[swarnava.ch]

This is a story of my TATA Hexa Ownership and falling in love with it thereafter.

Disclaimer:-
There are just so many threads on Team-Bhp itself on Tata Hexa that it’s almost impossible to create an ownership thread which will be worth the read time for the readers. Look at the official reviews, other ownership review already published.
However I would try my best to bring in points which are important from my perspective and which I feel that future Tata vehicle owners should know before buying Tata Cars. I will also not repeat points which are already discussed in details in other threads and stick to my own points.

Lastly if you read the Official Review of Tata Hexa (Tata Hexa : Official Review) (all of 383 pages, wow !!)

You can already imagine the interest and love shown by the forum members. You will find two kinds of People, those who don’t like Tata, and then there are those, who are diehard fans. I myself am somewhere in the middle, I love my car, love the brand. There are a few shortcomings and improvement areas for Tata as well as Hexa and I will try to highlight the same.

At the time of writing this review, its little over 2.5 years and 24500 kms with my Hexa.

Opening Shot Pic


This was taken by One of our Group members and its one of my favourite Picture.

Why the name Blue Hippo you ask ? Tata started a contest after my Hexa Purchase in which you could choose a name for your Hexa and they will send a personalized sticker that you can put on your car. I passed on the opportunity to my son, who is as crazy about cars as I am and he choose the name #BlueHippo.


Summary of Likes and Dislikes
Likes:
- Hexa was the first car from TATA stable to come with Impact 2.0 design theme and the looks are at par with other segment
leaders. It grows on you slowly.
- Awesome sound setup with JBL 10 speakers setup with tweeters and a subwoofer
- Solid build and great highway riding comfort / Driving Dynamics
- Nicely put together Interiors, Seats - with lumbar support which make journeys over tarmac a pleasure
- Usable last row of seats, lots of space for first and second row occupants

Dislikes:
- It’s a Heavy Vehicle, Initial Lag is there till about 1600 rpm after which things start moving swiftly
- Poor headlights specially low beams which begs for an upgrade
- Better quality control required at Tata - visits to service center due to parts quality or small niggles here and there
- No Auto + AWD combination, AT misses out on a few safety features
- Missing features like Keyless entry, ICE misses out on Android Auto / Apple Carplay though it supports Navi Maps projection over Android phones, however could never get them working

The review will be divided in to the following sections:
Buying Experience -

The need for 7 seater -
I used to drive a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga Petrol VVT ZXI First generation. Owned it for 44 months and drove 24k kms before selling it off.
However my usage requirements was mostly for Highway drives for Weekend trips with 5 or more people. I didn’t need a daily driver for office commutes as I have another small car for city requirements.
I usually prefer to travel with My Wife, Son and my Brother in Law / Sister In law and their family. So the requirements were mostly 5 to 6 Adults or 2 kids and then some luggage.
While searching for the my next vehicle, I was sure of one thing. During my Ertiga days, whenever I would park in Malls or roadsides, even the smallest of hits by something will leave a dinge mark on the car body and I used to get irritated like hell. And the second desire was to own a relaxed highway cruiser which can do long distances of more than 400 kms at 100 to 110 speeds all day without much fatigue. My Ertiga used to rev at 3200 rpm while touching 100+ which would make it feeling strained. Used to love petrol cars for their simplicity and easy maintenance nature. Lastly wanted to have all the safety requirements like 6 Airbags, ABS, ESP, TC everything.

Cars Considered:
New Generation Ertiga: Had improved ICE with touchscreen. However I honestly didn’t like the new looks and it didn’t feel like an upgrade as it had the same engine. Last point was the doors and body still had the tinny sheet metal. It just turned me off.

Mahindra XUV500:
It was nice to drive in the city, second row seats were great. Third row was not much usable on long journeys and after the third row seats are up, there is no space for any more luggage at the back. Engine response was amazing and its like a car which can be summed up as jack of all trades. It could fulfill all requirements to some extent.

Toyota Innova Petrol GX AT 7 Seater:
I was considering this car seriously. I think Toyota’s brand and assurance sells the Innovas. Petrol was my choice.
However there were two problems – no petrol cars were available for test-drive, I checked with all dealers in Bangalore but same answer everywhere. SA told me these are delivered only on confirmed bookings.
They however brought the diesel car for test drive. To give credit where due, the experience was top notch.
There were a few very important things I realized after the test drive and discussion
GX and ZX come with AT and not the VX, so either I buy 15 Lakhs Ex showroom GX with rudimentary interiors and dealer fitted ICE or have to shell out 19 Lakhs++ for the ZX variant with all bells and whistles.
The other problems were the driving dynamics during test drive. The car had a bit of vertical movements and it was felt in the first row as well. More so due to the severe nose dive during hard breakings. My wife has motion sickness and She was a bit worried due to this movement sensation.
Lastly what Toyota sells as 7 seater is basically two captain chairs in the middle with third row having 3 seats. I don’t like this setup honestly and would prefer a bench seat in the middle. This is useful for my son to sleep in the second row during our drives. This layout is considered a 6 Seater at best as I cannot see 3 people sitting on the last row. I was sure they would be uncomfortable. That meant I really needed the 8 seater with bench seats in the middle row and use it as 7 seater. However due to 8 seaters being considered commercial cars, it was not allowed in our company car leasing option. So if I had bought Innova, this would have been a six seater for all practical purposes.
It also had fixed driver seat height in the GX variant which was not the best for me considering my short height.


