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-   -   Tata Hexa : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/181903-tata-hexa-official-review-26.html)

I have seen the car and was in the car for some time during the media drive in Hyderabad. (My friend was invited for the bloggers event)
The test drive cars have come to Hyderabad 10 days back and in other cities the TD started long time back. So citing these instances.

From the earlier spyshots:

Wish they provide alloys as an option to XM, if not XE! These wheels from the pic steal away all the looks.

Took a test drive of the XTA today. Here are my observations

1. This is one massive vehicle. Has good street presence. Those big alloys play a major part in it

2. Top class paint finish. Vehicle looks solid and well put together

3. Cabin ambiance is A+. Everything feels premium. You feel good sitting inside.

4. Seats are a touch too hard perhaps, but very comfortable nonetheless. Have more cushioning that the Crysta. Not as comfy as the Endeavor's thrones though

5. The ICE screen looks too small in the vast cabin. Interface is rather slow as well. Also, found the sound quality to be only par for the course, nothing special. I played all kinds of tracks over bluetooth and fiddled with the equalizer settings. Clarity was good but the IT-factor was missing. I'd rate it 7.5/10 overall. Perhaps I had my expectations too high. It is miles ahead of Crysta's lousy ICE, but the Endeavour's Sync system is better.

6. Good space in all three rows. Third row is genuinely usable for all under 6 feet, even for long distances. Better than Crysta, no comparison with the XUV or Endeavour or Fortuner.

7. Lumbar support adjustment and extendable sunshades rock!! clap:

8. Engine is silent and there are very little vibrations. NVH is well controlled.

9. AT gearbox is very well mated with the engine. Vehicle drives off smartly and smoothly. Gear changes are acceptably quick, jerk free and well timed. Gearbox is able to pick the correct gear for the correct speed at the right time. Does not have hunt for the right gear. S mode works as desired too. Overall, it is at least as good, if not better, than the Endeavour's unit and is leagues ahead of the confused slushbox Toyota is using in the Crysta.

10. Pick-up is pretty decent. Reaches 80 in not much time at all. Is alert and quick to respond to throttle inputs, thanks to the very good AT gearbox. No complaints in the performance department. Outright punch is lesser than the Crysta AT in PWR mode though.

11. Brakes are par for the course. Nothing exceptional but noting to complain about either.

12. Ride quality is PHENOMENAL. Pummels ruts and potholes like they are nothing. Better than Crysta, much better than Endeavour and Fortuner. On the flip side, there is a fair bit of body roll too.

13. Steering is nice to hold. Not too heavy, acceptably well weighted and with decent feel. Overall better than Crysta but no match to the Endeavour's awesome steering. Ford has truly done an amazing job there. Turning circle is rather large.

14. I found the door trim on both the rear doors to be a bit loose. The plastic panel underneath the steering, right in front of the driver's knees, was also loose. :Frustrati Although there were no squeaks or rattles or vibrations, this is unacceptable for a vehicle on which the reputation of the entire company is staked. Come on Tata, put in that extra final 5%

15. 60L fuel tank is a disappointment.

16. The showroom (Pahwa Autoworld, Africa Avenue, Delhi) was properly maintained. Salesman was courteous, well informed and enthusiastic about making the sale.

Overall, this is a genuinely impressive and honest effort by Tata. They just need to make sure their final QC checks are thorough. I ended up booking the car, XTA model, by paying the required 11k. However, my final decision will depend on the price. If it is not more than 17.5-18L on road, I'll be happy and bite the bullet. Higher, and it will be the big Ford for me.

Updates on some of the dealerships in Maharashtra and AP & their TD cars situation:


- Hyderabad dealerships are having issues with the RTA clearance and registration process, hence TD cars are on hold for the moment.

- Mumbai dealerships are expecting TD cars to be available from tomorrow.

- Concorde Motors, Andheri, Mumbai, will receive the Hexa MT TD car tomorrow after formalities are complete. The said TD car has TC plates right now and is parked at their Prabhadevi branch.

- Concorde Motors, Pune, has received a Hexa for display purpose. Availability of any/all TD cars at this dealership remains unknown.

- National Auto, Pune, has a Hexa XMA 4x2 for TD purposes.

- Fortune, Thane, has all details of the Hexa available with them. But they still don't have a TD car!

