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-   -   Tata Hexa : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/181903-tata-hexa-official-review-43.html)

:OT

Prospective Hexa owners should be forewarned on the stunt as you see here. Would anyone be able to compare the approach/ departure angles of the cars in this space. The proper SUVs should be excluded from comparison. Will these angles also need to be factored separately in incline & decline??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eI4gstCHDTI

Can we afford the member gb97ce6 of his opinion? Seeing the replies, there's a feeling some want to label the concerns as unfounded, even at the cost of discrediting the member.

Majority of car buyers consider resale value as an important factor and his forewarning seems to come from a personal situation, moreover there doesn't seem to be any malice calling for financial prudence. He knows his options, and we cannot dictate him to appreciate the car in the aspect that he doesn't.

Coming back to the car itself :
I found the bench seats softer than the captain seats. Each type has its advantage and folks at home felt softer seats preferable.

The issue of the head unit being small sized too has been circled off, because operating it will mostly be left to the co-driver.

The arm rest is an issue, but I'm guessing aftermarket solutions will easily sort the issue.

The drive mode selector knob didn't work properly during my test drive, wouldn't want that situation later. Could be a small issue. Let's see.

Hope the sound insulation for the manual variant is made as good as the automatic variant.

The Hexa Experience Zone test track had 5" (IIRC) tall steps that the 4x4 Hexa climbed.

Edit : But as said, better safe than sorry. Don't try this at home lol.

Launch dates of the Tata Hexa in various cities around the country:

Amazed at how you manage to get such information time and again. Thanks a lot! :thumbs up

hey gb97ce6

Well actually, I almost agree with the point you make about resale value.
It will never be as good as its primary competitors - XUV and Innova.
Which is a pity because as a car it is better than both.
This is bothering me too, since I have booked the Hexa.

However, you mustn't let other questions "Why not Innova" bother you as much. Everyone isn't the same, neither are their preferences.
Personally, I find Innova to be an appliance and I don't look at my cars as appliances. But lot of buyers do, and that's ok too.

If resale is important, then one should not buy Tatas.

cheers
lazy

I agree here.
Toyota prices its product at a premium because of the brand value they already have in the market. But the question as a consumer you should ask yourself is based on your own priorities.

What matters more to me?
1. My comfort with the car and my belief on how well it will serve my needs in short and long term.
2. Resale Value or glamour quotient in my circle of family/friends.
3. ASS and fuel economy.
4. Initial cost over everything else
etc.,

If you have made a choice based on your priorities, I am sure there is very less chance of going wrong with your buy. None of the points listed above is either right or wrong. It is all in the perspective of what matters to you.

While I agree on your points about resale value part, you seem to have placed the faith in the right person but having the wrong traits. IMO taking a +/-million plus rupee decision should be an informed one. If resale was a major concern, Aria or for that matter, buying a new launch is a big risk (even Maruti could goof up with Kizashi or SCross).

Coming to your point about waiting/avoiding certain models, its valid to those of us who give high importance to resale. Let me state an example. If you look at the thread on Fiat's price cut announcement, people are worried when/where the new prices will be applicable so that they can buy a TJet. Now, for a car or rather company selling in lower hundreds per month, buying such a car might seem foolish. And yet, we do such things. Its about the priorities/traits which we are looking in our car, which will keep us happy to the extent that we forget its shortcomings.

Personally, I own and drive a Maruti. It is reasonably priced to buy, relatively cheap to own, very fuel efficient and has good resale. I can never go wrong with it. But, am I happy? Not exactly. Will I buy another Maruti? Not likely.
To each his own.:)

Since you are otherwise happy with the performance and reliability of the vehicle, just like others have said, I would suggest enjoy it few more years. Else you can look at using it as a cab or selling to a cab operator. It might fetch you better returns.

Tata Motors has officially announced that the Hexa SUV will be launched in India on January 18, 2017. The launch event will commence at 11:30 AM.

