The Tata Zest has been finally launched in India after a long period of hype and speculations. The compact sedan, which will compete with the Maruti Swift DZire, Honda Amaze and Hyundai Xcent has been priced very aggressively. It also comes with many first-in-class features. With Tata Motors gearing up to change its image using the HORIZONEXT programme, will the Zest help the company revive its fortunes? Will the Tata Zest really be able to blow competitors off? We do a quick comparison of the Tata Zest with its closest rivals.
The Tata Zest carries a styling philosophy which looks distinctly similar to other vehicles from the same stable. The front fascia is unmistakably Tata and even though the company’s designers have come up with a good-looking design, there is nothing radically new about the design language. Overall, no negative points for the Zest on the design front. The DZire looks plain quirky. While the current model is much better than the previous generation, the DZire still scores low on the styling front. The Amaze and Xcent have good proportions but the Amaze looks the best proportioned while the Xcent is better than the DZire but not as good as the Zest and Amaze.
Moving to the interiors, the Zest gets a lot of equipment. It comes with a ConnectNext infotainment system from Harman which packs in functionalities such as music and phone controls. The dashboard is all new and the design looks very good. The interiors have a slightly premium feel and decent quality materials are used. The steering gets integrated audio and phone controls. The base variant is bare-bones but airbags are available in the safety pack of the middle variant (XMS) while ABS is standard right from the second variant. The Zest is the only one here to get projector lights. The DZire gets a good-looking dashboard but the quality of parts used in the interiors is far from satisfactory. Maruti really needs to improve on this front. The DZire is not really loaded and only the top most variant comes with a load of features while the base variant feels spartan. The middle variant gets only power windows, central locking and an audio system while the top variant gets alloy wheels, airbags and ABS too.
The Honda Amaze has a quirky looking dashboard that is shared with the Brio and Mobilio. While its looks may not be to everyone’s liking, the quality of parts is better than Maruti. Honda doesn’t really provide a lot of features and the Amaze gets only the basic stuff like central locking, power windows, audio system, etc. For safety, Honda provides airbags and ABS but airbags are not standard on all variants. ABS is standard on all diesel variants. The Hyundai Xcent gets its dashboard borrowed from the Grand i10. The design is very good and the quality of parts is also more than satisfactory. The Xcent gets a rear AC vent which none of its rivals have. Other features include audio system, steering-mounted controls, ABS and dual airbags.
The Zest is the only one out here that gets a turbocharged petrol engine. While its power output is only marginally higher than rivals, the Revotron engine belts out 140 Nm of torque which is far more than what its competitors produce. The Zest petrol doesn’t get any automatic variant. The Amaze gets a 5-speed automatic box while the DZire and Xcent get a 4-speed automatic transmission.
The Zest and DZire share the same diesel engine which is available in two states of tune – 75 PS and 90 PS. The Zest base variant gets the 75 PS tune and all other variants get the 90 PS tune. The DZire gets the 75 PS tune in all the variants. The Amaze gets a 1.5-litre oil-burner which is the most powerful here and the Xcent gets a 1.1-litre CRDI engine. All four sedans here get a 5-speed manual transmission and the Zest also gets a 5-speed AMT.
Tata has priced the Zest very competitively. The petrol Zest is the cheapest here. When we compare it to the DZire, the former really trumps the latter when it comes to sheer value-for-money. The Xcent is priced close to the Zest and that too is a good proposition for buyers who want maximum bang for their buck. The Amaze is the most expensive out here so it isn’t surprising to know that its sales are not increasing.
The base variant of the diesel Xcent is the cheapest and it beats the Zest by a small margin. The top variant of the diesel Zest is again cheaper than rivals and it will be a good choice for buyers. The diesel AMT model (XMA) is priced identically to the manual top variant (XT). The XMA gets only ABS and no airbags though but Tata Motors will launch a new higher variant of the AMT Zest if the market demands the same.
Tata Zest vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Maruti DZire – Petrol Price Comparison
Tata Zest vs Honda Amaze vs Hyundai Xcent vs Maruti DZire – Diesel Price Comparison
