[ramesh]

The robustness of nano is very evident even when you drive it.
The very feel is solid and strong.

[libranof1987]

Originally Posted by musicmanaman

1. The Boot does not open, why can't Tata fix this, I fail to understand.
3. I do like the thought of battery inside the car with AC on.

When I was reading about how Tata eventually conceptualized Nano, they have mentioned why they HAD to have a lid that didn't open. One of the main constraints the engineers had was weight of the vehicle; having a conventional boot (a hatch that opened) would have increased the weight as an additional panel would have been necessary.

And yes, the battery being inside the cabin is a concern.

[advaitlele]

Folks,

Not sure how many of us are sailing in the same boat? Me too searching for city workhorse and have narrowd down on Nano / Spark 1.0 LS / Alto K10 LXi.

Jay - you started the perfect thread when I was looking for one. Thanks.

Constraints pretty much the same - budget around 3L. Since it would be driven within city by my wife, and occassionaly by me on weekends. I dont intend to take this car to highways - except for may be Lonavala or Mumbai sometimes. Here is what I found in brief test drives of three cars.

Alto 800
Though I am thinking of K10, the dealer made available the 800 LXi for my TD. Some positives
+ reliable engine
+ FE
+ good / reliable A.S.S.
+ drivability
Some negatives
- Wife was not confident while reversing, especially the left rear view since there is a blind spot (a big one) back of rear door.
- low seats
- felt cramped at the rear bench. But thats not a deal breaker.
- It should have had 60:40 split rear seat. It comes in handy sometimes.
- Feature to feature and price to price, 800 scores very low against Spark. But thats what Maruti has been doing - that was a deal breaker when I was in market for my car 5 years back and chose Indica over WagonR.

Spark
I wished I could afford LT, but thats not a requirement. My wife wont ever be using rear defogger or fog lamps etc. that come with LT. Has narrowd down to LS version with front two power windows.
+ Good engine. I and my wife actually picked from zero on second gear as suggested by the SA, and it went well without any clutter or sound.
+ Good AC
+ Good interiors. compared to Alto, Spark scores well to my taste here.
+ Front two power windows. Good to have when my wife comes from her school with my kid.
+ Maintenance package.
- Felt cramped at the rear bench. But thats not a deal breaker.
- Not sure about the maintenance costs after the package period is over.
- It should have had 60:40 split rear seat. It comes in handy sometimes.
- Instrument cluster in middle of dashboard affects visibility - atleast that's what my wife felt on driving.

Nano
+ Surprisingly bigger space. I was actually thinking how big it was when I was sitting on rear bench.
+ Good AC - I was driving Nano on Saturday afternoon 3pm and it cooled interiors almost instantly. Though blower sound at 3 (max) was very high and I put it on 2 so that I could hear what SA was telling me.
+ Front two power windows on top end model
+ Easy ingress/egress
+ Good overall visibility and rear view when reversing. Better than Spark and much much better than Alto.
+ Head turner. Good design in comparison to Alto and Spark.
+ With on road at 2.25L for LX (I guess thats the top end) I save enough to buy alloys and good music system.
- Did not like the sound at all. It sounded to me like a sofisticated six-seater sound. That may just go as a deal-breaker. This is just my opinion.
- Though I did not feel it while driving it, when I was on rear seat, the engine sound and vibrations were noticable. I (or any of my passengers) dont want to be in "Hot" seat on longer drives on rear bench.
- Batter below driver's seat is a big concern for me.
- The AC controls did have that sub-standard feel.
- Suspect A.S.S. and overall reliability. There are mixed inputs on this forum as well as others so not sure about reliability of parts.
- Based on posts here and as told by SA, this gives around 15-18 in city with 100% AC. That's not a big margin compared to my Indica that gives around 13.5 in City with AC and M800 that gives 16 in city. I thought it would be more fuel efficient due to size, engine etc. But let me save that for another day. Thats not a deal breaker.

I wish to finalise the deal by this weekend. Of course, I would be (rather my wife) having one more round of TDs this weekend. My vote after initial round is in this order Spark LS > Alto K10 LXi > Nano top end.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

Nano
+ Good AC - I was driving Nano on Saturday afternoon 3pm and it cooled interiors almost instantly. Though blower sound at 3 (max) was very high and I put it on 2 so that I could hear what SA was telling me.

IMHO, there is an 'if' for the cooling. It cools well if the car is not parked in direct sun for a long time. If it has been parked in the sun, due to its glass area it takes much longer to cool than other cars I have seen. This could be resolved by having a sunblocker sheet though.

Originally Posted by advaitlele

- Though I did not feel it while driving it, when I was on rear seat, the engine sound and vibrations were noticable. I (or any of my passengers) dont want to be in "Hot" seat on longer drives on rear bench.

This has not been an issue with me, or should I say with the passengers in my car even in long drives (read 100-140 km). I hope it stays that way!

Originally Posted by advaitlele

- Based on posts here and as told by SA, this gives around 15-18 in city with 100% AC. That's not a big margin compared to my Indica that gives around 13.5 in City with AC and M800 that gives 16 in city. I thought it would be more fuel efficient due to size, engine etc. But let me save that for another day. Thats not a deal breaker.

