TATA Motors' focus has rightfully been centred on the diesel
version of its small car — the Indica V2. Most of the cars it sells
continue to be diesel powered, though petrol engine variants have also
been available all along.
The technology for the Indica's petrol engine originally came
from Le Moto Moderne of France, but the engine has seen considerable
refinement since. Yet, two factors must have hampered higher sales
volumes for the Indica and the Indigo petrol variants: Tata Motors'
relative lack of experience with petrols compared to other small-car
manufacturers with established credentials in this segment, and the
fact that the `big and powerful' tag is not necessarily a positive
attribute for a petrol car in the excessively fuel-efficiency conscious
small-car segment.
Obviously, given these handicaps, the petrol-engined Indica
needed a boost. On the wanted list would have been better features, a
more refined and frugal engine and the kind of value-for-money
proposition that has made the diesel-powered version such a big draw
among small-car buyers in the country. The recently re-launched petrol
version, the Indica XETA, could fit the bill, as the changes to the
car's `heart' seem to be capable of offering better fuel efficiency.
What's different?
The changes to the new Indica V2 XETA (acronym for eXtra fuel
Efficient, Torque Advantage) are really only in the engine department,
though the new beige interior theme also does add a bit of a premium
quality to the car. Tata Motors' reason for taking up the 1.4 litre
petrol engine was clearly to improve its fuel efficiency ranking.
The Indica V2's engine handicap came not just from the fact
that it was the biggest in the small-car segment, but also that it
shared the same block as its diesel counterpart, making it inherently
heavy. A 32-bit microprocessor was added as part of the multi-point
injection kit for the Euro III variant of the Indica V2, but its
overall refinement and performance characteristics was still relatively
poor.
The new XETA engine's improved refinement is easily
recognisable. A reduction in noise and vibration levels is a bonus,
coming with the changes that were primarily targeted at improving the
engine's fuel efficiency.
The company engineers adopted a two-pronged strategy while
making the changes — reduce the power available on tap to lessen the
overall load, andimprove torque characteristics to enable a more linear
delivery of power within the lower engine rpm bands. To achieve these,
the engineers have re-tuned the engine, which is now five horses lower
at a peak power rating of 70 PS at an even lower engine speed of 4,800
rpm, compared to the previous version's 75 PS at 5,500 rpm. Despite the
lowering, the power is still respectable compared to the other hatches
in the Indica's price segment. The ones offering higher power are the
likes of Suzuki Swift and Hyundai Getz, which are in the 80-bhp-plus
category. The maximum torque has been upped to about 125 Nm at a low
2,600 rpm compared to the older version's 110 Nm at 3,000 rpm.
So, how does the Indica V2 Xeta hope to deliver better fuel
efficiency? Tata Motors has redesigned most of the current engine
components. Some of the key changes are:
The cylinder head has been modified to incorporate new intake
ports to improve combustion at low speeds to reduce fuel consumption.
Longer runners in the intake manifold now enable shifting the maximum
torque to lower engine speeds (starting from a low 1,000 rpm and
peaking at 2,600 rpm) to have better gearing and pick-up in city
