Tata has launched the Bolt in India starting at Rs 4.44 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the petrol variant, while the diesel variant starts at Rs 5.49 lakh. This is the homegrown carmaker’s second model, after the Zest sedan, from its HorizonNext product plan. It is built on the X1 platform like the Vista hatchback, but is thoroughly re-engineered, and shares most of its styling cues with the Zest. The Bolt is available in four trims - XE, XM, XMS and XT.
The Tata Bolt is available in both petrol and diesel guises. The petrol version uses the 89bhp 1.2-litre turbocharged Revotron motor that was seen first in the Zest. On the Bolt though, this engine has been tuned to make it smoother and more responsive. The diesel is the familiar 74bhp 1.3-litre Quadrajet that featured on the old Indica Vista and the base-model Zest. Both engines come mated to a five-speed manual gearbox, and unlike the Zest, there is no AMT automatic version, at least at launch.
On the inside, it carries over the same highly-improved cabin that the Zest introduced. Quality levels are up, while Tata’s traditional strength of great space is retained. Equipment levels are high; the top XT trim gets Harman touchscreen infotainment system, while the lower trims get a more conventional audio system. The touchscreen gets many class-first features like voice commands, video playback and satellite navigation. There's climate control and powered wing mirrors too. For safety, the Bolt gets dual front airbags and ABS with EBD and CSC (Corner Stability Control).
The Tata Bolt scores highly on space and equipment levels in its top trims, which are in the same league as premium hatchbacks like the Hyundai i20, Fiat Punto and Volkswagen Polo. Its pricing, however, is a little bit lower than those cars, which makes it a slightly better value proposition. What remains to be seen, however, is whether this vastly improved and more upmarket hatchback from Tata Motors can receive as good a response as its compact sedan sibling the Zest did.
Prices:
Petrol
XE - Rs 4.44 lakh
XM - Rs 5.15 lakh
XMS - Rs 5.40 lakh
XT - Rs 6.05 lakh
Diesel
XE - Rs 5.49 lakh
XM - Rs 6.11 lakh
XMS - Rs 6.34 lakh
XT - Rs 6.99 lakh
(all prices, ex-showroom, Delhi)
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