Driving Tata Tiago, which was earlier named Zica, this past week I found that it has quite a bit to offer.
The car comes with two engine options. One is the 1.2 litre Revotron petrol. The other is the 1.05 litre Revotorq diesel that I drove. One claims of a fuel efficiency of 23.84 km/l while the other claims efficiency of 27.28 km/l. One offers a torque of 114 Newton-meters while the other offers 140 Newton-meters. There are multi-drive modes (eco and default city mode) in both. And there is enough space inside the cabin.
Tiago offers a fresh design. There are swept-back headlamps and mesh-type hexagonal grille at the front which looks attractive. I particularly liked the grille. The rear design also makes for a sporty car. However, one finds the 14-inch alloy wheels to be on the smaller side.
On the inside, there is ConnectNext Infotainment from Harman with eight speakers that work well but occasionally have an increase in volume on its own for no reason. In terms of looks and buttons the car has a well laid-out dashboard. The driving seat position is pushed by an extra few inches to the extreme right. Thus, it gives a sense of spaciousness in the front. The A pillar doesn’t much intrude and you certainly get a very clear view while driving. There are several cubbyholes. Though, the bottle holders are happier to store Paper Boat like tetra packs. For plastic bottles it requires thrusting them down.
The tripmeter has a multi-information display which has a gear shift indicator and encourages through its real time fuel efficiency indicator disciplined driving for best mileage. However, all of that looks a bit dull and too compact on the meter. It is stuffed with lot of displays in little space.
The AC vents on sides get body colour on them. And this brings in some verve and jauntiness inside. But, one big area of concern for buyers is to keep in mind that its AC could be a bit disappointing. It doesn’t offer cooling on the scale that you would like.
The diesel car has zing. You can be playful and you can steer around the corners. The small-sized steering wheel comes in handy. And, it’s all fine as long as you stay within decent speeds. Anything north of 100 km/hr and the car does give you a hint of wobble. There are dual airbags, ABS and EBD with corner stability control. The rear parking sensors are irritating with loud noise and no help.
Overall, with a sweet starting price of Rs.3.2 lakh for petrol and Rs.3.9 for diesel the car has a lot to offer.
