Tata’s new flagship 7-seater Hexa ticks all the right boxes

Looks

One of the major reasons why the Tiago is doing so well is because of the way it looks. The Hexa also follows the same design philosophy (Tata calls it “impact design”). Enough has been done to the Hexa so as to ensure that it doesn’t really remind one of the car it replaces, the Aria. So in spite of somewhat similar dimensions and wheelbase, it is the design cues that create magic making the Hexa a much more acceptable car. Presence of body cladding and skid plates all around the car ensure bold SUV characteristics’, the D-pillar window line with the shark fin design and the humongous 19 inch wheels that speak a lot even when stationary are some of the attributes that make the Hexa what it is. It makes the distinction between the MPV and a full blown SUV very evident and comfortably sits in the latter bracket.

Interior

The impressive design story continues here as well and what is really appreciable is that there’s hardly any compromise with the quality. The largely all black theme makes the car look and feel more premium and hints of silver, chrome and piano black just make it more vibrant. The small size of the 5 inch touch screen for this big a car may be a dampener, but it gives loads of options. The “connectnext” system can be accessed through the mobile phone and dedicated apps for service, offline navigation as well  as a digital vehicle manual make the Hexa a new age vehicle. However some features could’ve found their way at least in the top variants of the Hexa. These include a start/stop button as well as electronically controlled driver seats. But even manually they can still be adjusted in 8 different ways. The 10-speaker JBL audio system is a great addition to the entertainment system jointly developed with a reliable name like Harman. There are 6 or 7 seat options in the Hexa and both the second and third rows get individual AC vents and cup holders. They can also be folded down to create a huge luggage space which otherwise is just about 128 litres.

 The Hexa was first shown in India at the Auto expo earlier this year and since then many have been waiting for the Hexa, some for its practicality, some for its performance and some for its off road capabilities. 

Engine

The tech city of Hyderabad was the place chosen by Tata to showcase their technological advancements through the Hexa and it is indeed a long list, right from engine to gearbox as well as driving modes. It runs on a 2.2 liter Varicor 400 Diesel motor that gives a maximum power of of 150 PS. This engine now feels more refined that it used to in some other cars like the Safari Storme. Tata also says that it has worked on the NVH levels and this drive was a testimony to that. The engine is mated to both manual and automatic gearboxes and while the manual gearshift has some scope of improvement the performance of the auto gearbox is right up there. Clearly they become one of the few automakers who have got it bang on right from the word go when it comes to automatics.

Ride & Handling

The 4×4 manual variant of the Hexa comes with 4 driving modes namely — Auto, Comfort, Dynamic and Rough road. Each mode has different engine, ESP and Traction control settings. Especially the rough road mode comes in very handy while taking on the uneven roads. The ride quality is impeccable and despite being a SUV, the Hexa holds on well when it comes to Handling. Even the auto variant has something called as Auto sense and race car modes where the rpm needle doesn’t fall below a particular mark therefore ensuring a good experience for the performance enthusiast.

Verdict

The one big miss we think initially is that all wheel drive system is available only with the manual gearbox option. We were impressed with the off-roading capabilities of the Hexa and attributes like hill climb assist, hill descent control and 200 mm of ground clearance amongst many other things.  Wouldn’t it be great going off-roading in tough situations without having to worry about the clutch. But having said that Tata has surely given us a car worth waiting for and surely deserves the tag of being the company’s flagship. The launch of the Hexa is just over a month away so we know that the wait isn’t going to be very long. A lot depends on the price and if it undercuts the Mahindra XUV 500 and the Toyota Innova it won’t do the Hexa any harm. 

Shams Naqvi  is an anchor/producer  for the News X motor show Living  Cars