Auto Expo 2016: Tata Kite 5 compact sedan unveiled

Tata Kite 5 Front

Alongside Tata Zica hatchback its sedan sibling ‘Kite 5’ (Sway) also broke cover during the 2016 India auto expo in Greater Noida. The compact sedan will sit below Zest and will replace the ageing and country’s first compact sedan Indigo eCS. It is expected to be aggressively priced and will offer great value for money. Tata Motors also showcased 20 more products at an event including Hexa, Nexon, Bolt Sport, GenX Nano, Zica Sport etc.

Tata Kite 5 aka Sway looks really good and proportionate and it has been designed by Tata’s European technical centre. According to reports, Tata Sway will be more affordable than its rivals such as Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent and Ford Figo Aspire owing to heavy localization levels.

The sway will be offered in both petrol and diesel powertrains- new Gen 1.2l Revotron Petrol and 1.05l Diesel engines. The former delivers 85PS power@6000rpm and 114Nm@3500rpm while other generates 70PS@4000rpm and high torque of 140Nm between 1800-3000rpm. Both the engines come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox as standard while it may get an AMT gearbox on either of two engines.

The sway just looks an extended version of Zica and borrows design cues from the hatchback such as front signature matte black grille, projector headlamps with smoked black finish, bonnet etc. We also like the subtle coupe like side profile with sloping roofline and prominent window lines. The rear is slight reminiscent to Zest sedan and certainly looks the most handsome Tata car till date.

Measuring 3995mm in length, 1647mm in width, 1535mm in height and 2450mm of wheelbase, the compact sedan offers best in class boot space of 420 liters apporx 13 liters more than the current leader. Step inside the cabin and experience the Déjà Vu feeling as the dashboard is inspired by Zest and flanked by features such as a 5 inch touchscreen Harmon Kardon infotainment system with USB-aux-in connectivity while the base variants will get a 2DIN audio system.

Other features on board are three spoke multifunction steering wheel, dual beige dashboard with grey seats, climate control, adjustable ORVMs, dual front airbags, ABS with EBD, cornering stability control and much more. Tata Sway might start at Rs. 4.3 lakh for the base variant and goes up to 5.5 lakh (ex-showroom) for the top spec.

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