Indica Vista D90 – Gone in 90 seconds!

And so, BlogAdda has taken product reviewing to another level altogether. And hence, I graduated from reviewing books to android apps to restaurants, to *hold your breath* reviewing a brand new car. *collars up* This was a fun filled, 350 km long vroom vroom review, done by yours truly in collaboration with BlogAdda and Tata Motors.

Once the euphoria of knowing that I was one of the few bloggers selected for this review, and that I would have the car at my disposal for 3 days, I began to think about the car (yeah, till then I was only thanking God and thinking where all I drive take the car). The first thought that crossed my mind was the taxi-car that the last Indica had been reduced to. But those thoughts were soon thwarted as soon as I lay my eyes on the All new Indica Vista D90. I drove the car almost 350 kms in 3 days and this is what I have to say about it 🙂

Exteriors:

The car’s looks have been dramatically improved from the last version of Indica Vista. It’s longer in the front and the back has been restyled too. It looks taller and wider, more on the lines of the bigger hatchbacks available in the market like Fiat Punto or Volkswagen Polo as compared to a Swift. Even the boot packs in more space than your regular hatchback. Thrown in is a contrasting top roof, which a novice might actually mistake for a sun roof, which it is not, but undoubtedly gives a smarter look to the car. The dual tone alloy wheels are chic and add to the style statement of the car.

A TOP (class) look !!

Interiors:

The interiors are pretty decent with contrasting beige and black thrown in across the seats and the dashboard. The music system is not really top notch, but you have ample variants in the market to suit your needs. The AC is pretty strong though. You have all four power windows, electronically adjustable side view mirrors and ample leg space for all passengers.

The driver’s seat has a special lumbar support (a jutting out cushion for the lower back) which is a huge relief for long drives, and even otherwise. I drove the car for 2 hours at a stretch (add a massive traffic jam to that!)and seriously, I felt less tired than I would have normally.

The steering wheel is adjustable too, and comes in quite handy as my 6-ft tall husband and I, a modest 5-ft., drove the car in turns. You have steering mounted controls (with Bluetooth streaming available) using which you can easily pick up and disconnect calls while driving. Although I seriously discourage talking on the phone while driving, but this is quite a handy feature if it’s really urgent and you need to take that call right away. You can also adjust the song sequence and volume from the steering controls without having to wean your concentration away from the wheel even for a second.

I found the front display showing the fuel available and the “distance you can drive till the nearest petrol pump” quite innovative. It also instantaneously shows you the mileage. We discovered how our mileage went up and down as we drove from highway to the city.

Performance:

The car packs a powerful 90 PS Quadrajet engine with VGT, which basically gives you a good throttle even at lower RPMs. In layman terms, it means that the engine does not take a toll even when you are driving on a lower gear, and once you pick up speed, you have a car that’s stable and eats the miles away. The manual says the maximum speed of the car is 158 kmph. I drove at 140 kmph myself and definitely felt the power of the engine, as the car just smoothly glided on the highway.

The ground clearance is good, making the car favorable for long road journeys as well as in-city driving wherein often there are some real bad stretches. The mileage is around 20 kmpl which I think is again quite decent. The driving experience was quite a breeze, as the steering is light and stable, and the engine quite powerful.

Some high points for me:

1) For the size of the car, the turning radius is smaller, and that is so welcome on our “traffic”ed roads.

2) The car has an intelligent rear wiper that starts automatically if it’s raining and you put the car in reverse gear.

3) The steering mounted controls that let you take calls (via Bluetooth streaming), as well as change your playlist and adjust the volume.

4) The 90 PS engine does full justice to the car providing good power and throttle.

A few let downs’:

1) There’s engine noise associated with a diesel engine, although quite reduced as compared to the previous Vista. The cabin is quite immune to the outside noise though.

2) While the AC is on, you can actually smell diesel fumes which are not so welcome.

The car is priced at a decent 6 lakhs and I think it’s good value for money. What tilts the odds in favor of the car are some of its features that are so practical and user friendly like the rear wiper, steering mounted controls, airbags but also the fact that you won’t find these features in your regular hatchbacks. With the Vista D90, Tata has really taken the competition in the automobile market to another level with a car that’s loaded with a slew of new features, an impressive body and design, without compromising on the power, performance and technology.

The car is definitely getting BIG thumbs up from me.

A few pictures as I leave you to ponder: