Tata Motors is still tinkering with the Bolt hatchback, even as the launch date for the hatchback comes closer by the day. The Bolt was caught on test in Bangalore by our reader Mr. Hari Krishnan in Kormangala, Bangalore. Hari managed to capture not only the heavily camouflaged exterior shots, but also the interior images of the hatchback. The interiors are true to the prototype showcased earlier this year. The funky orange colour shade though is replaced by a sober looking beige, but the dual tone look has been retained.
Based on the heavily re-engineered X1 platform, the Tata Bolt will be powered by the all-new 1.2-litre Revotron turbo petrol engine producing 85 PS of power and 140 Nm of torque, while the 1.3-litre Multijet diesel producing 75 PS of power and 190 Nm of torque is also on offer. The Bolt gets a host of tech wizardry including EPAS steering system, advanced ABS with cornering stability function, GPS and navigation, touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth telephony with voice recognition and smartphone integration and much more.
Tata Motors has also roped in Ace F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan who has been instrumental in developing the Bolt and the Zest compact sedan to be more driver centric models. The company benchmarked several global small cars in order to create a product that can compete on a global level. With showroom renovations underway, Tata is making productive use of its time to improve the Bolt in every little way it can and deliver a capable product in the market.
Interestingly, also spotted on test was the Sumo Gold MUV along with the Bolt hatchback. While the Sumo did not sport any changes to the exteriors, we expect Tata could have improved the mechanicals of the vehicle to keep it fresh in the market. The Sumo Gold was updated last year with refreshed exteriors and interiors. Tata also added new colour options as well as a Bluetooth and USB audio system to the features list of the model. The MUV is powered by a 3.0-litre CR4 diesel engine that produces 84 BHP of power and 250 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. With anticipations so high, the wait for the Bolt just gets longer.
