Tata Motors tasted a lot of success with the Indica, with this car being a phenomenon hit when launched.
Tata Motors tasted a lot of success with the Indica, with this car being a phenomenon hit when launched. It helped establish Tata Motors as a strong brand in the passenger car segment. While competition grew steadily, Tata Motors wasn’t fast enough to change with time. The Indica began aging and the brand image took a beating. Cut to 2014, Tata Motors upped its ante, got in new thinking, with its design center and R&D unit injecting in a sea of difference in their products. The first car model to show signs of these positive changes was the Zest, followed by the Bolt and then the GenX Nano. Now Tata Motors is getting its latest installment of fresh blood into the small car segment, the Zica. While this latest hatchback from Tata Motors is launching in a month’s time, we drove the Zica around some very enchanting roads of Goa to get you this Exclusive Road Test Review.
Development of the Zica started in 2012; it was codenamed as the ‘KITE’ during this time. The Zica is an all-new small car global platform for Tata Motors that’s developed with design inputs from the company’s design team based in Pune, UK and Italy. There also will be a sedan version later, based on this all new platform.
Tata Zica Rear Three Quarter
Tata Zica Exteriors:
On first sight the Zica does not look like any other Tata product, it appears very different in all aspects. The face gets the family `Humanity Grille` that’s seen on other newer Tata car models. This grille comes in glossy black finish with hexagonal shaped designing and a large all-new 3D-styled Tata logo on it. It gets a thin chrome lining on the lower part that defines it. The front bumper is rounded in shape and appears meaty. The air dam gets a grille with the hexagonal designing in black but in matte finish here. This air dam is divided into two halves by an angular line that runs across it horizontally. Round fog lamps housed in chrome housing look neat. The headlights get a 3-dimensional designing with smoked lens and a black bezel to go with it with swept-back designing and angular corners. The bonnet gets soft body lines on the extreme corners,giving it a lot of character. The fiber body panel that sits just above the bonnet and below the windshield also gets a neat hexagonal design styling on the left side.
Tata Zica Front Three Quarter
The side profile on the Zica is majorly highlighted by a thick waistline that runs across, starting in the middle of the front fenders and mating with the tail lamps. The wing mirrors which can be electrically adjusted, are large and in body-colored housing. The Zica gets grab-type door handles that come in body color. The glass area is large and the windows come with the blacked out pillars and frames. There is a neat, soft bodyline that extends out just behind the quarter glass blank on the door frame. The roofline slopes down towards the boot lid section while the wheel arches get a flat design stamping on them. The roof also houses a centrally mounted radio antenna.
Tata Zica Side
Coming to the rear section of the Zica, this is the prettiest part of the car to view. You have a nice and deep extended rear spoiler here that gets glossy black diffusers on both corners, adding to the cosmetic and aerodynamic value of the rear section. You also get a stop lamp that’s placed on this spoiler. The boot lid is wide and the rear windshield is large. You also get a rear wash wipe and defogger. The rounded tail lamps look prominent and are sharp in design. The rear bumper, like the front one, is meaty and rounded in design and gets an unpainted black section on the lower part. The Tata Zica comes with Goodyear Assurance 175/65 R14 tubeless tyres mounted on ten-spoked silver alloy wheels.
Tata Zica Rear
Overall the Tata Zica on the outside shines in terms of finish and the design looks catchy. Yes, it does remind you of the New Ford Figo and you catch a glimpse of the Hyundai Grand i10 and i20 to some extent. But nevertheless, Tata Motors must be complimented for moving up in terms of design language and overall appeal that’s seen on the Zica. The car looks very different from what we have seen by Tata motors.
Tata Zica Alloy Wheel
Tata Zica Interiors:
Like on the outside, the interiors on the Zica are also something which haven’t yet been seen on any Tata Motors cars so far. Step inside, and it’s hard to believe that you are seated in a Tata product. The dashboard is made up of two-colored and finished material that looks and feel of top most quality. The top part of the dashboard gets a black color theme while the lower section is in grey color finish. Adding to the styling are special orange color glossy inserts that are placed around the side AC vents. You can either opt for these orange inserts or glossy, black-colored ones. The instrument cluster is a dual, round-dial design affair with the digits laid out in white, complemented with white needles that turn red (on the rpm meter) when you rev the engine to the red line. You get a neat-looking multi-function display unit placed between the RPM and the speedo cluster. The MFD unit reads out the Distance to empty (DTE), trip readings, odometer reading, instant and average fuel economy readings etc.
