With the Hexa, Tata Motors showed they could do a premium segment car well. Launched in 2017, the model has made its way into the used car market and, thanks to high depreciation, makes for a good value buy. Fully-loaded, used examples sit around the ₹13-14 lakh mark, which is equivalent to the price of a new Nexon, a much smaller car in comparison. Also, the fact that the Hexa is discontinued (at least for the moment) helps a lot with negotiations. You can haggle for a significantly lower price and get a great deal.
The Hexa is powered by a 2.2-litre diesel engine and is available with manual and automatic transmission options. The 6-speed manual is available with an all-wheel drive on the top-spec XT trim, and with a two-wheel drive on the mid-spec XMA and top-spec XTA trims. So, if you want an all-wheel drive, the manual gearbox is the only option.
However, the manual here is not one of the best. The gearshifts are notchy, and the lack of well-defined gates make it difficult to engage them. Then there is the clutch that is inconsistent and lacks progression, resulting in jerky shifts. Other flaws include the absence of a dead pedal on the manual version and a rather small footwell for the driver. The automatic is the one we highly recommend. The 6-speed auto is smooth, refined and works in perfect tandem with the engine.
A point to be kept in mind is that the Hexa is known to be thirsty, especially with the automatic transmission. Even in Eco mode, the economy hovers around the 6-7kpl mark in city traffic and goes just a shade above 10kpl on the highway.
The interior is one of the big highlights of the Hexa, as it offers good levels of quality and material. The seats, for one, are fantastic and very comfortable, and the overall cabin build is good too. That said, there are some issues. The all-black dashboard heats up a fair bit on a hot day and some plastics down low aren’t up to the standards of the ones up top, and they tend to rattle on older cars. The door lock pins tend to wear out early and even malfunction in some cases. Also, the touchscreen infotainment system tends to freeze and some owners have also reported issues with the subwoofer.
Though this is a Tata product, since it’s priced higher up in its portfolio, maintenance and spare part prices are on the higher side. A basic service every 1 year/10,000km will cost you anywhere between ₹7,000-9,000, and insuring a three-year-old model will set you back by approximately ₹15,000 annually. Tata offered a 3-year/1,00,000km warranty on the Hexa and most cars on the market are still well under that mark, so look for these models specifically. The Hexa is a well-built, practical and comfortable SUV, and at these prices, it’s a great deal.
Worth knowing
The Hexa was also available in a base variant that had no frills and came with lesser power and torque (150hp/320Nm as against 156hp/400Nm on higher variants). These examples can be fetched for as little as ₹11 lakh. On higher versions, you could choose between a 6-seater variant, with captain’s seats for the middle row, or a 7-seater variant with a bench seat.
How much to spend
Given that the Hexa is out of production and there aren’t too many on the market, you can be on the front foot of the negotiations. Offer no more than ₹13 lakh for a top-spec trim. If it is an automatic version, the maximum offer should be ₹14 lakh. A low-spec version can even go for as little as ₹11 lakh.