Tata Hexa Test Drive Experience : First Impressions..!!

Tata Motors, one of the pillars of the most renowned and trustworthy brand of India, Tata, was appearing on the front page of Indiblogger. #Hexaexperience on Oct 22-23 in Hyderabad was on offer.



I love driving and my craziness for cars is immeasurable so when an opportunity to test drive the all new Hexa was on cards, I didn’t want to miss it.
Quickly I went to the Tata Hexa page but this time I was welcomed by an Apply button instead of the conventional Register.
60 seats were on offer for more than thousands of bloggers across Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad. I quickly applied and wished for luck.

On a fine Thursday evening I got a call from Swati, the beautiful lady from Indiblogger.
I was on cloud 9 as I knew this was the confirmation call but I preferred to keep my hormone level down till the time I reached the venue.

Day 1

Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Hyderabad was at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
It was great to see lot of similar faces at the airport along with some new ones.

At the Hyderabad airport we were greeted by the team of Novotel who were awesome in their hospitality throughout our stay.
From the airport we were escorted to the Novotel Hyderabad Airport hotel which was in vicinity of the airport.
Sumptuous lunch was awaiting us and we too were damn hungry.

After the lip-smacking meal we registered ourselves and filled up the indemnity form.
It was time to take some rest and get ready for the evening and for that the beautiful rooms were awaiting our arrival with a surprise gift package from Tata. The package included Power Bank and a box of macaroons.

My roommate, Ananth, an entrepreneur and founder of a digital marketing firm was a great company.
We had some healthy conversations and then quickly freshened up as the presentation was going to start soon.

Around 7 we assembled at the Ballroom for the Hexa presentation.
The session started with bloggers introduction. It was great to see the faces behind those amazing blogs.

Soon the stage was occupied with the top officials from Tata Motors.
The all new Hexa was unveiled before us and I was captivated by its macho looks.
SUV has its charm when it is masculine and the Hexa totally had that thing in it.

Mr Ashish Sani, Mr Richard Winsor and Mr Ravindra Jain were quite charged up to explain us the amazing features of Hexa and we were also quite excited to know about the next big thing in the SUV world.

The presentation was followed by Q&A session and a drive briefing for the next day.
All the 60 bloggers were divided into team of 3.

After the Q&A and briefing session it was time for dinner and cocktail party.
Theme based Cocktails and finger licking dishes made up the mood for the party.
Biswa the comedy king and the funny caricature paintings by skilled artisans made sure that the mood remained in full swing throughout the evening.
It was also a great time for some networking and I was glad to connect with lot of great names in the blogging fraternity.

Though we had to wake up early morning around 5:00 a.m. but the booze and the amazing people around were enough to keep us awake till midnight.

Day 2
We were ready around 6:30 a.m. after having delicious breakfast to take the Tata Hexa for a spin.
It was a stretch of 170 kms, 85 kms drive each way. There were 20 Hexas, 10 manual (Arizona Blue) and 10 automatic (Tungsten Silver), each allocated to a team.

I got to drove both the version of Hexa and here is my say about the common features and individual versions.

Common Features

Exterior -:
The first thing that charm your eyes is the masculine body of Hexa.
SUVs are known for their macho looks and Hexa doesn’t disappoint.

Though it looks like an uplifted version of Aria but there is a lot more in Hexa in terms of features, design and comfort which sets a much bolder impression.

The dual colored front bumper is large and has the desired aggression to give Hexa that Macho look.
It houses couple of stylish fog lamps along with a large air dam.
The stretched back projector headlamps with smoked effect complement the assertive front façade.

The side profile is also quite attractive and distinct.

The rear facet is equally stylish as the front one. The USB is the beautiful taillights with first in India patented LED technology. The rear dual colored bumper with chrome accents gels well with the tail lamps and gives Hexa an impactful rear styling.

The 19 inch alloy wheels are muscular and tough.
We drove quite comfortably uphill, downhill, speeding our way on potholes and uneven terrains which I will describe in details in my Off-Roading experience.

Interior -:
The first thing that I look in a SUV is comfort and enough boot space.
Hexa satisfies me on both the aspects.

There are 3 levels of sitting arrangement, two seats on the front and second row and the third row has a bench seat with enough space at all rows.

The interior design is quite sporty and the use of premium material makes it look classy.
The steering wheel looks posh and is equipped with multi functional switches. The front centre console houses infotainment system, AC controls and climate control buttons.

