Engine & Refinement
The GenX Nano is powered by a 624cc, multi-point fuel injected, water cooled, naturally aspirated, 2 cylinder gasoline engine with 2 valves per cylinder. The engine, mounted at the back, produces 38PS power @ 5500 RPM and 51 Nm torque. Acceleration remains the same, and suffers with the air-conditioning on. However, it feels adequate for the Nano’s domain of operations, which should not ideally leave city limits.
NVH levels inside the cabin have been improved significantly, though refinement levels could have been addressed further. Racket from that rear mounted engine still makes itself evident, and personally, it isn’t aurally pleasing.
The engine now breathes better, courtesy improved thermal management, and as mentioned before, the radiator has been moved to the front of the car. Tata says that this accounts for better weight distribution.
Based on data derived by following the driving patterns of Nano users across all major cities, the Bosch sourced ECU was tweaked, and the Drive by Wire throttle mapped appropriately – in an effort to increase fuel efficiency. As a result, the manual now returns 23.6 kmpl, while the AMT version has a mileage of 21.9Km/l, which, in comparison, is lower than the Alto K10 AMT’s 24.71Km/l.
The new Nano now also has a 24 liter fuel tank. According to feedback received, existing users didn’t prefer having to make two trips to the gas station every week, to tank up the erstwhile 16 liter tank. The additional fuel capacity means the driving range is extended by approximately 210 kilometers now to over 500.
Dynamics
Handling has otherwise been improved by the car’s chassis and frame getting stiffer. To account for the loss of torsional rigidity due to the lack of a fixed rear hatch, Tata has strengthened the body-in-white significantly, apart from adding to the frontal-crash zone length. The C-pillar and front sections have been reinforced; while intrusion beams for side crash protection has been added on all four doors.
Apart from enhanced safety, this has resulted in a stiffer Nano which feels more confident and sure-footed on the road. Stability at higher speeds is commendable too. Independent suspension all around and anti-roll bars keep those 12 inch tires on the ground when pushed hard.
The Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) is incredibly light for easy maneuvering in tight driving and parking situations in cities, with the GenX changing directions at city speeds at the drop of a hat. The EPAS system uses brushless motor technology and also has an ‘Active Return’ feature. A turning radius of 4 meters is too good to be true in crowded environs.
The brakes take some time getting used to. Being drums all around, stepping on them and expecting sincere declaration, invokes fear and reinstates the reflexes.
The AMT
While the variants XE, XM and XT continue with the 4-speed manual transmission, the top end XTA variant benefits from the aforementioned Automated Manual Transmission.
The AMT benefits from a Magnetti Marelli sourced actuator unit, has five speeds, a Creep function and a Sports mode.
An AMT gearshift feels like some invisible being is banging cogs for you, hence the shifts aren’t exactly the quickest – more so in the case of single-clutch AMTs, like the one on the Nano. Everything’s mechanically similar to a stick-shift, except a computer performs the clutch work.
The Genx Nano Easy Shift performs well, but shifts take their own sweet time to fall into place. Once used to, however, the Nano and its AMT make tremendous sense in city traffic. Its diminutive size can be flung into gaps in traffic without sweat, and when the AMT hooks up after its pause, the Nano settles into its own pace, which is fairly adequate.
Creep was envisioned for stop-go traffic conditions and to increase the ease of parking. Creep works in Drive and Reverse modes. Stuck in either the GenX Nano can be inched forwards or backwards by just taking the foot off the brake. Maximum speed in Creep would be about 5-7 km/h, post which one needs to mash the gas.
And it works perfectly fine, especially during long spells of bumper to bumper traffic – with just one foot controlling the vehicle, fatigue decreases. The function is a boon, but called for a smoother implementation, as the vehicle feels slightly twitchy when the brakes are released. But that’d be just nitpicking, as AMTs are built to a cost.
The Sports Mode exists because Tata Motors thinks that existing Nano customers who enjoy wringing out their vehicles to the max. The gear ratios change if you put the car into Sport Mode and helps you to hold on to a lower gear for a little longer., but for the most part it doesn’t necessarily translate into significantly different performance. Where it does help is when you’re trying to overtake or quickly accelerate.
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Correct Satish, additional valves and disk brakes would definitely add to the appeal….
What it need is another pair of valves in the engine so that power is sufficient for highways too, and a pair of disks to control that power. That’s it. Rest is a beautiful package.