Tata Hexa First Drive

Just one glance at the Hexa is enough to reveal that Tata has poured their heart and soul into this one! The proportions do remind me of the Aria. However, the Hexa sports a much more chiseled and macho look. You find crisp and clear lines running seamlessly long the vehicle and the overall design boasts of how far Tata has come and the direction in which they are headed. Tata's Impact design philosophy has seen multiple inputs from teams within India and from other parts of the globe. The Hexa in its looks and proportions is very contemporary and speaks of class, finesse and power. It sports LED DRLs, Projector headlamps, ample of chrome all around, smart use of plastic cladding and just a touch of piano black finish.

When I stepped into the Hexa, I was greeted with a rather pleasant surprise! The design, quality of materials, level of finishing and refinement has just received an extreme overhaul, unlike what Tata products have so far been associated with. The cabin is feature rich and luxurious throughout its spaces. In terms of tech, the Hexa gets a 5 inch USB, AUX and bluetooth enabled and touch screen infotainment setup which also doubles up as a reverse parking camera. We felt a bigger screen could definitely have been a plus. It also gets power adjustable and retractable ORVMs, a multifunction steering wheel, voice commands, cruise control, 10 speaker JBL audio setup, multiple app suite for control various applications such as music and mood lighting via a mobile device. The Hexa also gets rain sensing wipers and automatic headlamps with a follow me home function as well.

Being a utility vehicle, the Hexa is extremely practical as well, it has ample of space for seating seven adults, it gets AC vents for all 3 seating rows and USB slots for charging mobile phones and other devices as well. The 60:40 split for the second row increases practicality. However to access the third row one has to put in a little effort as the second row seat does not get a one touch tumble option. The second row also gets a centre arm rest which also doubles up as a couple holder, the Hexa gets ample of cubby holes and storage spaces apart from a cooling box as well. The boot of the Hexa is small with only 120 litres of storage space but if you drop down the last 2 rows then you get close to 671 litres of storage space. Tata however has included a steering which is adjustable to height but not reach, buyers however get an 8-way adjustable driver seat.

At the heart of the Hexa is a 2.2 litre, 4-cylinder, turbo charged, Varicor 400 diesel mill, which is capable of putting out 153.8hp at 4000rpm and 400Nm of torque from 1700-2700rpm. When moving off from standstill the engine feels quite refined and powerful. Even when you floor the accelerator pedal it does not take too much time to get going, considering the mammoth proportions of the UV. The engine has been mated to a 6 speed manual gear box with a 6-speed auto box also on offer. The Hexa gobbles up the first two gears rather quickly and the low range torque can really push you back in your seat. On the manual, shifts are crisp and feel chunky, while on the automatic they feel seamless and smooth. The Automatic also gets a sports mode which completely redefined my impression of the Hexa. Up until I stroked the gear lever into sports mode, I presumed this to be a big burly Tata SUV. But once I floored the pedal in sports mode the Hexa just became menacingly quick.

The Hexa also gets 4 different drive modes (Auto, Comfort, Dynamic and Rough Road) which come with the manual transmission. While the Auto Mode adapts to driver inputs, the comfort mode is for cruising highways with ample of power on demand. Dynamic mode is where the real fun begins and one can really put the Hexa through its paces as the engine is much more responsive. The Rough Road mode can be used if you are going for an off road jaunt…it increases the vehicles capability immensely with all mechanisms working at optimum performance. The Hexa gets a finely tuned suspension setup which is on the stiffer side, the vehicle gobbles up bad and broken roads with ease, however one may get tossed around a bit while off roading. The braking setup on the Hexa is facilitated by four disc brakes, the brakes do lack the feel I wanted but are more than efficient and capable, be it smooth tarmac of loose surfaces, the Hexa has adequate stopping power.

In terms of safety as well, this vehicle will not disappoint! It gets ABS, EBD, 6 airbags, ESP with roll over mitigation, hill hold control and hill descent control. While navigating through tough terrain and over broken roads, even at high speeds, the Hexa just simply felt planted and gave me a great sense of confidence. The ESP kicks in just at the right time and can bring the vehicle back to a correct line in case of a fault. We estimate the Hexa to return anywhere between 11-13kmpl in city traffic, however company mileage figures would be revealed closer to the vehicle's launch in January 2017. If Tata has played it right so far, it would seem they will get the price right as well. In our opinion a base model of the Hexa should cost you between 12-13 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi) which in our opinion is a really sweet deal!