The Zica houses two new engines — a new 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine and a 1.05-litre Revotorq diesel engine. The new Revotorq diesel engine displaces 1,047 cc and is a three-cylinder unit with 70 PS at 4,000 RPM and 140 Nm of peak torque from 1,800-3,000 RPM on tap. Like most turbo engines, the Revotorq suffers from lag and you start moving with urgency only past the 2,000-RPM mark. A flat torque curve however means you can potter around in town without discomfort.
The Revotron engine in the Zica is again a three-cylinder unit but naturally aspirated. The 1,199-cc all-aluminium three-cylinder engine features four valves per cylinder with double overhead camshafts (DOHC) and peak output is rated at 85 PS at 6,000 RPM and 114 Nm of torque at 3,500 RPM. On the go, the Revotron-equipped Zica feels peppier than the Revotorq version. For starters, there’s no lag and the power delivery is far more linear. Both engines get Tata Motors’ Multi Drive (selectable drive modes) with ‘City’ and ‘Eco’ modes and transmission in both cases is via a five-speed manual gearbox.
