Tata Zest 1.2 Revotron Petrol Review: A Zesty New Beginning

Cabin comfort, features and equipment

Tata Motors have taken a robust new approach towards enhancing the quality, assembly and equipment of its cars with the Zest. The positive change is instantly evident, and the cabin of the Zest, in terms of design, quality and ergonomics is substantially superior to what we have seen on earlier Tata Motors car models.

Let’s start with the dashboard. The black-beige two tone dashboard has been finished in a new, better quality material and feels more premium than most other cars we can imagine in the segment. The A/C vents on the sides are rectangular in shape. The Central A/C vents are asymmetric in shape to go with the rising line of the instrument cluster hood.

Tata Motors have used good quality materials as panel inserts to lift the premium appeal of the cabin. Contributing significantly to it are the slim, elegant chrome bezels applied around the A/C vents, around the A/C and Audio control knobs and as a lining on the instrument panel opening. The slimmer lining of chrome, as we were told by the product team, required more effort and had a higher cost associated with it. However, the focus at this point in time, for Tata, is singularly to bring more appeal to its products and not be worried overly about the costs.

In addition to chrome, Piano black has been used as an insert in several places, including the surrounds for central A/C vents, between the dash and the glove box lid, and as surrounds for the steering wheel controls.  The material can also be seen in the center console – surrounding the A/C and Audio control units as well as around the solitary cup holder ahead of the shifter stick.

Gunmetal finish plastic inserts can also be seen in places. The brand new steering wheel uses the material on its spokes.  The center console has its vertical flanks draped in the gunmetal finish. Inner door handles, too, feature a similar finish.

The shifter stick has been delightfully finished in a glossy knob lined on three sides with chrome and covered in clear lacquer. The quality of the buttons is exceptional and every single button on the dashboard and door panels has a soft-to-touch feel to it.

A special mention should be made of the custom-designed-for-Tata Harman infotainment unit on this car. The 5 inch Touch Controlled central screen allows for control over a multi media interface which is both feature-rich and exceptional in terms of quality. The audio performance, for example, powered by the eight speaker (2 speakers + 2 tweeters both front and rear) is absolutely amazing for the segment. The system delivers deep bass and fantastic aural delight across its range with no distortion even at full volume. You can also very intuitively change the focus of the sound system to any occupant of the car using the system.

Playability is complete too with Aux-in, USB, Radio, SD Card and Bluetooth connectivity available. Tata Motors, however, have done away with the CD player, terming it obsolete – and we would somewhat agree. The system also comes equipped with an image viewer.

The central touchscreen panel also features satellite navigation and park assist features along with phonebook download and call-receive/reject features. What’s more, the system comes with an advanced voice recognition feature which allows you to control most functions using intuitive voice commands without having to take your hands off the wheel.

You can customize the home screen to add menus, and can also program the car to a certain extent using the touch screen. For example, you can customize the duration of the approach lamps (follow me home) and enable or disable the park assist function using the touch screen panel.

A segment first feature of the car is the touch-screen controlled fully automatic temperature control (FATC). All of this makes the Zest one of the most feature rich cars in the segment, and places it quite high as regards infotainment tech.

The Zest also comes equipped with steering mounted controls in addition to its fabulous voice controlled features. The 2.5 inch central MID peeping through the steering wheel is also very informative delivering vital information including Individual Door Opening display (first in class). The fuel computer offers useful information about efficiency including instanatneous and average efficiency and distance to dry.The system also has an outside temperatue display, a digital clock, as well as a display for the selected drive mode. The MID also comprises of two trip meters and of course an odo.

An interesting feature on the Zest is its tachometer – which doesn not have a redline. The rev needle itself turns red by upon reaching what’s traditionally termed as redline, and stays red until the rev limiter cuts in.

The Zest features big, wide and well bolstered seats up front. We like the cushioning and comofort of the seats, and they appear more premium than the seats found on most new modern compact sedans with a cost-cutting approach of integrated headrests. The Zest, on the other hands offers adjustable headrests for all four seats.

While the seats appear comfortable for short distances, we would have liked the foam density to be a bit higher to offer more support for longer durations. It’s just a first view observation, though, and we should be able to comment conclusively about the long distance comfort offered by the car only when we have it with us for a longer duration. Lumbar support, offered on the Vista, is missing though – and is a strange omission in our view.

As regards storage, Tata Motors have somehow managed to not equip the car with even a single large bottle holder. There is a cup-holder below the center console, but even that can accommodate only a small bottle. The door pads are quite small, and can barely sqeeze in a 500 ml bottle. At a time when every car manufacturere is going the extra mile to offer more bottle holders / storage spaces to its customers, this is a glaring omission.

Other storage spaces include an under seat tray for the passenger, a decent sized glove box and a rubberized wallet / cellphone storage under the handbrake. Passenger side sun shade also has a vanity mirror.

The cabin comes equipped with other useful features too. The internal RVM is suitable for day/night usage. There’s a 12V power socket below the center console, power window buttons are illuminated with an auto down function for the driver, steering is tilt adjustable and the car comes with speed sensitive door locking. There is only one set of cabin lights though with no separate lights for the back benchers. The boot is illuminated though.

Talking of the boot, the Zest comes with a 360 liter boot, which though less than the other offerings in the segment, should suffice to carry the luggage of a small family for a weekend getaway. Look inside the boot and you see two beams behind the rear seats. These bars are Tata’s patented structural design elements, and offer additional security to the passengers in case of side or rear impact in addition to providing additional torsional rigidity.

The monocoque shell of the Zest is also a step forward by Tata. While employing high-quality, imported steel for the Zest’s chassis construction, Tata Motors went a step further to ensure maximum sfatey and optimum tosional rigidity for the occupants. They also hard bakened the steel chassis to enhance its strength further. All this cost Tata Motors substantially more money than the traditional processes. However, as mentiond earlier, the focus at Tata Motors, at this point in time to improve their products and not look only at costs.

The backseat boasts the best in segment shoulder-room. Tata Motors also claim best in class head-room for the car, though we found our heads brushing with the rear widscreen – taller passengers should find this to be an issue.

The well padded and plush rear seats do offer great comfort thopugh, and the Zest can accommodate three passengers in its backseat relatively comfortably. The thigh support offered by the seats is also adequate. There is no central armrest here though, and the backseat doesn not split or tumble to provide additional storage space. Knee room is good, though not segment leading.

In terms of safety, the car comes equipped with twin airbags, ABS with EBD and something what Tata Motors prefer calling Corner Stability Control. The car also comes with an engine immobilizer for additional security.

In all, the cabin of the Zest in one feature packed and comfortable place to be. There are a few oversights, but overall, the well appointed, well equipped interior delights the occupants and holds its own against the cabins of its key rivals.

Next page for some more pictures and details of the Zest >>>