India’s best-selling diesel car just got a whole lot better. A turbocharger, an intercooler and large dollop of extra power and torque later, Tata’s Indica is more accomplished and a lot quicker.

New Tata Indica V2 turbo
Price DLG Rs 4.18 lakh DLE Rs 4.39 lakh
(ex-showroom Mumbai) ON SALE Now

The imminent arrival of a new segment of premium diesel hatchbacks led by the Suzuki Swift, it seems, has got Tata Motors driving to get a first mover advantage — a pre-emptive strike at the heart of Maruti’s diesel ambitions that include the inclusion of the 1.3 Multijet under the bonnet. An attempt to grab the car-buying public’s attention with a new concept — a diesel that is as fun to drive as some petrol cars.

The Indica’s 1.4-litre diesel block gets the same turbo and top-mounted snorkel-fed intercooler as its sister cars, the Indigo and Marina. But there is no Volkswagen-derived ‘TDi’ moniker, a more youthful and ‘turbo’ badge will be the only thing that will differentiate the car from ordinary Indicas. Of course if you can’t see the badge, all you really need to do is wait for a change of the lights and see if the car pulls away from the signal.
The jump in horsepower is huge — an extra 13.5bhp and 4.4kgm of extra torque. But all the 67bhp produced is not immediately accessible because the turbo-charger needs to be spun past 2000rpm before that characteristic turbo arrives. As a result the Indica turbo is not at its best in start-stop traffic, where you often have to shift to a lower gear to access the power so that you can get ahead of that guy on the scooter who is already edging you out. That said, once you open the engine up and make use of the powerband, which stretches to 5000-plus rpm, the Indica turbo pretty much takes to wing. Now power is delivered thick and fast, and the Indica sheds its sloth like a burning bomber ditching its load.
A few quick sprints against the clock quickly proved how fast the car was in a straight line, 100 kilometres coming up in a rapid 16.1 seconds. And helped by its short gearing, the Indica turbo will stay with cars like the Swift and Getz till 60kph. Traffic light drags are sure to be fun. Highways will be a breeze too, as the Indica munches ground rapidly once in the zone above 2000rpm. Grippier brakes bring things to a halt in a more controlled and confidence-inspiring manner. Gripes? The gearbox still remains notchy and the force sometimes needed to change gears excessive. The turbo engine needs to be more refined and silent and the overall quality, inside and out, is still abysmal but that’s an old story. Still, for the additional Rs 8,000-12,000 this car costs over the non-turbo Indica, the turbo is a lot more car.

TATA Indica V2 Turbo
Price DLG Rs. 4.18 / DLX Rs. 4.39 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)
0-100kph 16.10sec
Top speed NA
Power 67bhp@4500rpm
Torque 13kgm@2500rpm

Length 3675mm
Width 1665mm
Height 1485mm
W’base 2400mm
Weight 1050kg
Fuel tank 37 litres

Engine 4-cyls, in-line, Turbo-diesel, 1405cc
Installation Front, transverse, fwd
Compression ratio 21:1
Specific output 47.85bhp per litre
Bore/stroke NA
Gearbox type 5-speed manual
Front suspension Independent, wishbone type with MacPherson strut, anti-roll bar
Rear suspension Independent, semi-trailing arm with coil spring mounted on hydraulic shock absorbers
Front brakes Ventilated discs
Rear brakes Drum
Tyres 165/65 R14

WHAT TO EXPECT
A welcome shot of performance injects some appeal into the Indica