Tata Motors have announced that their cars, the Zest, Bold and the upcoming Tiago have broken a whole bunch of records during their 18-day, non-stop high-speed drive termed GearedForGreat. The three cars were driven on the 4.2 km long NCAT (National Centre of Automotive Testing) high-speed test track at the Vehicle Research & Development Establishment (VRDE) in Ahmednagar.
The three cars underwent the endurance run for the #GearedForGreat Challenge and achieved multiple record-breaking distances. Each car was driven fir 50,000km with an average speed of around 120 kmph. The endurance run led to the three car models (petrol only for Bolt and Zest, and Petrol + Diesel for the Tiago) clocking 360 records in a single event – the first ever by any Indian OEM. The event was conducted under the aegis of the FMSCI.
The endurance run started from 14th March, 2016 when the cars were randomly picked from Tata Motors plant. The Bolt created a new Indian record of 3161km at an average speed of 131.7km/h. This was followed by the created of a whole bunch of new records by the four cars on the flat-out high-speed circuit with all four corners featuring steeply banked curves. Apart from short pit stops every 2 hours for driver changes, fuel fill-ups, routine checks, and cleaning of the windshield / headlamps, the 4 cars were driven non-stop, day and night.
The four cars racked up the kilometers at 130 -140 kmph. All four cars completed the 50,000 km mark in record time. The endurance run tested the powertrain, suspension, electronic components and body structure to the limit. The engines on test included the Revotron 1.2T petrol engine and the Revotorq 1.05L diesel engine on the Tiago.
Besides the endurance test, there was a fuel efficiency test that was conducted during the event, too. Another four cars of the same description as the Endurance cars were driven at a constant pace of 45-55km/h until each ran out of fuel to establish a radical fuel economy figure. The Zest and Bolt clocked-in an impressive mileage of 29.89 kmpl and 28.32 kmpl respectively. Tata Motors will announce the Tiago fuel economy test results at the car’s launch event.
All vehicles were in OE stock condition, except for safety fitments such as an emergency engine kill switch, auxiliary driving lamps and a fire extinguisher. More so, all four cars were homologated by the FMSCI as one of the pre-requisites for a record attempt run under the NCR.
Over 60 professional drivers, racers and auto experts from 22 cities from all corners of India, participated in this mega event to push these cars to their limits. The pit stops were efficiently managed by a team of engineers and technicians from Tata Motors, and ably assisted by teams from JK Tyres / JK Motorsports, and IOCL (Indian Oil Corporation Ltd). The crew worked closely with Tata Motors’ own technical team to undertake quick and efficient re-fueling and driver changes, day and night. The participating vehicles were scrutineered at the Tata Motors plant in Pune by FMSCI officials before they left for VRDE by road.
The results from the endurance run are provided below
| #GearedForGreat | |
| Distance [km] | Completion Time |
| 3,161 | 24 hours |
| 5,000 | 37hrs 58min 58.137sec |
| 10,000 | 76hrs 56min 15.136sec |
| 15,000 | 118hrs 17min 15.376sec |
| 20,000 | 158hrs 07min 5.565sec |
| 25,000 | 198hrs 5min 21.456sec |
| 30,000 | 238hrs 34min 49.235sec |
| 35,000 | 280hrs 37min 15.095sec |
| 40,000 | 322hrs 16min 14.183sec |
| 45,000 | 365hrs 20min 4.996sec |
| 50,000 | 429hrs 53min 29.400sec |
| #GearedForGreat | |
| Cars | Completion Time |
| Revotron | |
| Zest | 408hrs 50min 26.688sec |
| Tiago | 414hrs 59min 20.995sec |
| Bolt | 429hrs 53min 29.400sec |
| Revotorq | |
| Tiago | 418hrs 51min 26.801sec |
Please note that the records made at the Geared For Great endurance run were under the following categories
- Indian National Record for Indian-built sub-compact sedans with petrol engines up to 1200cc
- Indian National Record for Indian-built hatchbacks with petrol engines up to 1200cc
- Indian National Record for Indian-built mini-hatchbacks with petrol engines up to 1200cc
- Indian National Record for Indian-built mini-hatchbacks with diesel engines up to 1100cc
According to Mr. Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors, “We are thrilled to have successfully achieved the 50,000km milestone, this indubitably showcases the technology and robustness of our new cars. Our Revotron and Revotorq engines are built to endure extreme performance and deliver a new level of driving experience and we are now bringing these engines into our new upcoming car, Tiago. This Asian record run demonstrates how our engines are among the most advanced drive systems currently available in the market.”
