Tata Bolt – JLR infused City Car

Tata Bolt – JLR infused City Car

With dark clouds on the horizon in the new motor vehicle market for the foreseeable future, Tata Motors has decided to weigh into the highly competitive A- and B-segment with their all new Tata Bolt hatch and sedan.

With a large chunk of new car buyers setting their sites a little lower and looking at smaller family size cars, the new Tata Bolt would seem to be punching well above its weight division, trying to seduce buyers with a sporty new look, feel and a whole whack of new accessories and extras that many of its competitors don’t have.

All of this is at a price that is highly competitive while providing elevated levels of customer service and backup.

Styling
 
For the most part the Tata Bolt sedan isn’t much to look at. It’s a girl next door type that looks like it works at the post office but a closer look reveals a few surprises. Each vehicle has its own styling cues that are not available on the other.

The hatch has smoked headlights with illuminating rings while the sedan has projector headlamps with daytime running lights. The wheels change between models as well with the hatch sporting the 6-spoke 15-inch mag wheel while the sedan runs on the 15-inch multi-spoke mag wheel. The rear end of the vehicles are also different as the hatch has a roof mounted spoiler and flame shaped tail lamps while the sedan has a rear window mounted LED stoplight and wraparound rear light clusters.

We do however hope that Tata Motors SA will make the aero package we saw at launch available as an extra. This saw the addition of a colour coded lower front spoiler, side skirts and a rear diffusor on the XT Hatch with a set of black after market wheels that gave the vehicle a very sporty, racer appearance.

Interior
 
The interior is where the biggest changes have happened for Tata. Gone are the poorly assembled, half finished panels and mechanisms and in their place an interior that you would expect to see in a much higher end vehicle.

The Java black interior sees an updated dashboard with chrome detailing around the air vents and gauge cluster.

The centre console sees a 12V power supply and a USB/Aux input as well as an SD card reader leading up to the 5-inch ConnectNext touchscreen Infotainment system that was designed by Harman. The system fully controls just about everything in the dashboard from the music and video to the air conditioner and voice prompts. The steering wheel houses fully integrated controls for the Bluetooth connectivity and the infotainment system but we were a bit disappointed with a lack of cruise control.

The doors are topped with a piano black finish with chrome detailing and you’ll find electric windows front and rear with electric adjustment of the side mirrors from the driver’s door.

Tata holds safety in high regard and as such you’ll find a driver and passenger SRS airbag, pre tensioning seatbelts and a seatbelt reminder in what we would definitely call a roomy cabin.


Engine and Drivetrain

Tata has put thousands of hours into the development of the Revotron 1.2 four-cylinder turbocharged engine that powers the Tata Bolt . The 1.2 Mpfi engine delivers 66kW and 140Nm of torque from 1500rpm up to 4000rpm. This makes for an interesting drive when the vehicle is in default setting because the Bolt actually has three.

In Eco mode, the ECU is set for maximum fuel efficiency returning just 4.7-litres per 100, it does however kill the performance of the car. This setting is best used for highway driving at a set pace. Changing to the City mode, the ECU settings will allow for a more vibrant drive in a suburban environment and still return a very good fuel consumption figure. The default setting lets the engine do as it may, making for a nippy drive around town.

Power is delivered to the wheels via a 5-speed manual gearbox. Unfortunately Tata has no plans for releasing an automatic in South Africa at this stage.

The front and rear strut and spring suspension absorbs all the bumps around town while the steering weightens up at higher speeds making for a surprisingly confortable drive.

Overview

Tata continues to fight a negative consumer impression, stemming from years without new model introductions, unreliability, and issues with workmanship.

I think Tata has a winning recipe with the Bolt. Take a small city car, pack it to the brim with all the modcons consumers like and sell it at a competitive price, bringing convenience to the entry level consumer.

Tata will have a fight on their hands though as the other manufacturers step up to the plate and that handful of new car buyers every year will be wanting to get as much for their money as possible.

Models derivatives and pricing are as follows

Bolt Models	Pricing
Bolt Hatch XMS	R132 995
Bolt Hatch XT	R142 995
Bolt Sedan XMS	R142 995
Bolt Sedan XT	R152 995

  
All models come with a 5 year / 100 000km factory warranty, a 2 year / 30 000km Service Plan and 5 year roadside assistance for peace of mind.