Tata Motors is just about to launch its new Indica Vista variant , the Vista 90. In its newest Avatar , the Vista gets a more powerful power plant that churns out 90PS (as the name suggests) thanks to its new 1.4-litre Safire engine. The 1399cc , 4-cylinder 16 valve MPFi engine produces peak power of 90PS@6000 rpm and peak torque of 116Nm@4750rpm. With the new engine , the Vista has not only become the most powerful car in its segment but the refinement levels have gone up to a new level as well.

Apart from a change of heart , the Indica also features an array of changes within its interior. Tata have introduced a new music system which has USB and AUX-in ports and is compatible with as many as five Bluetooth devices. The two-tone dashboard is now done up in black and beige and looks nice. The steering wheel is now tilt adjustable and is complimented by the newly introduced driver side height adjustable seat to get that perfect driving position. The front seats also get adjustable lumbar support for fatigue free driving over long distances.

So how do you distinguish yourself from the guy who drives the ‘normal’ 65PS Vista. Well you have a new set of black-and-chrome alloys on the Indica 90 , not just for distinction but to add an element of sportiness to the whole package. Apart from that difference , the ‘Vista90’ badge too sits pretty on the tailgate of the new car to let people know the difference.

Tata Motors may have plonked in a scorcher of a motor under the bonnet of the new car , but they still want to market it as a comfortable City car. It’s not an out-an-out enthusiast’s tool that doesn’t care two hoots about your backbone. The suspension has been kept soft , although it has witnessed minor tweaks so as to compensate for the weight of the new engine better. It’s a good thing , as the buyer of the Vista 90 would still be a price conscious guy who would appreciate qualities like more power , comfort and space. It’s meant for the educated , young , sensible urban customer who likes driving and travels with the family every once a while.

Once behind the wheel , you will realize that the new engine makes its presence felt right from the time you twist the ignition key. Smooth , refined , and vibrationless , the Vista suddenly starts feeling like a different car altogether. One of our team members twisted the ignition key , even as the engine was running. And with a Tata car , that’s saying a lot. Slotting into the first gear , the refinement can be experienced on the move as well. The cabin is surprisingly quiet , thanks to better attention paid to NVH levels by Tata for this particular car.

The new 1.4-litre engine , by the look of it seems to have been tuned primarily tuned for city usage. It has got plenty of low-mid range torque , aiding the new Vista to keep rolling without any splutter from as low as 1200 rpm. Of course , you cannot feel the surge of power at that point , and if you are in a higher gear , there is an audible hum too within the cabin , but there are no signs of the engine giving way. From 1600rpm on , the car starts building its revs progressively , it’s on song at 3000 rpm , before feeling a little hampered at5000 rpm , after which the rev needle shows some reluctance to hit the rev-limiter. We tested the car comprehensively and managed to get a 0-100 sprint time of 14.2 seconds , with a top speed of 161.2km/h on our VBOX data acquisition gear.

The drive-by-wire , 5-speed synchromesh gearbox is claimed to be an improvement over the earlier ‘box. There is still a fair bit of notchiness about the gearshifts though , and you can feel the stick striking against the gates as you try slotting it into various gears to evaluate its smoothness. It’s not bothersome though , and unless you are not used to the creamy smooth shifts of say , the Honda Jazz or the City , you’ll be at home using this one within the blink of an eye.

The steering mechanism is same as that of the Indica Vista 65hp , and lacks feedback. The ability to tilt it , and adjust your seat height helps you get into a good driving position , but there isn’t any tactility to it. But then again , Tata Motors aren’t positioning this car as an enthusiast’s delight , at least in front of us journos. It’s still a city car with a better engine that the steering feel doesn’t make much difference within the mostly straight streets of a city which you mostly traverse at slow speeds. The exapansive cabin and utterly absorbent suspension makes up for the lack of handling dynamics.

There still are small problems with the fit and finish of the car. The panel gaps are bigger than ideal , the doors don’t shut smoothly , and require you to swing them with some power if you have to get them shut in the first go. Some panels in the doors come out if you pull the window ‘up’ button with force (they fit back neatly again though). These are very small issues which won’t take much from Tata Motors to address , but will elevate the user satisfaction and experience by an enormous margin.

The price of the car has not been announced yet , but knowing Tata , they’ll price it aggressively. We are expecting a hike of over 30-40K over the standard 65PS variant. If Tata Motors prices the car at that point , the new Vista90 will make for a powerful , comfortable and refined option for many at a great price.

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Specifications of the car:

Engine 1399cc , 4 cylinder , 16 valve MPFi Petrol

Power 90PS @ 6000 rpm

Torque 116 Nm @ 4750 rpm

Acceleration 0-100 km/h 14.2s

Top speed 161km/h

Price NA