New Tata Tigor XZ Revtorq joined our long term test fleet with a little over 10k kms on the odo. Having used the Honda Jazz Petrol, the Diesel Tigor was a welcome change in terms of fuel costs. The Tigor has just too many plus points in its kitty and makes for our favourite support vehicle during photo-shoots. The 419 litres of boot space gulps everything we chuck into it, and more! It’s not only the boot, but also the spacious interiors of the Tigor that are absolutely comfortable to be in even on extended runs.
While the well bolstered seats offer great support, the 6 speaker Harman integrated music system has a warm punch and just makes those long drives much more enjoyable. Tata Tigor has plenty of cubby holes in and around the cabin not to mention the twin 12v power outlets which come handy when everyone wants to charge their cell phones. While the 2 Din integrated touch screen head unit has functioned well otherwise, it has faltered several times with the reversing camera. Our long termer seems to have a knack for throwing fuzzy images at times randomly, becoming quite an annoyance.
The cabin build quality seems to be holding up well with all those “review” miles the car has been put through. Only minor niggle is a strange rattle that emanates from the front doors, if the windows are rolled half way down – I do this regularly if the car has been standing in direct sun for long durations. The Tigor also requires the blower speed to be kept at higher speeds for effective cooling and is a bit noisy for our liking.
While the Tigor has few minor niggles on the inside, I find myself talking about its fuel economy over and over again. While the 1047cc 3 pot doesn’t scream performance, but boy does it shine in being frugal! Highway runs with a sanely moderated right foot ensures that the Tigor regularly returns over 24 kmpl.
Within the city, the Tigor returns a respectable 15 kmpl. I drove from Mumbai – Dandeli (Belgaum) with a round trip mileage of around 1200 kms which cost us roughly a grand per head if we were to split the costs, the same trip earlier cost me about 2700/- worth petrol on my CRB 250R, no comparison really but just to put in to perspective. No wonder, the CBR250R enjoys extended rest periods now that the Tigor such is the comfort, convenience and of course the fuel economy – we Indians.
Considering, we are testing the fully loaded XZ variant, it still misses on some features like leather wrapped steering, leather upholstery, brighter interior colour scheme etc. Outright pep apart, the Tigor remains an enjoyable car to drive thanks to its plush ride quality and light controls. The City and Eco modes do offer a slight different engine tunes, but do not expect night and day difference upon switching between the two. Overall, the response feels a bit more linear in Eco mode in comparison to the slightly peaky turbo boost of the City mode.
Our Tigor crossed the 15,000 km mark a few days back. Which means it is due for its third service. More updates about the car, how was the service, changes made, etc coming up in the second report.
