THE TATA ‘HEXALLENCE’

THIS TATA SUV IS HERE TO TAKE YOU FOR AN EXPERIENCE BEYOND EXTRAVAGANCE

Text & Test Driven by Hani Musthafa    Photos: Joby Eldo

Setting a yardstick is what every car manufacturer attempts to do when they introduce their own flagship model. India’s own indigenous brand TATA is all set to launch their new benchmark model, Tata Hexa. Tata Motors have already kicked off with their new design philosophy and language by the introduction of Tata Tiago, a cute little hatch. The same design language has been followed to this huge crossover but in a different form. Tata will no longer want to look back to its old monotonous appearance and Hexa is capable enough to sweep anyone off their feet with its brand new and attractive design and extensively improved built quality. The car measures 4,788mm in length, 1,903mm in width and 1,791mm in height with a ground clearance of 200mm and a long wheelbase of 2,850mm. This latest SUV from Tata is based on the not-sopopular Aria and is aiming to take over the big car game strongly to the next level.

What does it look like on the outside?

Hexa might look like a facelifted Aria, but the changes are far deeper than just some new body panels. The car at a glance may seem like a SUV or a MPV but the proportion is actually a transformation of SUV design, a breakthrough from what we normally see in conventional SUVs. With this car Tata emphasises on the U-part of the SUV, which is utility, that is the space inside the car and hence the proportion is very much like a crossover of SUV and MPV. Although the exterior character is more inclined towards a SUV. The vehicle as a whole looks pumped up and muscular. The car’s fascia boasts of newly designed projector headlamps, a honeycomb grille and new bumper with fog lamps. The horizontal chrome slat under the grille extends towards the headlamps and the honeycomb pattern can also be seen on the front chin. At the side the 19” wheels, an A pillar starts right above the front wheel arch making it look very unlikely from traditional SUVs.

It has big wheel arches but a short bonnet along with a flat roofline giving it a sporty look. The overall design is similar to the Aria, yet Hexa gets a sporty design language which is continued till the rear as well. The greenhouse line dropped down a little onto the D pillar making the side profile look sporty again. The back gets a new tail lamp treatment which have been restyled and come with LED units. The spacious rear, the large bulky chrome line with two finished mufflers to add its premium touch. The rear bumper has dual exhaust tips with dualtone paint scheme and a new shape for the reflectors giving Hexa a distinctive look. The rear also has a new spoiler. Apparently, the sheer stance and road presence of the Hexa is immense – much better than what Safari Stormeand any of its rivals spread out.

The Living Room

Tata has gone all black in the ergonomic inside with silver coloured accents to give the interior a premium feel. Improving a product means improving the interior which is very evident in this car. Hexa has got the best in class interior with lot off space. All the seats in this car are perfectly built to accommodate adults in any size, and of course, inclusive of the third row seats. The seats are not only well designed but also feel top notch in terms of their tactile feel with a really good grain of leather running through as well. You get enough storage space in the car. All your cups and bottles get enough space for themselves. The touch and feel of components inside the car is really good compared to any other car from Tata. The trim level, the materials used, even the fit and finish has been enhanced. To make the ride more comfortable and fun, Hexa offers a dibble audio system. It has the HARMAN Audio system with 10 JBL speakers. Experience the joy of being at home inside the Hexa.

Tata has really put enough efforts in all areas which are evident in its engineering, connectivity, infotainment, practicality, even on the technology part. The central console has a touchscreen infotainment unit with navigation (that syncs with your smartphone) and an array of options including bluetooth and smartphone integration. There is no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but the Hexa does offer an app based control system that helps you play your collection of songs from a Juke-Car App – similar to the one in the Tiago. The app also has systems like service and diagnostic tools, navigation support and options to choose the ambient lighting (of which there are eight colour options).

The multi-functional steering wheel gets cruise control, audio and telephone controls, and is height adjustable. It gets automatic climate control with a separate zone AC for the rear and third row passengers. The top-spec car has leather upholstery, steering mounted controls for the infotainment system, electrically adjustable and retractable outside rear view mirrors. The audio system with a display screen has sourced from the Zest.

Engine and Transmission

Under the hood, the Varicor 400 – a 2.2-litre turbocharged four cylinder diesel engine develops 154bhp of power and 400Nm of torque. The Hexa may well turn out to be the most powerful SUV in its segment. The engine is mated to two different gearboxes, one is a 6-speed manual and the other is a 6-speed automatic. The Hexa also gets driving modes where one can choose between Comfort, Dynamic and Rough Road modes or just leave it in Auto for the car to choose the optimum option. The manual option gets 4 different driving modes to choose from; Auto, Comfort, Dynamic and Off-road whereas the automatic option has got a torque converter with sport mode and a race car option. It’s a must say that the power pack is the automatic version and the activity pack is the manual version. With a ground clearance of 208mm, Hexa behaves pretty well off the road.

The 6-speed automatic version with the race function excited me a lot. Shift onto the sport mode, hold onto the pedal a few seconds and the throttle difference is amazing. Hexa sprints towards the horizon smoothly and even while breaking the downshift of the gears which is really cool and quite unexpected from a car like this. On the safety front, it gets two airbags with parking sensors and possibly a rear view camera with guidance. Driver aids like ABS with EBD and ESP will be made available too.

The suspension is tuned very well. It can be balanced between and comfort and dynamic. It’s a big car and on a turn its doesn’t have much body roll as we would since it has been controlled by the brilliant tuning of suspension. The NVH level of the car has been reworked very well. Although there is a little noise of the engine in the manual, the silence of the automatic version is really impressive. Hexa is far ahead of what we would expect from Tata Motors and yes it can confidently compete against its main rival, XUV5OO. Also, Hexa can even be a major competition for InnovaCrysta. The launch of the car is expected by January 2017 and the price tag must come in a bracket of 14 – 18 lakhs.