Tata Bolt Review

Tata Motors with an intention to change their brand image,is about to land with a newer model called Tata Bolt that stood few miles away from the traditional Tata formula. With the launch of the Zest, Tata has proven itself that it is dare enough to compete in the 4-meter sedan segment.This time, the mission of the Tata is entirely different from that of its traditional that is to work out some formula and bring out a product that is preferred to be a good choice for the passioners about drive and for those who are looking for a hatchback to commute in. Let’s see, whether the Bolt makes a change in the way the Tata has perceived in the Indian market.

Exterior Styling:

The sort of familiarity the Bolt has in its form reminds us that of the Indica.The Glowing and well etched front face doesn't leave a single to look at it.The slight power bulge on the hood, the wraparound headlamps and most of all, the bumper with the inverted smile and the scooped out recesses to house the driving lamps not only tends to give the car an aggressive look,but also give us a thought that this car is meant for business,thus possessing a royal look. Moreover, the blacked out C-pillars give the hatchback the 'floating roof' effect.

If you compare the Zest and the Bolt,a question would arise within yourselves, whether the two are the same or different? The anwer is different. At a glance, you can't spot out the difference, because the difference lies in the dimensions. It could be noted only when we look deep into it. Tata Bolt measures about 3825mm in length,that makes a great difference between the two, since at this length, it is nearly 170mm shorter than Zest. By taking this aspect, you may arrive at a conclusion that the boot space gets reduced when compared with the Zest.It is true, but it doesn't appear as a hurdle for it to compete in its segment at any cost, because Tata Bolt still offers you with more space than other hatchbacks in this segment.Further,the rear seat is offered with a 60:40 split, thus paving a way to increase the boot volume. To mark a difference in the profile of the sedan and the hatchback,reduction is being done at the height and width hence the Bolt is 10mm shorter and 20mm narrower than the Tata Zest.Apart from this the wheelbase that measures at 2470mm and front and rear track that measures about 1450mm and 1440mm respectively.

Interior Design:

When it comes to the interior design, the door pads and the dashboard get the shades of burnt orange that really add some funkiness to the interior part. The cabin is so spacious enough that the rear passenger seat has been modified in a way to suit the hatchback mould, such that even tall passengers have enough knee room to rest themselves. Seating arrangement has also been made comfortable to make the passengers feel comfort throughout the journey. Improvement is felt in the fit and finish. The design and quality in this Tata Bolt is extremely fascinating than what we have seen so far in other Tata products. The driver-oriented positioning of the vents and the centre console along with the use of piano black, chrome and silver really lift the ambience of the cabin.

Touching the buttons for the infotainment system, the knurled finish on the air-con knobs, and the steering wheel gives you a premium feel. Bolt’s interiors feature a sportier theme with plenty of black offset by the slab of white that runs across the dashboard. For storage purpose, there is presence of pocket slim, cup holder and a massive glove box.The front seats are accommodating and snug as well. The rear seats are also comfortable -there’s good headroom, and with the scooped out rear of the front seats, there’s even more knee room than before. For the sake of entertainment, infotainment system developed in conjunction with Harman that features voice control and navigation are present. Also, features like Bluetooth connectivity, an SD card reader, USB and aux-in, along with a trip computer, power windows, power mirrors, parking sensors and climate control are also available.

Engine and Performance:

Presently,Tata Bolt weighs about 1,080 kilos that is more than enough for a hatchback.Tata Motors has done a great laborious work on the engine part to improve it further to deliver unbeatable performance .As usual, it has two engine options petrol and diesel, both get mated to a 5-speed manual transmission unit. Further ,there prevails an assumption that in addition to the 1.2 litre Revotron petrol,we might also get the 75PS and the 90PS 1.3-litre diesel.We could also expect that the Tata Bolt would arrive with the AMT similar to the Zest. An interesting cue about the engine option is that turbocharged Revotron petrol engine that comes with three driving modes that gets mated with a TA65 5-speed manual transmission unit is about play a larger role for the Tata's products.This engine would deliver up to the maximum of 85PS of power at 5000rpm,whereas,the torque figures are meant the same 140 Nm between the 1,750 and 3,500rpm. There are also chances that we might get the Sport,Economy and Normal driving mode selector which essentially allows the ECU to select a different fueling map, depending on the mode selected.

The main intention is to improve the efficiency and to reduce the noise and vibration that would enter the cabin. Considering all these aspects into the mind, the engine has been developed. Further, to reduce the noise, certain features have been added there’s a hydraulic lash adjuster and roller finger followers that help reduce mechanical noise, the reciprocating masses inside the engine have been carefully balanced and the oil sump has been stiffened too. Even the brackets to which the engine ancillaries are mounted have been designed in a way that ensures their operating frequencies never exceed limits to become a noise source.

Handling and Riding Dynamics:

The chassis frame is meant to be the same as like that of the Zest. However, certain precision in improvements can be seen that are mainly done with an aim of reducing noise, vibration and harshness entering the cabin. But focusing on the performance, great engineering has been done on the suspension and the braking system in order to enrich the riding dynamics. With a mindset to promote an improved handling,the suspension setup has been built with some stiffness.Both the front and the rear end get the independent MacPherson system along with the anti-roll bar,which is about to play a key role in the overall dynamic assessment of this car.

Overall,this car is built with agility and nimbleness that could be felt while driving by holding the steering within our hands. The steering mechanism has been completely shifted from hydraulic power steering of Vista’s to a ZF-designed electrically assisted unit, which comes with a brushless motor for better returnability and on-centre feel. Further, dual-path front struts are being added to well absorb road imperfections and transmit less shock and noise to the cabin. So you can find the cast-iron block that is inherently better at absorbing combustion noise. The gearbox has been tweaked a little bit to improve the performance, that brought the gear ratios a little closer. Quicker acceleration also be achieved.

Verdict:

The Tata Bolt has tremendous potential if the customers just accept it as something Tata Motors has tried in an entirely new direction. Moreover ,it remains to be seen how good this car is on the road and how well it performs against a new lot of rivals.