Everyone today wants an SUV. Be it a large butch, compact or even what they call a micro SUV. Everybody wants one. And there’s no dearth of options in the Indian market. While Tata Motors has the first two covered, the new Tata Punch is the car maker’s smallest SUV yet. Showcased as the HBX concept in 2020 at the Auto Expo, it is now here in its production avatar as the Punch. After the compact SUV segment, the mini SUV space seems to be the next big thing. So does Tata’s new baby pack a Punch strong enough to make an impact? I had the chance to spend a day with on a hot sunny day to find out.
Tata Punch Exterior
True to Tata tradition since the past few years, the Punch does carry a lot of styling cues from the concept and that’s what I love about Tata designs. The Punch is built on the ALFA-ARC architecture and at first glance it does shout SUV when you look at it from the dead front. The face will remind you of the Harrier and the Safari with the humanity line running across along with slim LED DRLs. The front grille in piano black finish features a tri arrow opening for the horn. The projector headlamps are mounted below, while the front bumper is finished in black with fog lamps integrated into it. Also notice the tri arrow elements incorporated into it. The bonnet is slightly curvy and has bulges on both sides, giving it an aggressive stance. Moving to the side, the flared square wheel arches add a lot of character and the black cladding on them and the door sills keep the SUV feel going. The Punch comes with 16 inch diamond cut alloy wheels, and I quite liked the design. Additionally there are roof rails too. At the rear, there is a muscular tail gate which carries the PUNCH lettering. The LED tail lamps with tri arrow details are quite a stand out. A rear wash wipe and a chunky rear bumper complete the rear end. A shark fin antenna instead of a regular unit would have looked nicer. And oh.. don’t miss the Rhino image embossed on the rear windshield. Quite a cool Easter egg that. There’s one in the glove box too. Dimensions wise the Punch measures 3827 mm in length, 1742 mm width, 1615 mm height and a wheelbase of 2445 mm. The Punch comes in seven exterior paint shades and all of them come with dual tone options. As far as variants go, Tata has moved away from the conventional nomenclature and introduced Personas. There are four Personas on offer: Pure, Adventure, Accomplished and Creative. What’s more, there are customization packs available for every Persona. Each pack comprises of certain equipment that you can add to your selected variant.
