As we went down memory lane and discovered the long lost sedan, the Tata Zest, one of our readers gave us a detailed overview of his experience with the car. So without taking any time further, take a look at his experience in the GoMechanic’s Unaltered!
Sameer used to drive a Maruti Suzuki Zen Estilo prior to buying the Tata Zest in October 2015. After driving the Estilo for about 8.5 years, it was time that he experienced the sedan segment for the first time and that too from India’s very own carmaker, Tata Motors. He recalls that the Tata Zest came at a premium of ₹6,00,000 after getting his old car exchanged. Pretty good deal right there, Mr Sameer.
We’ll begin with the good part of his experience:
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A Perfect VFM Car
Before buying the Tata Zest, he kept Honda Amaze and the Hyundai XCent in the same scale with it. And according to his findings, Tata Zest offered the most bang for the buck.
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Extremely Powerful Car
This is not us claiming anything, it’s Sameer. According to him, Tata Zest could easily overtake most of the cars on the highways near and around Mumbai, where Sameer lives. He has been on long road trips and the Zest has never disappointed in terms of performance.
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Good Fuel Economy
On a highway, Sameer says that his Tata Zest offers a mileage of 13kmpl while in the city driving at peak traffic he was able to get 10kms on the single litre. But that is a Not-so-Good mileage. We would recommend you get the car checked by our experts ASAP.
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3 Modes Work Great!
First of all, the driving modes in such a budget hatchback is already a great thing to offer. And when the customer testifies positively, it is something to cherish for sure. Sameer says that the 3 modes: City for regular driving, Eco when on highways and Sports when you want to show off, never let him down, NEVER.
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No Major Engine Troubles So Far!
Sameer has not faced any major engine problems. Be it the driving dynamics, handling or steering he has always felt in control of his Zest, unlike the rivals in the compact sedan segment.
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Ground Clearance
The extra 10mm of ground clearance gave Tata Zest an upper hand for sure. It rides Mumbai potholes in Monsoon as if they were just minor irritants. The Tata Zest had a ground clearance of 175mm while the Honda Amaze, just for your reference, had 165mm of it.
Tata’s Legacy: Remembering The Tata Telcoline | A Pickup truck from the 90s
And Now, the Not-So-Good Part!
*Do note that all the drawbacks mentioned below are the ones mentioned by the owner himself.*
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The Plastic Quality
According to Sameer, plastic quality was cheap. For example – The cap of the windshield wiper fluid tank has disintegrated twice at least.
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The Electrical Issue
Sameer had to replace the battery twice in the tenure of 5 years. A total of 3 batteries in the average life span of a single battery. You surely need to get the car checked. He also had to replace the HT cables and spark plugs. Well, you can always head to the nearest GoMechanic workshop and get the repairs done and also get the car checked as there might be some issue with the electrical system as your car’s battery seems to drain rather quickly.
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Power Windows
Sameer claims that the power windows at his Tata Zest have broken down 3 times, specifically the plastic harness of the 3 out of 4 windows that have caused major trouble.
- AC Cooling Coil
Sameer also reported that the cooling coil of the air conditioning system broke down once and he had to get it replaced.
Take a look: Remembering the Tata Zest | Before there was the Tigor
In Sameer’s words:
“All in all a pretty good car, and you feel quite safe when driving it. However, some finer aspects of product quality have marred the experience quite a bit (as mentioned above). However, the actual Engine, transmission and overall drivetrain have performed quite well. The interior is also quite good, even when compared to a Dzire or Etios or even Amaze.”
Sameer’s experience with the Tata Zest has been good enough to let him go for another Tata vehicle. And we would surely love to hear your experience of the next car you buy, Sameer.
Got such experiences? Share with us via gomechanicblog@gomechanic.in and we’ll spread out the word!
