Tata Tigor vs Zest
Undoubtedly, the segment of sub-four meter sedans is presently one of the most popular segment of cars in India. This is primarily because many buyers choose to go for the sedan look over the conventional hatchback look in the same budget. That is why all leading auto manufacturers are stepping in this segment which was originally created by Tata motors. Today, Tata has Zest as their premium sub four meter sedan along with Indigo eCS and they have just introduced another sub-four meter sedan Tigor (codenamed Kite Five). This car will be the extended version of Tiago and may substitute the Indigo eCS and is the most affordable sub-four meter sedan in India. However after its launch when a customer will step in Tatas showroom, he will be surely confused to choose inbetween Tigor and Zest since there will be little price difference inbetween them. How the situation will be? Let us find out.
At 3995mm, Zest is slightly longer than Tigor at 3992mm however both of them look more like notchback rather than a sedan. The Zest with a width of 1706mm is significantly broader than Tigor. 2470mm wheelbase of Zest again is slightly longer than the 2450mm of the Tigor. Since both will be Tata cars so you will love the best legroom space in both these cars. The Zest looks significantly taller and broader than Tigor and this difference is even more prominent when you compare the entry level variants of both cars as Zest comes standard with 15-inch alloy wheels while the Tigor will come standard with 14-inch wheels and the top variant will have 15-inch wheels.
Both cars will be available with one engine each of petrol and diesel. But, the diesel engine of Zest is available in two states bringing more options for choice. In Zest as well as in Tigor, you will find the latest 1.2L Revotron turbocharged petrol engine of Tata (In Tigor minus turbo). In Tigor this engine will be a 3-cylinder unit pumping out a peak power output of 84bhp@6000rpm with an utmost torque output of 114Nm and comes in two driving modes, City and Eco which helps to maximize the fuel economy same as Zest which comes with one extra sport mode for its added power.
The Zest is powered by the 4-cylinder version of the same engine and thus has an advantage of producing more torque output. The utmost torque output of this 4-cylinder engine is of 140Nm which is available straight away from 1750rpm. The maximum power output of 89bhp@5000rpm is also slightly higher than Tigor. The Zest and Tigor will only come mated with a five-speed manual gearbox. If we talk about diesel then the Zest will be the more powerful option. Moreover as we told you before, the 1.3L Multijet diesel engine of Fiat comes in two states in Zest producing 74bhp and 89bhp@4000 respectively. The lower version comes with a torque output of 190Nm while the 89bhp version gets 200Nm of torque both achievable at 1750rpm.
Both versions come tooled with 5-speed manual gearboxes but the 89bhp version is also available with a 5-speed Automated Manual Transmission. The Tigor gets the same 1.05L, 3-cylinder Revotorq engine of Tiago. The Revotorq engine presently produces 69bhp of power and 140Nm of torque. This engine will only get a five-speed manual gearbox
Both Zest and Tigor are fresh age cars from Tata hence both of them will be very well feature tooled cars sharing features such as power windows, keyless entry, alloy wheels, fog lamps, rear de-fogger, adjustable steering wheel, electrically adjustable ORVMs, MID, Harmon touchscreen infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity, movie playback, rear parking camera and steering mounted audio and phone controls, navigation system (Juke car app for android in Tigor). The Zest comes standard with 15-inch alloy wheels, projector headlamps, front power windows, tilt-adjustable steering wheel, Foldable key, bod colored door treats and ORVMs with integrated side-turn LED indicators and MID with gear shift indicator. In top variants they will share features such as automatic climate control, switch roles parking sensors, dual front airbags, Six pack with EBD.
It is fairly clear as while the Zest will be the more premium suggesting in the compact sedan space from Tata, the Tigor looks better and with a cheaper price-tag is better value for money. The Zest has the advantage of the AMT but Tata Motors is also expected to put it in the Tigor however not instantly at launch. The Tigor much like the Tiago feels a much newer and much more desirable Tata Motors product and it is fairly effortless to say that the Tigor is our choice here.
Of course, the largest reason for anyone to choose Tigor over Zest will be its pricing which aggressive (Rs fifty thousand cheaper) and with that Tata surely have a competent product which not only will be threat to its sibling but it will also have an eye on rivals as well which will be undercut by a significant margin without compromising on quality, power and features.