Indica new Vista: An Ind-alian job

The new Indica Vista exemplifies the wonders the alliance with Fiat has done to Tata Motors’ engineering and cars. We were like a balloon full of apprehension and cynicism; ready to splatter ourselves on the first Tata Motors official we came across. When invited to have a look at the all-new Tata Indica 1.3 Quadrajet at the company’s Pune plant, we didn’t exactly intend to act as well-behaved and tolerant guests. The slow progress made by the company in the engineering realm has bereaved us of the right to boast about a quality national automotive brand. Imagine the pride on a Japanese’s face when he talks about Honda or Toyota and you’ll know what I mean. Ditto for the Germans. The Britons are proud of their great and rotten cars and carmakers alike, so no point citing them as an example.

Patience, however, is a virtue and you should never comment, argue or debate till the time you know exactly what you’re talking about. So we decided to see what the new car was all about before putting in our tuppence. We were greeted by Chakravarthy T. Kannan, Project Head of passenger cars for Tata Motors and Anand Kulkarni of Tata Technologies, the company’s technology outsourcing firm. Gracious gentlemen, both of them, very kind and polite – we had to keep shut and listen to what they were saying. And they had enough substance packed in that half hour presentation to make almost all our scepticism evaporate.

The Indica Vista, unlike what we thought earlier, is ‘actually’ an all-new car. It hardly shares anything with the model it replaces. The new engine, the most salient feature of the Vista, the highly acclaimed Fiat sourced 1.3 Multijet diesel motor, branded Quadrajet by Tata and tuned to produce more low-end torque, is new to any Tata car. Ever since it made an appearance earlier on the Swift 1.3 DDiS and the Palio 1.3 Multijet, the turbo diesel motor has been a revelation of sorts. Punchy, frugal and refined; this Italian power plant has proven to be exceptionally good.

Just like the engine, the Vista’s transmission system is brand new as well. Codenamed C510, the new gearbox has also been sourced from Fiat. The cable actuated mechanism of the new shifter allows for a slick shift action and a vibe free gearstick. The shifter’s short throw is a massive aberration from the vibey stick jutting out from the floor of the Indicas of yore. The shift action is reasonably slick, though you could still sometimes feel the ‘edges’ while slotting into a certain gear. It isn’t immaculately fluid and frictionless to operate but doesn’t seem to have its roots in a rubber eraser either.

The body shell for the Vista is again new. The new steel monocoque employs high strength steel panes for enhanced stiffness and strength. The steel panels on the exterior of the car, for the first time, have been made of bake hardened steel to provide better protection against dents. Apart from strengthening the shell, some clever engineering has been employed to reduce NVH levels inside the cabin. The alterations have helped greatly in reducing the irritating body boom that you hear inside the cabin (especially diesels), while the car is engaged in high gears and running at low rpms.

Early tyre wear and disturbed alignment of wheels was a commonly reported problem with the old Indicas. As a remedy, the Vista now has a sub-frame construction for mounting the front suspension. This not only provides enhanced transverse stiffness but also aids better wheel control. Anti-roll bars make an appearance both up front and at the rear to minimize body roll during hard cornering. Tata claims to have used a high strength dual phase grade steel in the rear suspension to deal with treacherous Indian road conditions.

Apart from the engineering evolution, the Vista, to a large extent is also aesthetically superior to the version it replaces. The long Peugeot 207-esque headlamps sweeping back towards the windscreen are the most prominent distinguishing elements on the new Indica. The smiley grille comprises of honeycomb mesh and now has a horizontal chrome slat above it. The huge curvy bumper incorporates a twin-slit horizontal black plastic section than houses the fog lamps on its edges. A prominent straight crease that initiates from the middle of the fender travels all the way beyond the rear door before culminating just before the tail lamps. When looked at straight from the rear, the Vista looks wider and taller than the Indica. It forms a somewhat oval shape. The wide track and expansive body make the reasonably speced tyres look skinny, making the car look anything but sporty. The front, however, looks appealing, and the ‘new Indica’ evoked plenty of interest among pedestrians and other road users who couldn’t stop admiring the Vista’s distinctness even after identifying it as the Indica.

Inside the cabin, Tata have finally begun doing what they should have done years ago. For the first time, the Indica’s cabin doesn’t appear a decade behind its counterparts. Following an increasingly popular trend among small cars, the Vista’s instrumentation cluster takes a central position above the dashboard. The speedo with white font on a black dial houses a digital readout displaying information like time, odo and trip count as well as engine temperature. It is flanked by a tachometer on the right and a fuel gauge on the left. The tachometer isn’t very visible from the driver’s position though. A functional, though not very upmarket stereo comes standard with the top-of-the-line Aura variant. Airbags are not an option yet, but we’re sure Tata will introduce the safety feature soon.

The quality of materials used inside the cabin has been significantly elevated. The dashboard is now finished in a soft-feel grainy compound. The three-spoke steering wheel isn’t really too great to hold, but is now height adjustable. The fit and finish has improved by Indica’s standards, although, there is still some way to go before the Vista could manage to match the finish quality of say, the i10. The quality of plastics in certain places is still not up to the mark especially the door locks and the power window buttons. The panels housing the power window buttons too can be better finished.

The suspension is tuned for comfort and offers a supple ride, though the fact does have its negative bearings on the dynamic behaviour of the car around corners. We were happy with the cushy ride of the car till the time we used it in the city, but one long round trip to Mumbai exposed the problems with the driver’s seat – it lacks support for the low and mid back. The seven hour trip made me want to get jettisoned by the time I reached back to Pune. No complaints, however, about the stress free rear seats. With plenty of legroom, humongous cabin space and ample thigh support, the Indica’s backseat is among the best in the business.

Behind the wheel, the car turns out to be a superb highway cruiser in terms of refinement, suspension, NVH levels and fuel efficiency. We just wish the front seats were a little more comfortable. The Indica’s new engine will keep spinning happily for the entire day at cruising speeds of 120km/h. Keep the car around 80-100km/h with a careful right foot and it’ll deliver fuel economy in excess of 20kmpl!

Nonetheless, the Vista will not have petrol heads turn to it any more than the version it replaces. Even with the flexible seat height and the rake adjustable steering wheel, the driving position never entices you to hurl it too hard around bends. Try doing that and the car shows its displeasure by reciprocating with little feedback and pronounced understeer. Not that it’s very nervous. The suspension and chassis have been well sorted to make the car feel planted and reassuring, but you cannot place it very precisely on the road. The circles you’re going to make will mostly be (much) wider than what you wanted them to be. If you like having fun, the Vista is not the car to be in.

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