[ksameer1234]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

The only desirable variant in Hexa is the XT and that is clearly over-priced.

Over-priced compared to? Either it competes with XUV where it is priced on-par or it competes with Innova where it significantly undercuts.

I'm really doubtful why would anyone want to pay more than 15 Lakhs for a TATA no matter how good it is.

To be honest, I have heard some very senior management of Tata Motors say the same!!

I don't care about inflation etc, When it comes to spending 16-17 Lakhs, why would anyone look beyond a Toyota Innova ?

Tata themselves aren't comparing Hexa to Innova. There would certainly be many looking for a 7 seater people mover with more budget than Ertiga but finding Innova to be a stretch. That is where Hexa fits.

It appears that Tata is squarely targeting XUV inclined crowd and anyone opting Hexa over Innova is a bonus.

[k_ajay]

Well, decent pricing by Tata for the HEXA. If the top end variants were off by around 30,000 - 50,000 or so, it would have sweetened the deal for prospective buyers and those on the fence. This is certainly not badly priced.

Those who are so keen to write off Tata and HEXA are seriously amusing. It's not like XUV was a super reliable blockbuster product. It's probably taken 4-5 years for people to buy and own it without them breaking a sweat with failures and disappointments and almost on it's 3rd iteration. Who are we kidding? Still, niggles exist. Why does your bias not allow for Tata to try and deliver an equally competent or better product. Why not give them some time too?

Anyone who has sat inside the HEXA (with a neutral mind) can easily state which is a better built car. It's parts and plastic quality, at an overall level, is just way ahead of the materials put to use inside an XUV. It's where the owners would spend most time in.

With a good product, Tata has 2 great tasks at hand. 2 very important ones:

1. Go back to the board to see how weight reduction can be achieved without losing or comprising structural integrity and strength. Keep at it through the iterations it will have over the coming years.
2. Make the after sales service and maintenance a brilliant experience. One that will not only turn around the reliability branding of Tata, but also make existing owners recommend the HEXA to other potentials/prospects, Withour Fear. Maintenance should be a breeze and worry-free affair.

I see AMC packages mentioned which TATA should ensure it works and works well in Customer's favour. I hope Tata does 'Whatever It Takes' to ensure this seemingly competent product and its Customers, who invest in it, succeed together.

[stanjohn123]

Originally Posted by Nilay

Booking nos already speaks the brand perception.

Booking amount was only 11,000 Rs. After this price was released, I'm expecting a lot more cancellations.

Originally Posted by ksameer1234

Tata themselves aren't comparing Hexa to Innova. There would certainly be many looking for a 7 seater people mover with more budget than Ertiga but finding Innova to be a stretch. That is where Hexa fits.

How is Innova a stretch when Toyota also has variants in the same price brackets as Hexa ? No one will think twice in spending a Lakh or 2 more than the Hexa to get into Toyota Brand.

[praveen_n]

Originally Posted by stanjohn123

The only desirable variant in Hexa is the XT and that is clearly over-priced. I'm really doubtful why would anyone want to pay more than 15 Lakhs for a TATA no matter how good it is.

I don't care about inflation etc, When it comes to spending 16-17 Lakhs, why would anyone look beyond a Toyota Innova ?

Where is TATA's brand image compared to mighty TOYOTA's ?

I beg to disagree .
Look at Mahindra xuv. There is still demand for it even when you could purchase crysta by spending 1.5 lakhs more.
There are people who go only by the brand perception and crsyta is for them.There are others who look into value for money /ride quality and Hexa is for them.Its too early to judge the product as a failure.My guess is this will be a success story for TATA motors

[Ragavsr]

I don't know why people are disappointed by the pricing.

Comparing it with the XUV 500 is ridiculous. The XuV is a front wheel drive vehicle while the Hexa is RWD with much better handling and driving dynamics. I would pay a slight premium for that alone . The ride quality is just icing on the cake.

Second, the interiors. The XUV's is quite average at best.

For the people mentioning that resale is going to be bad compared to the Innova, you are paying 5 lakhs lesser and the difference in resale is not going to be more than 5 lakhs .

Imagine if a 5 year old Innova sells for 10 lakhs, even if the Hexa gets 5 lakh , which it easily will, I don't see anything to loose.

[dbaapps]

I was looking at comparison of specification of TATA HEXA with competition, one thing stands negative is its excess weight.
When will Tata learn to develop automobiles which are light, nimble to drive and more fuel efficient? Not a single automobile in its range that has above qualities.
I am not saying that they should build cars like Japanese or Korean counterpart but they need to look at competition and trim the excess weight
1,785 kg Mahindra XUV 500 is 495 KG Lighter than Tata HEXA
1,855 kg Toyota Innova Crysta is 425 KG Lighter than Tata HEXA
2,280 kg Tata HEXA
I agree that dimensions of TATA HEXA is bigger than competition but still excess weight is the issue they need to urgently looked at and worked upon. It seems HEXA is carrying 14 people instead of 7 of 60 kg each.

[vigneshkumar31]

It’s been a long tome since I wrote anything substantial here, the polarised atmosphere lured me to sit up and healthy arguments that are brewing in this thread, made me sit up and pen down.

Well, If I were in the market for a new car in the 15-20 Lac range today, life would be full of hard choices and I would have frantically scrutinised every review and every opinion about the contenders in the segment. With the new Hexa in town smiling into the ring with his bullhorn grin, …the plot, only… thickens .

Luckily, I’m not in that desirable dilemma yet, and so keeping aside the obvious comparisons with XUV/Innova, I would like to take a quiet moment to view the Hexa in isolation, as an independent product.

I test drove two top variants of Auto and Manual on consecutive days, and these are my random observations and personal opinions:
1. Was seeing the Hexa for the first time in flesh and would definitely call it a bold, good looker. The front hood and the bull horn (top-bottom symmetric) grill make the face look more contemporary and mask the bulky, burly crossover that’s behind it. Bearded guys are the fad now, and the Hexa follows suit and pulls it off!

2. The car unarguably looks and feels solid.(should i say ’TUFF’?, psst..auto expo,remember? ). The way the doors shut thud and their sheer weight give a sense of permanence to the product. This same weight, will definitely kill performance , FE and power:weight digits and will take it (4x2) down in soft mud like a fat lady on stilettos.(//for the feminists, I declare:fat guy would sink too.)

3. 19” alloys are simply wicked and are much more than just bigger tyres. It gives the Hexa a more pleasing visual proportion on the profile and quarters, which reminded me of more premium cars I’m too poor to afford. The alloys look neat and ready to go. I’m not sure if i went shopping for aftermarket alloys, if I would find anything better. It looks classy and cohesive with the overall design language.

4. Enter the cabin and the seats catch my eye and my back.! Wonderfully wrapped with stitch detailing, beefy plush seats. Nothing carved out, scopped in, to make some leg room in the vicinity. Just no nonsense, fat seats.Like that!

5. Total 10 JBL speakers, well tuned, gave my audiophile colleague, a wide happy grin. Also there’s the whole list of safety and features list that increase my happiness index.(widely discussed in this thread already )

6. Dashboard and layout looks like tata, went to private school and has done its homework.This is as premium as a Tata gets.Super thumbs up.This build quality and luxe alone trumps the bargain.One has to sit in the cabin to ‘feel’ this air of candid exuberance. There are plastic bits that are still buzzkill and remind you that you are sitting in a Tata, but overall makes it stand among the privilege queue.

7. Test-drove the ‘hexa’—seater Hexa with captain seats, Third row seating is good, two adults can sit comfortably, even if they don’t know yoga.Middle captains hug and cajol the passengers.The clutch on the manual needs special mention! Wonderful upgrade from the harder clutch on my storme. The hexa drives well and tackles rough roads without drama.