Finally Tata Hexa.
First time came to know 2 months before launch due to spy shots being captured. Kept looking at videos and waited till release. Finally the car was launched and saw it in flesh at the KHT Motors showroom the next day and it was awesome. Loved the car already and I knew this is it. But wait there is more. I was still 5 months away from completing my current lease so I had to wait till September to purchase the same. Took numerous Test Drives, Sales guys new little compared to how much I had already learned. Then the Team Bhp Official review came out and it was finalized that this is it. I have read almost all the posts on Hexa in TBhp and seen every video of Hexa Review till then.
Then suddenly the GST Taxation changes were announced and I just had a window of 2 weeks to confirm the purchase to get the pre GST rates otherwise the GST applicable for large cars would be 48%.
Everything was moved quickly and got the car home on 21st September 2017.
Final Ex Showroom for XT was 14,90,XXX.
Booking and Delivery experience at KHT Motors Whitefield was Good apart from a few small things.
They were patient during test drives, offered 4 different test drives on XT and XTA, over city and Highway scenarios.
No discounts were offered except corporate discount.
Additionally I had opted for 5 years Extended Warranty which costed around 15K. Didn’t opt for AMC as my servicing and maintenance is taken care by leasing partner but if you are driving more than 10K Kms in a year with your Hexa, I would strongly recommend you the AMC package.

I was doubtful between XTA, XT4X2 and XT4X4. XTA was finally rejected due to lack of ESP, TC etc. These were critical for me. I was fine with the inconvenience of a manual stick but needed all the bells and whistles.
XT4X4 – this was a tough one. Everywhere in TBhp you will read that its not 4X4 its not an SUV, however my needs were mostly just highway rides and not specifically rough roading. Secondly the 4X4 variant was another 200 kgs heavier than the XT4X2 which is a dead weight I have to pull along always even though I may only occasionally need it. Then there was the additional 1 lakh cost. So decided to stick to the 4X2 which made more practical sense.


b. “Log Kya Kahenge” which roughly translates to “What will the people say”
It was impossible for my Friends and colleagues to understand someone will buy a Tata Car by paying north of 17 lakhs. On top of Tata having Taxi image didn’t help at all. But one look at the interiors, one ride in the car and every one of them turned silent. I used to joke around that the Hexa is poor man’s Fortuner / Endeavor.


Living with the Hexa – The Good and Bad
There is a big problem of owning a Hexa. Every time you look at the car standing in your parking, you feel like the car is calling you to take it out on the open road for a looooong drive. I don’t know how to fix this issue. This is a very dangerous problem to have for us TBhpians

My Family just loves the Hexa. This is the default choice for all our weekend and holiday trips. We load up 5 adults + 2 kids at the back and just put the luggage stuffed at the back or on the roof carrier and that’s it. For the next 750 kms, you just forget everything and keep eyes on the road.




Ride and Handling:
In a word – Awesome. I am short heighted, so getting a sofa like driver seat is a boon. You sit above other cars and climb in to the car. Seats have good under thigh support with an additional lumbar support adjustment for the lower back. Long highway drives are just easily done without any tiredness. Ghats, climbs, mountains nothing will stop you and you can drive with amazing confidence.



The breaks are ok, there is no sudden bite, but gradual action. Plan for some buffer from the car in front or the occasional non-descript speed breakers.
However the car has good ground clearance so potholes etc will not slow you down.
You can do cruising speeds of 100+ and drive all day long. The steering provides good feedback and you feel the connect with the road.

19 Inch Alloys and Tires: One of the many things you will notice on the side profile of the car would be the nice looking 19 inch MRF tyres. They fill in the wheel well of the car and give a very nice side profile. The lower versions of the Hexa comes with 16 inch Steel wheels which does not look good in my opinion. However the 19inchers are 235 / 55 / R19.


