CarToq Scoop – Tata Zest Alloy Wheels and 333 maintenance plans omitted

Tata Motors Limited launched the Zest compact sedan in August 2014 amid much fanfare and critically, with very sharp pricing. As is its wont, Tata Motors stunned the car market by unleashing the Zest compact sedan at a starting price of 4.66 lakh rupees, ex-showroom Delhi.

At this price, the Zest also packed in alloy wheels, the 333 annual maintenance plan and body coloured wing mirrors and door handles. In a cinch, Tata Motors rewrote the rules on what a base variant of a budget car brings to the table. The Zest is now the automaker’s best seller and time has now come to rollback the introductory offers.

Tata Zest in CarToq’s Video Review

CarToq’s sources maintain that the alloy wheels are no longer standard on the Zest. Only the top end variants of the car get alloy wheels as standard kit from the January 1st, 2015. Also, Tata Motors has withdrawn the 333 Confidence Maintenance Plan which entails a 3 year/45,000 kilometers free maintenance, 24X7 Roadside Assistance for 3 years and a 100,000 Kms warranty coverage for 3 years. These plans are no longer free and the Zest buyer will have to fork out additional sums of money for them. The rollback in excise duty cuts means that the price of the Zest could also see an increase shortly.

Tata Zest Compact Sedan in CarToq’s First Drive Review

The Zest is sold with two turbocharged engine options, a 1.2 liter-4 cylinder REVOTRON petrol unit and a 1.3 liter-4 cylinder Fiat Multijet turbo diesel unit. The diesel engine is available in 74 Bhp-190 Nm and 89 Bhp-200 Nm states of tune while the petrol motor is sold in an 87 Bhp-140 Nm state of tune.

Both engines use 5 speed manual transmissions as standard fare with the diesel motor also being offered with a 5 speed automated manual transmission option. The Zest is the only car in its segment to offer diesel-automatic and turbocharged petrol engine options. The Zest’s hatchback variant, the Bolt, will be launched in India on the 22nd January, 2015.