Yesterday I joined TAI-ger Prabhagar ji for a test drive of the Petrol Tiago till their yard, which is around 10kms from the showroom. It was peak afternoon heat. The car had already 5000kms on the odo.
This is the first time I drove the Tiago for a satisfyingly longer time and distance. So here is my review:
The SA brought the car after fuelling up and we set off. Prabhagar ji drove the car towards the yard and I was in the front passenger seat. I almost felt like travelling in a Premium hatchback with the subtly comfortable ride, very low NVH and fantabulous audio system.
Prabha ji wanted to choose a color for his booking and so he wanted to see the cars in sunlight. He became even more confused between the Orange and Blue colors as both impressed him.
While returning to the showroom, I took control of the wheel. I am thoroughly impressed. There were extremely nil vibrations. All those vibrations when I experienced when the car was new had vanished. The gear-lever was vibe-free and no rattle from any part as well. There were a bit of vibrations on the pedals though, but not very noticable unless you are keen. True, the interiors weren't as well maintained and were very much abused by the customers, but still, nothing had come off or rattled. Everything was as high-quality as I had seen the car for the first time.
I started to accelelrate and it was absolutely smooth to rev. On moderately free roads, I happened to reach speeds of 70kmph and it was easy to reach there as well. There is no hesitation at all from the Revotron unit, despite being a 3 cylinder unit. Even at 3500 rpm, It didn't feel exessively loud or coarse. It was a soothing growl. So, this clears the NVH doubts. The Tiago, just like any other 3 cylinder car, smoothens out after a few thousand kms on the odo.
The AC was effective enough, but took few minutes to cool the cabin completely. It wasn't as bad as the complaints mentioned. All cars take similar time to cool in such sweltering weather.
Special mention must be made of the Steering and control stalks. I am completely in love with this steering setup as it is light, but at the same time, not as toy-like as on Hyundai cars. It had the right amount of feedback and amazing control. As the speeds build up, the car becomes fun to drive. There is very very NIL amount of vagueness around the centre ahead position. Beautifully calibrated steering system by Tata! All the control stalks felt of high quality and I felt immediately at ease with the car. Everything is ergonomically placed and easy to operate. I felt like I could drive the car all the way to Chennai and back again in one day, without fatigue.
I am completely impressed by the Tiago Petrol. Hats off to Tata Motors for creating this absolutely fantastico car with global quality levels. I only wish that the TD cars were a bit better maintained regarding interior cleanliness.
People thinking of going for Tiago, definitely go for it. It is just too impressive. Loved it.
Don't worry about NVH issues; it gets smoothened out after a couple thousand kms on the odo.
Next time, I will try to test drive the diesel Tiago and post my drive review.
Other Points:
1. Deliveries in Tamil Nadu will probably begin on 15th May onwards. Reason for the delay was due to RTO approval.
2. No news on Red color yet.
3. Apporximately 120 bookings garnered for Tiago from the SRT showroom only.
The second lot of Tiagos had just arrived. Some pics to feast the eyes upon:
![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
surely May 2016 made. Eagerly waiting for it.
![[:D]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Big%20Smile.gif "Big Smile [:D]")
), the engine laziness at 1st & 2nd was obvious during my drive home with 3 adults on board. I intend to limit 2.5-3K revs during first 1000 KMs so didn't rev more than that. The TD car did not have this issue when I drove it twice at its 2.5KM and at 5KM. Hopefully this improves as the ODO goes up.