On the handling front, we’d say the Zica is average. The steering, though light and easy to use at city speeds, also feels artificially weighted and lacks feedback at double-digit high speeds. Where the Zica really excels is in the ride quality department. Over broken roads or even railway crossings, the suspension just irons out all the shocks, making it a very comfortable car to be in. Braking duties on the Zica are handled by a pair of discs up front and drums at the rear. There is adequate bite in there alright but I wouldn’t mind a bit more feel or progression.
On the whole, there are bits and bobs in the Zica that work really well. It’s loaded for starters. The top-end version we drove had twin airbags, ABS, EBD and even Corner Stability Control. It also had steering-mounted controls, power windows with auto-down function for the driver, electrically adjustable ORVMs, and follow-me-home headlamps, etc. Yet, there are areas that need improvement. The quality of plastic on the dash needs to be uniformly good; giving me a dashboard that looks and feels great from one angle and not so from another doesn’t work. Rear visibility is a bit of an issue that needs to be looked into as well. At the end of the day, however, the Zica will jostle with the Maruti Suzuki Celerio and the Hyundai Grand i10 for space, and, depending on Tata Motors’ pricing, should make for an interesting addition to that segment.
Technical Specifications on page 5>
