Tata Zest Test Drive | Full Review

You first saw it at the Auto Expo and now with in a few days Tata Motors will launch one of its most awaited cars, yes we are talking about the new Zest but an important question remains, what is the Zest like to drive, well than let’s find out.

How does it look: -

At first Glance, it looks like the Tata Zest is one of the best looking cars ever designed by Tata Motors. There are obviously the shades of the Vista design but every thing is changed and every thing just looks better. It is a good looking design and has a lot of presence. To our eyes, the front is the most interesting part as it recognizable as a Tata but you know instantly that it’s new. Tata Motors says there is humanity line and the trust line at the front and these lines join the head lamps and the grill. The front bumper is sculpted and the projector head lamps along with the day time running lights look good. Move to the side and it gets bold character lines plus unlike some one rivals, the boot is neatly integrated. The rearing is lot soft when compared to the front, the LED Lamps and the obligatory chrome provides a premium look to the car. The Zest has 15 inches allow wheels. Built quality is also something we looked out for and we happy to say it is a massively forward compared to the previous Tata Cars plus the same goes is paint finish, you certainly love the Signature Blue color though we have to say Silver also looks classy.

What about the interiors: -

Step inside the Tata Zest and it represents a new look which is on a different level compared to the previous Tata Cars. The quality has gone up to several notches to being among the other cars, in fact we have to say it is even better than some of its rivals. Dual tone interior imparts a premium feel plus it looks and feels good. Tata Motors have certainly nailed the design bit with an attractively designed center console with Piano black finish and a three spoke steering wheel. Dials are also well designed and easy to read plus they also look good. The AC also works quite well. While the front seats are comfy the business end is the rear seat which offer very good head room and leg room plus one thing we notice is the angle of the rear seat actually makes it more comfy than the Manza. Though the boot is certainly smaller than some of its rivals.

What about the features: -

In today’s day and age, features are what pull customers in to the showroom and Tata Motors have stuffed the Zest with a lot of that. First of all, the main talking point is the 5 inch touch screen Harman infotainment system, this system has various features like voice control, touches screen AC controls and there is even SMS notifications and reads out. There are off course feature like climate control, steering mounted controls for Bluetooth and Audio plus power windows, follow me head lamps and parking sensors. The Zest also features dual air bags so then it seems Tata Motors have done well on the features cart.

What about the Diesel Automatic: -

The Zest Diesel has an F-Tronic 5 Speed automated manual transmission. A diesel engine is the familiar 1248 CC 4 Cylinder with 89 BHP and 200 NM of torque. Now in the gear box there is R, N and A Mode plus a button marked as S for Sports mode. There is obviously no park mode. The first credit in automatic and I have to say the shifts were decent but not exactly smooth, there is some jerkiness at low speeds but it all melts away at high speed. For steep progress though we find ourselves using the sports mode a lot and this is where the Zest diesel feels the best but the fact to the matter is that for most of the time, the Zest with this F-Tronic 5 speed automated manual transmission does the job and the main reason for buying automatics in the first place is for the convenience and you get that. When it comes to ride and handling, the ride is not as soft as other Tata cars but it handles really well and it is on the completely different level compared to the previous Tata cars. Its grip and stability is good plus steering is light and pretty direct. So, over all ride and handling department, the Zest impressed us the most.

What about the Petrol engine: -

Highlight in the Tata Zest range is definitely the Revotron 1.2 Turbo Charged Petrol Engine. This is a Segment’s first and under stand ably Zest Turbo Charged Petrol has a lot of advantages over it natural explicated rivals. The numbers are 89 BHP and 140 NM of torque, what really impressed us is the easy to use gear box plus adequate power on offer, refinement too was fantastic. We also like the smooth performance delivery and the general lag free nature. The Zest petrol engine has three modes, Sport, City and Eco. To we have say there is not much massive difference between the three modes. Over all though, the Zest Revotron engine lives up to its height some what and we have to say it is a lot more fun than diesel.

Verdict: -

As you can imagine, we have quite impressed with the Zest and we think as a package, the Zest is right up there at the top of its class. For us even more than the styling or the features, it is the driving dynamics that really impressed us. The way it drives, the way it handles, the gear box, the steering all have been an gigantically over the earlier Tata Cars. Now only thing remaining for the Tata Motors to do, is of course price it comparatively and knowing Tata Motors, they certainly build. So there, the Zest will be the comeback car for Tata Motors and well we think, its going to be a massive success.