Tata’s Indica hatchback lost ground to contemporary looking rivals owing to the dated design and fundamental interiors it offered. To break the stereotype, the company developed Bolt hatchback built on the Horizonext strategy, but alas it could not turn out to be a game changer for Tata in B segment. What worked against the hatchback was its huge similarity with Indica, it in fact appears to be a bettered version of the latter. Although, a lot of new elements were incorporated on the outside like the front profile featuring smoked headlamps, an all black C pillar and chrome finish on the outside, yet it could not cut the umbilical cord and looks a contemporary version of Indica. Cabin gets many features, styling and quality seems compromised. Room for occupants is ample inside the cabin in front and rear. Tata developed a new Revotron petrol engine for Bolt and there is a diesel engine too for mileage conscious customers. Ride quality and handling is fairly good as compared to rivals in the segment. Tata has priced the entry level versions competitively but the higher trims are a tad pricey.

Tata Bolt Exteriors

The face gets segment first swept-back head lamps and Tata’s signature humanity line radiator grille with piano black finish. A chrome strip is placed on the top of the front grille. Lower part of the bumper is broader and it juts out separating the upper front portion. Large vertical air vents are positioned at the bottom and fog lamps are equipped on black housings. Side view is highlighted by blacked out B and C pillars with a lean chrome strip running across the window beltline. Outside rear view mirrors with integrated turn indicators are fitted on driver and co-passenger side. There is a sharp character line that starts from the A pillar and stretches till the C pillar. Rear gets an integrated spoiler, flame-shaped tail lights and a thick chrome strip.

Tata Bolt Interiors

Cabin as mentioned above is capacious and gets aplenty features inside. Tata could have worked on the material quality used in the cabin, even the fit and finish is not as pleasing as expected. However, there is a notable improvement in the cabin material as against the previous Tata cars. Enveloped in java black colour scheme with a touch of silver around central console and steering wheel, styling is decent. AC vents are placed in the middle of the dashboard and on either side providing proper air circulation. Central console comes equipped with a touch-screen, dials for air conditioner and other buttons. A glove-box is provided on co-passenger’s side for storage. Steering wheel has been borrowed from Zest and is one of the most impressive features packed inside. Door pockets are not large enough, bottle holders are missing on the doors and there is just one cup holder on the floor console.  The 210 litres of boot space does not provide much space for storage.

Tata Bolt Engine Specifications and Transmission

Petrol variants of Bolt feature Tata’s new 1.2 litre, turbocharged MPFi, four cylinder Revotron engine. The petrol engine generates maximum power and torque of 90 PS at 5000 RPM and 140 Nm between 1500 RPM to 4000 RPM. Diesel variants of Bolt come equipped with a 1.3 litre, four cylinder CRDi powerplant yielding 75 PS at 4000 RPM and 190 NM between 1750 RPM to 3000 RPM. Both the engines are paired to a five-speed manual transmission. An AMT version would have upped Bolt’s game in the B segment, but for now it comes only in manual form.

Tata Bolt Features

Headlamp housing in front gets projector type smoked lights, chrome work on sides is minimal and tyres get alloy rims. Fog lamps are provided in front as well as rear and rear. The floating roof atop merges well with the rear. Cabin features a touch-screen with mounted buttons for air conditioner, Tata’s new generation steering wheel gets mounted controls and seats are draped with fabric upholstery. The instrument cluster features a tachometer, seat belt reminder for driver’s seat, reminder for door open and key, digital fuel gauge and LED fuel and temperature gauge. Besides there is also a driver information system with a digital clock, in-gear and shift recommendation, trip meter A & B, instantaneous and average fuel efficiency, distance to empty and ambient indication.

Tata Bolt Performance and Mileage

On this parameter Bolt does a mediocre job, the rest to 100 kmph mark is achieved in around 15 second (approximate). There is a bit of turbo lag, nothing prominent though. The five-speed manual gearbox is responsive and gear shifting does not require much effort. As for fuel economy, Tata claims Bolt to return 17.57 kmpl in petrol guise, on the other hand diesel powered Bolt is certified (ARAI rated) to deliver 22.95 kmpl.

Tata Bolt Accessories and Infotainment

Tata has a vast choice for accessorizing Bolt from styling to utility, to comfort to safety and security to car infotainment and car care. From the entertainment section, Bolt gets ConnectNext infotainment system by Harman on the mid level trims while top-spec variant gets ConnectNext touchscreen infotainment system by Harman. The music can also be played via AM/FM, USB, AUX-In and iPod connectivity. Four speakers and tweeters are fitted in the cabin and a remote control is also provided to operate music system. Steering comes with mounted controls for music and phone. Preeminent features inside include smartphone enables navigation, voice command recognition technology, SD card reader, video playback and image viewer via USB and SD card, controls of FATC on touchscreen and Bluetooth connectivity which enables multiple functions like call logs, conference call, phone book access, audio streaming, incoming SMS notification & read out and call reject with SMS feature (Please note that the above mentioned infotainment features are bereft in entry level variant).

Tata Bolt Braking and Handling

Braking force is provided by Disc brakes in front and drum brakes at rear. The suspension set up is stiff and balances the car well on pot holes keeping the occupants composed. Ride quality is good too, the cabin is well insulated. Tata could have kept the ride height a tad low, although the ground clearance backs the performance. Steering wheel borrowed from Zest is responsive and does a good job. A slight body roll is experienced on turns, hence this could be worked upon to improve the handling further.

Tata Bolt Safety and Security

Safety brigade comprises of anti-lock-braking system with electronic brakeforce distribution and CSC, this feature is available across line-up save for the base variant. Airbags for driver and co-passenger are employed in higher trims only ditching the base and mid-level trims. Front fog lamps are available in the entire range except the base variant. Each variant gets immobilizer and rear door child lock, whereas equipment such as rear defogger, rear fog lamps, rear smart wiper with washer and perimetric alarm system are exclusive to the high end variant. Front seat belt with pretensioners and load limiters are again present in the high end variants only.

Tata Bolt Comfort and Convenience

Bolt features a lot of comfort features like a foldable key, air conditioner with heater, front wipers, adjustable head rests in front and rear seats, day and night inside rear view mirror, power windows in front and rear, ORVMs with power adjusting function, there is a drawer under co-driver’s seat. Other features present in the hatchback are central locking with remote, height adjuster for driver’s seat, one shot power down on driver’s window and a fully automatic temperature control.

Tata Bolt Wheels and Tyres

The entry level variants and mid-level variants get 175/65 R14 steel wheels and top end version features 175/65 R15 alloy wheels.

Tata Bolt Competition

Tata Bolt faces serious competition from Hyundai’s popular Grand i10, Toyota’s Liva, Maruti Suzuki India’s flagship hatchback Swift and new Ford Figo among others.

Pros:

Spacious interiors
feature rich cabin and adept ride and handling.

Cons:

Cramped boot space
lack of practical storage points in cabin and Indica reminiscent exteriors.

Upcoming Models are the Punch EV, Harrier EV, Curvv EV, Sierra EV and Avinya