Now this was a bold move considering 19 inchers are not the first choice when it comes to Indian Roads. On top of it due to the size and profile, not many choices are available in the market except the stock MRFs or more expensive Pirelli’s .
Now the other problem is the low width of the sidewalls. In the initial few days, a lot of Hexa owners complained to Tata about tyre bursts while running on these tyres. The slightest of cuts would damage the tyres and there were a lot of emails written to TML by owners and groups like ours. The problem was whenever there was a complaint of tyre burst, TASS would send the old tyres to MRF and they would reject the claim for manufacturing defect citing external damage. Then TML will step in and offer 50% goodwill discount and help the owners purchase new tyres.
The problem here was it took some time for me to realize that we cannot just drive on these 19 inchers like we do in other cars on Indian roads. We need to exercise more caution. So you need the following items in your travel kit always for your long drives – a good Tyre inflator, a good TPMS system (a lot of us purchased Sensair TPMS) and you need to be a bit careful on unpaved roads or humps etc. Maintaining the correct tyre pressure is a must at all times. Before a long drive, mandatorily check the tyre pressure and maintain them as per recommendations. Also keep checking every two or three weeks. On top of it, the spare is a 16 inch steel wheel with Bridgestone rubbers. It has a maximum speed restricted to 80 kmph. A few owners downgraded to 16 inchers Alloy wheels from Tata with AT / HT tires or the new 17inch Gun metal alloys which came with XM+ / XT 4X4 version released in 2019. Also regular wheel alignment and wheel balancing is the norm.
The 19 inchers are heavy, you will curse your luck if you have to change a wheel due to puncture. Getting the Spare out is a task on its own. Here is a video that me and my friend recorded and uploaded for the benefit of fellow owners.

video

Daily driver Vs Highway Cruiser:
This car is not the best choice as a daily drive within city, specially the manual version. The steering is hard at low speeds, which is a tough job to manage during parking. The same steering is a pleasure on the highways. The turning radius is long. So you have to get used to 3 point turnings. The car is wide so you better drive carefully in your lane and avoid narrow roads. It has a light clutch with a long throw however bumper to bumper traffic is not a pleasure to drive. Finding a good parking is also important due to the length of the car, you just cant park anywhere and go.
While parking at an incline, you have to be careful as not pulling the handbrakes enough (till the max) will mean the car rolling back. So pull the handbrakes to the extreme ends and put the gear as well for additional safety.
The Manual gear lever is notchy. Slotting between 1st -> 2nd -> 3rd takes some effort and will give your left hand a good workout. However this smoothens out eventually and after about 15k to 20k kms, now my gear shifts are smooth.
For someone coming from Maruti or Hyundai, it’s a big shock. It takes some getting used to initially.

The Rear wheel well design issue – due to the design of the car at the rear and the wheel flaps, if you drive through rain or puddle, all the sludge from the tyres will accumulate near the rear doors. It used to be a nightmare to clean this after every outing. One of our fellow Hexa Group members, who also owned a car accessory and fabrication unit came out with a wheel cover which solved this issue. I feel this was a simple design fix which could have been easily solved by TML.
Some of the owners mentioned even the Land Rover Discoveries has this same issue but I cant confirm or deny.




ICE Experience:
The pre 2019 Hexa came with 5 inch touchscreen Harman ICE. The ICE does not support Android Auto or Apple Carplay and I would be lying if I say I don’t miss these features but this came with some really cool functions. The sound output from the 10 speaker system is very nice. Its definitely better than many other premium cars. Some of the owners did extra damping in the Doors to enhance the Bass effect inside and reduce vibrations however the stock setup itself is above average. Then there are voice commands, phone connectivity etc.
Then there are the physical buttons which I love. See the point here is that if you only have a touchscreen system, you will need to move your eyes away from the road to operate the same. With the buttons, I can do it without looking.
The 2019 model came with 7inch Harman ICE which supported Android Auto and Apple Carplay. This is the same unit from Tiago and Tigor. The older generation owners hoped that it would be possible to pay and upgrade to this version however after communication with TML, we realized that there are incompatible changes and it’s not possible to install the new ICE on the old cars.


Build Quality and NVH:
The sheet metal used on the Hexa body is thick and I have many paint scraps on my doors due to the car on the side opening their doors carelessly but no dings. The doors close with a good thud and once shut, you don’t get any road noise on your highway drives. You can hear the sweet sound of the engine above 3000 rpms. The Boot Door and bonnet lids and heavy and thankfully it comes with gas struts to support the weight.

Headlights: Hexa comes with DRLs which look very nice in the day. However as soon as you switch on the Headlights, the DRLs turn off. The car has OK high beam throw but really pathetic low beams. If you are driving on a single lane highway in the night, the throw and spread for the low beams is terrible and you will miss cars in front, potholes etc.
Only option is to turn on all of the Fogs, Low Beam and High Beams (Only when absolutely required). I know its not a good habit to drive with High beams however I could not figure out any other option.
Now if you are considering upgrading the lights setup, the recommended setup is Good HIDs on the low beam, good LED / Halogens on the High Beam and getting the throw and spread adjusted properly to receive the maximum benefits.
For HIDs, only CANBUS compatible ones are recommended which are more in the 4500 Kelvin temp range (Yellowish).
Also the Heat Sinks have to be placed properly without getting them near the electronics components so that there are no MID reset issues in the car. Installation is the key here. We have some group member who have tried out Blaze India and UGlare models successfully installed and good experience. (Note - I have no relations to either of the companies).

