2014 Tata Bolt hatchback, a replacement for the Tata Vista has been unveiled. The car is based on a new platform and developed under Tata’s ‘Falcon’ program. The Tata Bolt is better in every single way over the Vista while retaining characteristics that made the Vista a good hatchback, for example in terms of interior cabin space.
The car will be launched in the Indian market in the later half of 2014, though pricing and variant details have not been revealed. The changes to the car in brief are as follows:
- New exterior design, though silhouette is the same
- Much improved interior design
- New 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine
- Better driving dynamics thanks to drive-by-wire, electronic power assist steering, ABS
- Extended equipment list including 5-inch touchscreen based Harman infotainment system
[box type=”info” width=”720″ ]The Tata Bolt has been spotted testing many times, you can check out the spy shots here[/box]
Updated on 6th May 2014
The Tata Bolt may be benchmarked against the segment leader Maruti Suzuki Swift. This is because the test mules of the car were being driven along with Swifts by Tata engineers. The Swift is a good hatchback in terms of handling and performance, and Tata may be looking to make the Bolt handle similarly or better. Check out the spy shot below:
Updated on 24th March 2014
Tata has launched the promotional website for the 2014 Tata Bolt hatchback, which highlights the features of the car. The information on the website is not new though, it’s the same as what was released during the reveal of the car in February before the 2014 Indian Auto Expo.
Interested customers can register on the website for more information. (If you have registered and the company representatives call you, do let us know what they say.)
You can check out promotional photos of the car below:
Updated on 3rd February 2014
What’s New?
Exterior Design
The silhouette of the Tata Bolt is not much different from the Tata Vista, though all the body panels have been redesigned. Changes to the design on the outside include:
- Headlights (with projector headlamps on top-end variants)
- Front bumper
- Grille
- ORVM covers
- Fog-light and fog-light housing
- Alloy wheel design
- Surfacing on the side panels
- Tail-lamps
- Blacked out C-pillar
- Slightly altered hatch-door
- Boot integrated spoiler
- Rear bumper integrated fog lamp
Interior Design
Tata has made extensive changes to the interior of the Tata Bolt to make it more better than the one in the Vista. It looks pretty sporty to us. Changes include:
- Black and optional colour combination interiors (replace the black and beige in the Vista)
- Silver trim inserts
- 3-spoke multi-function steering wheel (replacing the 4-spoke one in the Vista)
- Redesigned instrument cluster with integrated multi-information display
- 5-inch touch screen infotainment system from Haman, with integrated navigation from MapMyIndia.
- Slightly altered A/C vent design
Features
The Tata Bolt has got some first-in-class features and knowing that Tata will be pretty aggressive with the pricing of the car, it could be one of the best hatches to buy when launched in India later in 2014. New features include:
- Harman infotainment system
- Navigation services by MapMyIndia
- Drive-by-wire technology
- Twin drive modes: Economy and Performance
- Smartphone pairing
- Voice recognition for controlling the infotainment system
Performance and Handling
The Tata Vista though a very comfortable hatch was not very good in terms of driving dynamics or outright punch. The Tata Bolt will be different claims the company, some of the changes that should make driving or being a passenger in the Bolt a better experience are as follows:
- Drive-by-wire technology, better response from the engine
- EPAS / electronic power-assisted steering
- Adjusted suspension system, for better handling
- Better insulation, for a quieter drive
- ABS with cornering assist for better handling
- 1.2-litre, turbocharged ‘Revotron’ petrol motor with 83 BHP / 140 Nm
- 1.3-litre, Quadrajet diesel motor with 73 BHP / 190 Nm
What do you think of the Tata Bolt? Let us know in the comments section below.
