Tata Motors have done the unthinkable and that is give their small car or should I say, the second small hatch in its line up a bit of extra power. Now that bit amounts to about 30 bhp more. There, I have got your attention. Tata Motors have taken a leaf or probably a FIRE from their partner, Fiat Motors and have plonked the 1.4 liter engine from the Fiat Linea into the Tata Indica Vista and have named it as the Tata Indica Vista Safire 90. The Tata Indica Vista already has three different motors in its arsenal namely the 75 Bhp 1.3 liter CRDI, 70 bhp 1.4 turbo and the 64 Bhp 1.2 liter petrol engine.
This is by far the most powerful Tata Indica Vista ever built. Visually the Tata Indica Vista Safire 90 is differentiated by its less powerful brethren by a new paint scheme, the 90Bhp badging at the rear and the black, silver alloys. The interiors have a gold plated thing for them. The steering wheel is also an entirely new unit. Start the car and dump the clutch expecting smoking performance and you would be disappointed. There is a fair shove in the back as you use the perfectly weighted clutch and shift to a higher gear but its not so disconcerting. It nevertheless performs better than its brethren. The car now feels more sprightly. The gearbox has been also given a minor tweak to adjust for the extra power.
The car also understeers safely however we do wish it had fatter rubber than the stock 14 inch 175 mm tyres. It gets the much needed ABS, EBD as well as two air bags. These make the Tata Indica Vista Safire 90 a safe car. Space was never an issue even with the first generation Indica and this one just amplifies it. The new engine is now BS4 compliant as well. In terms of interior features, it is loaded to the gills with Bluetooth pairing, power goodies and a stereo system. It misses out on electrically adjustable rear view mirrors. The interior colors are also light and thus exemplifying the space inside.
Fuel efficiency is also quite good with the Tata Indica Vista Safire 90 returning an ARAI claimed 10.6 kmpl in the city and 16.8 kmpl on the highway. The car is now priced at Rs 4,40,000 {ex-showroom, Delhi} for the base model and Rs. 6,10,000 {ex-showroom, Delhi} for the top variant. This makes it even more fantastic value for money proposition.
