Tata Motors has ambitious plans to revive its portfolio in the Indian market after several dud years. It all started with revolutionary products such as the Brother-Sister duo, the Bolt and Zest. In my opinion they are still the best products in the Indian market in their class, but they were so good that did not work in the Indian market. The pricing was a bit high despite the value was pretty much spot on. Brand perception still plays an important role.
Nevertheless, they continue to work somewhere else to showcase a different set of market what they are capable of. Tata came up with another Duo, the Tiago and Tigor. Products lower in the food chain the previous duo but engineered, packaged and priced so well that they cannot stop selling enough of them. Ever two quarters, Tata Motors announces a milestone related these two twins. We tested all these variants time and again and decided to give it a long time test. After spending a month and doing 2000 kilometers with the car, we have divided our thoughts into three parts. Read on!
What’s Good?
The build quality on the outside is unlike any other car in this segment. The doors close with a good thud, the sheet metal is good enough to take a lot of abuse. The interior is also pretty much the same in most areas. Nothing seems to be rattling in our test car expect for a loose tool kit below the boot cover which our colleagues are to lazy to fix. Feature list on offer, the sound system, the infotainment system works crisply and interior has a lot of stowage spaces all around. The cabin is well insulated for a car of this size. Since this is a Tata car, it has an A/C that can chill you to the bones and remind you of the Himalayas.
What is another great thing on offer is the ride quality, the stability at triple digits, sure footed braking and confidence inspiring road composure for a car of this size, it is truly a benchmark in its class and above also in some cases. All of that and a light clutch and steering with effortless gearbox shifts, it makes driving in the city, with those tiny dimensions, very easy. It also has a good amount of space in the back and class leading boot space at 242 litres. What is almost impressive is 500 km fuel range we get with every tank filled up as the normal fuel efficiency number is around 17.5 km/l mark with heavy traffic or fast highway runs, which is a money saver indeed.
What’s Not Good
The engine NVH level is a bit high in our diesel car if pushed hard. The infotainment system may work well, but it could use with a smaller touch screen which is see on a larger scale in the XZ+ trim. We have the XZ Trim as our test car here. The dials look a bit of old school and can benefit from better layout and fonts. Parking sensors used on the car are way too sensitive and beep the last warning way too early.
Clearly not tuned for chaotic Indian situations properly. The steering lock to lock ratio can be a bit more tighter, the gearbox shifts can feel a bit more assuring as well. The car does struggle climbing incline in higher gears because of the tall gearing as the torque kicks in later with a three or more people in the car.
Tata Tiago Long Term Review, Verdict
So overall, after a first through check of the car the service center who delivered exceptional service and delivery of the car which included a brand new tyre set, we are keen on find out how it fares ahead in our long term garage. A better understanding of normal driving, better fuel economy numbers with sane driving, a road trip and a lot of is set for the car in the coming months as it spends time with us. Stay tuned and tell us about your Tiago or if you want to ask us more, comment below!
