The Tata Bolt Thread (Tata Lovers)

Cars.co.za has one for two months. Let's see what they think about it.

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Gtx Gaming said:
Could probably flash the ECU, to "trick" the turbo to push more boost to the engine. You can also buy a chip that plugs into ECU that does this also, not sure if there is one for tata's, there is for VW and few other makes.
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Where would you recommend buying such a chip?
 
Verdict:

At the time of penning this review, we were about halfway through our extended evaluation of the Tata Bolt. The mere fact that the vehicle has been made available for such a test speaks volumes of Tata's confidence that its latest products are now up to scratch – the 5-year manufacturer's warranty is further proof. So, look out for the full wrap-up (including a video) soon. As it stands, we can only applaude Tata for the progress it has made. In our experience, the Bolt is by far the most attractive product the Indian manufacturer has ever built. What's more, it is much better finished than its predecessors and nicer to drive as well. In several areas, it runs its rivals in this tough segment very close.

But... and there was always going to be a "but", the Bolt still has some way to go before it can be considered as "safe" a purchase as a Volkswagen or Toyota, for example. Our upcoming Cars.co.za Ownership Satisfaction Survey will shed some light on what it's like to live with a Tata in South Africa (and all other brands), but as it stands, the Bolt's drivetrain refinement lags the best in this class, and its price puts it among some seriously competitive rivals from more established brands. If you can live without some of the Bolt XT's fancy features, you may want to consider the R10 000-cheaper XMS derivative. But in conclusion, the Bolt shows that Tata has the potential to rapidly improve its competitiveness in all the segments it competes in.

"The Tata Bolt 1.2T XT currently sells for R167 995 (May 2017), which includes an impressive 5-years/100 000 km warranty and 2-years/30 000 km service plan. Service intervals are scheduled for every 15 000 km."

http://www.cars.co.za/motoring_news/tata-bolt-hatch-12t-xt-2017-review/43398/#.WSRXQVV95hE

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Ivan Leon said:
Just found out, when checking on car hire prices, that if you rent a Tata Bolt XMS from Tempest Car Hire before the end of July 2017, you will receive a R 10,000 discount voucher from TATA, redeemable on the purchase of a new Bolt XMS.

http://www.tempestcarhire.co.za/Vehicles/a
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Good one at least Tata are doing something to drive their sales.
 
Got the Tata Bolt XMS as a courtesy car from my insurance while my car is undergoing repairs. I've thoroughly enjoyed the car. I'm heavy on the pedals and it has impressed me. The speed, control and response. The display panel and the gauges are eye catchers. The interior is much more spacious than I'd anticipated; heck even with five people in the car up a hill I never feel like the car is under-powered. The braking is quite good. Not much boot space unfortunately. Having only driven fast cars that are heavy on fuel, I've been most impressed with the fuel efficiency. Actually considering getting this for daily commute.
 
I was in Durban this past weekend and hired a Tata Bolt from Tempest, doing the booking online about 2 weeks ago.

Upon arriving at the car in the rental parking lot, after completing the paperwork at the rental office, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had been allocated a shiny new red Tata Bolt XT (the high-end model) and not the lesser XMS model, a white one of which was parked next to the XT I was to be driving.

Very impressed with the XT - is is well-insulated from road noise, and you have to keep a beady eye on the speedometer to make sure you keep within the designated speed limits.

It is very responsive when accelerating - especially in 3rd or 4th gear - and when travelling at 120 km/h in 5th gear, it is only doing about 2,900 rpm (my Indica LXi for comparison, is doing about 3,800 rpm at the same speed).

The Harman touchscreen infotainment system, with a speed sensitive volume adjustment, coupled with steering wheel controls, is very easy to use - and the sound quality of the speakers is most impressive for a factory-fitted system.

