Tata motor is on comeback phase and that too with some great offerings like Zest sedan and now Bolt hatchback. Bolt is the second offering from Tata’s HORIZONEXT strategy which includes various good factors like Projector headlamps, Avant-grade interiors, spacious cabin etc? Tata bolt will be lock its horn with Hyundai Elite i20, Fiat Punto EVO and Maruti Suzuki Swift which are top sellers for respective car manufactures. Let’s analyze in-depth about Tata bolt in terms of Price, Engine, ride quality, dimensions and safety aspects.
Price:
- At price front, Tata Bolt is certainly most cost-effective with the prices starting from 4.44 lakhs to 6.99 lakhs when we compared it to Polo, Swift and Elite i20.
- Tata Bolt surely gives value for money and Bolt is certainly is good product at right price.
- Tata Bolt with these features at this aggressive price can certainly give competition to its contemporaries.
Engine and Performance:
- Tata Bolt is available in both petrol and diesel engines- Petrol version is powered to a 1.2L Revotron diesel engine producing 89bhp power and 140Nm torque that makes it a most powerhouse petrol car in the segment.
- Like the Zest Sedan you got three driving modes in bolt as well- City which is also a default mode for balanced performance, Eco for fuel efficiency and Sport for lively performance.
- Revotron engine is peppy and lag free and moves fervently on lower rpms without much effort best suited for Indian roads.
- Bolt might disappoint those who are looking for top end performance, rev the engine hard (over 3500rpm) it becomes husky. Revotron behaves well in low and mid range with decent highway throttle under legal speeds. Polo TSI is best of the lot in this department.
- Ride and quality of bolt is excellent unaffected by small bumps, speed breakers and potholes, behaves maturely on highways. Electric Steering wheel is light and responsive with firm grip and ample feedback.
- Tata in recent years has made significant improvement in gear ratio department, gear knob is easy to operate and accurate you won’t miss any shift.
- Another great thing about Petrol variants of Bolt is low NVH levels unlike Tata Zest though above 100 km there is slight noise evident in the cabin but it has improved immensely from conventional Tata cars.
- As far as Diesel engine is concerned you will need to have patience to rev through 5000rpm but it is refined though.
- Bolt feels nice and composed at the high speeds with good NVH levels, certainly among the quietest car in the segment.
Space and Dimensions:
- Tata bolt is one of the spacious hatchbacks in the segment with dimensions of 3825mm length 30mm longer than Vista, 1695mm width and 1562mm height.
- Fronts seats are wide, supportive and have lots of side support. Driver seat is height adjustable and high seating position gives good front view.
- Rear side is as spacious as its sedan sibling, Bolt is one of those hatchback which accommodate 3 adults easily. Even if you pulled back front seats completely there will be some amount of leg room left for the occupant.
- Rear bench is wide to house all three occupants with good height and under thigh support. There are two height adjustable neck restraints available for the rear passengers.
- As far as headroom is concerned it will be limited for anyone over 5’11”.
- In storage department Bolt got only 210 liters of boot space which is relatively small but it is enough to store3-4 small bag packs, apart from that bolt gets only one bottle holder at the front seat near 12V socket, tiny space at the doors for 500 ml bottle, no front seats map pockets.
Exterior:
- Bolt is second product developed under Tata’s HORIZONEXT technology but as we all know Bolt is not all new as it based on Indica vista platform but Tata engineers tried their best to give it refreshing look.
- Front side looks identical to its sedan sibling but Zest had Tata’s new signature with chrome element while Bolt has honeycomb grille.
- Front side looks good with first in segment projector headlamps with blackened effect, muscular bonnet with V shape crease along the bonnet, fog lamps with chrome accents.
- Side profile looks clean with body colored door handles, ORVMs, no side cladding and no non sense plastic at the side profile of Bolt. C pillars have matt black finish just to create floating roof effect which looks nice.
- Rear side gets most prominent and noticeable changes which distinguish bolt from Tata’s conventional cars, Bolt gets flame shaped halogen tail lamps, single chrome line, black plastic cladding at rear bulky bumper with a fog lamp.
Interior:
- In recent times Tata has made significant improvement in another area i.e. in interiors which all started from Zest sedan, when you get into Bolt you won’t believe its Tata unless you already know.
- Tata bolt gets stylish dashboard complimented by all black theme to make it sporty and make it at par with the competitors if not better.
- Fit and finish of cabin has improved considerably even from its sedan sibling, design and quality is certainly good.
- Central console looks fresh with chrome and silver detailing around it.
- Main USP of Bolt interior is Harmon Kardon touchscreen infotainment system with multi utility features like SD card support, USB, Smartphone enable navigation and MAPMYIndia maps, climate control system.
- Three spoke steering wheel is firm, easy to hold and can be adjusted, electric steering wheel gets audio buttons, instrument cluster is embedded by white backlight with various gauges like clock, distance to empty, outside temperature and multi drive modes display (petrol variants only).
- Overall Bolt cabin is way better than we have seen in past Tata cars but when it comes comparing it with i20 its 2-3 notch down from i20 but still it’s as good as others cars of this segment.
Safety:
- If you are thinking Tata has improved Bolt only appearance or interior and ignored safety aspect then you are wrong, Tata has not ignored the safety aspect in bolt.
- Tata bolt gets two front airbags, ABS, EBD, corner stability control, front fog lights, speed sensing auto door locks etc for the top variant.
- Build quality of Bolt is also good and safety features compliments it well and it is par with the competitors.
Verdict:
Tata has made almost all the right moves to make it a competitive product and scores well almost in all departments. Bolt is a stylish hatchback placed at the aggressive price with various mouth-watering features like first in segment Projector headlamps, Harmon touchscreen infotainment system, safety features and equally good ride quality. Tata bolt will realize you that don’t be a badge freak and consider Bolt on its merits and you won’t regret it.