Hexa also comes with a choice of 8 colors for in-cabin ambient moon lighting.

Infotainment System -:
The new-gen ConnectNext Infotainment system comes with a 5 inch touch screen.
At the first glance the screen looks quite small as compared to the enormous size of the SUV.

Anyways moving ahead the system is packed with multiple intelligent features such as playback via FM/AM, USB, iPod, voice recognition, rear view camera, navigation and other on screen display facilities.

Tata Hexa houses 10 JBL speaker system with 4 door speakers, 4 tweeters, a centre speaker, sub-woofer and a power amplifier. The speaker system is incredible as the sound at the highest volumes is also quite powerful, clear and noise free.

The infotainment system can also be integrated with Smartphone apps which include Navimaps App, Juke-Car App and other Tata Smart Remote and Manual Apps.

Safety Suite -:

Tata Hexa comes with 6 airbags, Dual on the front, side and curtain airbags.
The Electronic Stability Program and Traction Control System ensure driver stability and traction.
The ground clearance of 200 mm is quite good for a SUV.
Central locking, parking sensors and driver's belt alert are among the common safety features.

Mileage -:
Mileage of both the versions should be around 14-15 Km/L

Automatic Version

We started the first half of the test drive with A10, which was the automatic version of Hexa.
In the starting I felt that the pickup was not that great as until then I was not aware about the
Sports mode.

As soon as the Sports mode was on, Hexa was cruising like a sports car.
140 km/h mark was touched but there were no signs of jerk or shaking. I was amazed by the control and stability one could experience at such a high speed.

Overall drive was quite smooth and comfortable. Even on the potholes and rough terrain the car was butter smooth.

The only thing where I could find a bit of room for improvement is the flexibility with the Steering Wheel whose handling can be made a notch smooth.

Manual Version

After trying the automatic version it was time to try our hands on the manual one.
The manual Hexa was not that great as the Automatic one, with issues centered around the gearbox.
The gearbox was a bit notchy especially when you shift from 4 to higher gears.

The most talked about feature of Hexa is the "Super Drive Modes" system that comes packed with the Manual Version.

There are basically 4 different modes available which you can choose from.

1. Auto Mode
    This mode is more suited for normal driving conditions.

2. Comfort Mode
    This mode is best suited when you are driving on highways.
    Cruise Control option is also there in both the versions.

3. Dynamic Mode
    When you want to turn Hexa into a sport car, this is the mode to switch to.
    This is where it achieves the max power and acceleration.

4. Rough Road Mode
    This mode comes really handy when you want to explore the challenging off-road driving conditions.

We clocked 160 km/h here and were really satisfied by the control and stability as in the Automatic version.

Off Road Experience

This was the real fun I was waiting for.
The true strength of a SUV shows up in the Off Road driving and man...! I was blown away after experiencing it in Hexa.

It moved swiftly on ice. Driving on a 21 degree slanted surface looked quite comfortable.
Whether it was uphill or downhill drive, Hexa proved how powerful the beast is.
Braking system was phenomenal which was tested on a Sandy surface.
Finally driving on a terribly uneven surface is the real test of any vehicle for the Indian road conditions and to my amazement Hexa performed really well.

Loved the Off Road Experience to the core.

After the Off Road Experience we had lunch, which was quite yummy..!!
Finally we packed our bags as it was time to say goodbye to Hyderabad and leave for Mumbai.

Credit : Hemal Shah

Verdict

The new lifestyle vehicle from Tata, Hexa, is suited for people from all walks of life.
The masculine body, attractive and classy exteriors and interiors, power packed engine, super drive modes and loaded features makes it a player to look out for in the SUV world.

I found the Automatic version better than the manual one as the notchy gearbox in the manual version created some trouble while shifting the gears from 4 to higher levels.
I think the officials from Tata Motors are working on it and will fix it before the launch.

If priced properly this SUV is going to be the next big thing for Tata Motors and will take the SUV world by storm.

The next hotspot for opportunities - Indore

The commercial capital, education hub and the most populous city of Madhya Pradesh is making its mark on the national level. Counted among the top fastest growing cities in India, Indore is all set to prove its metal as one of the biggest hotspots of opportunities in India.

Biggies of the IT industry, TCS and Infosys, setting their foot in Indore gives a clear indication that the city is all set to be the next favorite destination for IT companies and preferably the next big IT hub of India. Offices scaling on more than 100 acres of land on the super corridor area with 600 crores of investment generating more than 20,000 jobs definitely give a clear perspective of the opportunities that are going to make their way into the city.

