The Tata Zest Quadrajet 1.3 XMA has a 1.3-litre diesel engine under the hood which is coupled to a five-speed AMT transmission. It is based on the XM variant of the Zest and is priced at Rs 7.84 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi as of 5 May, 2017). It is the most affordable automatic Zest and is around Rs 50,000 more expensive than the XM diesel which has a five-speed manual transmission.
The 1.3-litre four cylinder engine produces 90PS of maximum power at 4000 rpm and 200Nm of torque between 1750-3000 rpm. It has a claimed fuel efficiency of 21.58 kmpl which is slightly more than the 20.65 kmpl offered by its manual counterpart. However, unlike most of the AMT transmissions, the Zest doesn't start moving as soon as you slot the gear into D-mode and step off the brake. Instead you need to tap the accelerator. If you want to shift the gear manually, it has a manual mode too and a sport mode which increases the responsiveness of car. However, the manual and sport mode cannot be used at the same time.
When it comes to safety, the Zest Quadrajet 1.3 XMA comes with anti-lock braking system, electronic brake distribution and corner stability control. However, it does miss driver and passenger airbags.
In terms of features, it has a Harman Kardon infotainment system with four speakers and four tweeters, steering mounted audio control, electrically adjustable outside rear view mirrors with turn indicators, projector headlamps, front and rear fog lights and day and night interior rearview mirror.
However, the Zest Quadrajet 1.3 XMA does miss out on a lot of features as compared to the top-spec variant. It misses the touchscreen infotainment system, height adjustable driver seat, automatic climate control, rear parking sensors, LED DRLs and alloy wheels.
