[Mile10]

I got to test drive the Tiago EV at KHT Whitefield today. Below are my observations:

• The car is really peppy in S mode and I feel the power on tap is more than sufficient for city traffic. 0 to 60 performance was good in the crowded Whitefield roads.
• Very easy to drive and sorted road manners (Driving the Crysta from the showroom to home after having driven the Tiago EV was cumbersome in evening rush hour!)
• Tested the roll back at the KHT showroom basement parking where they park all their test drive cars, and I must say the rollback is not a deal breaker like I thought it would be. There is some amount of rollback in D Mode, but very much manageable in S Mode. Tight spots in traffic though I recommend to use the handbrake.
• The selective regenerative braking is awesome, and you can see the real time range increasing depending on the level of regen you choose!
• The 8 speaker audio system is good, though the touchscreen in the test drive car had a bit of lag. Not sure if it needed a software update to improve the performance. Hope Tata sorts that out.

Overall It seems like a perfect city package and I'm eaglery waiting for delivery of my vehicle.

[drivertriver]

I have noticed 2 more feature difference between XZ+ and XZ+ Tech Lux in current brochure on Tiago.EV site.
https://tiagoev.tatamotors.com/wp-co...v-Brochure.pdf

- Remote Immobilization for Stolen Car, Unauthorised Vehicle Entry/ Intrusion Alert
- Limited Over The Air Updates

This is in addition to earlier differences which are
- Contrast Black Roof (Dual Tone)
- Premium Leatherette seat upholstery
- Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
- Push Button Start
- Electric Tailgate Release

[crazydevil]

Had a quick spin today, the TD vehicle was a spanking new XZ+ tech Lux in Tropical Mist. Barely 40 km on the odo. Few quick observations:

1. Tropical Mist is GORGEOUS 😍 very pleasing on the eye, and one of the few Tata EV colors where the blue EV bits don't really look out of place.
2. Can confirm that there are no reverse parking sensors. However the camera has dynamic guidelines.
3. The pole type antenna is an eyesore.
4. The hyperstyle wheel covers look little overdone. I was told that they are interchangeable with the tigor ev covers, which have a less busy design.
5. Roads in my city are mostly flat, but I tried the roll-back on the slope of a flyover. I found it good enough, not at all a deal breaker.
6. The torque numbers don't tell the whole story. The car is very pleasing to drive with sufficient power on tap, never once did it feel underpowered. Ofcourse, being inside the city, I did not go over 80 kmph. But this is meant to be a city car after all, and it should do that job wonderfully.
7. No traction control = wheelspin in S mode. May end up wearing out the tyres early.
8. A transparent plastic clip-bit on the windshield towards the driver side caught my attention, apparently Tata is providing such clips to hold parking tickets / toll receipt etc. Nice touch!

They sales exec said that Tata is prioritising deliveries of the top end variants. He told me to expect the delivery at the end of this month. Looking forward to it!

Some pics:

[iKKK]

I am looking to buy a budget EV. Primary usage is going to be city drive (driver driven). Any pointers on which ones to consider. Budget is upto Rs 15 Lakhs!

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by iKKK

I am looking to buy a budget EV. Primary usage is going to be city drive (driver driven). Any pointers on which ones to consider. Budget is upto Rs 15 Lakhs!

I think Tiago EV is the best option for you, if you don't intend to take it out of city, buy the medium range version for ₹9 lakh and save the rest. Spend it on something nice like a vacation or upgrading your home. There's nothing in the horizon that can beat Tiago EV for the foreseeable future, period!

[anshumandun]

I test drove the Tiago EV at Tata's Jakkur showroom. Went their early in the morning (10am) and there was no other customer so there was zero waiting time. The SA did not allow to take the car on the airport flyover so it was a short test drive. Main observations:

1. In D mode: Car has sufficient torque. Did not feel underpowered. It reached 80kmph effortlessly.
2. In S mode, the acceleration was quite brisk. Even at speeds above 80kmph, there was enough grunt. I did not go beyond 90 kmph.
3. You can feel the low and heavy center of gravity of the EV and it is a pleasant feeling. The suspension felt nice and handling is quite good. I did not have the chance to try the car on bad roads.
4. The refinement is next level for me since my current daily drive is a VAG 1.5TDI.
5. Apple Carplay is wired so it will look messy but still it is a very convenient feature to have.
6. The music quality is pretty good for the segment.

