Stretch of imagination

Tata extends the Indigo quite a bit, to create a limousine.

Remember the first commercial for the Tata Indigo, where a man is snoozing in what looked like the first-class seat of an aircraft? His book drops from his hand and a pair of hands covers him in a blanket... you would think it's an ad for a caring airline, but the twist at the end of the tale is an Indigo pulling up at a mansion porch.

Their positioning was very clear: this is a car meant to be chauffeured in. Well, it looks like Tata Motors have to run that commercial all over again with a few modifications "" because their new flagship car is out, and it is even more of a chauffeur-driven car than the standard Indigo. And how!

Tata claims that the Indigo XL is India's first stretch limousine "" well, to be precise, it's the first long wheelbase car factory-produced in India. You can always buy the L versions of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the BMW 7 Series or the Audi A8... or simply get your E-Class neatly elongated by DC Design.

But if you don't want to spend that much money and can accept the fact that you can actually be transported in a luxury car wearing the Tata badge, then the Indigo XL is just the one for you. As a Tata official said, "The Indigo XL comes with features accessible to those whom it was denied." Hmm.

The flagship Tata car debuts with something pretty important, which has somehow been swallowed by the hype around the extended wheelbase... but we'll come to that later. Because you need to know why this car is a limousine first, right? The wheelbase of the Indigo has been extended by a staggering 200 mm, taking it up to 2,650 mm.

Now which cars boast of such a long wheelbase? Not the Skoda Laura, which manages only 2,578 mm. Not the Toyota Corolla, with its 2,600 mm. Not the Hyundai Elantra either, with its 2,610 mm. Ah, the Civic beats it with its 2,700 mm. But does a long wheelbase translate to better legroom? Not exactly, according to Tata Motors. Who say that their Indigo XL beats the mighty Mercedes-Benz S-Class itself in the legroom sweepstakes. That's not all.

Tata has loaded the Indigo XL substantially with a host of goodies, some of which they claim are not seen in other luxury sedans from premium brands. Want examples?

Six-way adjustable seats for the driver and the front passenger and a separate airconditioner for rear seat passengers, as opposed to just strategically placed vents. And here (pause for deep breath) is the list of things the Indigo XL comes equipped with. Leather seats. Central armrest with cupholders and storage at rear. New wood-and-leather combo steering wheel. One-touch power windows. DVD based four-speaker integrated entertainment system with headrest-mounted twin LCD screens. Car phone with Bluetooth. A 12V socket in the rear console. A chiller compartment in the glovebox. Foldable trays affixed to the rear of front seats.

Besides this, the Indigo XL features all the elements of the recent facelift of the Indigo, which includes revised headlamps and taillamps, while its electrically operated rear-view mirrors feature turn indicators. Oh, one more thing. The instrument console has also been given a cool blue backlit treatment that makes it look quite different from what we have seen before.

What's really significant in the Indigo XL is a revision in the powerplants. Common rail direct injection finally makes a debut, as Dicor was seen only in the Safari so far.

The four-cylinder turbodiesel motor displaces the same 1396cc, but it features a twin-cam 16-valve head to develop 70 bhp and over 14 kgm of torque "" about the same as the old engine, but now, thanks to a variable geometry turbocharger, offers better driveability.

Performance is better too, but what it requires is more refinement. The petrol motor is on another league. The 1396cc motor, again with the twin-cam, 16-valve treatment, now develops 100 bhp and 12.6 kgm of torque.

Though the diesel will remain the mainstay for the Indigo XL, the petrol motor offers more go and is clearly more enjoyable. Though Tata does not say it so, these motors will find their way into the Indigo, Marina and the Indica eventually. When that happens, Tata's passenger car lineup will become substantially refreshed and much, much competitive, especially in the petrol segment.

The suspension "" independent at front, with McPherson struts and a three-link setup at the rear "" has been revised in the XL to offer a more pliant, comfortable ride for the rear lounger, sorry, passenger. The limo rides on wide 175/65 tubeless rubber.

The suspension would have been ideal in the normal saloon, but in the extended wheelbase, the dynamics are slightly affected. Body roll is palpable, so if I were you, I would advise the chauffeur to take it easy on the corners, lest you spill your champagne.

Of course, a limo should not come cheap. So to regular Indigo buyers, the price of the XL "" Rs 6,84,000 for the petrol version and Rs 7,53,000 for the oil-burner (both prices ex-showroom Mumbai) "" can be pretty hefty.

For that sort of money, you can buy a Honda City or a Ford Fiesta, but hey, everybody has one of those. And they don't exactly pamper you the way the XL does, right?

The Indigo XL is that way rather unique, and Tata has effectively created an all-new niche.

Perhaps there are buyers out there for whom the lack of engine refinement, overall attention to detail and handling prowess is not as important as the feel-good factor that the Indigo XL provides, both in terms of enormous legroom and the whole gamut of luxury goodies that it comes with.

And they would be content with being driven gently while they catch up with their sleep.