The Zica gets its steering wheel that is identical to the one on the Zest. This is a three-spoke design with silver metal inserts along with glossy black finish panels. It comes with the multi-function command buttons placed on it. This steering feels chunky to grip and like the AC vent option, you can replace the silver metal insert with the orange colored one. It can be manually adjusted for height. The center dash is placed inside a hexagonal shaped glossy black housing (which also can be replaced by an orange-colored insert housing). You get the AC vents on the top with neat-looking chrome surround lines making them look appealing.
Tata Zica Interior Dashboard
The infotainment system is an advanced unit from HARMAN. This is a FM/AM MP3 unit that also has mobile connectivity and can stream music wirelessly. You have a special Juke App on this unit that allows you to connect upto 10 smart phones to it and then make one smart phone as the hub while streaming music from all 10 via a playlist. Tata Motors has also tied up with MapMyIndia to offer an unique GPS system on this unit in the Zica. You just need to install MapMyIndia App on your phone once and download the maps on to it. The system will navigate the maps without using any GPRS or data from your cell phone. You get graphical and voice-assisted guide while using the GPS on the Zica. This feature is currently only available for Android Smartphones , with Tata Motors promising us that compatibility with other mobile operating systems namely iOS and Windows will be included soon.
Tata Zica Interior Centre Console
The Harman ConnectNext Infotainment system comes with a total of eight speakers (4 front and 4 rear door-mounted). The audio quality is amazing and unheard of in this segment. The Zica comes with a single zone manual aircon unit that’s controlled using the round rotary knobs. The air flow through this 4-speed unit is very powerful even when set on one. Below this you have the USB and AUX connectivity ports and a good amount of storage space. The gear shifter here again is the same as that on the Zest. You can also replace the silver finish insert that’s around this shifter to the orange one as an option. The space between the front seats too, has good storage space complimented by the hand brake that’s placed a bit towards the driver’s side resulting in freeing up space that has been utilized for storage bins and can holders. The Zica has a large glovebox that is cooled and has an overall capacity to fit a full-sized tablet or a 13 inch laptop inside it.
Tata Zica Interior Front Seat
The seats come with an all-black fabric upholstery. The drivers seat gets manual height adjust that’s currently become a must for cars in this segment. The front seats are wide and comfortable, offering a good amount of support when seated. The rear seats get integrated head rests on them. Seating on the rear is comfortable for two adults, with a slim third adult slipping in. Leg room and head room is decent while head room is generous at the rear. The seating posture on the rear seat is at a good angle and comfort level is also well-suited for long journeys. Also, because the rear of the front seats is scooped out, there is more knee room available for the rear passengers. The rear seat does not split-fold in 40-60 split though. The door pads come with bottle holders in the front and at the back. The front door handle has a glossy black insert; this can also be replaced to the orange one as an option.
Tata Zica Interior Rear Seat
The interiors on the Zica are 2-3 levels up in terms of quality, equipment level and fit-finish as compared to older Tata Motors cars. We loved the Harman infotainment system and its sound quality. There is lot of space available inside for a car of this size and segment. Also loved the dashboard styling and materials used on it.
Tata Zica Interior AC Vent
Tata Zica Dimensions:
The Tata Zica has an overall length of 3746mm and is 1647mm wide. The height of this car is 1535mm, while the wheelbase stands at 2400mm. Ground clearance is 170mm and the overall weight is 1012Kgs (petrol) and 1080Kgs (diesel). The Zica has a boot space capacity of 242 liters.
Tata Zica Boot
Tata Zica Engine, Transmission and Drive:
The Zica is not only an all new platform for future car models for Tata Motors, but also a new engine platform for it. It gets two engine options, 1.2-litre Petrol and 1.05-litre Diesel engine. The Petrol engine known as ‘REVOTRON’ is a 1199cc 3-cylinder MPFI engine pushing out 85PS of power at 6,000RPM and 114Nm of torque at 3,500RPM. This engine is mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. The Diesel engine is called the ‘REVOTORQ’ and is a 1047cc 3-cylinder CRDI unit. This engine belts out 70PS of power at 4,000RPM and generates 140Nm of peak torque between 1,800 and 3,000RPM. This engine is also mated with a 5-speed manual transmission.
