Team-BHP - Tata Nano : Test Drive & Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeluM (Post 3339207)

The reason for the difference in tyres has been discussed innumerable times on this and other threads, and is in fact to counter the tendency of the rear engined, rwd car to oversteer.

The front wheels are smaller primarily for ease of steering, since power steering was to be avoided.
About the tendency of rear wheel drive cars to over-steer, I am not aware of any other rear wheel drive car which has a similar arrangement. So I am assuming that this is not the reason for the different sizes of tyres.

Just back after a ride on one of my manager's Nano (guess the 2011 make). He was merciless on pot holes of Chennai and O Boy, I AM IMPRESSED!! This car has an awesome suspension! Not even one of the potholes could induce a slight discomfort for my back!

THIS IS A LITTLE WONDER! clap:

The clatter is quite evident in the inside with windows closed. It's quite silent when the windows are open! :Shockked:

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi (Post 3341573)

FINALLY after 4 years of its launch.

I guess NOW its earned the much due Test Drive of the 2013 version, or betterstill the 2014 version?

The car was always on my radar, was extremely impressed with the space on offer (during the launch itself). The ONLY reason why I did NOT bother taking a TD was because my leg used to rub on the centre console and thought it would NEVER be a good fit for me.

The diesel version was what I had in my mind; not sure I'll have one in my garage though. With some savings, I might.

Finally the test drive happened this evening.
The dealer SA was supposed to come by 11 AM, but came at 5 PM.
Secondly he got the CNG LX version, when we had specifically asked for petrol CX version.
Anyway, we drove the vehicle for around 3 KM each. I found the gear shifter to be very vague, though something which can be get used to.
The clutch pedal was extremely soft and we could not figure out where the biting point was. Stalled the car twice.
Wife had difficulty in finding a suitable driving position. Moving the seat right to the front is good to press the clutch pedal completely, but her left leg gets strained due to the angle it makes against the A pedal.
Moving the seat behind takes care of the left leg, but the clutch pedal does not get pressed completely. To me, it appeared that she was missing under-thigh support.

Overall, she was not happy.

The AC was good and so was the pickup with 3 grown-ups. We were driving on petrol.

The car is extremely noisy sitting inside, more so for the rear benchers.
There is provision to get a 3 point belt system installed (welding required) for the rear bench.

Now, as per the SA, the Twist version is available for test drive, but we have to visit the showroom. There is no exchange bonus available on that one. It has better gear shift lever and perhaps a slightly better seating position for short people.
We have to try that out before we can conclude.

For now, it seems we have to look at other options as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by john doe (Post 3342163)

I am confused, isn't the Right leg which comes in contact with the Accelerator pedal? Or have I misunderstood the meaning of the A pedal?:)

My bad. I should have typed 'right leg'.

Quote:

Originally Posted by damodar (Post 3342173)

How did you find the steering was it heavy especially when parking?

Not really. However, only during parallel parking you would feel power steering missing, I suppose. We did not try that out, since we would be buying Twist version which comes with power steering (if we decide to go with Nano).
However what we found was slight movement in steering results in the car changing direction. So steady hand is needed even at city speeds. I am not sure if that is normal in all Nano's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by S_U_N (Post 3342441)

However what we found was slight movement in steering results in the car changing direction. So steady hand is needed even at city speeds. I am not sure if that is normal in all Nano's.

Yep, the steering has virtually no play. At absolute standstill, you do need some effort to turn the steering. However once the car is in motion, the steering is pretty light.

Tata Nano Twist (d will go on sale in the XT trim). with power steering launched for Rs 2.36 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).

It is Rs 14,000 more than the current top-end variant. Available in a new purple colour, the dashboard of the car has some tweaks to the instrument cluster.

Quote:

The Nano Twist comes equipped with a ZF-designed electric power steering unit (EPS) that uses a brushless motor. The steering ratio is the same as the manual version of the outgoing car, however, the efforts taken by the driver to steer the car have been reduced with the introduction of the power steering. The car can now be easily parked, which was a task without the power steering earlier. The vehicle can now also be maneuvered easily in rush hour traffic.

Quote:

A new instrument console for the Nano Twist which gets more functions. They have repositioned the interface for the power steering system, the digital trip meter and the clock. In addition to this, the centrally mounted cluster comes with LED temperature and fuel gauges. It also features a distance to empty function

http://www.carwale.com/news/12033-ta...-236-lakh.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeluM (Post 3339207)

Not true. The reason for the difference in tyres has been discussed innumerable times on this and other threads, and is in fact to counter the tendency of the rear engined, rwd car to oversteer.

+1. However, not all rear wheel drives are so eager to oversteer, but probably since the Nano is a light car plus its engine is at the rear, it might have had a tendency to oversteer too much. Hence, the front tyres have been kept a little thinner than the rear ones so that they lose the grip first.

New Tata Nano Twist announced for 2.36 Lakhs. Source

Mods : Didn't see any other thread on this. Please merge if not required as new thread

Summarized below :

- Power steering
- 624CC engine, 2 valve, 4 speed manual transmission, 38PS
- Fuel efficiency - ARAI - 25.4
- Remote Keyless entry
- Twin glove boxes
- 4 speaker music system with bluetooth USB and Aux
- New interior fabrics
- New look Instrument cluster
- New driver information systems
- Comes in Purple, White, Gold, Orange.( and whatever colors in Cadbury's Gems ..just kidding :)

still the rear hatch is not openable ??

had heard before that tata wil address this issue in the next facelift, but i don't think that has happened. :Frustrati

those updates are already late by 4 or 5 yrs on this car!

and inspite of pathetic sales figures, i can't figure out why tata is so reluctant to give this car a total make-over and equip it with the standard features to face the competition.

and what about the diesel nano? is it true that tata has shelved that plan for now and it won't make it to the auto expo?

Quote:

Originally Posted by VinodDevil81 (Post 3343116)

still the rear hatch is not openable ??

Is there anything that we would miss if the hatch is not openable? I thought there was no useful space there worth accessing. I would like to see some better things like an auto gearbox, a 3 pot engine, some safety kit etc.

Nano failed to become a poor man's car. It wouldn't hurt if they add some aspirational factor to it.