Tata Aria design and style
The Aria takes Tata’s biggest USP, cabin space, to a new dimension altogether. The new crossover is meant to accommodate seven in comfort, and it has managed to pull the feat off in style, as we would discover later. However, a problem with wrapping so much space within sheets of metal is that the resultant entity has a very little chance to look sporty or striking. The Aria too, having put function before its form, has suffered a bit in the visual department. In a bid to increase the volume within the cabin, the car has been extended towards the rear without any drop in the roof line. This makes it look heavy from the rear, to the extent that it overpowers the front from certain angles, which doesn’t usually do much good to the aesthetic appeal of a car. The Aria looks huge and heavy, especially in profile.
The front of the car, especially around the angular, elongated and trapezoidal headlamps looks chiseled and muscular. However, the slightly bulbous bonnet and a curvy grille somewhat neutralize the brawny look. We would have loved to see some angular treatment around the wheel arches and the front fender area. However, when viewed head on, the Aria presents a beefy, brawny, and intimidating face, which is a good thing, as people driving on the highways treat such fascias with utmost respect and give way immediately. That huge front grille and that massive central air dam make the front of the Aria look really imposing. Ever seen a Toyota Fortuner in your RVM? It’s that kind of stuff we’re talking about here. Although that daunting look gets far subtler once you view the car from angles other than head on.
In profile, the enormous space covered inside the Aria’s cabin makes itself even more evident. The shoulder line is marked by a pronounced crease that runs through the length of the vehicle, and has a chrome lining above it, throughout the sills of the windows to add a touch of elegance. Tata has kept the profile surface free from any complex creases or accent lines. That’s a good thing for keeping the price low, although having a couple of dynamic accent lines in that area sometimes totally transforms the visual character of the car. Somehow I feel that something more innovative would have really done the Aria’s profile a whole lot of good. The roofline stays parallel to the ground, and never drops. This makes the rear end of the car look bulky, which it actually is. To top it up there is a massive overhang after the rear wheels. This makes the Aria looks like a proper people mover – a premium one.
At the rear, the slender, vertically placed tail-lamps make the Aria look rather meek. It gives you the impression of a van, and not a muscular, burly machine with considerable off-roading creed when view directly from behind. Overall, the Aria passes off as a huge MUV with an up-market feel to it. It’s only when viewed from the front that it really looks like something that has the ability to take you off the tar, and bring you back on it with aplomb (Read SUV). In profile, and from the rear, it looks like a proper people mover. Probably Tata Motors wanted it to be that way, but with a proper 4×4 AWD on offer, we would have loved to see a design which had a bit more attitude to it.
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