Boot Space: You have a decent boot space with all rows up. This is more than XUV500 for sure. You can still put a few laptop bag or one small luggage back in the boot. However if you are planning to do many highway runs with full house, you will need the roof rack to be installed to manage all the luggage. If you fold the last row seats, it does not fully fit flat but its ok. It still liberates a lot of space and you can literally shift houses lugging your stuff in the space.

Minor Stuff
Second Row window shades are very useful on long highway drives, I have purchased first row shades additionally form Amazon.
The butterfly action of the wipers reminds me of the Volvo buses and Audi cars. I have been fascinated by them for a long time.


Safety Features and Small Knick Knacks:
Hexa comes with the stand set of safety features like 6 Airbags, ABS, ESP, TC, Hill Decent control, Hill Hold Assist.
First thing is I appreciate TATA for taking safety features on priority. It is definitely re assuring that you are driving a safe vehicle. Two of the features which are very useful are the
1. Hill descent control – where if you are coming down a slope, you can switch on this option where the car will automatically manage the brakes and engine braking to keep the speed of the car set to predefined limits. Like max descent speed of 8 kmph in 1st Gear, 18 kmph in Second gear.
This is very useful lets say then you are coming down a hilly road and you can just take your foot off brakes and clutch and just focus on the road and steering.



2. Hill hold assist – this feature will prevent your car to roll back while starting over on a steep incline.
Now assume you have a full house and you had to come to a complete stop on a slope and you have to start moving the car again in first gear. Then this feature will be very useful and by the time you build the revs and get in to the torque band, the car is held in place and does not move back.



Last row of seats:
The last row of seats in Hexa are quite usable for long drives. Specially for kids and adults who are around 5’6 inches.
Getting in and out of the back seat is a bit cumbersome and not suitable for aged people. This is also due to the car having a higher stance as well. There are separate AC vents and individual lights at each row so you will be comfortable as well.

The Varicore 400 and the Driving Modes:
The Engine is not new and its been part of the Tata stable from the Aria days to the Safari Storme however with a new and improved Torque output of 400Nm. Now this may look a lot on paper however with a gross weight of 2250 kgs, the power to weight ratio suffers. It will take time to get the car in the 2000 rev range where Hexa is lunging forward with the full torque blast.
There is that ever so slight lag in the initial 1000 to 1600 rpm range. Things start getting interesting at about 2000 rpm.
This whole problem is brilliantly masked in the AT version where the gearbox happily keeps the rev high to mask the initial lag. There is also the infamous Turbo gargle noise for which a lot of owners complained to TATA. Basically when the car is accelerating from the initial 1200 to 1700 rpm at a slow speed, for a moment you will hear a gargling kind of noise created by the VGT Turbo fins opening and closing. This is not really a problem however. Just that this is a bit irritating. To be honest, I don’t even realize if it’s there if not paying attention.
Hexa can do 100 kmph at just about 2000 rpm happily all day with the full load of luggage and family.
6th Gear is a boon for long Highway drives. The engine however is audible post 3000 rpm and after that the performance just tapers off.


Hexa XT Manual provides driving modes which can be changed by using the dial located just above the gear lever.
The modes are AUTO, COMFORT, DYNAMIC, ROUGH ROAD. Now you may wonder whether this is just a gimmick and whether this really works. What this does is basically changes the ECU maps for the engine response and some very careful ESP manipulation for the wheels. Basically this is a clever way to manipulate car electronics and make it suitable for some conditions.
Now to answer whether its useful ? Let me share an incident and you be the judge. I was on a vacation to the Jungle lodges for a safari. My Hexa was parked near a puddle and it was raining. After about 4 hours when we came back, the car tyres were completely in the sludge. I got inside and started the car and tried to move out in the regular auto mode. However after a few tries, I could not get the car moving as the wheels would spin, ESP indicators will come up on the screen and then car will sway side to side in the mud but not move. I remembered the rough rode mode and thought let me try, a couple of more tries later, some more wheel spins and I was out.
So how do I use them in daily routine, Car always starts in the Auto mode, but I shift to Comfort mode for in city driving. The performance is a bit dull but its ok for traffic conditions where you don’t need quick acceleration. There is a slight advantage on fuel economy in this mode. On a long Highway drive if you are cruising at 100 with Cruise control, I would again switch on the comfort mode. If you don’t want to do this, Auto mode is fine for all scenarios. However if you are driving on a single undivided highway and occasional overtaking is required, DYNAMIC mode is your friend. There is a sudden surge of power and the car just jumps ahead. Dynamic mode will cost you on fuel economy.




