The Tata Hexa has been the talk of the town for the last few days. With some decent (not amazing) pricing it will surely boost Tata’s stature and for the first time in terms of having a sure-footed D-segment competitor. Yes, this is the successor to the Aria MPV and to a large extent will have to battle its legacy but it sure looks the part. We have in detail examined each bit of the car and how it stands up to its rivals But have decided to take up a notch by telling you just how wide the choice is when it comes to looking at rivals for the Hexa. The competition comprises a range of body styles and from manufacturers of varied nationalities.
Our process for this task has been to choose the base level variant, mid-level variant and the top-of-the-line automatic model. These variants spawn a wide price range allowing us to cover a larger number of models. The Hexa has been given an introductory price range of Rs 11.99 lakh to Rs 17.49 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Tata Hexa XE 4X2 (Rs 11.99 lakh)
The Tata Hexa XE variant bows in at Rs 11.99 lakh and it is the entry-level model for the crossover. It is a basic variant and is bare bones in terms of features. It has all the basics like power windows, music system and 2nd row AC vents but pretty much sells on the fact that it is a large seven-seater with a torquey diesel engine that will plod along without too much of a fuss. It is here that the largest choice exists as you get the top-of-the-line options of a lot of lower segment cars.
In terms of sedans you can have the VX AT/MT variants of the Honda City and the Hyundai Verna SX diesel.
A desire for the choice of a compact SUV will get you the Hyundai Creta SX petrol, Honda BR-V VX AT/MT, Renault Duster RXL AMT, Nissan Terrano XL D Plus and the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross Alpha DDiS 320 variant. Finally, in terms of a proper seven-seater SUV you will get the Mahindra Scorpio in the S8 Hybrid variant (regular and 1.99 engined model)
Tata Hexa XM 4X2 (Rs 13.85 lakh) and Tata Hexa XMA (Rs 15.05 lakh)
This is the mid-level variant for the crossover and can be had with both manual and automatic transmission options. There is an Rs 1.2 lakh difference between both the variants and there is an overlap of models in terms of what is available. We first look at the XM variant. This is also the variant where the engine option switches from the Varicor 320 option (148bhp/320Nm) to the Varicor 400 option (153bhp /400Nm).
Again, let us go by body style starting with the sedan option. Here the only option is the Toyota Corolla in the J+ petrol variant. The SUV option is much wider with Mahindra Scorpio available in the top-spec S10 4WD variant while the Hexa’s main rival the XUV500 bows in at this price point with the mid-level W6 variant which is priced at Rs 13.89 lakh which is Rs 5000 more than the former. You can have the top-of-the-line Renault Duster 4X4 RXZ variant, Nissan Terrano XVD AMT or Hyundai Creta S+ petrol AT for this price range. The Creta is the only petrol SUV option in this part of the competition. The Hexa’s other rival, the Innova Crysta, enters the fray in this part and for this kind of money you can have the MPV in the petrol GX option.
The XMA variant has similar rivals but in higher variants. The Corolla Altis can be had as in the J+ diesel and G petrol option while also joining in here at the Chevrolet Cruze in the LTZ variant, Renault Fluence in the E2 model, Volkswagen Jetta in the trendline petrol trim and the Hyundai Elantra as a 1.6 S petrol manual variant. The XUV500 W6 AT fills in the SUV slot while the Innova takes on the Hexa here with the 2.7 GX petrol AT variant or the 2.4 GX AT diesel of which the latter is match-for-match model in terms of what is on offer.
Tata Hexa XTA (Rs 17.40 lakh)
By now, we have entered into a territory far beyond anything the Mumbai based automaker has been in before. In fact, before the XUV500 had come along, there had never been an Indian manufacturer to break this price celling. This is the top-of-the-line Hexa with all the bells and whistles, pretty much the big goal for any looking to have big aspirations with a Tata badge. The XUV500 and Innova are both offered in this price range with a feature list and can be had in the W10 AT or VX trim levels. The Corolla Altis features here too and for those wanting reliable Japanese sedan design, you can have the car in the GL petrol/diesel trim levels. The D-segment sedans play a strong role here and for equivalent money you get mid-level models of the Skoda Octvia, Elantra and the Volkswagen Jetta.
source”cnbc”