The Tata Magic is the Tata Motors Ltd that answered a simple question — how much car can this badge carry? — with 26-31 kW from Diesel engine. It was built from 2007, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids.
How it came about
The Tata Magic is a four-row Microvan produced by the Indian automaker Tata Motors. It is a passenger variant of the Ace mini-truck and is marketed as an affordable commercial vehicle with low operating costs. Hitting the 3 lakh sales mark and achieving 85% market share in 2015, it has been the most popular microvan in India since its introduction in 2007.
The hardware
The engine is Diesel engine; the output is 26-31 kW; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 1000-1100 kg. That is roughly 26 horsepower per tonne: leisurely, which for a car of its age and purpose is the point. Drive goes through a 4-speed Manual Transmission / manual GBS 65-4 / 5-speed manual GBS 65-5. The layout matters: a front engine drives the rear wheels, the classic proportion — long bonnet, cabin set back — that most people picture when they picture a sports saloon or a grand tourer. The wheelbase is 2100 mm. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
In the Tata Motors Ltd line-up the Tata Magic has a clear place: the factory was Pune, India. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Daihatsu Sonica, the Daihatsu Tanto Exe, the Dacia Logan. Its Tata Motors Ltd stablemates include the TaMo Racemo and the Tata 407.