Servicing Experience at TASS
The TBhp Review for Hexa mentioned that TASS is a hit or miss. My own observation have been the following, its very important to locate a good TASS in your city and one which has a few competent mechanics. This will make or break your ownership experience. The second thing is that TASS always tries to brush up the complaints as long as you are not persuasive or insisting.
Now we have a Telegram Group of Tata Hexa owners in Bangalore, of which I am part of and the admins and other fellow members there have been very helpful with any issues at TASS. This is basically a group of owners who are with Tata from the initial Safari Dicor days and over the years they have built bonds with the Service Managers and engineers. So now if I face any issue, I can just post on the group and they will help us with the TASS centers and General Manager names and contacts so that appropriate help is extended. The other part is I have also learned this art of getting to know your service guys, talking to them and building friendship with them and this has helped a lot.
The thing about TASS is that they try from their side, they may not be able to solve all the issues in the first try itself and require a few patient re tries and that is a thing which takes getting used to. So when someone compares them, to Say Hyundai service experience or Maruti, you will be disappointed however it needs some patience and then you will realize how the setup works.
TASS is also very considerate with owners of the Hexa, when some parts fail, they readily change it under warranty without much fights.

I will detail out the issues I have faced below and TASS experience for the same in more details.

Problems I have faced / Other fellow owners have faced and their resolution
a. Low fluid warning
Just a day after delivery, I start the car and low fluid warning on MID. Can you imagine how a new car owner will feel specially when these are the sort of things which should have been already checked at Delivery. At first I thought let me just add some water but on checking I realized that there is already washer fluid till the top. On diagnosis at TASS< it was rectified and the culprit was the sensor.

b. Water in Fuel warning – the sensor which keeps a track of this is fitted very low in the car in the front left wheel well behind the wheels. A lot of owners complain about frequently getting this warning. Then we realized that due to either wiring issue or insulation issue on this sensor, even in slightest rains or puddle, you start getting this error. Complained and got it fixed at TASS.


c. Drive Mode errors – This was the one which was a real trouble for me and I felt dejected once upon a time for buying TATA car. So after about a month of driving the new car, suddenly I started getting warnings in the MID. Took the car to TASS and they debugged the code after connecting via laptop and told the clutch sensor is creating a problem, adjusted and said it is taken care. Lo and behold another short ride and I again get the same error. Sent it back again and they reset some parameters and now along with the other alerts on MID, I started getting Drive mode failures, ESP error etc. I was very sad and a bit dejected for buying Tata even after so many warnings from friends.
This is the time while searching online, I came across the Hexa Owners Group in Bangalore and the fellow owners directed
Me to Concorde motors Begur road where the GM service was a very knowledgably person. Took time but sorted it out.
He even explained the problem with the sensor and took good care of the servicing personally. Thanked him profusely.

d. Check Engine Light at Mountains – While driving in the mountains, you will observe check engine light in the MID. I got this at Koidaikanal during the second and third day at top. But went off automatically after coming down. Got it checked later and error code was checked at TASS. Later came to know this usually happens due to the reduce air intake and less oxygen coming in the engine. There is no real solution here. Get air filters cleaned before your trip to mountains.

e. Misaligned steering – I had noticed a 10 degree tilt in the steering toward left while the car moving forward in a straight line. Requested multiple times during servicing but could not get it sorted out despite Wheel Alignment and Wheel balancing checks. TASS would refuse to acknowledge that there is any problem. They will just say all is well. Again went to Concorde Begur road to the same GM and one look and he told that the steering is mis aligned. He got the steering taken out and fit it properly again.

f. A clamp holding the front bumper showed signs of rusting (within 2 years of ownership) and it was replaced at TASS under warranty however this just shows the quality of parts need much improvement. Also learned that the low beam bulb cannot be changed without removing the front bumpers. So if you are on a highway drive and your bulb goes out, spare bulb will be of no use and you have to visit the nearest TASS.

What does the future hold for Tata Hexa

Its also ironic that as I am compiling my ownership thread, TBhp just came out with this article (Pre-worshipped car of the week : Buying a Used Tata Hexa).

