Words by Gaurav Thombre
On the Tiago media drives, many journalists seemed to reach a consensus that this is one of the finer products to come out of the Tata Motors‘ stables. So going by popular opinion, I didn’t mind trading the S-Cross for a set of smaller wheels. There is a good reason for this trade. I live in Kothrud, one of the busiest areas of Pune and commuting to the office on the other side of the city is a slow, tedious affair. I am inching along in traffic, worrying about the S-Cross getting scratched by bikers and not fitting into gaps. No such problems with the Tiago. It is a nifty city car with light controls.
The steering is light, the gearshift action is short and precise, the clutch is light and does not have the sticky feel of earlier Tatas. Surprisingly, the 1.2 Revotron engine minus the turbocharger feels more refined than the one on the Bolt and is adequately powerful . The interiors are a step up in terms of quality and cheerfulness. The cabin has a sporty feel (is that the Messi effect?). I love the way they have integrated the exterior colours around the air-con vents. The dash itself has a honeycomb-like design and the door handles are chrome-plated metal and makes the Tiago feel premium. One thing I can’t seem to wrap my head around though is why does every Tata car have the same high-set seating position that no matter how you adjust it, remains a little odd? Maybe they need some shorties like me in their future customer clinics.
The engine is quite refined but I’m not getting the fuel efficiency that it is claimed to deliver. It’s probably the traffic so I’ve loaned the car to Rohit for a run to his hometown in Baramati to check the highway figures. More on that next month. No complaints on the refinement though, it’s quiet enough so you can enjoy your favourite music via the excellent Harman infotainment system (that’s loaded with features except navigation) as you are crawling through traffic. Not a bad trade at all.