Link to Team-BHP News

Says the forum in the link is not available.

Exchanging it for the Hexa may not be such a bad decision at all or alternately you could consider converting your Aria to a T-board, get a good reliable driver and get it into Uber or Ola.

On getting sleepless nights when people ask you why you did not buy an Innova - I can only say :Shockked:

One more important point I would like to add is the 'Total Cost of Ownership' which takes care of everything and in that department Marutis, Toyotas and other Japanese cars are simply unbeatable.

One will be amazed considering the TCOs of Dzire and Innova and that is the secret of their stay at the top of the sales charts for sooooo long.

P.S. - The resale value of XUV5OO is also not that good and the resale price of Innovas after Crysta has taken a dive for sure which wasn't the case earlier mainly due to more powerful engine in Crysta. As far as Aria is concerned, I think the resale price should hold or slightly improve after Hexa launch.

The way things are moving, all diesel vehicles will have negligible resale value after 5+ years of ownership. The world is beginning to denounce deisel powered cars. NCR already restricted their life to 10 years, sooner or later other cities will follow.

Tata was never known for its resale value, so why did you buy it in the first place? One shall invest in real estate or IT stock or anything that would give a good return and use a hired/self driven car instead, if resale is such a huge criteria.

Crisp review Samba and thanks to ArindamXeta for the invite for the Test Drive.

I thoroughly enjoyed driving the vehicle and here are my observations -

Positives -

1. Superb handling for a vehicle of its size with 6 people on board. I tried several times to unsettle the vehicle in my home turf, a route that I take everyday and know like the back of my palm. My Thar goes all over the place at a few turns, but the Hexa held its poise all throughout, though I know it is not an apt comparison.

2. Good brakes and stability control - I braked intentionally at several places with dust on one side of the road and clear tarmac on the other side. Everytime the braking was impressive and the vehicle was showing no sign of getting unsettled.

3. Extremely easy to drive considering the size of the vehicle. I was comfortable after just a few minutes of driving.

4. The additional lumbar support that can be pushed forward will be a boon for long drives

Negatives -

1. The gear was not slotting smoothly into fifth.

2. The gear lever vibrates at low speeds, though it is not much of a botheration as I hardly drive with my hand on the lever

Special thanks to the sales people from Tata who allowed us to push the vehicle and not whine like the people who came from Ford with the Endeavour.

I feel we are going off-topic.

Lets take gb97ce6's words of caution as an input from a bad financial decision in his context. Shouldn't one consider the resale value aspects too, if he/she have a strong feeling towards the investment in a car.

Come on, we are just few days away the much awaited official launch and price announcement. Many among us have already driven, booked, excited about the launch and delivery. We have lot of experience collated here that too from really different perspectives. Majority feels this is a product which is going to decide TATA's future in the LMV-NT segment. And hope they do it right.

I am getting regular follow-up calls from TATA and could feel an improvement in their confidence about the product. Though not driven or booked one yet, I feel so excited and wish my NANO gets her big brother for company soon :D.

I've been to the HEXA event in Chennai last weekend. Firstly, about the event itself...It's a decently organized event although few glaring points missed by TATA:

- It was organized in YMCA grounds on Mount road in Chennai. Although the location is very convenient being in middle of the city, but the ground is right next to the coouum river which these days in Chennai city is nothing more than a sewer. So there was terrible stink.
- Other than water there were no refreshments provided to the visitors.

Anyway keeping these trivial things aside, there were total about dozen HEXA vehicles - 4 (4x4) for off-road experience, 3 on display, 5 for test drives.

