Review Car

The Tata Bolt is the Pune-based automaker’s new hatchback for the Indian market. Based on their X1 platform which underpins the Indica Vista hatchback, the Bolt features an all too familiar silhouette but is a whole new animal in terms of features and overall design philosophy. It was unveiled at the 2014 Indian Auto Expo and is expected to be launched later this month.

It is the second new vehicle from Tata Motors after the Zest compact sedan and is expected to be joined by another compact sedan as well as a crossover both of which will make their debut in 2015.

This next-generation global car from Tata Motors showcases the new DNA of the company and boasts of newness in terms of design (DesigNext), drivablilty (DriveNext) and connectivity (ConnectNext). The company says that the name Bolt itself signifies speed and represents, according to the company, a winner’s attitude.

At the front it gets an aggressive fascia, new grille and sleek headlights that stretch from the middle of the bonnet to the grille. This fascia is very similar to that of the Zest CS and thanks to the large amounts of chrome looks quite premium.

On the sides, the window lines swoop down in a curve towards the rear hatch which now seems to be devoid of the Christmas tree lamps. However, what the rear does get are rounded edges and certain styling cues from slightly more premium cars. The Zest looks a little odd due to the compact sedan philosophy but the Bolt looks like a much more complete product.

It features a white and black combination interior setup with seemingly premium plastics as well as gauges mounted behind the steering and a touch screen created by Harmann for the Tata Bolt and Zest CS. However, on the lower spec variants we expect that Tata will offer beige interior. The overall design and feature list is expected to be dead similar to that of the Zest compact sedan. It seems that the variant nomenclature too will remain the same which means there will be eight variants excluding an automatic option which is not scheduled to be launched right now.

In terms of engines, Tata will offer this hatchback with the 1.2-litre Revotron engine which is petrol powered and produces 84bhp/140Nm. The diesel engine on the other hand is the 1.3-litre Quadrajet diesel. The only transmission options expected to be offered at the time of the launch is a five-speed manual. The diesel AMT is expected to arrive at a later date and will be a first in segment.

We expect that Tata will price the Bolt in the range of Rs 4.20 lakh to Rs 6.60 lakh and it will have four petrol and three diesel variants. When launched it will compete with the Hyundai Grand i10, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Chevrolet Sail and the Ford Figo.