Tata Bolt diesel: 15,000km, final long term review

The inevitable has happened. Tata Motors called me up recently, asking us to return the trusted Bolt diesel that has been my companion for a good six months now. I’d taken quite a liking to the car, even though it isn’t the peppiest, or most powerful car in its class. To me it was the most likeable car in the Zigwheels long term fleet, since everything else was either too large or too small to suit my current needs. And that’s besides the fact that as I’d mentioned in the previous report, the Bolt is the car that my daughter came home in when she was born. 

With its spaciousness and comfortable ride even my parents had taken quite a liking, especially my father, who was glad to note the huge improvements in the Bolt as compared to the second generation Indica we owned at one point of time. That said, comfort and space have always been the car's forte, and in the form of the Bolt Tata Motors only bettered the package by making it a more enthusiastic handler too. The car never really disappointed, offering a confident feel even when pushed to its limits. Throughout my time with the car there was nary a moment when I had to back off from chucking it into fast corners, something I’ve enjoyed immensely on my weekly Pune-Mumbai-Pune commutes. 

And despite my heavy right foot the car never shied from returning over 17kmpl, a trait that kept my fuel expenses in check. The car was also happy being driven all day, something I discovered when I had a 500km day behind its wheel. I was to drive to the Mahindra plant at Nashik, which is almost 250km from Pune and the Bolt had no trouble being driven for 5 hours at a stretch to Nashik, and then another 5 hours back home. 

The drive did bring to notice a few key things about the Bolt though. Firstly, while the car performed flawlessly all day, I can’t say the same about myself, since a couple of hours into the drive I felt the seat could have been more comfortable. Secondly, we’ve always felt the Bolt's seating position is a little confused, as finding the perfect combination between the height of the steering wheel and seat height is a task. The same was pronounced all the more on the long drive, as I was left with a mild pain in my shoulders after the 10 hours of driving through the day. Also, I realised that apart from the storage space under the front passenger seat the Bolt has no bottle holders at all, which is a bit of an issue especially when driving alone.  

The great sound quality from the Harman-sourced music system though has kept my spirits high each time I've been in the car, and I’ve got to admit, the Bolt's music system offers the best audio quality in its segment. Its touchscreen further adds to the delight of using the system, making it more easier to negotiate through the menu options. And the Bluetooth is extremely quick to sync to my phone – each time I got into the car the system would sync to my phone in just a few seconds and start streaming music off it instantly. 

The six months I spent with the Bolt have given me a good perspective of car for the long run. And I’ve got to say that apart from the little issues like the driving position and lack of bottle holders, there isn’t really anything that I can complain about. The Bolt thus comes across as an extremely reliable, likeable car that’s a great buy for someone wanting a comfortable, spacious and comfortable set of wheels – either for himself or the family. 

Date acquired: October 2015

Total km to date: 15,062km

Fuel efficiency: 17.8kmpl

Cheers: Space, comfort, audio system

Sneers: No bottle holders or parking sensors

Costs: NIL