So lets get the cat out of the Bag. Tata is not manufacturing Hexa as of today. After the BS6 standards kicked in, the Hexa was stopped. However when there were news reports here on TBhp and over other forums, there was a specific tweet given by TML that Hexa will be launched in 2020 with BS6 changes. To prove their point further, they even went ahead and showcased the New Hexa at the Auto Expo in 2020 Feb. However things have not been the same after the Covid Pandemic. Market dynamics have changed and whether Tata really launches Hexa again – well only time will tell.
However it should not be a big task, the Varicore 400 has been a long and trusted workhorse of the company and in its BS6 version can support multiple different cars along with Hexa – like a few commercial vehicles from TML. So it may not be a very bad investment. However considering Tata is betting on the Fiat sourced 2.0L diesel now for the Harrier twins, nothing can be said for certain right now.
Also with the Gravitas / Buzzard coming in the 7 seater Avatar, is there place left for Hexa ?
Besides the Hexa platform needs to be optimized and in its current form, I don’t think, is a good value proposition in 2020. It needs to be improved, chassis weight reduced. But at the end, its an awesome body on frame chassis.
Lastly if launched again, I would like to see some external enhancements done to the design, interiors improved a bit, some bling, better ICE and I am sure then it can go on to be another winner.
But wait, is that it ? if I am wishing, why should I stop here.
I want a XZ version with 4X4 AT and Panoramic sunroof. Can you imagine the Drive Mode tricks, Borg Warner transfer case with the convenience of the sweet shifting Torque Converter AT box, this is a wish from a lot of my Hexa group members also.


Will I buy a Tata Car today ?
In a word – Absolutely, without doubt. I just love my Hexa. I would love to keep this car for another 5 years atleast or may be the full 15 years till there is a complete ban on Diesel cars.

Small but important things
I am writing this section to help other first timers to set the correct expectations from Tata vehicles.

a. Your showroom experience at Tata – Things are slowly improving at the showrooms. If you are expecting a Maruti or Hyundai like experience, you will be disappointed. However don’t let the showroom experience spoil your ownership. You will have the car as your companion and not the salesman. I know in India, this is not enough to bring in numbers.
When someone is willing to pay 17 big one, they are expecting a much better experience.

b. TASS experience – TASS is improving but still a lot to catch up. Cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune etc have it slightly better than let’s say a tier 2 city. Engineers try and if not in the first try, they sort out issues eventually. Always complaint via the Connect Next App on your mobile so that there is some pressure on the TASS to close your complaint.
You will have to be patient but persistent. TASS is usually very customer friendly for its owners.
There will be issues you may face in your car from time to time but TASS will sort them out and if there are replacement required, it will be done under warranty.

c. It’s a good Idea to take Extended Warranty to the Maximum and Annual Maintenance Contract depending upon your driving needs per year.
d. Spare availability for Hexa and support should not be an issue.
e. Electronics is Tata’s Achilles' heel. Service engineers are still clueless about debugging electronic issues.

f. I think after the Harrier experience, its better to wait out a few months with a new product and then decide based on the feedback of the initial owners. However the initial feedback from the Altroz owners, from the initial lot, was a very good and most of them experienced no niggles. So again lesson learnt here.

g. In the last few months, Concord Motors services and sales have shut down. This was the wholly owned subsidiary for Tata Motors. Most of the good guys who were knowledgably and experienced from there have been moved to the other private service centers which are privately owned.

h. Join any of the owners group for your vehicles. Connect with fellow Hexa owners. You will learn a lot from fellow owners like most common issues, their resolutions, which TASS is better in your city etc. It helps a lot. Like - Hexa has an all India Telegram group, then there is the Hexa Bangalore Group and the members there, have been very helpful whenever there was some complaint with servicing or car trouble.

i. Tata has a secret weapon up its sleeves – SOUL group. It’s the TATA SUV Owners Unlimited group. This is a very active group and TML has been very active on this channel. They organize yearly drives to picturesque locations, even Leh and Ladakh for those who would want an all-expense paid, no headache driving holiday. Besides this works to bring owners in close touch and also helps earn loyal customer base for Tata. These guys in each city form a strong bonding and help each other out with car troubles.

j. Weekend Drives and Monthly Meetups with fellow Tata Hexa Owners in the city make you feel part of the Hexa family.
This is something which has grown on me and I plan to continue participating in the drives. Can you imagine how a convoy of 30 Hexas going in a line, look on the Road



k. We have a few friends from the Bangalore Hexa Group who have already completed 1 Lakh kms in their Hexas with regular servicing and the occasional problems here and there all handled by TASS. If you look at their car, their interior, exterior you cannot believe that these cars have been mile munchers. This gives very good confidence that the car will age well. I plan to shoot a video with these vehicles and share the owners perspective someday in one of our next meetups.

l. My Best friend was also looking to upgrade and once he drove my car he was sold out. He reached out to Tata SOUL champion and requested for a longish test drive for Hexa as he had concerns whether it will fit in his parking and how will the office ride feel like. They gave him an XTA for full 2 days to keep and test drive, can you imagine ! Now both of us are Proud Hexa Owners and when the two of us meet in the office parking, it’s a Mini Hexa Owner’s meet. BTW he is the one on the video shared earlier.