Well FE is always dependent on driving manners but mine gives around 16 in city/ 100% AC with the occasional spirited run. My Jazz gives around 14.5 with the same type of driving, so I am a bit disappointed with the Nano. However, these numbers are before the first service, so I hope the numbers will be better soon!
Where it does score a huge + for me is the ease of parking

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by libranof1987

And yes, the battery being inside the cabin is a concern.

Well, everything has been inside the cabin in the Omni for years! I don't think it is an issue.

[MileCruncher]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Well, everything has been inside the cabin in the Omni for years! I don't think it is an issue.

I think the only issue is one will need to be careful about oxidation of the battery terminals and make sure that salt doesn't fall on the carpet or exposed metal area. That could be a concern from corrosion point of view. To me the other concern is the presence of coolant tank under the bootin the rear which is unopenable. So I can't check engine oil and coolant regularly.

[freakmuzik]

NOTE: As I have only Test Driven the other two cars, I would not be an apt person to comment much on them. So restricting mainly to the Nano.

My 2 paise.

I own a nano for the past 9 months and considering your requirements, I can surely recommend the Nano. It has got space, is easy to drive and the parts are extremely cheap too. And btw, the Nano indeed does come with a spare wheel! Its located at the front close to the fuel filler. The only notable point is that it is of the size of the front wheels and not the rear ones. As you have mentioned that it's mainly for city use, the Nano does make a lot of sense. Driving it and parking it is extremely easy, i.e, much better than the other contenders, mainly due to the tall seating and small dimensions.

But if you would like better comfort and do not mind spending 3 lakhs, the you surely can look at the spark. But if you want to save some bucks, go for the Nano. Also the storage space inside the Nano is dismal, mainly due to the lack of a glove-box.

Regarding the niggles, the present batch of cars should be much better than the initial lots, where there have been starter motor issues, etc. And I think I saw somewhere that an upgraded Nano is on its way with a 5 speed gearbox, open-able rear glass and some more modifications. Please do look out for that.

I have recently updated my Nano thread with all the problems that have been faced.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...km-update.html

Regarding the FE, it depends on how its been driven. For eg., within the city, my dad manages 20-22 km/l with A/C whereas my sister manages 16-18km/l with A/C.

And the T.A.S.S is not so good. Though I have had much better experiences after the purchase than some of the others in the forum, I still think there is a lot of room for improvement.

If you still have confusions, do prioritize your requirements once again and go for a very detailed test-drive. You would definitely have a much clear idea then I guess!

All the Best!

[desigNation]

what about power steering?power steering in the city is essential, and nano doesnt offer that.i was on the hunt for a small car,only for city driving,i wanted the smallest car,which was reliable,good fuel economy and with a/c and power steering too.alto 800,i 10,spark and the nano was on the list. after a months research and test drives i went in for the alto,its been 3 months now,no issues .

[bblost]

^^
Nano

() Light Weight.
() Engine in rear.


IMHO It does not need power steering.

[selfdrive]

I do not miss the power steering in my Nano. Apart from the points mentioned by bblost, perhaps the higher seating position and short bonnet/ turning radius also help in easy maneuvrability in the city

[desigNation]

after driving a vehicle with power steering you really do miss it, especially when the vehicles stopped and you need to turn it.maybe compared to other vehicles without power steering nano is better.

[foby.sebastian]

I bought a yellow nano !

On the 7 th day it self I have to rip it off , actually I Was wondered seeing it reaching the maximum speed limit of 120 kmph , breaking is very very poor. The next issue which I face is doing self checks before going for a long drive , it's not so easy to check the coolant level , engine oil level etc.

The next risk is in curves , you will loose your confidence while taking a medium curve in mid speeds.

It's pretty easy to board and un board the nano ! Even for oldies.

AC is best in class !

But after buying a new nano now , don't regret when the tata launches a diesel nano.

[silverado]

Nano Diesel is not yet a Tried and tested vehicle as Petrol is which is almost more than 1.5 year old in market.

Also no idea about the price difference which would help you in calculating the Breakeven time.

NVH will be higher than petrol for sure.
I guess this way you will have to wait for another 5-6 months when Nano diesel would have been launched and you will get some idea about it.

As far petrol in concerned, i will suggest you go for LX.
i have done 1200 kms and i am very happy.
Its a total paisa vasool car.

Things which you can be sure of in Nano

AC rocks
Space is abundant
Its not underpowered.

Found an intresting albeit old review on
Tata Nano Review and Test Drive

I hope Mods do not mind it.

[zaks]

Just go for Spark and give rest to your anxietty. It's the best value for that money and has a good service warranty and it drives fine on highways too.

[KMohanan]

Originally Posted by foby.sebastian

I bought a yellow nano !

On the 7 th day it self I have to rip it off , actually I Was wondered seeing it reaching the maximum speed limit of 120 kmph , breaking is very very poor. .

The nano is having an auto cut-off. The fuel will get cut off at about 105 kmph. Therefore, if you are able to drive your nano at 120 kmph, there is some problem with the cut off mechanism in your nano. You have to get it checked immediately.