It was back in 1998 when India first saw the transformation of a company named Tata. The Indica was splashed all over the front pages of newspapers and it was a design that engaged the crowd in India almost immediately. The Indica was what everyone wanted but there were glaring problems with the car.
It wasn't the best car to drive, when compared to the Maruti's of the time, it consumed fuel like it was addicted to it and then there was the rattling inside. However, over a period of time, Tata Motors came out with various generations and finally with the V2 version, had most of these niggles sorted out. But by then, the Indian car market was swarmed with so many cars in the hatchback segment that the Indica had a huge battle on its hand.
Tata realized that it has to move out of the Indica shadow and now with the DesigNext, DriveNext and ConnectNext terminology at the helm of their ideology for cars, the Indian company is all set to drive in something new for the Indian customers. With the Zest, Tata Motors have already showed that they have come a long way in terms of technology, driving dynamics and quality, but will this hold true for their next offering - the Bolt?
We try and put down what we know about the Bolt and put things into perspective as it is very likely that the car will be priced competitively, knowing what Tata did with the Zest. Since price is a bit of a game changer especially in India we will compare the Bolt with the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i20 and even the Volkswagen Polo.
The design for all these cars have evolved and some might think that the Elite i20 is the prettiest face of the lot but yet the new-gen Polo isn't bad either. The Bolt too moves away from Tata's traditional design language and evolves into a more youthful design. Under all that skin, and even though it is based on the X1 platform, the Bolt still reminds you of the Indica.
The closest competitor to the Bolt when it comes to the overall length is the Hyundai i20 Elite. While the Polo comes next, it is the Swift that we see in last position in this scenario. Obviously you would think that there is more space on offer inside. Frankly, if you are used to the space offered even in the last-gen Vista, there is no way you can cramp yourself into a Swift or a Grand i10. However, when it comes to the battle of the wheelbase, the i20 Elite trumps the rest of the competitors with the Bolt compensating with a larger figure in the height department.
(Also Read: Hyundai Elite i20 Review)
With the space battle still going either way, the Bolt has to redeem itself when it comes to ride and handling. While it is difficult to match the VW Polo's handling capabilities, the engineers could try atleast to match it upto the Elite i20's or even the Swift. Having driven the Zest, we think that the Bolt will not be any different, so, yes it has come a long way, but not quite there yet.
The feature list will be the redeeming factor for the Bolt as all the technology that you saw in the Zest will trickle down into this one. So, a system from Harman Kardon, a 5-inch touch screen panel that controls the audio system and AC and then there is the Bluetooth with voice command. We hope to see the AMT here too but Tata might probably stick to providing it in the Zest's diesel version for the time being.
(Read Our Review of the VW Polo Facelift)
While the launch of the Bolt is set for the end of December or early in January, Tata Motors is sticking to its target of 2 new cars for India per year. While the company is also expanding its operations in international markets, the Bolt will have to be a product which sees them move out of the Indica's shadow and create the same fervor that the first-gen did - a new car, a new beginning!