I only found three niggling drawbacks - all apparent at the back of the XT hatch:

Firstly, the boot is NOT unlocked using the central locking, you HAVE to either use the key - or open the driver's door and use the manual boot release lever (just as you have to with the Indica);

Secondly, for some obscure reason, the boot's parcel shelf has NO cables securing it to the hatch - meaning that you have to raise / lower it MANUALLY every time you want to put items in or take them out of the boot (my Indica DOES come with this 'luxury item' fitted as standard);

Thirdly, the rear seat backrest is NOT a 60/40 split unit - but is a single piece unit - which can be a problem when carrying three passengers and an oversized item - for example, a surfboard or step-ladder (my Indica also has this 'luxury item' fitted as standard).

Additionally, the XT hatch loses out on two other safety items that are fitted as standard equipment on the XT sedan - LED DRLS (the hatch just has chrome accents instead), and more importantly, the hatch doesn't have rear PDC sensors, which are linked to the display on the infotainment screen of the XT sedan.

Overall then, I would give the Tata Bolt hatch a rating of 8/10 - but the lack of the items mentioned above would swing me to rather considering the XT sedan instead, or waiting for the Tiago / Tigor to be launched in SA later on in the year.
 
Ivan Leon said:
I was in Durban this past weekend and hired a Tata Bolt from Tempest, doing the booking online about 2 weeks ago.

Upon arriving at the car in the rental parking lot, after completing the paperwork at the rental office, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had been allocated a shiny new red Tata Bolt XT (the high-end model) and not the lesser XMS model, a white one of which was parked next to the XT I was to be driving.

Very impressed with the XT - is is well-insulated from road noise, and you have to keep a beady eye on the speedometer to make sure you keep within the designated speed limits.

It is very responsive when accelerating - especially in 3rd or 4th gear - and when travelling at 120 km/h in 5th gear, it is only doing about 2,900 rpm (my Indica LXi for comparison, is doing about 3,800 rpm at the same speed).

The Harman touchscreen infotainment system, with a speed sensitive volume adjustment, coupled with steering wheel controls, is very easy to use - and the sound quality of the speakers is most impressive for a factory-fitted system.

I only found three niggling drawbacks - all apparent at the back of the XT hatch:

Firstly, the boot is NOT unlocked using the central locking, you HAVE to either use the key - or open the driver's door and use the manual boot release lever (just as you have to with the Indica);

Secondly, for some obscure reason, the boot's parcel shelf has NO cables securing it to the hatch - meaning that you have to raise / lower it MANUALLY every time you want to put items in or take them out of the boot (my Indica DOES come with this 'luxury item' fitted as standard);

Thirdly, the rear seat backrest is NOT a 60/40 split unit - but is a single piece unit - which can be a problem when carrying three passengers and an oversized item - for example, a surfboard or step-ladder (my Indica also has this 'luxury item' fitted as standard).

Additionally, the XT hatch loses out on two other safety items that are fitted as standard equipment on the XT sedan - LED DRLS (the hatch just has chrome accents instead), and more importantly, the hatch doesn't have rear PDC sensors, which are linked to the display on the infotainment screen of the XT sedan.

Overall then, I would give the Tata Bolt hatch a rating of 8/10 - but the lack of the items mentioned above would swing me to rather considering the XT sedan instead, or waiting for the Tiago / Tigor to be launched in SA later on in the year.
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Did you get that discount voucher? You going to use it? Great review non the less.
 
Nice to see some other peeps on mybb driving the car and having very positive experiences. It really is a great little car and I am still loving mine.

A niggle I have picked up with mine though is that in the morning when the car is cold, the steering makes creaking noises when I turn the wheels to pull the car out of the garage. It goes away as the car warms up. Is this something I should be very concerned about? I think I am sitting on 8000 kilometers at the moment, so a while still before it has to go in for a service at 15 000
 
Called the guy @ Tata Highlands North where I bought the car from. He said he will ask their service center guys about it, but it is not normal as the Bolt that he drives does not have the creaking noise in the morning. Said it migh need some lubricant or something, but he will call me back to let me know what the service guys says and if I should bring the car in.
 
backstreetboy said:
Did you get that discount voucher? You going to use it? Great review non the less.
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Yup - I remembered to request the voucher when I returned the car on Sunday evening - will probably hold back until the Tiago / Tigor launch later this year though and test drive them both to see how they compare to the Bolt before deciding which is the better option for me.
 
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