I signed up for both off-road experience and onroad test drive (albeit the test drive was only within the YMCA campus). Here are my first impressions about the HEXA:

Exteriors&Interiors:
- Overall the vehicle seems to be well built with nice fit and finish.
- The panels gaps were consistent for the most part
- The doors seemed heavy although don't have the signature European thud.
- Interiors are very nicely put together and certainly look premium for the price bracket HEXA is being slotted into.
- The driver seat very comfortable and decent support on all sides and has sufficient adjustment range for any average Indian built personalities. It even has lumbar support which is not common in this price range. That's very welcoming feature.
- The center arm rest is well placed and has a deep under storage.
- The middle row comes in captain seat option or bench option. Captain seats are extremely comfortable but even the bench seat is wide and comfortable (decent range reclining action available) with sufficient under thigh support and will easily accommodate 3 adults abreast. Bench seat gets a arm rest. One concern I found was the slot into which the seat belt for center passenger clicks in is sticking out a little too much which was causing some discomfort. It may be just the vehicle in which I was in. The knee room is plenty even if the front seats are pushed all the way. The middle row can be pushed forward or back and this feature is very useful in a people carrier to liberate
Space for last row.
- Talking about last row, I found it to be very usable space for average height adults on short trips or it will be very comfy and private space for kids. I would rate it better than the Innova or XUV500 last row. 2 Cup holders are provided on both sides for last row. Headroom is very much acceptable. The accessibility to last row is slightly cumbersome but that is to be expected in such vehicles.
- All 3 rows get ac vents. Middle infact gets ac vents behind the front armrest as well as on B pillar which can be controlled from the controls located on the roof.
- Rear storage with all 3 rows is decent and can easily accommodate a couple of cabin bags and a couple of backpacks. Once the last row is tumbled down there is acres of space available for hauling a lot of stuff.
- Audio system is very impressive and can trump Any other vehicle in this class. The touch screen though is too small (5-inch I believe)
- Couple of glaring misses are NO push start button and no telescopic steering adjustment.

Engine, Driveability & Handling:

I test drive an Automatic top end version inside the YMCA campus for less than 2 km.
- Turn the ignition to crank up the engine and HEXA comes to life with very little wobble and even the vibrations at idle are almost negligible. Kudos to TATA.
- Although HEXA is a heavy vehicle, TATA engineers have worked out the tuning well and it feels light on foot with a tap on the throttle. With156bhp and 400 Nm of torque HEXA doesn't seem to be sluggish at all.
- There is plenty of low end torque available and HEXA can amble along in bumper to bumper traffic easily in 2nd or may be even in 3rd gear (with speeds around 25kmph).
- The steering feels a bit heavy below 15-20kmph but is well weighted for higher speeds. Certainly gives the confidence of control on the vehicle. No vagueness about it as well.
- The body roll is well contained for the size of the vehicle.
- NVH levels are very good and with the great music system ON one can completely be isolated from ambient noise.
- automatic gear box is a 6 speed torque converter and is decently quick enough to respond to sudden throttle inputs. Ofcourse it won't be as quick as a DSG but very much acceptable for a people carrier of this size.
- Brakes felt a little soft but are predictable in going about their business. A little more bite would be more confidence inspiring. But nothing to be alarmed about.
- with a respectable 200 mm ground clearance and 450mm water wading capacity Im sure it will pass the Chennai floods in flying colors.

Off-road experience:
TATA put up temporary off-road obstacles in YMCA grounds and had their expert drivers in 4x4s to show off of the capabilities of HEXA in off-road conditions. The visitors can be the passengers in the off-road drive. Ofcourse all the obstacles would be mimicked to precise angles and curvatures that the vehicle is design for, the key point was the ease with which HEXA went about was commendable. The low end torque was such that even to start from the foot of an incline angle of 31deg, all it took was slight throttle with rpm never crossing 2000rpm. Hill hold and decent assist are also available which makes it easy on inclines.

Overall I would say HEXA is a very good vehicle and will be a great value for money if slotted in 12-18 lakh price range as the TATA guys were saying at the event. It should give a stiff competition to XUV500 and Innova as well.

Not able to load pics from mobile due to some server error. Will do it later.