8. The Indian car scene is a potpourrii of segment classifications. From some chopped SUVs, mini SUVs, wannabe SUVs, namesake SUVs, Damn, I even saw the tiny(but capable) KWID marketed for its SUV stance. Well we are crazy about the SUV tag and thats nothing to be worried about. You know, ‘what’s in a name?….’ If we do need a name, This is a CROSSOVER, like it’s predecessor ARIA, which pioneered the segment, and was perhaps the first time when many of us first heard the term. It is that …and exactly that, It doesn’t claim to be a rowdy SUV nor is an economical,people mover MPV/MUV with polar bear loving mileage figures. If my Storme likes to get dirty and play rugby in the rain, the HEXA would rather prefer to play the more gentlemanly, polo (the one with the elephants maybe?).It wouldn’t mind getting dirty now and then and after a quick shower would be ready to drive to the Taj for dinner. Well, that’s the statesman life for you, boys!

9. My Storme (in pic, few posts above), completes 4 years this month and is from among the first generation rollouts. So, I have already lived through the guinea pig/initial niggles/questionable reliability/unproven product/only time will tell/ phase of life and have emerged (reasonably) unscathed.I wouldn’t compare TASS to other brand after sales service as I have seen only TATA for the past 4 years and cannot comment on others. But I feel, again in isolation, TASS has definitely come a long way from its old self and has grown more receptive to its customers and feedback over the years. This has been evident through my own years of ownership from Nano to Storme.

10. Price is a factor, that cannot and must not be treated in isolation, but true to my intro, let me ask myself if tata in isolation, has priced its flagship right? Well, yes, I honestly believe the pricing is just about right, give and take a few thousands. I would have obviously loved a few more thousands or why not maybe a lac lower?, but that’s just my greed talking. At where it is priced, it packs,in my opinion, a full satisfactory package.

11. What I would do signing off, is appreciate Tata for developing a well packaged car and making a whole hearted, honest attempt at that. Hexa, may not break sales records and turn the tide for Tata overnight. But it definitely ruffles some feathers across segments and takes the fight to the door of the bigger T. There's no denying that. It may not win the bout (I hope it does), but as an indian car enthusiast I'm happy that it churns the scene and creates exciting possibilities. Maybe, in the near utopian future, bigger names, won’t take me for granted, just because they are bigger names, and stuff down overpriced cars@30lacs, just for lack of challenge from the home boys. The Hexa is here and Its one of those things: You can love it or You can hate it.But You can't ignore it.

[AtheK]

it's a well packaged rounded up car, priced well IMO. The comparison on price point with XUV is good, but other then the Sunroof( Maybe Used on ocassional highway runs, never to be opened in bangalore city atleast) and the start stop button (Oh majority can live without it), goes head to head and does better in some departments too.

Yes XUV is time tested so are the horror stories with it's electricals, when it launched it wasn't perfect but was lapped up. Hexa won't get lapped up for sure, but if tata can do a good number, perhaps 1500 a month, they will walk away happy. It's there halo product and not the mass product, tiago gets them the number already there.

Tata has done it's homework and they now need to work on small niggles that are reported and TASS. They should now concentrate more on Kite, that is a product they would want numbers to come in.

Lest we forget there is a cost involved to make these cars, XUV redefined the pricing when they launched, by probably cutting out the profits and compromising on the interiors. Tata has to make money too, and undercutting XUV too much would have probably propelled them to a loss straight away.

[WorkingGuru]

Test drove it last week. Ride was good, but power didn't feel any better than my Linea MJD at all, due to its sheer weight. Body roll was not there, but then I was not able to put the car through higher paces while in traffic.

Sorry, wasn't as bowled over by the interiors - felt there were quite a few hard plastics to describe it in the superlative way that many here have.

