Tata Aria facelift now on sale at Rs 9.95 lakh

The Tata Aria has been in the Indian market since October 2010 and until now; the vehicle has really struggled in terms of sales. Despite its good quality cabin and a fairly potent diesel engine, the Aria is outclassed in the presence of Toyota Innova and the Mahindra XUV 500.

After introducing 2WD and cut-price variants to improve sales, Tata Motors has now launched the facelifted 2014 model of its full-size MPV. The facelifted Aria is now on sale with prices starting from Rs 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) for the base-spec Pure LX 4×2 variant, going all the way to Rs 14.74 lakh for the top-spec 4×4 Pride variant.

In terms of design updates, the new Aria features a different treatment for the headlights and clear lens tail lights and ‘Aria’ decals on the sides. Inside, the biggest upgrade comes in the form of a premium Harman Kardon infotainment system.

Under the hood, Tata has worked on the existing 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine for refinement and improved performance. The new Aria, as a result, puts out 150bhp, 10bhp more as against the outgoing model. The torque figure, too, is enhanced to 320Nm to improve fuel economy and acceleration. The upgraded engine is paired with a reworked gearbox which helps cut down on NVH levels.

Like the pre-facelift model, the 2014 Aria is decently loaded with standard features on the top-spec variant including cruise control, cooled glove box, puddle lamps, electrically adjustable mirrors, rear fog lamps, follow me home headlights, GPS navigation, rain sensing wipers and the highlighting feature which is the new premium audio system.

 The recent excise duty cuts have allowed Tata to price the Aria more competitively than ever. In spite of the improvements, this new model is priced lower than earlier. It still remains to be seen what good it does to the Aria’s sales.