Tata Zica Revotron Engine Bay
We drove both, the Petrol and the Diesel Zicas. The Petrol engine is silent for a 3-pot unit. At idle, there is not much evidence of any uncanny vibration, the engine noise is heard within limits. Rev the engine, and it redlines at around 6,000RPM, that’s when the RPM meter needle turns from white to red indicating the redline zone. The gear shifts are smooth and precise. Power builds up gradually, and once on the move it is impossible to make out that under the hood is a puny 3-cylinder engine. A lot of engineering has changed on this latest Tata product and the Zica feels nicely-balanced and spread out. We loved its all-day cruising character on the highways. The suspension setup is tuned well for the Indian conditions and the Zica petrol sailed over the bad road patches with good confidence and ability. The braking on the Zica is further enhanced with ABS and CSC (Corner Stability Control).
Tata Zica Revotorq Engine Bay
Over to the Diesel hearted Zica now. The 3-cylinder 1.05-litre oil-burning engine may seem tiny on the specs sheet but in reality it’s a very good engine. Initial turbo lag is evident but once you shift to the 2nd gear, the scenario changes. Abundance of power and torque are its highlight. The Diesel Zica is more fun to drive as there is somewhat more feedback from the steering too and the power delivery is also faster. The Zica Diesel with its well-balanced drive is fun to drive on the highways and in city conditions too. We liked the precise gear shifts and the well sorted-out gear ratios on this one. The mid range power is very evident and that aids while overtaking maneuvers, when needed. The handling of the diesel Zica is excellent and the vehicle feels very stable at high speeds. The Diesel Zica gives an excellent performance and feels very spirited at all speeds.
Tata Zica Interior Gear Lever
Tata Zica Verdict:
Tata Motors with the Zica has moved up, not one, but 2-3 steps in terms of quality and fit-finish. We have not seen or experienced such a fine product from the Tata stable so far. The Zica looks good and trendy, it’s got all the needed ingredients to make it a blockbuster product in its segment and make Tata Motors proud. The Zica will be positioned between the Tata Nano and the Tata Bolt segment and will be launching very soon. Also commendable is that even the base variant of the Zica will come with front two airbags and ABS as standard. The Zica is an excellent choice to go for, if you are looking for a small car loaded with features and peppy to drive. We expect it to be priced at around Rs. 3.50 lakh for the base petrol variant.It looks like Tata Motors has busy days ahead, as the Zica has everything going for it! The only thing needed is a good competitive price tag.
Tata Zica Photo Gallery:
Tata Zica Boot Tata Zica Alloy Wheel Tata Zica Taillight Tata Zica Taillight Tata Zica Taillight
Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Side
Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Side Tata Zica Revotron Fuel Filler
Tata Zica Revotorq Fuel Filler Tata Zica Revotron Badge Tata Zica Revotron Badge Tata Zica Revotron Engine Bay Tata Zica Revotron Engine Bay
Tata Zica Revotorq Fuel Filler Tata Zica Revotorq Engine Bay Tata Zica Revotorq Engine Bay Tata Zica Revotorq Engine Bay Tata Zica Revotorq Badge
Tata Zica Rear Three Quarter Tata Zica Rear Three Quarter Tata Zica Rear Three Quarter Tata Zica Rear Three Quarter Tata Zica Revotorq Badge
Tata Zica ORVM Tata Zica Rear Tata Zica Rear Spoiler Tata Zica Rear Spoiler Tata Zica Rear Three Quarter
Tata Zica Key Tata Zica Interior Tweeter Tata Zica Interior Steering Wheel Tata Zica Interior Steering Wheel Tata Zica Interior Steering Wheel
Tata Zica Interior Infotainment System Tata Zica Interior Instrument Cluster Tata Zica Interior Pedal Cluster Tata Zica Interior Rear Seat Tata Zica Interior Rear Seat
Tata Zica Interior Gear Lever Tata Zica Interior Glovebox Tata Zica Interior Glovebox
Tata Zica Interior Front Seat Tata Zica Interior Front Seat Tata Zica Interior Front Seat
Tata Zica Interior Dashboard Tata Zica Interior Dashboard Tata Zica Interior Dashboard Tata Zica Interior Dashboard Tata Zica Interior Dashboard HVAC
Tata Zica Interior AC Vent Tata Zica Interior AC Vent Tata Zica Interior AC Vent Tata Zica Interior AC Vent Tata Zica Interior AC Vent
Tata Zica Interior Dashboard Tata Zica Interior Centre Console Tata Zica Headlight
Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Headlight Tata Zica Headlight
Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter
Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter
Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Three Quarter Tata Zica Front Grille
Tata Zica Door Handle Tata Zica Front Tata Zica Front Grille Tata Zica Front Grille
Tata Zica Boot
Pics – Ritesh Madhok
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