great for an Indica. Drivability is shockingly good – our 30-50kph in third gear and 50-70kph in fifth showed us the engine’s ability to pull cleanly with no grumbling from the engine at all. Once the turbo begins blowing at 2000rpm, there’s a pleasant shove in the back that will surprise many. It will also cruise happily at 120kph with only wind roar being audible. The engine is quite silent when not under lots of throttle or load. At a standstill, there is a fair bit of clatter both inside and outside the car.

Drivetrain

Tata has switched the old gearbox for a Fiat-sourced one that is actuated by cables to isolate engine vibrations from the gear lever. The gear lever is well-designed and feels good to hold. It slots positively into gear, but it takes a fair amount of energy to use. Shifts have to be unhurried, though; you cannot swap cogs speedily in this car. Second to third is a little long and slightly offset, which is a shame since this really is a quick car.

Fuel Efficiency

The Vista has delivered on the efficiency claim - it returned 14 kilometres to the litre, commendable given its size, weight and the way it was driven. This figure jumped to 16.9kpl on the highway.

The Vista clearly offers best-in-class ride quality and has predictable and safe handling.

Ride & Handling, Steering

The Palio has lost top spot as far as ride quality is concerned. The Vista soaks up bumps like no other small car can. Potholes are dispatched with a thump, bad roads are a not-so-distant rumble, but the occupants of the cabin never really feel sharp bumps or expansion joints. If you increase speed on bad roads, it doesn’t cope with bumps as well as the Palio or Swift, but it is good nevertheless.

The Vista will corner well with predictable and safe handling. The body roll that is fairly evident in the picture is probably due to the size of the car and its height. If you want a car that handles, there are better options available in the market. Not too many cars can match the ride quality under normal conditions. The steering is nicely weighted with enough feel.

With ABS and Airbags on offer in a few months time, the Vista will be safer than any previous Indica.

Braking

The Indica’s brakes are more than adequate for the job at hand. The brakes bite well, and pedal feel is progressive. Emergency stops will have you locking the wheels and smoking the tyres. Tata has said that ABS will be made available in about six months’ time, when the Vista begins exports. This should help the car to stop much faster.

Tyres

A switch to tubeless 175/65 R14 Goodyear GT3s (175/70 R13 on the lower variants) has improved the Indica’s driving manners in many respects. They’re fairly quiet at cruising speeds and have more than enough grip for high-speed antics. They also work well with the suspension to provide good ride quality.

Safety

All five occupants get a seatbelt, but the middle rear passenger gets a lap belt. Central locking, a warning buzzer for the seatbelt (that turns itself off in a while, seatbelt worn or not) and child safety locks for the rear locks are also present on the Aura. ABS and airbags are expected when exports begin in six months’ time, according to Tata.

The Vista QuadraJet has, without doubt, what it takes to be a bestseller in its segment.

Cost

For Rs 5 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) you get an amazing amount of car for the money. This has been the Indica’s USP, and we’re glad it has been retained. If you compare pricing with the competition, you’ll find that you’re getting a lot more car per rupee. We doubt anyone will be able to do this as well as Tata can – they have an Indica variant at so many price points!

Overall Evaluation

The old Indica has been many things to many people – a first car for college-goers, a family car for those on a budget, even a taxicab for the people-movers. The Vista takes the Indica brand a notch higher but retains the qualities that made the Indica such a favorite with the masses – good value for money, fuel efficiency, cheap spares and a wide after-sales network.

The old Indica had teething problems, but Tata has tested the Vista to eliminate the little issues that used to crop up over time. They’ve put their money where their mouth is with a 75000km/2-year warranty that can be extended by two more years. Says volumes about the manufacturer’s confidence in the product, doesn’t it?

Useful touches

• Audio system plays mp3s
• USB drives and has aux in
• Slot for pulling down hatch

Painful touches

• Violently blue LCD for instrument cluster

Test Data

Engine Specifications

1248cc, four cylinders in line, common-rail turbodiesel, 75bhp@4000rpm, 190Nm@1750rpm. View specifications

Max in Gear

Performance Test Data

Fuel Efficiency