After months of intense speculations, numerous spy shots and heavy camouflage, Tata Zica is finally out in open. This is the next big thing from the house of Tata Motors we all knew by its codename, the Kite. Tata dropped this name via tweet, which according to it stands for zippy car.
Well, we had better back to hatch rather than discussing its really weird moniker. Zica has got huge responsibility of replacing company’s original passenger car, the Indica. And going by its design, it seems to have started off quite well. Surely, front grille is heavily modified version of Bolt along with very familiar Tata’s humanity line, but apart from that, Zica is completely fresh design.
What is so special?
A wide upfront grille, pulled back headlamps, strong shoulder and character streaks, and equally animated rear sums up Zica’s very proportionate and highly likeable look. Inside the cabin, things remain quite interesting. Zica’s cabin is cheerful and very neatly laid-out. Steering wheel feels sporty and is direct lift from Zest sedan. Expect top-end variant to feature additional convenience of mounted music and telephony controls. From the pictures doing the rounds, Zica also seems to have got a tiny multi-media display on central stack for that extra oomph! Given the rising safety expectations, Zica will feature dual front airbags and ABS though it remains to be seen whether these safety features will be standard across the variants.
Also check about Tata Zica Price in India Specification, Photos, Mileage
What will drive the new Zica?
Well, the official word is yet to come, but we ‘guestimate’ that 1.2-cylinder Revotron will be default petrol along with all-new 1.05-litre diesel motor that was on display at 2012 Auto Expo. Both these motors are 3-cylinder configuration breathing through 16-valve mounted on double overhead cam architecture. Power output will be in the range of 70 PS – 85 PS (higher for petrol) while torque stretches up to 140 Nm for diesel variant. Don’t expect the motors to deliver class-leading performance though mileage could be well on par with the segment benchmarks. At the launch, Zica will use 5-speed manual transmission to channelize the power to front wheels. Automated manual transmission (AMT) could follow soon, say six or eight months down the line at the time of facelift.
Suspension
Suspension geometry will be similar to other segment cars i.e., MacPherson strut up front and semi-independent twist beam at the rear. Braking will also follow the standards of disc and drum at the front and rear respectively.
Verdict
On the face Zica looks quite impressive, has modern and practical spacious cabin and comes with fuel-efficient motors. A lot of efforts have gone into makings of Zica, and Tata Motors is expecting it to pay off well when it drives into Indian market in January next year.
Also check Honda Amaza on carsexpert.in and KTM RC 200 at Bikeportal.in and Auto Expo 2016 on Facebook