Deliveries are exptected to start by end of this month and I am eagerly waiting for my allocation.

[guptad42]

Originally Posted by iKKK

I am looking to buy a budget EV. Primary usage is going to be city drive (driver driven). Any pointers on which ones to consider. Budget is upto Rs 15 Lakhs!

If you are going to be driver driven, consider both tiago and eC3.

eC3 may be more comfortable for you. It has longer wheelbase for more space inside the car, the seats are good, and it has more comfortable suspension and a fast-cooling AC. Do test drive the eC3 as my impression is based on testing the petrol model on bad roads. They may have tweaked things for the battery weight, though suspension and cooling comfort are part of Citroen DNA.

There is one other element - getting the driver to train himself to drive an EV carefully. Range could be an issue in the smaller battery pack of tiago vs eC3, but I would expect both to be able to do city run duties.

[Jekyl87]

Did the TD today morning of the tiago ev. It was the top model with 280 kms already clocked. Range was showing 218 kms at 100% charge. Did a 3.1 kms test drive and it was at 97%, although I did it mostly on S mode with a lot of sudden acceleration. Regen wasn't working since it was at full charge. Me and wife liked the car, but as we had decided previously, went ahead and canceled it, mainly as due to some changes in our personal circumstances, are looking to defer a new car purchase for 2 more years. The Sales staff tried to convince me otherwise by promising delivery before 10th feb (I booked it pre launch with them unofficially), but I stuck to my guns.

I liked the acceleration of the car, especially in S mode. It felt more centered and nimble than my father's petrol tiago. As we already have that for some years, didn't spend any time checking interiors etc., as we were already quite familiar with them. The acceleration isn't face tearing like most electric bikes or the zs ev which I have driven earlier, and felt more usable in day to day commute than the others which were more akin to participating in a drag race.

[guptad42]

Originally Posted by Jekyl87

Me and wife liked the car, but as we had decided previously, went ahead and canceled it, mainly as due to some changes in our personal circumstances, are looking to defer a new car purchase for 2 more years. The Sales staff tried to convince me otherwise by promising delivery before 10th feb (I booked it pre launch with them unofficially), but I stuck to my guns.

I believe the booking fees is fully refundable. Is the dealer/ Tata Motors making any deduction on the booking amount for cancellations?

[Jekyl87]

Originally Posted by guptad42

I believe the booking fees is fully refundable. Is the dealer/ Tata Motors making any deduction on the booking amount for cancellations?

No deductions is what they said verbally. I'll be sending the cancellation mail to them tomorrow and will wait to see their response and refund in my account. I don't forsee any problems in it at this point of time.

[qaqa]

I did a longish test drive of the Tiago EV today. The test drive car was the top-end long-range variant.

As others have commented, D mode is decent in city traffic. S mode is very peppy. The test drive had four adults on board and I did not feel a lack of power at any time. I took the car around the deserted Mysore ring-road, and was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the 80KMPH mark came up on S mode with a full load of 4 adults on-board. This car is definitely peppier than my Ecosport Dragon AT and can be neck and neck with my Tucson Diesel up to 80KMPH. I even pushed the car to 100kmph on a deserted stretch, and it didn't take long to reach the ton at all!

The car handled bad roads quite well. Bump absorption was good with relatively little being transmitted to the cabin. A world apart from the bumpy Ecosport that I am so used to.

The car is nice and chuckable - the turning radius is really good. I ended up taking U-turns for fun on the test drive

I tried starting the car on an incline to check roll-back. In S mode, it rolled back maybe 2 inches at most before surging forward. Didn't look like a deal-breaker at all.

Some issues which I noticed -

a. The indicated range fell from ~150km to ~110km at the end of a 15km test drive in S mode. Hope the software to estimate range is fine-tuned in the coming days.

b. The front seats are have a weird shape to it - just couldn't get comfortable with it. Lumbar support was somewhat weird for me.

c. The rear seat-back is really short with fixed headrests. Not a comfortable bench for taller folk

d. The rear seat-back wasn't folding fully for some reason. Not sure if this was an issue with the test drive car.

e. Poor fit and finish visible in a couple of places. For example, the plastic panel in front of the gear selector was roughly finished with uneven edges. Looked like the part had skipped the final finishing process entirely. The fabric in the boot was poorly put-together.

Overall, I am impressed with the drive-train and pricing. Has the potential to be the perfect city car. Hope that the legendary Tata QC doesn't let the car down.

