The Tata Aria was the first model to popularize the use of the word crossover.
The Tata Aria was the first model to popularize the use of the word crossover. Tata promoted this vehicle extensively and went all out to get itself a great global image. They even carried out an online contest where if you answered some 30 odd questions right you stood a chance to drive home in an Aria. However, despite all this the crossover’s ambitious pricing didn’t bode well with the Tata badge and the sales never managed to pick up. In a bid to revive this name, Tata has just launched the 2014 Tata Aria.
Tata Aria front
Priced at Rs 9.95 lakh the all new Aria gets side body decals, dual barrel headlights with projector lights, clear lens for the tail light clusters and a black bezel for the headlamp cluster (available only on the top-end model which is priced at Rs 14.74 lakh). Under the hood of the Aria is the same 2.2-litre diesel power plant, but it has been re-tuned for improved performance. The engine now produces 150 ps/148 hp of power (10 more than the outgoing model) at 4000 rpm, while the peak torque of 320 Nm kicks in at a lowly 1500-3000 rpm.
The new Aria has 3 variants
An integral part of the Aria is the fact that Tata offers features and niceties by the bucket-load. In the base Pure LX 4×2 (Price Rs 9.95 lakh ex-Delhi), the Aria comes equipped with features like anti-lock brakes (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD). The mid range, Pleasure 4×2 (Price Rs 12 Lakh Ex-Delhi) comes with steering mounted controls, rear wash wipe, rear defogger, reverse parking sensors and front airbags additionally. The range topping Prestige 4×4 (Price Rs 14.74 lakh Ex-Delhi) gets black and plum leather upholstery, sat-nav, reverse camera, 360 watt Harman infotainment system with Blue 5 Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, climate control, electric folding ORVMs, side and curtain airbags Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and traction control along with the features of the mid range variant.
Tata Aria profile
In terms of pricing the Aria is at a good stand-point and is close to the Innova, but even with more features on tap, beating the Innova is difficult. With the rising popularity of crossovers, the Aria can no longer target just the Innova. The car by itself is quite a wholesome package, but the Tata badge and the fact that it has been called a “Bloated Indica” always ruins the reputation of an otherwise great vehicle.
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