Tata plonks a more powerful diesel motor in the Vista. We find out how good it is.
Published on Jan 28, 2013 08:37:00 PM
47,445 Views
This is the new Indica Vista D90. Powered by the 1.3-litre Fiat Multijet diesel engine that is shared with the likes of Maruti Swift and the new Chevrolet Sail, it makes 90PS (or 89bhp), thanks to the variable geometry turboxharger and different ECU tuning, hence the name.
Apart from the engine, a whole host of other changes have been carried out on this car to improve driving performance, ride and handling. The D90 has a new sound-deadening package to cut down on in-cabin noise when the car is on the move, and Tata has also tweaked the suspension to help the car handle the extra power.
Now, for all the extra power, the D90's 13.9 sec 0-100kph is a lot quicker than an Indica 75PS, but it's still slower than the 75bhp Maruti Swift. This is because it is handicapped with very short gearing and at 1180kg, it is quite heavy as well. Infact, the D90 hits 100kph only in fourth gear, and shifting through four gears eats into the 0-100kph time. Now that the bad news is out of the way, let's look at the good bits. The engine has good part throttle responses and is happy ambling around in town in the higher gears. However, you do feel the full effect of the turbo only at around 2500rpm, so when you do need that quick burst to shoot into gaps, the engine will leave you wanting. And, you will have to use a lot of throttle to let the engine know you want full boost which we imagine won't do much for fuel economy.
Still, once you're up to cruising speeds, the D90 will sit at three-digit speeds quite comfortably and the engine is pretty refined as well. Other plus points include the light-action clutch and gearshift, and the way that it is rather easy to drive.
Copyright (c) Autocar India. All rights reserved.