Team-BHP - Tata Hexa : Official Review

The wife and I test-drove the XTA today at KHT Bangalore and we loved it! Rationally speaking for our current usage (5000km in city + 5000 in highway per year) it may be better to continue using our Celerio AMT in the city, Punto 90HP (wife refuses to drive this due to MT) in the highway and rent an SUV from Zoomcar when we need to move > 4 people on the highway. But the lure of Hexa is tugs the heart!

Rational thinking: As a salaried person, I have to earn 31L to pay the OTR of 21.5L (after income tax) to own a car which actually costs only 12L (ex-showroom price minus the GST!) If I use it for 100,000 km over 10 years this is already 31 Rs. / km just to own without paying interest and stuff. So it is truly an indulgence. stupid:

If I do go ahead I will buy the XTA as wife enjoys driving the AT (so do I frankly within Bangalore)

Quote:

Originally Posted by arulpeem (Post 4289237)

The main reason for this issue is the inability of the Bosch system and the Punch system to communicate with each other. TATAs are supposedly working on the interface, and if that works out then we might see ESP and other features on the XTA. May be the cost will go up a bit and I hope that is not the case. I chose the XT because safety features are more important than convenience factors and most of driving is on highways

Question 1: Does the current XTA unit already have the hardware for ESP and TCS? In such a case if Tata does figure out the interface then it would be great.

Question 2: If answer is no to question 1, is Tata planning to update the AT versions with this feature in the future? We are not really in any urgency so I can wait! :)

Why ESP is important?
Quoting from wikipedia:

"Numerous studies around the world confirm that ESC is highly effective in helping the driver maintain control of the car, thereby saving lives and reducing the severity of crashes. In the fall of 2004 in the U.S., the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration confirmed the international studies, releasing results of a field study in the U.S. of ESC effectiveness. The NHTSA in United States concluded that ESC reduces crashes by 35%. Additionally, Sport utility vehicles (SUVs) with stability control are involved in 67% fewer accidents than SUVs without the system. The United States Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) issued its own study in June 2006 showing that up to 10,000 fatal US crashes could be avoided annually if all vehicles were equipped with ESC. The IIHS study concluded that ESC reduces the likelihood of all fatal crashes by 43%, fatal single-vehicle crashes by 56%, and fatal single-vehicle rollovers by 77–80%."

"ESC is described as the most important advance in auto safety by many experts ... The European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) "strongly recommends" that people buy cars fitted with stability control."

"The IIHS requires that a vehicle must have ESC as an available option in order for it to qualify for their Top Safety Pick award for occupant protection and accident avoidance."

Quote:

Originally Posted by puntOOs (Post 4291683)

We are in the same boat. Don't NEED to buy a car But WANT Hexa. My rapid TDI is still doing a great job.

Answer to question 1 is No. Sadly, Tata has not included ESP in XTA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrbaddy (Post 4291817)

Torquedo, are you sure about it? I'm still confused between Nexon XZ+ and Hexa XE.

Damn, I should have picked Hexa XTA during the GST relief period.

Edit: Missed you owning the XE part in your post. Any pics of the same?

Hello mrbaddy -

Shall be more than happy to help you, please take my comments with a pinch of salt -

1) I think you are damn confused, as your choices range from Nexon to Hexa, there is a plethora of vehicles beyond Tata between these 2 and these 2 cater to different segments. If Hexa is your 2nd vehicle, it shall fit you fine as you shall need a smaller vehicle for daily errands. Hexa is voluminous and taking it to small by-lanes might pose an issue.

2) Your 2nd statement on the XTA makes me think that you are all the more confused, you are not sure if you are looking at an automatic or manual.

3) Your budget is ranging from 10L to 20L, you seem to be too unsure about how much you should plonk.

Coming to Hexa -

I have kept myself aloof from all the debates that talk about Hexa being a UV or modded Aria, shall share a few thoughts now -

For an Indian customer the typical definition of an SUV is,

1) Bonnet "SHOULD" be "LONGER" than the rear overhang.
2) The Rear should provide you with a slammed look (no curvy back).
3) It should "LOOK" Taller rather than lengthier.

When you sit in a Hexa, you look straight into the eyes of the Fortuner and Endeavour owners, by no stretch of the imagination is the Hexa any smaller or less SUVish than either of the two, for a third of price (XE), it is simply a steal !!

Let people blabber, 90% of those who comment shall neither own any of the 3 above stated nor have a clue of what the Hexa offers at it's price point.

Drive the Hexa, if it connects, there is nothing like it, if it does not, please stay miles away.

