The perky little Tiago has been with us for more than four months and has logged over 11,000 km. And while we were a little reluctant to make a definitive assessment of the long term qualities of the car in our first, 3000 km induction report, at this point, we are pretty confident to let our readers know that this little baby here is an exceptional machine. It’s the best small car platform ever developed by Tata Motors, and by a wide margin.
Over the past few months, the Tiago has won over the team with its qualities. To start off, that 1.05-litre engine on this car is a revelation. Very linear, pretty smooth for an oil burner and appreciably punchy for its size, the RevoTorq unit on our long term Tiago is arguably the best oil burner in its class. We love its tractability while pottering around within the city, and its ability to nudge 160 kays when shown the open roads. In all honesty, it has accompanied us in some hustled trips to the neighbouring cities of Pune and Nashik, and it does the job of being a fast transport as adeptly as that of ferrying us within Mumbai.
Talking of hustling, we also believe that the Tiago is not just an appreciably punchy car, but from a driver’s perspective it’s also the most enjoyable car Tata Motors have ever brought to life. You heard that right. The boffins at Tata have managed to fuse the engine-transmission and underpinnings on this car to some delectable effect. For its size and its class, the Tiago, with a pair of able hands behind its wheel can delight the enthusiast with its sure-footedness and engaging behaviour. Body roll is surprisingly well contained, while that steering weighs up nicely to translate into tons of confidence while going around bends with the world in a blur. Some sceptical friends with not so positive thoughts about Tata Motors had their prejudiced notions dispelled during a trip to Nashik and back. The Tiago has also tantalized many-a-soul though the Khandala and Kasara ghats – behind the wheel or otherwise. Sure, it’s no firecracker, but for the segment it belongs, it can entertain in spades, and even some naysayers have acknowledged that grudgingly.
Talking of fuel efficiency, we have been receiving an figure of about 16 kmpl within town, which may shoot up all the way to 20kmpl+ on open highways with a light foot, and with the ECO mode engaged. Even with some really enthusiastic driving, on the highways, the Tiago has managed to average a very appreciable 17-18 kmpl during our Mumbai Pune runs.
The evolved and well-proportioned design, the amenities inside the finely laid out cabin, the crisp sounding infotainment system, the space, the comfort and the near-perfect blend of efficiency and performance make the Tiago stand apart from its competition.
We love the 8-speaker Harman audio inside the car, and the team loves the ConnectNext app controlled Juke-Car app even more which allows everyone to line their favourite tracks during those long-ish journeys. The audio quality, as established by a variety of user reviews, and concurred upon by us, is fantastic.
The central screen, while monochrome, and non-touch, is feature rich, and the infotainment system actually allows you to connect your phone as a navigation system using the app. Other features such as parking sensors and follow-me-home lamps also come handy at quite a few occasions.
On the downside, the peak summer months, coupled with some really rough outings for tracking some burly SUVs saw the Tiago get smeared in dust on more than a few occasions. This clogged the A/C filters, reducing the cooling efficacy marginally. The A/C however, performs as good as new now, chilling the cabin speedily after the car came back from its second scheduled service.
Another minor issue we have faced is with the grips for the A/C louvers, which we think are a little too delicate. You cannot use them carelessly, or they’ll break. One of our teammates did act somewhat rough with them, and the lever for the vents broke. The assembly was duly replaced during the second service, but as things stand, the louvre grip for the left unit is broken again. We really think that altering the design a bit to make it more rugged would help.
The Tiago is really a flawless car for its segment. And for the price that it’s been offered at, we really think that it’s the best deal pound-for-pound. It’s an exceptional machine, and the team at Tata Motors have every right to pat their own backs for having created a sensational product like this.
We love our time with this smart little runabout and it’s an absolute favourite with almost all the staffers for their longish trips out of town for its fantastic fuel efficiency, and its great balance of performance, handling and comfort.
We’ll keep updating you about the car’s status through our social channels. We’ll also get back to you with a detailed long-term review once again when the car gets its third scheduled service. Stay tuned!
Check out an exhaustive image gallery of the Tata Tiago below
