Evo Fleet: Tata Hexa
Words: Alameen Merchant
My strongest memory of the Hexa was an adventure we started from Delhi, on a cold winter morning. We got out of town and headed out to the open highway towards Rajasthan, where the Hexa came into its own and felt super planted, offering a very smooth ride as the speeds picked up, allowing me to recline my seat and sleep comfortably while Anand hot-footed the big Tata. So good was the ride that I woke up and we were already halfway through our trip. I took over the wheel after my nap and was immediately comfortable thanks to the commanding driving position and great all-round visibility.
We reached Bikaner at sunset. As I got about my work of filming in the beautiful light, on roads surrounded by the view of beautiful sand dunes, bringing out the sharp and edgy design of the Hexa, which I personally like. We managed to take the Hexa in the sand and have some off-road fun and to my surprise, it actually did more than we expected it to. It made short work of going up the dunes and the four-wheel drive system worked really well. The torque of the engine managed to pull it through, despite its heavy weight. Truly a versatile vehicle.
Words: Aniruddha Rangnekar
To me, the Hexa is something that shows how serious Tata Motors is about improving quality and providing a vehicle which can fulfil all your requirements. I remember picking up our long term Hexa from Mumbai and delivering it in the dead of the night for the first of what were to be a series of serious expeditions. My brief drive highlighted the highway cruising abilities of the SUV, while I also felt it was relatively easy to manoeuvre through traffic, despite its size.
The seats offer great comfort, while the excellent sound system is an absolute boon on the long drives our team took. What surprised me were its off-road abilities, stories of which I have heard from the others at office. I was shocked to know that it managed to plough through some thick snow in Rohtang, without snowchains (since they weren’t available for the 19-inch wheels) without much fuss. Testament to the four-wheel drive system.
Words: Rohit Mane
Amongst everybody at the evo India office, I have spent the most time in the Hexa, having covered over 5,000 kilometres in our long term SUV. Even after spending so much time with the SUV, it continues to surprise me with its on- and off-road abilities. We’ve driven this very SUV to the extremities of our country and through a variety of terrain. Highways, village roads, bad roads, sand dunes, river crossings, snow, mountain passes, everything and the SUV truly tamed every one of those terrains with ease.
One memory that stands out is that at a place called ‘Chota Dehra’ near Kaza, there were numerous cars stuck on a shallow riverbed. We decided to be brave and put the Hexa through this and it managed to pull through easily – after that it even pulled out a few of the cars which were stuck, thanks to the power and four- wheel drive on our Hexa. Kaza is probably one of the toughest places in the country to drive through. During this drive the front bumper took a beating, but the solid build quality ensured there was no mechanical damage to the vehicle.
Words: Karan Arya
The evo India team was kind enough to lend me their long term Hexa for my trip to Rajasthan to officiate in a rally. My drive from Delhi to Bikaner was stress free and I got to test the different driving modes the SUV had on offer. To my surprise, they work well and enhance the driving experience of the SUV.
I had heard from the team about the off-road capabilities of this four-wheel drive variant, but honestly I was a little skeptical of its off-road credentials, especially in the desert environment that I was going to be in. But to my surprise, it was as good on the sand as on the road. It went everywhere I took it without a fuss. After the trip, I used the Hexa on my daily commute in Delhi and it was easy to drive around town too. All those who travelled with me were really happy with the comfort levels and the generous space on offer. The Hexa is a great family car which can double up as an off road tool, when required.
Here is our December 2017 long term report of the Tata Hexa.