[AGupta]

Recently took test drive of Tiago EV and came out really impressed, D mode is sufficient for daily commute while S mode is really insane for such a small size car. Loved that push back in the seat while family members got surprised with such a sudden acceleration. In short its a great city car but I would wait for Punch EV for that extra ground clearance and upright seating.

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by qaqa

I did a longish test drive of the Tiago EV today. The test drive car was the top-end long-range variant.

b. The front seats are have a weird shape to it - just couldn't get comfortable with it. Lumbar support was somewhat weird for me.

c. The rear seat-back is really short with fixed headrests. Not a comfortable bench for taller folk

d. The rear seat-back wasn't folding fully for some reason. Not sure if this was an issue with the test drive car.

e. Poor fit and finish visible in a couple of places. For example, the plastic panel in front of the gear selector was roughly finished with uneven edges.

Your feedback is spot on. The issues you list, they are all vestiges from the X0 platform which traces its lineage to the original Indica. It has its strengths, and also has its quirks. These little things are all there on the petrol Tiago and on the Tigor as well.

Thing is, Tata may have replaced the petrol engine with a motor and battery. But at the end of the day, it is still a Tiago. A basic budget hatchback which competes with the likes of Celerio, WagonR and Kwid. They can put all the lipstick they like, but the stuff inside still belongs to that segment of cars, even though the asking price is now in 7 figures.

Originally Posted by AGupta

In short its a great city car but I would wait for Punch EV for that extra ground clearance and upright seating.

Absolutely. Punch EV would be just the perfect urban runabout. More importantly, it will be a much more modern and up to date alternative to the ageing Tiago, with far more sorted ergonomics and much better seats and suspensions. And that 5 star safety. Punch is simply a vehicle from a segment above the Tiago, and all the advantages will carry forward to the EV.

[guptad42]

Originally Posted by qaqa

a. The indicated range fell from ~150km to ~110km at the end of a 15km test drive in S mode. Hope the software to estimate range is fine-tuned in the coming days.

Most EVs achieve 70-75% of claimed range on the road. Tiago does not.

1. LR tiago claimed range of 315km should translate to 220-235km in real life in normal D mode. Actually, it seems to be just 180-190km.

2. MR tiago claimed range of 257km should mean 180-190km in real life. Again, it seems to do 140-150km only.

Tata Motors marketing range claims are just too high for these battery pack sizes. It is rare to do more than 7-7.5 km per KWH in real life for small, efficient cars. Bigger cars do even less.

Suggestion:
Tata Motors now has a reputation for EVs in India, and the next 10-15 years will see lacs of new first-time EV buyers. Tata Motors knows the true range of its EVs - they have extensive test data and their dynamic onboard range estimate is far more accurate than marketing claims. Range prediction can also be improved further by adjusting it to mapped navigation route - e.g. uphill climbs will reduce range, downhill slopes will increase it with regen.

Tata Motors should change strategy to start marketing 'True city range' or 'True highway range'. It will help establish a brand reputation for honest, trustworthy EVs. The ads can mention ARAI test range for compliance, but don't focus on it. Ultra-high marketing claims only lead to disappointment for people who don't know these are completely unrealistic.

Alternatively, provide enough battery capacity so the car comfortably does 75% of claimed range at least in the city with normal people driving. Not with a heavy foot, but also not with an extra light one.

Tata Motors can also publicly ask for ARAI test methods to be modified to be based on real life driving tests at regulated speeds across different seasons, in the city and on the highway. This will also expose the truth about hybrid emissions which are nowhere as low as claimed (this is the reason EU is taking away hybrid carbon credits and incentives.)

We could never trust petrol ARAI ratings as the method is deeply flawed, but refills were fast with petrol. Petrol pumps are also widespread and people in remote areas used to carry jerry cans. In comparison, EV range anxiety and lack of charging infrastructure is a real problem, and realistic claims will help calm it down.

[DarthVeda]

Originally Posted by guptad42

Tata Motors should change strategy to start marketing 'True city range' or 'True highway range'. It will help establish a brand reputation for honest, trustworthy EVs.
.

But what is true highway range? One person can get 250 the other can't get 200, there's too much variation on that since it depends on lot of factors:
1. Speed of vehicle
2. Additional weight on the vehicle
3. Road condition.
4. Elevation changes
5. Traffic (stopping and accelerating)
6. Environment conditions - Wind speed, rain