The Tata Zest is the newest compact sedan offering from the homegrown car maker. It will compete against more established rivals like the Maruti Dzire, the Hyundai Xcent and the Honda Amaze. Tata has immense expectations from this car to turn its fortunes around. We compare it against the other pigeons in the market it will compete with.
Lets begin with the Dimensions and Weight:
Length of all the cars is surprisingly identical, only the Honda Amaze is slightly more compact at 3990 mm. The Tata Zest is the widest car amongst the four and also the tallest. The Zest again has the longest wheelbase, while the Maruti Dzire will handle rough patches a little better with its 170 mm ground clearance, 5 mm more than the others. The Hyundai Xcent is the lightest car here, while the Tata Zest weighs the most at 1170 kgs. The Xcent comes out on top again, providing the largest bootspace, while the Zest has the biggest fuel-tank and will carry that luggage for a longer distance, before it stops for refueling.
All the cars are more or less similar on most parameters. However, it is the Hyundai Xcent which scores high on bootspace and weighs the least, which should help in increased economy figures.
| Criteria | Tata Zest | Maruti Dzire | Hyundai Xcent | Honda Amaze |
| Length (mm) | 3995 | 3995 | 3995 | 3990 |
| Width (mm) | 1706 | 1695 | 1660 | 1680 |
| Height (mm) | 1570 | 1555 | 1520 | 1505 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 2470 | 2430 | 2425 | 2405 |
| Ground Clearance (mm) | 165 | 170 | 165 | 165 |
| Kerb Weight (kg) | 1170 | 1080 | 950 | 1075 |
| Bootspace (litres) | 360 | 320 | 407 | 400 |
| Fuel tank capacity | 44 | 42 | 43 | 35 |
Engine, Transmission & Efficiency:
All the cars here are available in both Diesel and Petrol engine options. We stack the more popular Diesel option first. The Honda Amaze hides a bigger 1.5-litre unit under the bonnet. The Zest and the Dzire share the same Fiat sourced Multijet engine, whereas the Hyundai Xcent has the smallest unit on paper and where all the others are 4-cylinder units, the Korean manufacturer has plonked in a 3-cylinder unit. The Tata Zest and the Honda Amaze boast of identical class leading torque figures, whereas the Honda takes lead in the bhp battle. The Amaze tops the Arai rated efficiency war and boasts of a figure of 25.8 kpl, but out there in the real world, it is how you drive, combined with a lot of other factors which decides the actual mileage. Almost all the modern diesel engines fitted in these cars are known to return excellent efficiency figures. All cars here are Front wheel driven and feature a 5-speed gearbox.
Here is the Twitter update about out post on Hyundai Elite i20 versus the rivals
We put recently launched Hyundai Elite i20 against its rivals in the hatchback segment.https://t.co/xjrkaB0bYf pic.twitter.com/iTpa0V3nsm
— Motoroids (@Motoroids_India) August 18, 2014
The Zest and the Dzire share a common power source, but the Zest manages to extract 10 Nm of additional torque at 250 lesser revs. The engine on the Amaze is the the one that shines here though. The unit scores high on driveability and economy and offers class leading power and torque figures.
| Criteria | Tata Zest | Maruti Dzire | Hyundai Xcent | Honda Amaze |
| Displacement (cc) | 1248 | 1248 | 1120 | 1498 |
| Fuel Type | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel | Diesel |
| Cylinders | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Max Torque (Nm@rpm) | 200 @ 1750 | 190 @ 2000 | 180 @ 1750 | 200 @ 1750 |
| Bhp figures | 89 | 74 | 71 | 98 |
| Fuel Efficiency (Arai rating) | 23 | 23.4 | 24.4 | 25.8 |
Petrol Versions:
The petrol engines on the Tata Zest is a turbo charged unit, while the rest of the three make do with Variable Valve timing technology. Displacement wise, they are all 1.2 litre, 4-cylinder units. Thanks to the Honeywell sourced turbocharger, the Zest makes the most amount of torque here at 140 Nm, which kicks in at a surprisingly low 1750 rpm. The rest of the cars here develop peak torque at the 4000 rpm mark, while the Honda Amaze takes another 500 revs to develop its 109 Nm of peak torque. The Revotron engine in the Zest is the king of bhp here, it develops 89 horses from the little 1.2-litre unit. On paper the Hyundai Xcent delivers the best mileage. However, none of the cars here feature selectable driving modes like the Tata Zest.
