Tata Aria by mannu

Tata Aria launched at the 2010 Indian Auto Expo: The Toyota Innova Challenger

Tata Aria

Tata Aria

The Toyota Innova will finally have some competition from the venerable Tata Motors.

Ratan Tata has just pulled the wraps off Tata Motors’ homegrown premium MPV called the Aria, at the 2010 Auto Expo. Now, we do know that Tata is facing a formidable task of taking on market leader Toyota in this segment. So, that makes it all the more important for them to pack in a whole load of features at a killer pricing level that they are famous for.

Tata Aria

Tata Aria

This time around with the Aria, Tata Motors might just have the entire jigsaw puzzle falling into place. The Aria’s styling, while not look cutting edge manages to toe a safe line by being appealing to a wide range of audiences. Gone is the smiling grille that has become synonymous with Tata’s cars starting with the Indica.

Tata Aria Dashboard

On first glance, the huge, beefy looking Aria dwarfs everything this side of the Toyota Fortuner, leave alone the Toyota Innova. Huge seventeen inch wheels with disc brakes all around give the Aria this imposing stance. Like the massive exterior, the Aria’s interiors will have acres and acres of space which has become a feature of most of Tata Motors’ products. That apart, the cavernous interiors are very decently appointed and feature rich.

Tata Aria Interiors

A small summary of the features include air conditioning vents for all the three rows, foldable food trays, roof mounted gloe boxes and beige interiors. The engine is the same 2.2 liter DICOR diesel unit that powers the Tata Safari and this should certainly endow the Aria with sprightly acceleration and decent cruising speeds. An all wheel drive option, ABS, all of six airbags for safety, traction control and a bevy of other little thoughtful features which abound the Aria might just push the price of the Aria northward.

We expect the Tata Aria to be priced in between the Toyota Innova and the Fortuner at about INR 12 Lakhs. This pricing backed up with good quality will make sure that both the Toyota siblings, the Fortuner and Innova feel the heat. We say, bring it on Tata.

Tata Aria Rear