First Look Review

Tata Motors has unveiled the production version of the Hexa concept at the Auto Expo 2016. The latest SUV from Tata is based on the Aria and lends a fresh lease of life to the otherwise not so popular people mover. We get up and close to the Hexa at the Auto Expo to find out if the new Hexa has the firepower to make a mark in the market dominated by the Toyota Innova and the Mahindra XUV500.

The Hexa looks like an SUV with a decked up hood and a wide black mesh grille pasted with the new Tata logo at the centre. The grille and swept back projector headlamps speak the Horizon Next design language that began with the Bolt and the Zest. The aggressive front bumper also gets a mesh grille, an LED strip for daytime running lights and fog lamps integrated with it. Though the body shell has been carried over, the new horizontal wrap around tail lamps look really nice with the twin exhausts.

Inside the car, Tata has gone all black with silver coloured accents to give the interior a premium feel. It gets automatic climate control with a separate zone AC for the rear and third-row passengers. The cabin is roomy and looks like the third row should allow full-size adults to sit comfortably. The top-spec car will get leather upholstery, steering mounted controls for the infotainment system, electrically adjustable and retractable outside rear view mirrors. The audio system gets a display screen and seems to be sourced from the Zest.

On the safety front, it will get two airbags at least along with parking sensors and possibly a rearview camera with guidance. Driver aids like ABS with EBD and ESP will be available. The Hexa also gets driving modes where you can choose between Comfort, Dynamic and Rough Road modes or just leave it in Auto for it to choose the optimum option.

Under the hood, you will have the Varicor 400 – a 2.2-litre turbocharged four cylinder diesel engine – that develops 154bhp of power and 400Nm of torque. The Hexa may well turn out to be the most powerful SUV in its segment and will get a six-speed manual transmission. The Hexa may also get the all-wheel-drive option like the Aria.

While we do not have any details on the variant list and their equipment levels, we know for a fact that the Hexa has been built to compete with the Toyota Innova and the Mahindra XUV500. With the Innova Crysta coming into picture the dynamics of the segment have taken an interesting turn. We expect Tata to price the Hexa competitively between Rs 13 lakh to Rs 18 lakh.