The CarToq team test drove a royal burgundy Tata Indigo e-CS VX variant, powered by a much improved 1.4-litre common-rail diesel engine. Here’s our review of the car.

Looks, fit and finish

Exterior

The looks of the Tata Indica / Indigo range have become a really familiar sight of the Indian landscape thanks to the large numbers being sold to both private and commercial buyers. The Indigo eCS VX variant gets a few more styling details, such as the use of chrome strips on the grille, twin-barrel headlamps, integrated turn signals in the outside rear-view mirrors, chrome inserts on the rub strips along the side and the VX /ABS badge on the rear.

The notch-like boot on the Indigo e-CS though blends in better with the overall design than the new Swift Dzire. The Indigo e-CS measures 3998 mm in length, just 2 mm short of 4 metres to take advantage of the excise benefits doled out to small cars. It does have a fairly large boot, which can hold up to 380 litres of luggage.

Interior

The car has been given a refreshed interior with the use of beige upholstery and fake wood paneling along the centre console and door trims. Fit and finish, however, has plenty of room for improvement. Loose plastic bits can be found in many areas. Our test car had a gear lever rubber boot that kept coming off and missing plastic panels near the outside rearview mirrors. The edges of the door pads feel poorly finished and have a rough cut, while the dashboard has large panel gaps. This is an area where Tata really needs to improve the car further.

Comfort and features

The Indigo e-CS VX is fairly loaded with features, especially at its price point of Rs. 5.6 lakh ex-showroom Delhi. It’s got everything you can possibly want in a comfortable sedan and then some. Powered electric mirrors, power steering, power windows, remote central locking, integrated stereo system with Bluetooth phone control, tachometer and manual HVAC are part of the standard feature list on the VX variant. It has an ABS-assisted braking system and warning buzzers for the seat belt that tops off the safety features list, but no airbags.

In terms of driving position, the high-mounted steering wheel is not that ergonomic, but fairly comfortable once you get used to it. But seating comfort is probably best in class. It has decent levels of headroom and legroom and you get a feeling of space inside the car. The rear seat has a drop down armrest that adds to the comfort factor. The boot can hold a fair amount of luggage, and the rear seat can be flipped down to increase luggage space if you need it.

Performance and handling

Now, outright performance that can please an enthusiast is not something you expect from an Indigo e-CS. The car is powered by a 1,396 cc, common-rail diesel engine, that puts out 69 bhp of power at 4,000 rpm and 140 Nm of torque @ 1,800-3,000 rpm mated to a 5-speed manual transmission. We were pleasantly surprised at the improved refinement levels and easy drivability of this engine in the Indigo e-CS.

The gear ratios are well-matched to the car and it pulls effectively in the lower gears, allowing you to easily drive through city traffic. However, the gear shifts feel a bit rubbery. The car can also creep forward in bumper-to-bumper traffic thanks to the “auto-drive assist” function found in most common-rail engines that prevent them from stalling by adjusting idle rpm according to the driving conditions. The car’s compact dimensions also helped in easily darting in and out of city traffic.

Engine noise is sufficiently damped, though you do hear the drone of the diesel engine as the rpms rise. Thankfully it’s not that intrusive. The steering feel is average. The car has a fairly comfortable and slightly soft suspension, which is great for passenger comfort. Handling is decent enough as long as you aren’t driving the car in a tearing hurry.

Mileage

The biggest improvement Tata claims with the CR4 common-rail engine in the Indigo e-CS is the mileage. The car can do a claimed 25 kmpl on diesel, which makes it a very frugal car, probably the best in this segment. We didn’t have the car long enough for a significant mileage test, but in the 140 kilometers that we drove the car, the fuel gauge barely moved.

What we think

The Tata Indigo e-CS VX is a comfortable and practical car if you want a sedan on a tight budget. Compared to the Mahindra Verito, Swift Dzire and Toyota Etios, this car is the most affordable of the lot when you consider the features you get. However, in terms of quality and refinement, the car still has significant ground to cover.

The new offer includes an exchange bonus of Rs. 25,000* for cars and Rs. 20,000* on motorcycles, in addition to the resale value of the exchanged vehicle. The exchange bonus offer is valid only till 29^th February, 2012.

For buyers who don’t exchange any vehicle for purchasing the new Nano, there is still a cash discount of Rs. 10,000 offered across all the three variants of the Nano. The Nano STD is priced at Rs. 1.40 lakh; the Nano CX costs Rs. 1.70 lakh while the Nano LX is priced at Rs. 1.96 lakh. All prices are ex-showroom, Delhi.

Down payment and EMI

The Nano also comes with a low down payment of Rs. 15,000 for the base variant, Rs. 22,000 for the Nano CX and Rs. 24,000 for the top-end Nano LX variant. However, the buyer has to pay a processing fee of Rs. 3,000 in addition to the down payment. The down payment offer too is valid only till 29^th February, 2012.

The EMI for the Nano standard is Rs. 3,500 for a loan period of five years. Similarly, for the Nano CX, the EMI is Rs. 4,200 and for the Nano LX, the EMI is Rs. 4,777.

Summary

The Nano is a smart choice for first car buyers who are on a tight budget but also wanting high mileage and low maintenance costs. Watch our 2012 Tata Nano video review

The sales of the Nano has increased in the last couple of months and averaged close to 7,500 units a month. In December, the sales stood at 7,466 units and in January the sales were at 7,723 units. To keep the sales momentum, Tata Motors is banking on offers such as exchange bonus, cash discount and low down payment.

*Prices mentioned are ex-showroom Delhi

The hike ranges between Rs. 7,000 and Rs. 12,000 across all models, variants and will be applicable to models such as the Indica eV2, Indigo CS, Vista, Manza, Sumo Gold, Grande and Safari. The price hike has been effective with effect from February 10^th, 2012.

“The high input costs have been impacting us for quite some time. We have decided to pass on some burden to our customers. The quantum of the hike will vary between Rs 7,000 and Rs 12,000 depending on the model,” Tata spokesperson was quoted as saying by a news agency.

CarToq spoke to a Chennai based Tata dealer who confirmed that the price hike was implemented last Friday. The dealer quickly added that a major price hike is expected in March which will make the price of cars go up by roughly Rs. 80,000 particularly for the diesel models.

Many car makers have hiked the prices of their models in January. Maruti Suzuki and General Motors (GM) India had hiked prices of their cars last month. Maruti Suzuki hiked the prices by 0.3 percent to 3.4 percent across all its models except for the Dzire.  Read more: Maruti Suzaki hikes prices across all models!

GM India hiked the prices by 0.5 percent to 1.75 percent for its models including Spark, Beat and Cruze while models such as Aveo, Aveo U-VA, Optra and Captiva prices were not hiked. Mahindra too, increased the prices of its cars such as Verito, Scorpio, Xylo, XUV500 and Bolero by up to three percent. Read more: Mahindra to increase prices of all cars by 2-3% in January 2012!

The auto industry is already witnessing a slight slump in car sales and such price hikes may further affect the sales. Besides, there is also a possibility of a tax hike on diesel cars post the Union Budget 2012.

Mahindra has also introduced a new 5-speed manual gearbox and tweaked the suspension. The new Xylo is packed with features such as voice command technology and cruise control. The price has been increased by roughly Rs. 15,000 when compared to the outgoing model. The face lifted Xylo is offered in the price range of Rs. 7.37 lakh – Rs. 10.25 lakh. Here, we take a look at the features and gadgets offered in the E9, top-end variant of the new Xylo.

Stylish front: The new Xylo gets redesigned front grille with blacked out vertical sliats. The detailed clearlens headlamps and fog lamps are attractive. It also has refreshed front and rear bumper, refreshed headlamps and taillamps, new wheel arches with plastic rims, rear spoiler and new footsteps.

Voice command: The voice command feature allows the driver to instruct the vehicle to perform functions like headlamp on/off, door lock/unlock, front and rear wiper on/off and indicator lights on/off.

Cruise control: The Xylo E9 has steering mounted controls on both sides. The left spoke of the steering wheel has phone controls while the right spoke has cruise control. The cruise control comes handy during highway drives.

Park assist: The inside rear view mirror also acts as reverse parking assist systems. With the help of reverse parking sensors, the driver can know the distance between the car and the obstacles at the rear.

Music System: The E9 gets 2-DIN music system that can play CD, MP3 and FM/AM radio. Aux-in port is also available. The orange lit switches are well laid out for easy use.

Multi-information Display: The Xylo E9 gets Digital Drive Assist system that offers information like outside & inside temperature, fuel consumption and has the digital clock too.

Airbags and ABS: The E9 variant gets dual SRS airbags at the front. The ABS with EBD is an added safety feature which improves the handling of the vehicle.

Refreshed interiors: The new Xylo comes with attractive two-tone dashboard and stylish new door trims. The genuine leather upholstery and glossy wood finsh on the central console gives an upmarket feel.

Comfort features: Individual AC vents helps in quick cooling of the spacious cabin. The folodable snack trays and convenient storage spaces will be quite useful during long journeys. Apart from the mobile charging point on the console, there is a second chargning point for middle row passengers.

Other features: The Xylo gets new 5-speed gearbox (5-MT 320) and the leather wrapped gear knob looks upmarket and plush.