I am not the photo friendly guy, had posted my Hexa RC on another thread that talks about SC's 10 year ban on Diesel cars and probably a pic of the mileage that I am getting on the Hexa.

Just check the MID display on any of the Hexa variants and it shall be the same on the XE, I found the mistake on the brochure after booking my XE and the day it landed, confirmed.

Hope the above stated helps you making the best call for your next vehicle, if there be further questions, please reach-out to me and I shall be more than glad to help you.

Happy Motoring.

Quote:

Originally Posted by puntOOs (Post 4291683)

All the best waiting for one. Even I was in the same position - have a 90HP already, but bought a Hexa XTA. I will give my two cents on my transition and the new experience.

Hexa's is a supremely refined engine and it is smooth. You have to rev higher at times to hear the engine grunt at around 90-100kmph. 90HP is very fast, fun and stable, but it is noisy - not a deal-breaker for me though.
Driving at night - Hexa experience will put wide grins on your face. It is a piece of cake to get the beast out at night and you will start appreciating the choice a lot, especially when you compare to that of 90HP. You will get a lot of respect on the road and it will be effortless to navigate with such a commanding driving position. Trust me, you will never take 90HP out at night ever on the road.
90HP is extremely stable on the road and you will miss it on corners. But I don't mind it much. For eg:- you see huge potholes or a mild speed-breaker all of a sudden on the road. If you are on your 90HP, you will be a worried driver for sure. In Hexa, you will take it head on.
Hexa is big - it will swallow lot of your luggage on an extended weekend trip or 2-3 week long road trips and still leave room for you to breath.

Experience on your own vehicle matters IMHO, which wont be on offer on a rented Scorpio or Safari. I agree that the tax is really high (I was on the verge of taking a pre-owned Storme to avoid paying tax) - but the experience matters and it is not the cost that dominates at the end. XTA is a safe vehicle and it offers loads of features and even safety features, comfort etc compared to your Punto 90HP. In countries like USA, there are supreme road conditions and driving sense unlike that of ours - hence lack of ESP might be a major factor about the road accidents. I will say it matters and it is really good (I was indeed disappointed of knowing about XTA lacking ESP) to have ESP - but for me, Hexa certainly brought into life a better highway cruising standard and more smiles around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by puntOOs (Post 4291683)

As far as I know the hardware is not the issue. It is the software interface or the lack of it is the issue. They are developing it for the AT version. But when will it be available after thorough testing is something I wouldn't know. As and when it is available, can it be backpatched? I don't know that too

Quoting from the Skoda Kodiaq thread, coz it has some relevance here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samurai (Post 4287249)

Since I drove it on some atrocious roads in rural Kerala, I can tell you that the suspension is probably the best I have experienced. Since I mostly drive on bad roads in my regular drives, I was very interested in this aspect of Kodiaq, and therefore paid special attention to how it handles bad roads. I came out very impressed. There is no bouncing, and every kick from the pothole is softened.

Vidyut who was in the same car told me that only Hexa has better suspension.

This was in context of a vehicle costing 40L.

Quote:

Originally Posted by puntOOs (Post 4291912)

Appreciate your detailed comments! It really helps understand the transition as I am in the boat as you were before you got your new ride. :thumbs up

One last question is are you keeping the Hexa as your only vehicle or keeping a smaller one for the city?

I was in same boat whether to keep the small car or not because HEXA is too big, but after few weeks i can take the car almost all the places where my Zen goes except very tight places where you can not take turns and need to park the car. I barely use my zen and mostly used by my wife. During Diwali I parked Hexa little far away and took the auto to go market otherwise it has become my daily car now for everywhere.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinodvayyat (Post 4291874)

All the best waiting for one. Even I was in the same position - have a 90HP already, but bought a Hexa XTA.
=========
I will say it matters and it is really good (I was indeed disappointed of knowing about XTA lacking ESP) to have ESP - but for me, Hexa certainly brought into life a better highway cruising standard and more smiles around.

Thanks for the well detailed explanation.One more question on thisplease:.
If I buy Hexa that will be my only car. How easy it is to drive in city roads (I'm from Bangalore). I already use a scorpio and is comfortable driving it in peak traffic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by puntOOs (Post 4291683)

Even if TATA figure out the interface, it will be for new vehicles and I don't think old vehicles will be upgraded. As of now, if you buy Hexa XTA, you will not have ESP and TCS in your car. So, the answer to your first question may be considered as No.

Coming to your second question, TATA may upgrade Hexa XTA with ESP and TCS (Though we cannot predict how much time it takes), as TATA is getting lot of feedbacks from the customers regarding the lack of ESP and TCS in XTA. If you are particular about ESP and TCS, I feel it is worth waiting, as you say that you can wait :)