[TusharK]

A test mule of the Tata Tiago was spotted at Kropex Dairy Circle in Bangalore. The car was reportedly being tested by Bosch engineers and was powered by a turbocharged petrol engine and had a manual transmission.



We don't know much about the actual engine itself. But, this is not the first time that Tata has plonked a turbo petrol engine in the Tiago. A 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol unit producing 112 BHP @ 5,000 rpm and 150 Nm of torque @ 2,000-4,000 rpm was offered in the Tiago JTP. The car, which has now been discontinued, was capable of accelerating from 0-100 km/h in around 10 seconds and had a top speed of 160 km/h.

The test car seen in this image looks identical to the updated Tiago. It has the redesigned grille and front bumper and is sporting dummy headlights.

Tata Motors will also offer a turbo petrol engine in the Altroz. A completely undisguised test mule was spotted last week.

Thanks to the Team-BHP fan (he prefers to remain anonymous) who sent this image in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this page!

Link to Team-BHP News

[ash22]

Good Move by TATA.
After JTP's Divorce, It time TATA takes the Performance segment in their own hands.
TATA have quality product compared to others and this is a positive brand image for them.

If they take care of below areas,

-Proper marketing
-Starts a NEXA like more premium dealerships for Premium cars.
-Improved after sales/service section

I'm sure TATA will make gain more market share.

[akash_v12]

If Tata decides to bring back the Turbo with power figures somewhere around the 105HP mark, this might be a hit in the Indian Market. A turbocharged Tiago will have a market of its own now, since the Polo GT is quite a bit more expensive and the Baleno RS has been discontinued.

A few things which have to be done to make sure this Turbo-Tiago works:-

- As BHPian Ash22 has mentioned above, Proper marketing is very important. The only reason why the JTP didn't sell was due to more marketing.

- Better choice of dealers and proper training of Customer Service Staff & Sales Agents.
- A DCT/TC automatic rather than the AMT.
- Pricing in the range of the JTPs or lower.

If Tata looks out at all these factors, they easily have a winner in their hands with both the Tiago & Altroz.

[Reinhard]

Please bring back the JTP Spec Tiago! I hope this test mule is something in that direction. In the times where Mahindra is ready to invest in making a niche car like the THAR for the enthusiasts - this is the least that Tata can do. Please do it!
There is no affordable car which can give a true hair-raising experience together with a blow-off noise in stock conditions! Please bring one. With the arrival of the Sonet around the corner - there has to be something to make a mark of the brand quickly! The Sonet is anyway going to eat a lot of Altroz, Nexon customers. Put something else on the plate.

[tinshark]

I think this won’t show up until mid next year, going by what we saw with the timeline for Tiago facelift. We were seeing info about test mules since May last year and everyone was hoping for a refresh in Oct (Diwali) timeframe. But it finally came to market in Mar 2020.

I’m considering buying a Tiago, first the price hike and now this and suddenly its appeal has reduced. It may seem silly in a few years time that I was thinking about all this in a few years time (if I go ahead and purchase).

[NiInJa]

This confuses me, one of the reasons why Tiago JTP got axed was the lack of demand due to higher price and other things like BS6 compliance increasing costs even further (as per Tata). This means they are essentially bringing the JTP back, no ?

[100Rabh]

Originally Posted by NiInJa

This confuses me, one of the reasons why Tiago JTP got axed was the lack of demand due to higher price and other things like BS6 compliance increasing costs even further (as per Tata). This means they are essentially bringing the JTP back, no ?

JTP lacked one thing and that was the sales network, in a country where there are 28 states and 8 UTs, JTP had 19 dealerships only. That means almost half of the states don't even had a single dealership. Many people would have ditched the idea of buying JTP versions just because of lack of the dealership. Now if Tata decides to launch turbo versions, there won't be such issues, these can be sold at normal dealerships. Since final specs are also not released yet, I believe this will be rebranded Tiago JTP.

[GTO]

I don't think it will come in the enthusiast-oriented JTP guise ever again, but I welcome a turbo-petrol in the Tiago. This car has everything going for it, except for that poor petrol engine under the hood. We recently featured it in a related article too. Adding a turbo-charger is a simple exercise for a manufacturer & if well-tuned, it can transform the performance!

Bring it on, Tata . From the slowest car in the segment, you could become the fastest (or at least on par with the others).

[ashutoshb]

When I was buying the Tigor for myself, I really wanted to get the Turbo, but got put off by the JTP's racer boy colours.

Had it been available in the normal guise, I would have chosen the Turbo for sure.

[srini1785]

Look i don't understand. If Turbo petrol engine was out due to various reasons like lack of demand, COVID 19 etc etc then why bring back another turbo petrol engine only this time by partnering with Bosch?.

We need to look at specs , Tiago petrol (NA)84HP, JTP Tiago 112HP now Bosch Tiago @100hp?. Of course, the marketing would be from TATA alone.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by srini1785

We need to look at specs , Tiago petrol (NA)84HP, JTP Tiago 112HP now Bosch Tiago @100hp?

I guess the JTP twins unlike Nexon turbo petrol were not BS6 compatible. So, it may be they are testing a Nexon petrol Engine under the hood with a 5-speed gearbox rather than the JTP tuned version.

[GBX]

What is the point of this car?

How many people are not buying Tiagos because it's not powerful enough? Whatever premium this will cost over the N/A Tiago, the average customer would rather spend than money on bigger touchscreens, sunroofs and whatnot.

Clearly the JTP ghost still roams the hallways at Tata HQ.

[Quinn]

Originally Posted by GBX

What is the point of this car?

How many people are not buying Tiagos because it's not powerful enough? Whatever premium this will cost over the N/A Tiago, the average customer would rather spend than money on bigger touchscreens, sunroofs and whatnot.

Clearly the JTP ghost still roams the hallways at Tata HQ.

Rather I wish they make an option of turbo on the Altroz. For all its high-pricing, the top variant with a lazy engine makes it a bit bitter.

[aansh singhania]

Originally Posted by Quinn

Rather I wish they make an option of turbo on the Altroz. For all its high-pricing, the top variant with a lazy engine makes it a bit bitter.

Luckily a tata altroz turbo was recently caught in the wild so it seems that your wish will be fulfilled sooner than you expect

[Turbokick]

I would say Tiago with a more powerful engine and bit more refinement can make life simpler for people who travel more on highways but dont want to stretch their budget.
Other wise Tiago has got so many things in favour of it :
1. Great looks (facelift looks even better)
2. Quality interior
3. Build quality and safety
4. Ride quality and suspension
5. Decent equipment list


A Tiago turbo at say 7 lakhs is a more practical purchase than a Polo TSI at 9 lakhs.