Other concerns include :

There's not even a mobile phone holder the moment one steps inside, where's the intuitiveness in that ?

Just why couldn't they get driver arm rest right ?

Why provide a teeny - tiny 5" screen in a massive MUV ?

The newly designed captain seats don't even tumble down. The same old Aria bench seats too foul at the same old place in the mid - console.

IMPO The Harman system doesn't sound amazing asif something exclusive, it's abit better than what others offer.

XUV has a much more punchy engine response, many features and even ergonomics seem better.

With Hexa, there's a compromise at every stage. They don't have the first mover advantage to help this model succeed in the market (compared to both, Crysta as well as XUV). EoD, the brand is definitely going to command a poorer resale due to fewer copies being sold. So, if one is paying lesser, there do exist very substantial reasons.

Originally Posted by k_ajay

... Why not give them some time too?

At the cost of customer money and peace of mind ? Why ? I mean are we here to prep these brands ?

Anyone who has sat inside the HEXA (with a neutral mind) can easily state which is a better built car. It's parts and plastic quality, at an overall level, is just way ahead of the materials put to use inside an XUV. It's where the owners would spend most time in.

C'mon it's not so very very great. I felt the plastics are same as used in the Zest, and while they're not bad at all, it's really not something out of the world.

1. Go back to the board

Again! How many times? Really, it's taken them 6 years to turn Aria into this, yet only the center facia of the the interiors is a different design.

to see how weight reduction can be achieved without losing or comprising structural integrity and strength. Keep at it through the iterations it will have over the coming years.

It's a body on frame just like the Innova, so it's not going to be light. But they just haven't ever revealed why it's this very much heavier! The ARAI fuel economy isn't impressive due to Hexa's heavy kerb weight.

2. Make the after sales service and maintenance a brilliant experience. One that will not only turn around the reliability branding of Tata, but also make existing owners recommend the HEXA to other potentials/prospects, Withour Fear. Maintenance should be a breeze and worry-free affair.

Couldn't a simple warranty offer have done wonders in this aspect ? In my experience, they just don't seem to have leveraging control over dealership service centres to ensure things are taken up in an effective manner. Moreover, if the model doesn't excite enough buyers, it'll further reduce their leverage with the service centres.

I hope Tata does 'Whatever It Takes' to ensure this seemingly competent product and its Customers, who invest in it, succeed together.

Its to negate this very risk of being at the mercy of the dealers reputation/goodwill, that a much better warranty package should've been offered. All this extreme dedication talk stays till the launch event, what happens later is only limited to what is in written in Black & White, that also they'll behave asif its a favor.

[avinash_clt]

With everyone busy discussing the pricing, I would like to sneak in with a nerdy question.

In the official review, it was mentioned that the Hexa AWD has limited slip differential on both the front and rear axles. However excerpts from the owner's manual posted later on in the thread mentions as LSD equipped in vehicles without ESP only.

Originally Posted by Aditya

4x4 & Offroading

• Limited slip differentials on both axles & anti-roll bars at the front and rear.

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Limited Slip Differential (LSD) present in ABS-equipped variants, absent in ESP-equipped variants.
Attachment 1582325

In the Aria also, models which had ESP didn't have a limited slip differential at the rear. However 4x4 & 4x2 models which lacked ESP (only ABS) were equipped with the LSD at rear. When you think of it, the slipping of one wheel on an axle can be controlled with a modified algorithm that makes uses of the existing ESP hardware (by braking the slipping wheel). Now whether the 4x4 Aria with ESP had this capability of braking the slipping wheel or not, I am not sure. It might also just have been cause the ESP and a mechanical LSD could work against each other during their respective operations, unless they are accounted and calibrated for.

