Tata Bolt is an all new sub-4 meter hatchback made by Tata Motors under their Falcon programme. It is also the second vehicle to be introduced under the HorizoNext strategy which includes DriveNext, DesignNext and ConnectNext. The Bolt is built on the same platform as that of the Tata Indica Vista and Manza. The diesel Bolt gets Fiat’s 1.3L Multi-Jet diesel engine which is called as Quadrajet by the company and the petrol Bolt gets a 1.2L turbocharged Multi-Drive Revotron engine. This new Bolt is the best hatchback ever made by Tata Motors.
Price of Tata Bolt XT (Revotron – Petrol) – Rs. 5.99 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Delhi)
Price of Tata Bolt XT (Quadrajet – Diesel) – Rs. 7 Lakhs (Ex-Showroom, Delhi)
Exterior Design: The car resembles Indica Vista as they are based on the same platform. But, the Bolt looks way better cooler than the Indica Vista as its styling is clean and neat. The car gets projector wide headlamps along with cornering fog lamps. The bonnet gets a V-shaped bulge and a new front honeycomb grille in piano black finish. The B pillar gets a black colour finishing and the C pillar also gets a black colour finishing buts it’s a vinyl and not the paint but overall it looks distinctive. The same body coloured spoiler gives a better floating roof effect to the car. The rear too looks decent and neat. The top end gets 15-inch alloys while the other variants have to drive on the 14-inch steel rims. These new installments on the car make it look stylish or we can also say that it is the premium version of its predecessor and the car also has a huge road presence. The exteriors of the petrol and diesel variants are similar except for the colour of their alloy wheels and according to the naming nomenclature of the company, both petrol and diesel Bolt’s variants are named as XE, XM, XMS and XT.
Interior Design: Interior of this car is pretty nice as it all-new. Tata Bolt gets all-dark black java interiors which looks sporty. The dashboard looks neat and there is no much chrome at all and thus the interiors looks decent and up to the mark. The AC vents are placed well and operate well too. The steering wheel is good to hold and grips well too. It also gets steering mounted audio and voice command controls. The front seats are way too comfortable and the rear seats can seat three passengers with an ease. The spacing inside this car is ample and there is also ample of headroom and legroom. Overall fit and finish and the quality of the materials is nice and is increased by leaps and bounds on a Tata’s car. The Tata Bolt gets a lot of new features under the HorizoNext strategy. To start with, it gets the Harman music system which plays through eight speakers. The infotainment system is a touch screen infact and can also play videos and songs via Bluetooth, AUX and SD cards. The boot space you get on this car is 210 litres. So, unlike any of the Tatas’ in the past this car looks refreshing from both inside and outside and has nice design elements too which keeps the occupants happier. The interiors of the petrol and diesel variants are similar.
Engine & Performance: The 2015 Tata Bolt gets a 1.3L Quadrejet 1248cc, 4-cylinder diesel engine. The Bolt also gets a new 1.2L turbocharged Multi-Drive Revotron 1193cc, 4-cylinder petrol engine. The diesel mill makes max power of 75 PS @ 4000 rpm and 190 Nm of max torque @ 1750-3000 rpm while the petrol heart produces 90 PS @ 5000 rpm and max torque of 140 Nm @ 1500-4000 rpm. Both get a 5-speed manual transmission. These power figures do not only look good on the papers but they also prove out to be good in real conditions too. We drove both the petrol and diesel Bolts’ back to back and were very impressed by the way they performed. The diesel drives smoothly and the engine too feels refined. The gear shifts are light and happen smoothly as the clutch operates well. The braking is precise as both the cars get disc brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear. The diesel mill is the quicker and there is very minimal sound level. There are no much vibrations too. The petrol engine is good but not as much as the diesel engine. You need to do short shifts for a smoother go. But overall the petrol and diesel both perform well and return a good mileage too.
Driving Modes & Driving Dynamics: The Revotron petrol engine is a multi-drive engine which lets you choose between three driving modes viz. SPORT, CITY and ECO. In SPORT mode this hatchback drives like a mini rocket and gives you a complete sporty driving pleasure. The CITY mode helps you drive through the city comfortably and the engine runs smoothly to return a better mileage. The ECO mode is the green mode which keeps the car within the limits and on hard acceleration too the car takes off smoothly and returns a very good mileage. Such driving modes are usually seen on luxury cars, but it feels good to have it on this Indian made hatchback. The diesel mill gets only driving mode that is the normal, a combination of sport, city and eco, we can say and there is no any option of any driving mode to choose from like the Revotron. Apart from the driving modes both the cars drive pretty well. The car remains stable on every terrain whether it may be a smooth tarmac road or a rough road full of potholes. Both the cars get a ground clearance of 165 mm and so the car tackles every rough terrain with an ease. The suspensions are smooth and soak up bumps effortlessly. The diesel Bolt returned us a mileage of 19 km/l in the city and 22 km/l on the highway while the Petrol Bolt returned us a mileage of 14.6 and 16 km/l in the city and on the highway respectively. Overall, the car is a good machine to be driven daily.
Safety and After Sales Service: Tata Bolt gets dual airbags for its front passenger and driver only in the top variant, the XT in both Petrol and Diesel variants. The car gets ABS and EBD and also CSC on its XT variants. The car also gets speed sensing auto locks on all doors, smart rear wiper and central locking with remote key. Tata Motors is the largest manufacturer in the Indian automotive industry so has a wide network of service stations across the country, so you don’t have to worry much about its servicing.
Verdict/Conclusion: Tata Bolt proves out to be a good hatchback in its every aspect. It rides well, has good road presence, its spacious and comfortable, has many good and new features and thus makes a good value for money. The company has played well and now also has removed the Indica badging. So, the company has a better car at a better price. So, now just, GET! SET! BOLT!
2015 Tata Bolt Technical Data:
* Engine: 1.2L turbocharged Revotron petrol (1193cc), 1.3L Quadrajet diesel (1248cc)
* Power: 90 PS at 5000 rpm (Petrol), 75 PS at 4000 rpm (Diesel)
* Torque: 140 Nm at 1500-4000 rpm (Petrol), 190 Nm at 1750-3000 rpm (Diesel)
* Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
* Fuel Consumption: 17.57 km/l (Petrol – ARAI Certified), 22.95 km/l (Diesel – ARAI Certified)
* Fuel Type: Petrol & Diesel
* Suspension: Dual-path McPherson strut with coil spring and anti-roll bar (Front), Twist beam with coil spring and shock absorber (Rear)
* Tyres: Steel – 175/65 R14 (XE, XM, XMS) / Alloy – 175/65 R15 (XT)
* Brakes: Disc (Front), Drum (Rear)
* Safety: ABS, EBD, CSC, 2 Airbags, Speed sensing auto locks on all doors, Smart rear wiper and central locking with remote key..
2015 Tata Bolt Dimensions Data:
* Overall length: 3825 mm
* Overall width: 1695 mm
* Overall height: 1562 mm
* Wheelbase: 2470 mm
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 44 litres
* Kerb Weight: 1125 kgs (Petrol), 1160 kgs (Diesel)
* Ground Clearance: 165 mm