Our Pic together



The best part about owning any car are about the trips you make and about those moments and memories. Sharing some of the travel Pictures at the end.

1. Kodaikanal with 6 Adults and Kid with all of the luggage.


2. Bekal with 5 Adults




3. Rameshwarm, Dhanushkodi via Madurai



4. Pondicherry a few times


5. Belur, Halebedu, Chikmaglur



6. Miscellaneous



I will elaborate some of the above further with some travelogues maybe after this Ownership Review. Waiting desperately for the open roads again!

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

Your car is going to our homepage today

[grkonweb]

Amazing write up! As a fellow Hexa owner, I feel great to read this. Hexa is a rare gem which only few appreciate.

[swarnava.ch]

Originally Posted by GTO

Your car is going to our homepage today

Thanks a lot GTO, have dreamt of this day for a long time now

Originally Posted by grkonweb

Amazing write up! As a fellow Hexa owner, I feel great to read this. Hexa is a rare gem which only few appreciate.

Thanks Ram sir for your kind words.

I have something exciting to share with fellow Hexa Owners, One of our Group members who had the 2019 Hexa XTA went for his 3rd servicing today and received an updated software version which now enables Apple Car play in the ICE. If you are wondering why it’s such a big deal, let me tell you that that lot of owners have been waiting for this since a year and good to see Tata making good on their promise.

I am guessing this was always available on Tiago and Tigor.
Some pics attached with permission from actual owner (Credits - Ninad)









A small note from a 2017 / 2018 Hexa Owners - we are very jealous today

[frozen.ash]

Thank you, Swarnava. That was a review laid out completely from the heart. We could sense your pride of ownership and unending passion with every word that you have typed.

It is always fantastic to come across proud Tata owners; it never ceases to amaze me how this home-grown car manufacturer that came out with the tardy Indica in 1998 has moved on to globally competitive standards and a mouth-wateringly desirable product portfolio in just a matter of a few decades. Surely no other automobile manufacturer in the world has grown by such leaps and bounds in our generation!


Hope to see very soon in the near future Tata being counted around the world in the same breath as the the other main-stream car manufacturers from Japan/Korea/Eurpoe/rest of the world.

[busydrive]

All best wishes for continued happy motoring on your Hexa. Blue one looks fabulous.
One heck of car this is. Wish Tata didn't rearrange those features and kept a proper marketing budget for this till BS4 was applicable. This could have made real numbers.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

One of our fellow Hexa Group members, who also owned a car accessory and fabrication unit came out with a wheel cover which solved this issue.

If you can kindly PM me the details it will be very helpful.

[abhi7013]

Finally another detailed review on TeamBHP!

Would just like to share a suggestion: As the power outputs for Auto, Dynamic and Rough Road modes are the same, would recommend you to drive in Auto mode itself and not Dynamic especially on the Highways.
There's no extra power that you will get compared to when in Auto but safety features like ABS and traction control would be delayed/turned off and this could be risky on highways where you may need them most.
You can use Dynamic when you're trying to drift or planning on tackling hairpin bends with screeching tyres (its fun and really works in Dynamic mode especially when you've got all that weight to toss around in bends! Only bummer is its a lazy diesel engine so tackling that turbo lag inefficiently may lead to burnt clutch so keeping it in the power band is insanely challenging!).

[kovilkalai]

Thank you for documenting your experiences. It was a wonderful read. As a proud Hexa 2019 owner, I could identify with many of your positive experiences. So far, I haven't had any of the niggles you and some of the other early owners have seen. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

Living with the Hexa – The Good and Bad
There is a big problem of owning a Hexa. Every time you look at the car standing in your parking, you feel like the car is calling you to take it out on the open road for a looooong drive. I don’t know how to fix this issue. This is a very dangerous problem to have for us TBhpians

I had to laugh when I read this because I have the exact same experience. The lockdown has only made it worse.

I would love to join the Bangalore Hexa owners group. Could you help me get connected?

[alphadog]

That was a superb ownership review. Well compiled with a lot of pictures.

I am a Hexa owner myself, and I feel it is a grossly under rated car, which has been let down by lack lustre marketing by Tata. The Hexa owners are a loyal, closely knit bunch of guys and girls, who love their rides to bits. A good example is you yourself.. The auto-gear box and the ride comfort are the stand-outs for me.

I have done 36000 Kms so far on my XMA, and hope to be doing many thousands more in the coming years.

Cheerio!

[Caadmara]

Thank you for your unbiased review of your Blue Rhino Swarnava, much appreciated!

