Tata Zest launch in August

Come August and Tata Motors will finally introduce its new compact sedan, the Zest in the Indian market. The car which will be launched with both diesel and petrol engines is expected to undercut the Maruti Suzuki Dzire and the new Hyundai Xcent in terms of pricing. The Tata Zest is based on the Indica Vista platform but uses completely new panels, heavily revised interiors and improved suspension setup. The quality levels too have seen a significant improvement on the Zest compared to the Vista. 

The Zest will be powered by the new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine called Revotron and the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel engine from Fiat. The petrol and diesel engines both come with max power output of 90PS but the diesel delivers a higher torque of 200Nm compared to 140Nm developed by the former. Both engines will come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox while the diesel will also be offered with an AMT or Automated Manual Transmission.

AMT is basically a manual gearbox that uses computer controlled actuators to both operate the clutch and shift gears. So, in a sense it is like an automatic but minus the refinement and seamless operation that a proper automatic delivers on. But, an AMT has an advantage over a conventional automatic. Because it is essentially a manual, it delivers better fuel economy. The AMT on the Zest is a Fiat unit and comes with Sport mode as well.

The Tata Zest is expected to be priced between Rs 4.5 lakh and Rs 6.5 lakh for the petrol and Rs 5.5 lakh and Rs 7.5 lakh for the diesel when the car goes on sale by end of August.