Living in congested cities has taught us to make adjustments to suit the convenient. Sometimes, a bigger and longer car just doesn’t fit the bill. A daily onslaught of serpentine traffic lines and jams, longer waits at traffic signals, and the need to park on smaller side roads, whether headed to work or dinner, makes us consider a smaller car as a fitting solution.
This is exactly where the new Tiago diesel fits the bill. We have been driving the car for over two months now, and are thoroughly impressed with the package it offers. For the first month, we took the Tiago for a road trip to Goa and realized how brilliant it was on the highway. For this month, we have mostly kept the car for city driving duties, and it has impressed has equally well.
Driving a small car isn’t only about being nifty. Parking convenience, fuel efficiency, and car handling are among the major considerations drivers make when making a vehicle ownership decision. The Tiago excels in all these areas. Morning runs to the office have performed with much ease, and keeping company was the amazing 4-speaker music system.
Drive experience is responsive, and brilliantly comfortable, down to the last mile. Finding that parking spot has never been easier in the city. In addition to that, it comes with rear parking sensors. These have helped a great deal when parking in those tight spots.
The great thing is, it’s that much easier to find roadside parking when you’re forced to leave your vehicle unattended at precarious angles with the butt jutting into the main road. Whether you bring the car out upfront, or reverse it in, or parallel park, it’s easily doable in a Tiago.
AC has been the saving grace during these summer days. The car’s cabin gets really hot when we are not able to find a parking spot in the shade. In spite of this, the car manages to cool within minutes
When it comes to going ‘kitna deti hain’, Tata Tiago is a top performer. If you’re not gunning for a personal best time, getting 900 kms from a full tank is not out of the question. (It has a 35 liter fuel tank, and below is the 26 kmpl mileage we clocked on our run to Goa. We kept the speed at about 95-100 kmph. AC was on throughout.) Inside the city, the mileage comes down to about 20 kmpl, which is still impressive.
Space inside the cabin is also well thought of. For example, there are bottle holder pockets in each door, which is very practical. In addition to that, there are cup holders in between the front passenger seats. Glove box is where you can store your important paper, etc. While boot space is sufficient to store one large bag, two small bags and a trolley bag. In case you need to store more, the rear seats are foldable, and this will give you enough space to transport your entire baggage from one place to another.
The Tiago packs in good looks and comfort that one would usually expect from a bigger car. It’s one of the biggest USPs of this sub 4 metre hatch. Tiago shatters beliefs that smalls cars are all about being cut-price, hence, don’t expect much. It’s a go-to car in the segment. On no occasion did we have to think twice about whether or not the Tiago should be the day’s drive.
Stats
Kms driven – 1490
Fuel used – 70 liters
Fuel Efficiency – 21.28 kmpl
More about our Tiago experiences in the next report.
