TATA Lunches Hexa to take on XUV 500 & Innova Crysta.

Tata Motors has finally launched the Hexa at a starting price of Rs 11.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The home-grown auto major had started entertaining bookings for the car in November last year. Touted as the flagship model of the company, Hexa is available in six different variants – XE, XM, XMA, XT, XTA and XT 4×4.

On the looks front, Hexa has a dominant stance with its 200mm of ground clearance, 19-inch alloy wheels and rugged cladding all around. The SUV is a thoroughly overhauled Aria from just about every angle. Its wheelbase of 2,850mm, however, remains identical to its predecessor.

Tata Motors has equipped Hexa extremely generously right from the base variant. The XE variant gets features like dual-airbags, ABS+EBD, cornering stability control, all-wheel disc brakes, all four power windows, manual AC with dedicated vents for all three rows, manually adjustable 8-way driver’s seat, 12V power sockets in the front two rows, cooled upper glovebox, 6-speaker sound system with ConnectNext tech, projector headlights, rear roof spoiler and LED taillights.

In the mid-range XM and XMA variants, standout features subtle chrome accents on the interior trim, rear parking sensors, heated wing mirrors, Harman touchscreen infotainment system with voice recognition, video playback via USB or SD card inputs, ambient lighting, 8-speaker sound system and super drive modes (XM variant). While the XMA variant misses out on super drive modes, it does get sports mode and hill hold control, both of which aren’t there on the XM.

The range topping XT, XTA and XT 4×4 variants get bespoke features like automatic climate control, roof rails, fog lamps with LED DRLs, 19-inch alloy wheels and a whole lot of chrome garnishing on the outside. The only difference is the 4×4 system, which is only available with the XT 4×4 variant.

Powering the Hexa is the same engine that does duty in the Safari Storme – the 2.2-litre Varicor diesel engine. Just like in the Storme, the engine in the Hexa is available in two states of tune – 150PS/320Nm and 156PS/400Nm. Only the base XE variant is powered by the less powerful engine and there is only a 5-speed manual transmission on offer with it. The rest of the range gets the 156PS/400Nm of tune and while the XMA and XTA models get a 6-speed automatic transmission, the rest of the lot gets a 6-speed manual gearbox.

Here is the variant-wise price list – (Ex Showroom)

XE Rs 11,99,000

XM Rs 13,85,000

XMA Rs 15,05,000

XT Rs 16,20,000

XTA Rs 17,40,000

XT 4×4 Rs 17,49,000

Tata Motors is also offering three personalisation kits (Tuff, Expedition and Luxe) for the Hexa to match the requirements of its customers. Apart from the predefined kits, customers can also opt for a host of standalone accessories.

Arch rivals for the Tata Hexa are the Mahindra XUV500 and the Toyota Innova Crysta.