Vistas of Power – Tata’s Hatch Now 90bhp

by Dhiyanesh Ravichandran · December 10, 2012

Not much of new products and sprucing up activities were seen with Tata Motors in recent times until now. The new Safari, Manza and now the Vista QuadraJet 90!

Ever since its launch, Vista (‘Indica’ prefix has been dropped) has been considered as a potential hatch with class leading space, adequate engine options and features, and excellent ride quality. And now the hot hatch get a VGT (Variable Geometry Turbocharger) to its 1.3 litre QuadraJet drive-line to boost-up power to a whooping 88bhp and 200Nm of peak torque, from 75bhp and 190Nm of torque with the existing fixed geometry turbocharger. This makes the Vista one of the powerful hatches in the segment.

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The refreshment of the Vista doesn’t end with a VGT. The hatch also gets an interior tweak, with the instrument cluster moving to the conventional position behind the steering wheel from the top of the center console, a derivative from its elder sibling the Manza. This move can be partly attributed to negative customer response and for a better class image. And all Vista QuadraJet 90s will have a black painted roof, which may look sporty. The suspension may have been reworked to handle the boosted performance. However, the rest of the design and features remains the same as the earlier Vista.

The speculated replacement of the TDI diesel engine in the lower Vista variant with the improved CR4 engine (from the eCS) did not happen this time and may take sometime regrettably.

The Vista 90 will be available in two variants – VX and ZX. One gets ABS and EBD in VX variant, while ZX extends the list with dual front airbags and alloy wheels. Pricing is where the Vista 90 scores much. The VX variant is priced at Rs. 6.03 lakhs, while the ZX is Rs.6.63 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai), making the car a value-for-money performance offering. Though Punto 90 is ahead in performance and ride quality, price does matter and will attract many prospective buyers. Vista now enjoys the league of powerful hatches in the market and a better image from the Indica.

[This article was written for and has also been published in Indianautosblog ]