I was in a similiar situation 2yrs ago when my company lease on my Ertiga ZDI was expiring and I had to quickly pick my new steed. The HEXA was on our shortlist, wife loved its looks/interiors and I was pretty happy with how it drove/mile munching ability/ build quality. I was willing to overlook the usual apprehensions with buying a TATA and almost took the plunge but for a major dealbreaker. SIZE. This is a humongous vehicle for a 3member family. In 4 years of my Ertiga ownership over 96K kms, I may have had people on the 3rd row for a max of about 2K kms. We always overestimate how often we will use the 3rd row while considering a new car! Also my weekly usage is driving from Jayanagar to Bellandur (solo) to office and weekend drive to Sakaleshpur (2 Adults+ 1 child) and considering traffic situation in bangalore I felt really guilty buying a car with almost the footprint of a mini bus!

So I ended up buying the face lifted Creta SXO and have happily munched about 35K Kms now over 1.5 yrs and we retained the Ertiga ( Which crossed 1L kms last month ) for wife's office usage/ when we need 7 seats. I see the HEXA often on my weekly drive on the bangalore-mangalore highway and it still brings a smile on our faces.

I wish you many many more safe Kms with Blue Rhino!

Cheers!

[swarnava.ch]

Originally Posted by frozen.ash

Thank you, Swarnava. That was a review laid out completely from the heart.

Thanks frozen.ash for kind your comments. Absolutely agree with you that we need to appreciate Manufacturers like Tata and Mahindra pull up their socks, leave the legacy behind and coming up with better vehicles for the Next Generation.

Originally Posted by busydrive

All best wishes for continued happy motoring on your Hexa. Blue one looks fabulous.

Thanks busy drive, i have sent you a PM already and in case you need any other info, please feel free to PM me.

Originally Posted by abhi7013

Finally another detailed review on TeamBHP!

Dear Abhi, I remember the time initially when i had trouble and you offered to compare and help on a drive near Hebbal flyover. I had subscribed to your own review page and keep going through your updates from time to time.
Thanks and great to connect.

Originally Posted by kovilkalai

I would love to join the Bangalore Hexa owners group. Could you help me get connected?

Hi kovikalai, thanks for your comments, its always great to connect with fellow Hexa owners. I will PM you shortly.

Originally Posted by alphadog

That was a superb ownership review. Well compiled with a lot of pictures.

Thanks, its great to meet fellow Hexa members. Would love to read your ownership review someday as well. Wish you many miles of happiness.

Originally Posted by Caadmara

So I ended up buying the face lifted Creta SXO and have happily munched about 35K Kms now over 1.5 yrs and we retained the Ertiga

Thanks Caadmara, I agree the size of the car has to be considered.
One question i wanted to ask you as you had started with a similar situation as mine, did you think of the new Gen Ertiga ? What were your points based on which you overlooked it.

[Mangesh Borkar]

Wow. What a lovely review, I too am a proud owner of a 2018 version XTA HEXA, done more than 30k.
Absolutely brilliant car, Finished a 3000kms North India trip (auto expo 2020) just before the Pandemic. Best Road trip car .
Tata motors should definitely launch the 2020 Hexa with a great 4*4 Torque converter set up , massive panaromic sunroof, 10 inch ICE , LED lighting.
This HEXA with the Captain seat version and Panaromic sunroof>>> HEAVEN on wheels.

[swiftnfurious]

Lovely write and tugs strong at heart. This is such a beautiful looking vehicle and so different from Aria. I think if TATA puts some strong efforts in the service area, they'll sell more. Not sure why do they take so much time to revive it. They can probably puck up 30 odd super engineers and place then in each state as champions to oversee any major problems and keep building a tribe of super good engineers to be deployed across most cities over a period of 1-2 years.

By the time I ended up reading your review, my mind is half set in picking a used Hexa in the next few years, or probably a Harrier. I have been a big fan of Storme too. i wad always hesitant about Hexa reading on some head related issue and hear from my circle too on this. Was it for a particular batch - always wondered as the engine is same as the Safari / Storme.

Whats the service costs been? Probably jotting down that for upto 1L kms (from your friends) can help a lot.

[Caadmara]

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

Thanks Caadmara, I agree the size of the car has to be considered.
One question i wanted to ask you as you had started with a similar situation as mine, did you think of the new Gen Ertiga ? What were your points based on which you overlooked it.

Actually I also considered the S-Cross as well as the new Ertiga but dropped both because of the same old 1.3L engine being offered.

[NitinDev]

Originally Posted by swarnava.ch

Living with the Hexa – The Good and Bad
There is a big problem of owning a Hexa. Every time you look at the car standing in your parking, you feel like the car is calling you to take it out on the open road for a looooong drive. I don’t know how to fix this issue. This is a very dangerous problem to have for us TBhpians

100% agree with this 2019 XTA owner myself, I always have this issue It's worsening during this lockdown times.