I was trying to workout what would be a good price I would be willing to pay for the Hexa XTA. Here's my thought process vis-a-vis the XUV W10 AT

What I get in the XUV W10 AT that I don't get in the Hexa XTA
- ESP with traction control
- Hill descent control
- Sunroof
- Start / Stop button
- 7" display
- Electronic 6-way seat adjust
- Tyretronics

What I get in the Hexa XTA that I don't get in the XUV W10 AT
- Boot space
- Better ride quality
- More torque
- More power (but I guess that gets negated due to the power to weight ratio)
- I find the seats of Hexa more comfortable than the XUV
- Sports mode in the XTA
- Awesome music system

Now the W10 AT is 21.13L OTR in Pune. So if I have to forego some of the most important features like ESP, Hill descent and Sunroof (The rest I can probably live without), then I would be willing to pay something in the range of 20L OTR. If it's lesser than that, then it might make the deal even more enticing.

But the one feature which I think Tata should not have compromised on the XTA is the ESP.

Trying to get this verified from my sources.

Thanks again, but will be very surprised if that's the list. The Safari Storme 4x2 in the 400nm guise sets people in Coimbatore by 17.08 lakhs. The Hexa with the same features may not undercut the Storme by 2 lakhs.

But I am only going to be all too happy if I am proved wrong 😊 However it seems to be cooked up at so many different levels. The Automatic and 4x4 versions cost 3 and 4 lakhs more than the normal version of XT?!

Seems to be a farce. Difference in features between XM & XT to difference in their on road price is too less.

Doesn't seem likely!
While the prices of the XE & XM variants seem to be in the vicinity of the expected range, the OTR price difference between the XM & the XT variants is only ~57k.
This is too low for all the features the XT gets over the XM model. Even the differential cost of the 19" alloys & tyres would be more I guess.
Also, the automatic was supposed to be priced significantly more than the 4×4 model (being an imported unit), which is quite clearly not the case here.

I think the difference of 4 lakhs between AT 4x2 and AT 4x4 seems a bit hard to digest. Because the drivetrain is the only difference between the 2 variants and that seems to be a steep cost increase for an AWD.:Shockked:

Live feedback from two-well built prospective customers on the 3rd row space and comfort in the Tata Hexa.

Getting out from the 3rd row, however, is a bit of a pain.

Dealership is Arya Motors, Gurgaon.

This is exactly what I thought too. I guess, Tata have reused the ICE screen to keep costs low. But yes, it does look very small in the huge car

Any idea on how this compares with the XUV W10 AT? My other choice, if not the Hexa, is the XUV.

If Tata launch the XTA at that price OTR (17.5 to 18 lacs) then I will go for it right away. No questions asked and no further thoughts. But I seriously doubt that the Hexa XTA will come in that price.

Never driven the XUV AT. I have some experience with the MT though and I was not impressed. Also, 11 years of Scorpio ownership has made me very wary of Mahindra ASS. Nonetheless, I have been following its official review thread. While the reviewers have good things to say about it, there are also reports of owners finding it a bit jerky. So I guess it is a bit if a mixed bag.

If you are considering the Hexa and the XUV, I will strongly urge you to consider the Endeavour 2.2 Trend as well. The big Ford is a hugely capable vehicle and is running great discounts. It is a segment above these two and will certainly prove more reliable and trouble free in the long run. It has almost all of the equipment on offer in the Hexa and XUV, except the side and curtain airbags. Definitely worth spending the extra money.

Road tax in Haryana is 10%, which is much lesser than many other states. My hunch is that the XTA should be between 17L and 18L on road Faridabad. I think that will be a fair price for this vehicle.

Had a test drive of Hexa XTA at Concorde Bangalore last Friday. I was there to get my Aria after 1.25L Kms service.
Some points that I would like to highlight

• The major difference that I found was the automatic and the second row captain seats.
• The NVH level also is very noticeable, the engine noise creeps much less into the cabin.
• There is perceivable difference in the third row legroom, perhaps due to scooped out second row seat backs.
• But somehow I felt that the third row headroom has come down a bit.
• Access to third row is a real issue now with these captain seats. Getting in was much more easier than getting out. Hope a 5.5ft and lower person might find it easier to get in and out.
• The only overhead storage storage bin in the middle of the roof that I used to use was the sunglass holder. Actually they could have retained that. Yes, there is one for the driver, but there is none on the passenger side.
• The black upholstery looks good, hope the black/wine-red combo of Aria will also be an optional color combo for Hexa.
• Didn't have too much opportunity to figure out any difference in ride quality with the Aria. Btw, I am pretty satisfied with Aria's ride quality and handling combo. Didn't feel any real difference in 30 minutes or so in the evening traffic. Perhaps a highway and broken tarmac stretch is required to find out how much it has improved.
• The automatic gearbox was quite good. The only other automatic that I have driven (for more than 1000kms) is fellow member civic-sense's Honda Civic. The shifts were reasonably transparent enough and the response in race car mode was quite outstanding.