Tata Hexa: My First Impressions

As many of you already know, I was in Hyderabad this past weekend. Tata Motors in partnership with Indiblogger, had invited 60 top bloggers from across the country for the Hexa experience. Tata is launching their new car “Hexa” in January 2017 and we were among the first few (we were beaten by the auto journalists) to see and experience the car.

To tell you the truth, I am a little terrified to write this review. I am a novice when it comes to writing car reviews compared to all the other experts who were present. The only thing I do really well is driving and I guess that kind of makes it okay for me to give my first impressions about this car. So you may not find many technical details here but more about the general experience of driving the car. If you want to read only about this, please skip the first few paragraphs and scroll to the middle of the article. Read on to find my Tata Hexa Review.

Tata Hexa experience

I was pretty stoked to be invited. It was my first blogger meet and I really wanted to meet the faces behind the few Indian blogs I follow regularly. Since the entire event was planned by Tata Motors and Indiblogger, everything was top notch. We stayed at Novotel Hyderabad Airport hotel. Most of us were flown in on Saturday from various metros around the country while rest were residents of the ‘City of Nizams’.

The moment you enter the hotel, you are greeted with the three slogans “Adrenaline Pumped”, “Feature Loaded” and “Power Packed” all around the place. After a quick lunch and check in, we went over to the lawn to catch our first glimpse of the car. You can find more details about my first impressions down below.

Blogger Tags

Once this was done, we went over to get ready for the big event, the “Hexa Product Presentation”. It is always fun hearing the specifications of the car from the experts themselves, the ones who were there from the conceptualization to the implementation phase. I was impressed by the fact that the entire process took a little over two years from start to finish.

This was followed by a Q&A session during which we got many of our doubts regarding the car clarified. Our teams for next day were also decided. Every car had 3 bloggers. Next up was the act by standup comedian, Biswa Kalyan Rath, who kept us in splits throughout his act.

I retired early after dinner since I was too excited to drive the Hexa the next day. Even though I find it difficult to wake up early on a Sunday, I was up by 4:30 AM the next day. Just look at the dedication.

So the route was pre-decided and we were to drive for a stretch of 170 kms (85 kms each way) to a resort “Hills and Valley Adventure Resort” and back. We were to drive a manual one way and an automatic on the way back so that we got a feel of how it was to drive both.

Since the three of us were too busy clicking pictures, we missed the debriefing, which was kind of an oversight from both the parties. Hence we missed setting up the GPS. Soon it was time for flag-off and the cars left in the order assigned to them.

All 20 Cars

 Tata Hexa Review

We were to drive a manual and Sanjay decided to go first. We decided to follow the car in front of us since we were not exactly sure where we were supposed to go. All cars were tagged by a cab as soon as we left. But then the three of us got so busy talking that we did not notice for a long while that there were no cars either in front or behind us. Just to mention, the outer ring road in Hyderabad is a really good place to drive and anyone would be happy getting lost driving through it.

By the time we realised we were lost, we had already crossed our exit. We took the next exit and switched on the GPS on my phone to get to the destination. The advantage of missing the debriefing session? We got to drive the car an extra 35 kms. Since we had lost our way and had to rely on GPS, we ended up driving the car on some really bad and narrow roads.

But the good thing was that the Indiblogger team kept calling us to find out where we were. We were one of the last ones to reach the resort. At the resort, all vehicles were checked and cleaned.

Soon after refreshments, we had to drive back and we got the automatic this time. Chetan took the wheels this time around for the first half while I took the wheels for the second half.

Once we were back in the hotel, all of us took turns to go off-roading. For safety reasons, we were not given an opportunity to drive but had Yogesh (winner of 9 Himalayan Rallies) to take us through the off-roading experience.

So that was how the whole Hexa experience was. Now let me list down some of the things that I liked about the car:

6 Air Bags:

Wohoo.. For a family that is obsessed with safety, air bags are always a pre-requisite when it comes to buying a car. So having 6 airbags is definitely an added advantage for me. I hope you got the connection between six and Hexa by now.

A powerful car:

I only got to drive the Automatic transmission. What I loved about this transmission was the power of the vehicle. I managed to touch 150 kms/hr with ease. The sports mode was really addictive and I wish I could have used it more. I believe that the 2.2L Varicor 400 diesel engine is the reason for this.

Sturdiness:

The vehicle was quite sturdy even at high speeds. The steering wheel was stable and I liked that in the Hexa.

40 to 100 kms/hr:

I liked how I was able to quickly go from 40 to 100 kms/hr in a matter of few seconds. I have always liked fast cars and this is a definite plus, at least for me.

40 shades of Black and Grey:

The interior is definitely classy and the 40 shades of black and grey definitely add to the classy aesthetics of the car.

Stylish Exterior:

Hexa definitely looks stylish and really loved the Impact design of the vehicle. The 19 inch alloy wheels were really eye catching.

Ambient Mood lighting for Cabin:

Since we did not go for a night drive, I could not really see it in play with the 8 different colours. But if you have toddlers in the family and want to keep them entertained during a night drive, this would be ideal. I know, a weird use for a feature. I am speaking from experience of having a very active 2-year old at home.

Seat Comfort:

I really preferred sitting in the rear seat compared to the front passenger seat. The good thing about the driver seat is that we can change the seat position in 8 different ways. Ideal for both short and tall people. It comes in both a 6 seater as well as a 7 seater configuration. I was also able to see all the edges of the car while driving.

Smartphone Integration:

I am someone who is in love with my smartphone. So having my car integrate with my smartphone seems to be ideal for people like me. I wish I had more time to explore this further.

Touch Screen

Off-Roading Experience

I really loved this experience. We were taken on various surfaces including potholes to demonstrate the ability of the car to manoeuvre rough terrains. The Hill Hold control was my favourite part. I am so used to having this feature in my luxury sedan and I was pleasantly surprised to see that in the Hexa.

However, the whole experience was on well-tested terrains. I would love to see what the difference will be on actual roads.

Well, those were the things I liked. But there were some things I am not sure of and you can find some of them below:

Tata Hexa Review: Things I am not sure about

 

SUV or MUV:

I am not sure which category we can classify this car into, since both terminologies were used during the 2 days.

Drive Modes on Manual:

Since I was not able to drive the manual transmission, I was not able to experiment between the 4 modes. This would have helped me in assessing the car better.

Drive Modes

Boot Space:

Even though both the 2^nd and 3^rd row seats are foldable, in the case of large families, traveling for a long journey can be a problem with the amount of boot space available.

10 Speakers:

I didn’t know this while I was in the car. Once I was back, I heard everyone raving about this and I wish I had paid better attention during the product presentation. Totally my fault.

Price and Mileage:

Both of these have been kept confidential and I am eagerly waiting for November to figure out if our estimates were correct.

Conclusion of the Tata Hexa Review:

So there you go, my first impressions after driving the Tata Hexa. Hope you guys enjoyed the ‘Hexa for Dummies’ guide.

Disclaimer: I was invited by Tata Motors and Indiblogger and was among 60 bloggers to experience the Hexa for the first time. But as always, all opinions are my own. 

Recommended: Road trips in India