Tata Zest longterm review: Introduction

On my most recent thousand kilometre weekend round trip I got to bond with the new Tata Zest. You already know that we’re mighty impressed by the new Tatas and that doesn’t change. The car is comfortable, feature loaded and quite nice to drive. For this report though, I’d like to focus on the engine.

To begin with, kudos to Tata, they’ve engineered a very good motor that is potent and technologically up to date. But having spent extended periods in it on the highway and in the city, I have made a few observations. In town, I find the car perfectly manageable in Eco mode which blunts throttle response and cuts power a little. But once the road opens, the Zest starts to feel quite sluggish and deactivating Eco mode helps things a bit. But come across an incline or the need for a quick overtake and you simply have to shift to Sport. The jump …