Coming back to Hexa: As I understand, the 4x4 hardware employed is quite similar (perhaps even retrained) to the one used in Aria, with clever electronics and algorithms aiding the different drive modes. Aria had an open differential at the front, and an LSD at the rear (non-ESP variants). If Hexa has LSD at both front and rear axles, it is a step-up. Also worth pointing out that even the more hardcore off-roaders, in segments below and above Hexa, rarely have mechanical LSDs at the front. Would be interested to know two things in this case:

• Does the Hexa actually have mechanical LSDs at both front and rear axles?
• If there are LSDs, have they been retained in the top variant also which has ESP?

[damodar]

Originally Posted by Nilay

They compared 4x4 Hexa to 4x2 XUV500. The later has low kerb weight. despite that Hexa outperform xuv500 in outright acceleration. I think AWD XUV500 would be fair comparison to 4x4 Hexa.

Autocar India did the same when they compared the Safari Storme with a Scorpio back in 2012. The HEXA in the comparison video has the same registration series from the launch event at Hyderabad where all the manual blue coloured ones were 4*4. The 4*2 will have considerably less heavy steering and even our official Team Bhp review mentions that it's lighter than the one on Crysta. I am sure the 0-100 figures can be shaved off by a second too.

[deetjohn]

Good honest pricing! The vehicle is worth what Tata is asking for it. My pick will be the XTA. Loved that AT when I drove it.

Let's see how the market reacts. Next 4 or 5 months will be crucial. And with about 9000 units on an average per month between the Innova and XUV, there is plenty to play for.

Compared to the XUV, I am pretty clear. My pick is the Hexa. The biggest factors being the understated elegance of that cabin and the way the Tata drives and rides. And its easier for the Tata to take customers away from Mahindra than Toyota.

Coming to Innova, the GX AT doesn't stand a chance if there is a comparison with the Hexa. Some may not even compare and just save up for the Innova. So, this doesn't matter for them. Ditto for others who are convinced about the 2.8 ZX AT.

For others, Toyota may soon have to launch the 2.8 AT in the VX variant. And also make GX more worthy. Hope this happens. It becomes a buyers market only if the leaders are also on their toes for achieving the numbers.

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by WorkingGuru

It's a body on frame just like the Innova, so it's not going to be light. But they just haven't ever revealed why it's this very much heavier!

When you say 'reveal' what really are you expecting Tata to say? Yes, it is heavier than most cars of this size, except the Endeavour. In many ways its like my Linea, which is heavier than all of its competitors but in some way I was happy about it. I am sure the extra weight, even though will affect the fuel consumption, is justified and certainly not due to some bricks hidden in the engine bay

Anyway, coming to the comparison with XUV, there are some people who want their cars to look classy unlike the over-worked XUV. Honestly sometimes I feel like puking looking at XUV's front grill design and the whiskers! And if you are really in the market (and not lobbying in an internet forum), one can't miss the huge boot space you get in Hexa even after seating 7 people. If you put this and sunroof and push button start in front of a prospective buyer, I see him going for the extra space every single time unless he lets his kid choose the car for him

[anthiltg]

Originally Posted by vigneshkumar31

The Hexa is here and Its one of those things: You can love it or You can hate it.But You can't ignore it.

You nailed it there; pretty much sums up my feelings as well. I am a tad disappointed with the XT pricing, but yes - there is no denying the fact that feature-to-feature, it is a better package compared to the competitors.

[kaushikr]

Pricing

The HEXA as a product is priced competitively.

HEXA as a product from Tata stable should have been priced better for better impact and deeper market penetration.

It cannot be denied that the Brand Tata Motors has baggage associated with it, either correctly or incorrectly and an disruptive price would have brought the product into contention for many. This was not the disruptive pricing that was generally expected and hence the overall sense of disappointment.

Whether markets accept this pricing or not, only time will tell

Product
The overall package is good. Test drove the XTA and came away with a positive feeling. From the specifications, the manual XM seems to be poorly equipped on the safety front compared to XT variants.

I was seriously considering the HEXA, but will hold my horses for now. Will wait to see the XM variants in flesh before deciding.