Tata Zest vs Maruti Dzire vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent comparison

Tata Motors is stepping back into the very arena it built, and the competition that's waiting inside has moved the game far ahead from the standard set by the old Indigo CS. We’re talking about compact sedans, of course, and what Tata started, Maruti popularised, and then Honda and Hyundai refined some more.

So where does the Zest fit into all of this, and can it possibly live up to Tata’s rather ambitious claims about its abilities? Let’s compare the things that matter.

The outside

‘Different strokes for different folks’ goes the old adage, and we’ve heard our fair share of arguments about which of the compact sedans looks best, so we’ll leave that up to you. What is pretty clear is that the Amaze and Xcent have a more conventional, three-box sedan profile, while the Dzire and Zest – whose hatchback origins were quite large – have stubbier, less proportionate boots. Still, we’d say Tata has done a better job of tacking the boot on than Maruti has.

The minor sculpting to the nose, flourishes of chrome and LED daytime-running lamps have suitably transformed the old Vista into a face that is all new. The creases that run along the doors and the large, wraparound tail-lamps are neat touches too. The Dzire’s long nose, short bonnet design looks a bit ungainly, but at least its chunky alloy wheels give it a planted stance. The Xcent and Amaze too have a good amount of chrome detailing to liven up their exteriors, but the narrow Hyundai looks half a size down on the others. The Zest, Dzire and Xcent ride on 15-inch wheels, while the Amaze sticks to 14-inchers. To our eyes, the Amaze pulls off the look best, with the Xcent not too far behind, but we’ll let you decide for yourself.