It will be difficult to pick a winner here, but the turbocharged Tata Zest with selectable driving modes is our pick from the lot.
| Criteria | Tata Zest | Maruti Dzire | Hyundai Xcent | Honda Amaze |
| Displacement (cc) | 1193 | 1197 | 1197 | 1198 |
| Fuel Type | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol | Petrol |
| Cylinders | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Max Torque (Nm@rpm) | 140 @ 1750 | 114 @ 4000 | 114 @ 4000 | 109 @ 4500 |
| Bhp figures | 89 | 85 | 81 | 86 |
| Fuel Efficiency (Arai rating) | 17.6 | 19.1 | 19.2 | 18 |
Features:
As base variants are known the skip on features, even the essential ones. We stack the Tata Zest’s top end, XT variant against Maruti Dzire Zdi, the Hyundai Xcent SX 1.1 CRDi and the Honda Amaze 1.5 Vx, i-DTEC.
| Features | Tata ZestXT | Maruti Dzire ZDi | Hyundai Xcent SX 1.1 CRDi | Honda Amaze 1.5 VX i-DTEC |
| Airbags | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) | 2 (Driver & Co-Driver) |
| Anti-Lock Braking System | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic Brake-force Distribution | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| ESP | No | No | No | No |
| Engine immobilizer | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Central Locking | Remote | Remote | Yes | Yes |
| Air Conditioner | Automatic Climate Control | Automatic Climate Control | Automatic Climate Control | Manual |
| Rear AC | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Power Steering | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Steering Adjustment | Tilt | Tilt | Tilt | Tilt |
| Stop/Start button | No | No | Yes | No |
| Rear Parking Sensors | Yes | No | With Camera | No |
| Vanity Mirrors on Sun Visors | Co-Driver Only | Co-Driver Only | Co-Driver Only | Driver & Co-Driver |
| 12V Power Outlets | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Height Adjustable driver seat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rear Armrest | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Leather-wrapped Steering Wheel | No | No | Yes | No |
| Front Seat Pockets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cup Holders | Front Only | Front Only | Front & Rear | Front & Rear |
| Power Windows | Front & Rear | Front & Rear | Front & Rear | Front & Rear |
| Rear Defogger | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Door Pockets | Front & Rear | Front & Rear | Front & Rear | Front & Rear |
| Boot-lid Opener | Internal | Internal with Remote | Internal with Remote | Internal |
| Adjustable ORVM | Electrically Adjustable | Electrically Adjustable | Electrically Adjustable & Retractable | Electrically Adjustable |
| Turn Indicators on ORVM | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Headlamps | Projector | Conventional | Conventional | Conventional |
| DRL’s | Yes | No | No | No |
| Fog Lamps | Front & Rear | Front & Rear | Front | Front |
| LED tail lamps | Yes | No | No | No |
| Headlight Height Adjuster | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Distance to Empty | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Average Fuel Consumption | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Average Speed | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Seat Belt Warning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Low Fuel Level Warning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Door Ajar Warning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Music Player Size | 2 Din | 2 Din | 2 Din | 2 Din |
| Integrated (in-dash) Music System | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Touch-screen Display | Yes | No | No | No |
| CD Player | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth Compatibility | Phone & Audio Streaming | No | Phone & Audio Streaming | No |
| iPod Compatibility | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| USB Compatibility | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Aux Compatibility | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Speakers | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 |
| Alloy Wheels | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Warranty Years/kms | 3 / 100,000 | 2 / 40,000 | 2 / Unlimited | 2 / 40,000 |
Although the Xcent comes close, the Zest has been packed with features to the brim. Tata has ensured use of good quality materials and the fresh cabin design makes the Zest a winner in terms of features.
Prices:
All prices are Ex-showroom, Delhi.
| Models | Petrol Variant Prices | Diesel Variant Prices |
| Tata Zest | Rs. 4.64 Lakh – Rs. 5.99 Lakh | Rs. 5.64 Lakh – Rs. 6.99 Lakh |
| Maruti Swift Dzire | Rs. 4.85 Lakh – Rs. 6.30 Lakh | Rs. 5.78 Lakh – Rs. 7.32 Lakh |
| Hyundai Xcent | Rs. 4.66 Lakh – Rs. 7.19 Lakh | Rs. 5.57 Lakh – Rs. 7.39 Lakh |
| Honda Amaze | Rs. 4.99 Lakh – Rs. 7.55 Lakh | Rs. 5.97 Lakh – 7.49 Lakh |
In addition to the manual versions available on all cars, except the Tata Zest, all the other cars are available with an automatic gearbox on the petrol variants. The Tata Zest is the only car to offer an auto option on one if its diesel variants.
Prices for automatic variants:
| Models | Petrol with Automatic transmission | Diesel with Automatic transmission |
| Tata Zest | Rs. 6.99 Lakh | |
| Maruti Swift Dzire | Rs. 6.33 Lakh | |
| Hyundai Xcent | Rs. 6.28 Lakh – Rs. 7.23 Lakh | |
| Honda Amaze | Rs. 6.70 Lakh – Rs. 7.55 Lakh |
To sum it up, all the products here have their individual strengths and weaknesses. So it depends on which one suits your pockets, your requirements and which one appeals the most. One man’s pastry could be diabetes for another. So if you are in the market for a mid-size compact sedan, go out there, take a test drive and decide which car tugs your heart the most.