Just an FYI, this is the largest office of TCS in the world.

Nationally renowned universities like Symbiosis and Narsee Monjee have already started with the construction of their campuses in Indore with 25 acre of land been allocated to each of them. The city is home to both the elite institute of India, IIM and IIT, with Symbiosis and Narsee Monjee joining the club; definitely makes Indore an inch closer to be counted among the national education hubs of India.

With nationally recognized hospitals like Bombay Hospital, CHRC, Arvindo Hospital, Indore has already made its stand and now 500 acres of land has been allocated on the super corridor area to accommodate major hospitals of India which are showing keen interest in Indore, one of the example is Medanta Group.

It’s also a major opportunity for the investors who are looking to invest into real estate or planning for their dream home.
Super Corridor, the 12 km long ultra modern shaped corridor and areas near it are expected to offer the best returns in real estate sector.
Factors supporting the above argument are vicinity to Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport which is gradually developing into an international airport and home to all major developments which are stated above.

So from all the above information we can draw a conclusion that Indore is going to be the next big thing whether it is education, investment or employment.

All those who consider Indore as just some random city of India, keep your eyes open ;)

Source - Wikipedia

Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Tu hai is desh is shaan
Tujh par hai hume abhiman
Tere vaste hai ye dil kurban
Tujhse hai hamari pehchan
Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Rehta hai tu apne parivar se dur
Par bachata hai hazaro parivaro ki jaan
Aanch na aane deta hai is vatan par
Apni jaan se jyada priye hai tujhe bharat mata ka maan
Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Baraf se dhaki ucchi pahadiya ho
Ya fir garmi mai taptapata registan
Tujhe na parwah kisi mausam ki
Har sthithi mai rakhta hai tu apne farz ka dhyan
Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Har bharat vasi ko tujh par garv hai
Tu hi hai asal mai super hero ki pehchan
Aaj mai sacche maan se dhanyawad karta ho tera
Aur puri shiddat se dua karta ho tere liye, sunlo bhagwan
Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Ae Sipahi tujhe salaam..!!

Yes..!! We do Exist

Recently there have been a lot of movies, ads and videos on women empowerment, freedom, safety, rights and equality. In most of them everything has been generalized for the entire men fraternity, judging them all on the same ground and drawing the same picture about each one of them, but wait there is a completely different league of men who nobody talks about, Yes..!! We do Exist.

So to all the women out there, here is what we have to say.

We don’t judge you by the number of past relationships or by the matter of fact that you are still a virgin or not?
Everyone has a past and we are totally fine with it till the time you are loyal, faithful and true to us.

We are not looking for someone who can do household chores or make gol chapattis.
We believe in sharing the workload. Also we are self dependent and would never like to be a burden on anyone.

We are fine with the way you dress-up. We are not provoked, nor do we consider it as a signal.
Whether it’s a mini-skirt or saree, we know that you are sensible enough to decide, what to wear when.

Everyone has friends and like socializing. We are totally cool with the idea of you partying with your friends and would even love to join sometimes.
We never hesitate to cancel our plans if you wish to meet your best buddies as they also form an integral part of your life.

We know that you also have dreams, aspirations and goals and we respect and care for them even more than ours.
Nothing can bring more happiness and joy to us than you getting your dream job or successfully starting your own venture. It won’t hurt our “Male Ego” even if you earn more than us.
Your work is equally important as ours; we don’t have any superiority complex.

We love to discuss and have conversations on various topics.
If you have a better conclusion, suggestion, opinion or say about something, it won’t get on our nerves or would hurt our “Male Ego”. We will appreciate it and feel great to have someone like you in our life.
Also we are always open to criticism and improvement.

If a man drinks or smokes so can a woman.
We will never speak ill of you or draw any judgment about your character because of that.

We know that it is quite difficult for you to leave your family and come to our home but believe us when we say that it is equally tough for us as we are now answerable not only to our parents but also to your parents. We definitely respect your parents and would expect the same from you.
Also we would love the idea of your parents living with us.

And the final point, your happiness is the top most priority in our life and we know that it is directly related to your freedom and space.

Trust us when we say that we would do everything in this world to keep you happy but in return we just want you to put some efforts to gel with our family and treat them as your own.

Lastly I would say, do mention “US” in your conversations next time and keep “US” in your thoughts.