Tata Vista D90 ZX Car Review – Sedan Class with a Touch of Luxury!
We got the Tata Vista D90 ZX, which is a sedan class diesel car in India for test-drive/review, recently. The car has not (yet) been launched in the Indian market. We were able to drive 120-130 KM over the last three days and at least three car-experts got their hands on it.
Disclaimer: Please note that I am an entry-level amateur when it comes to cars and hence the review/video(above) will reflect it. Fortunately, I have enough people around me who are car-enthusiasts/experts, who research for months together before buying a car. With their help, it was easier for me to do this review.
When we first got into the car, we were impressed with the amount of cabin-space it has. For a Sedan class, there is enough space & leg-room to sit comfortably. It also comes with the 60:40 foldable back seats, to increase the luggage/boot space. When we switched on the car, we were impressed with the low-noise level. It makes slightly more noise than petrol cars, but for a diesel car the noise level/vibrations were very minimum.
The car does have good pick-up and acceleration. The 90 PS Quadrajet engine is quite powerful and its power was evident when we took it to the highways. We were able to reach 0-60 KMPH in 7.6 seconds and 0-100 KMPH in 16.7 seconds. We were able to touch 130 KMPH with all windows open. We were able to reach a maximum speed of 140 KMPH, on the Tambaram-Puzhal (Chennai) toll by-pass flyover. These photos were taken there.
Are you able to see the car in the above pic? 😛 Anyway, we did test the car on a special rough road. This one was much rougher than our normal roads and the car was able to handle it quite well, perhaps due to the decent suspension. We did find the steering and the gear-shift to be slightly stiffer, not sure if it’s because of the new car. Also, the car has only hydraulic steering.
The multimedia features of this car is very good – There are audio controls right on the steering wheel, there is bluetooth for connecting the car audio system with cell phones (up to 5) and one can use the car audio system to make/receive calls. There is a special electronic display that shows time, mileage, temperature, number of KM’s to refill, etc. They have brought back the speedometer directly in front of the steering (just below the front glass) and that makes it easier (and safer) to monitor vital parameters.
For safety, they have included airbag and ABS (Anti-Breaking System), which help during accidents and negotiating sharp turns on slippery roads, respectively. It seems they also have rear de-mister which removes mist, and intelligent wiper that functions automatically during rains, for the rear glass. Of course, we were not able to test these features. This car also comes with an NVH dampener that minimizes the noise, vibrations and harshness in the car.
One can adjust the rear-view mirror from within the car (without opening the windows), due to the electric ORVM. There is height adjustment and front-back adjustments for the driver seat. Their brochure says that the lumbar support offered in this car makes it more comfortable to drive on long journeys.
The choice of colours they have for this particular model, Tata Vista D90 ZX, is quite impressive. Our car had dark red colour (spice red), and they have other options like ultra violet and yellow (summer sparkle). These colours are bold and look attractive. Of course, the white, silver and grey options are also available.
They have included the infinity contrast roof (black, in this car), not sure if it’s visible in my photos. It seems, this feature is generally available only with sports cars/premium models. The alloy wheels are a welcome stylish addition. If you look closely at the front lamp, you can see that there are four lights! We liked the stylish look of the front lights. There is a front and rear fog lamp. The seat fabric and cushioned door pad fabric gives a royal look to the interior. But the door pad, being fabric, may get dirty over time.
The car has good ground-clearance, helpful on bumpy Indian roads/speed-breakers. The front glass is bigger, making it easier to see the signal lights. Since the engine and gear-box are from the same OEM (Fiat), gear-shift is better. The car is slightly longer than small cars and hence the turning radius/parking space required is also slightly higher. The Tata Vista D90 ZX diesel sedan-class luxury car is heavier, and hence its road-grip is good.
Tata cars always offer value for money. The mileage is decent and spare-parts availability/cost & maintenance is (generally) not an issue. Our car-experts felt that a dedicated maintenance center for residential category cars (at least in major cities) maybe required. For people who go on long drives in addition to regular city driving, this car is comfortable, stylish and powerful. You can visit the manufacturer’s website for more info.
Disclaimer-2: Though I have a four-wheeler driving license, I have not been driving cars (much) after the initial driving classes/evaluation. I have decided (now) that I will only drive an electric car that can be charged using solar panels. I hope Tata Motors will introduce such a car quickly for the Indian market. The technology very much exists.
I thank the following car-experts/enthusiasts for having spent their valuable time in helping me evaluate the car: Dinesh K, Harshvardhan Sharma, C H Mahendranadh, Y Jeyaprakash.
Destination Infinity
Photos: Destination8Infinity. All photos published under this creative commons license.
Disclaimer: This review is a part of BlogAdda product reviews. I am entitled to a voucher for a small value, for having spent my time for this review. The review itself, as you might have noticed, is unbiased.
nice review
car looks beautiful
Thanks SM. That comment was fast, BTW 🙂
Destination Infinity
DI, good review! And shes a beauty.
Thanks Rak 🙂
Destination Infinity
The interior looks very good and you well reviewed the car. i too like indicas and we had owned it once.
Good to know that you owned the Tata Indica. Yes, the interior (golden yellow) along with the exterior dark red colour sort of gives it a royal look! 🙂
Destination Infinity
🙂 so you did the review , nice one .. Indica was a good car tata’s made , it was actually launched here in uk as city rover at one time but dont see them here anymore ..
I guess they are developing and improving from Indica, now. I guess they are doing well in India as their cars are designed to work in rugged conditions 🙂
Destination Infinity
Completely agree. It is safer and very comfortable to drive too. 🙂
Oh, good to hear that from someone who’s also doing the review 🙂
Destination Infinity
That looks like a cool car for indian roads!
That’s one USP. These cars are designed, tried/tested for Indian roads/conditions. At the end of the day, if it’s style/show-off (Vs) functionality, I would gladly choose functionality 🙂 But of course, on the question of cars I have already decided on the Solar EV. I am not going to change my mind!
Destination Infinity
Rajesh Sir, nice review .. you could have added more pics of the car’s interior ..
The car interior has been covered in the video, that’s why I didn’t put any pictures of it. I realize that I did not even concentrate on taking pictures of the car’s interior! I will remember this during the next car review. Thanks 🙂
Destination Infinity
Means that you don’t have to take your key to the rear of your car to open the boot. Most cars today have a cable release accessible from the driver’s seat, a button on the dash or a button on the key fob.
I guess so. Let me check anyway.
Destination Infinity