[W.A.G.7]

Great review about an already great car! The only sore point is the absence of disc brakes on the car. Atleast front ones should have been there. I feel this car is almost perfect for the city.

The main fact is many people try and compare it with other cars like Santro or Spark or Alto. And get disappointed when they don't find the similar features in the car. Many expect that the on-road price of the car should be 1L, which is not really possible in the real world right now!

I think it gives you total value for money for the price they are charging right now. Now with the new version, things seem to have improved much. But we will wait for someone to buy a new 2012 Nano and put up a thread here, before we form our opinions about it!

[manojas]

Nice review. As you rightly mentioned, a diesel + auto transmission is what the nano actually needs to satisfy the customers in targets.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Amartya

I understand that there might be other issues, such as cable routing and clamping mechanism for the tire, to name just a couple; but do you think its worthwhile?

@Amartya, its perfectly fine under the seat. Keep in mind, in the Jazz/HC there is a petrol tank somewhere under the front seat and a 3 cyl engine firing away under the front seat of the Omni.

Relocating under hood is easily doable but make for longer cable routing and unfavorable for CG.

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by Mpower

@Amartya, its perfectly fine under the seat. Keep in mind, in the Jazz/HC there is a petrol tank somewhere under the front seat and a 3 cyl engine under the front seat of the Omni.

Relocating under hood is easily doable but make for longer cable routing and unfavorable for CG.

Of course you are right, I personally have no issue with the battery being there; I know it's perfectly safe and in terms of engineering, a good solution. But if you go through the Nano threads on the forum, people complained about it. It certainly looks unsightly, and placing ones foot being near the battery terminal makes people uneasy (some people even complained of battery fumes, don't know if it's true). The tire is a passive element, but the battery isn't deemed so. I bet 9/10 people will be more comfortable (psychologically) sitting at the back with the spare tire near their feet than the battery.

With the Omni and the Jazz, the petrol tank and the engine were not in plain sight; I think that matters. For the Hondas, I am not even sure how many people know where the fuel tank is.

Again you are right about the cable routing (I mentioned it as well) and I consider the CG point to be really well made. The cable routing will be an expensive process as well, but I think Tata Motors should be under no illusion that the Nano's bargain basement pricing, hasn't really appealed to people in the way they expected, and this additional cost can and should be passed on to the customer.

I'll take another look at the photos now and see if it's possible to create a nice removable plastic surround/cover for the battery that is flush with the seat. That just might be a solution for now.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by Amartya

It certainly looks unsightly, and placing ones foot being near the battery terminal makes people uneasy (some people even complained of battery fumes, don't know if it's true).

Most of the inside mounted ones I've seen have a tube that vents out into the outside of the car. Seen this on bikes too.

IIRC this is mandated and checked during homologation. My HHR is internal too (behind the back seat next to the spare).

[guyfrmblr]

A very good detailed report.

They could have provided alloys with the high end model. TATA group of employees were offered a special edition Nano around 3-4 months back which had Mr Ratan Tata's signature on the dash. Even alloys were part of the package at no additional cost. I had a chance to drive a Nano when it was kept in our office premises during this time. I was surprised by looking at the amount of leg space present. Had checked the performance of AC. My i20's AC was put to shame.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

Had checked the performance of AC. My i20's AC was put to shame.

Probably the primary reason for poor FE reported with the AC on. If the AC compressor was weaker, it would have received brickbats for a poor AC. No-win situation. IMHO since the vehicle is peppy in city, people naturally expect the same once the AC is on. I know it affects the way I drive - with a heavier foot - to get the "normal" or expected performance.

[amit162]

Quote:
Originally Posted by rrsteer
One question though, it was shocking to learn that the Nano performs so poorly o inclines. But I thought this was not a concern, as I see a lot of Nanos plying on the roads in Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand.
unquote.
I have a one year old Nano.We have driven it to Dhanaulti, which is beyond Mussoorie in Uttarakhand, with 4 adults. This is at a height of 2286metres =7500ft. We have had no problems in the climb.Infact with its maneuverability and ground clearance I find it the most convenient car to take up the hills.However,since it was a one day trip we were not carrying any luggage.

[Mirage]

Awesome review! A automatic transmission in this would make it even better for city runabouts!

[Sheel]

Thanks for this awesome & detailed review

I regularly get to drive & get driven in, in a Nano, thanks to a business associate.

The front fog-lamps & rear fog lamps are quite powerful & absent on my Figo Titanium & I do grumble about this.

I have managed to squeeze 19kmpl on highway drives with the speedo hovering @70kmph with 5 occupants & luggage & AC running so hard, all the 4 windows condensed.

The Nano goes to places where I don't take the Ford fearing bad roads, only when I am sure that the Ford won't scrape, I take it.

Despite a new driver in the Nano, we are yet to scrape its belly with a full complement of 5 passengers & luggage which is a h-u-g-e achievement.

The space is another good achievement. Few cab drivers have taken it out for a spin & found it to drive like a proper Car. Now what else were they expecting?

I find it better to cruise @80kmph on this when compared to a M-800.

There are few grouses as well, the front wash doesn't work & the ASC can't seem to cure it.

And yes, I always carried a 2ltr bottle filled with petrol on our ~300kms drive as a precaution. The range is paltry to say the least.

Brakes do tend to lock up, especially if there is a bit of sand, the left front one is more prone. Glove-box? Aargh...

Are we liable to get these new up-dates? How much time would it take?

[silverado]

Thanks GTO for a Honest review

Being a Nano owner for last 9 months i can relate to every bit mentioned.
Your analysis for Low sales was truly Outstanding.

Inability to tackle Inclines - My experience has been decent, it climbed easily with 3 adults from Bamnoli lake to Kaas plateau, but i never stopped while climbing ghats.

For city flyover inclines (which might not be steep) , i have not faced any issues even with 5 on board.

Average - Consistently in region of 22-23 on highways and in region of 15-18 in city.

You mentioned a service interval of 1000,5000 and 10000.
I checked my manual wherein my 2nd service is at 10000kms, has it been changed for 2012?

Did pune-mumbai NON-STOP without any issues 2days ago.

My cousin sister who drives a DZIRE, found Nano difficult to drive.
She was unable to adjust easily to the clutch and stalled the car occasionally.

After driving her DZIRE the whole day, i found my Nano's clutch weird initially.

And as others have noticed, she did not like Non-assisted steering.

I agree , Nano easily hurts ego of larger cars when they are overtaken.

In the End,I am a very satisfied owner and its a Perfect City car, which can do occasional highway trips in my opinion.

[akshay4587]

I recently did a mileage run on highway in the nano.
While crusing at constant 70 without AC i achieved 23.3kmpl.

[miharbe]

I wasnt sure if i should start a new thread or if one already exists to this effect hence posting here.

i work for a financial services firm and as a part of my job profile take interviews for entry level positions. i was interviewing this candidate who was currently employed with a market research firm. Now the client he was handling was Tata Motors. He shared an interesting thing with me when i asked him about assignments done with Tata Motors he mentioned that he had very recently done a project which assessed the feedback for a set of individuals who were invited to sample the Tata Nano. My reaction was TATA NANO or TATA ARIA. He repeated thrice that it is Tata Nano and that it also has power steering and would be priced in the range if 2.25lacs.

i dont know if this guy was for real or what but just thought i should share this here. If anyone can confirm or deny it would be great.

P.S. His interview assessment had nothing to do with the fact that he had shared a scoop with me

[idofsuresh]

The car is definitely cute but few things about this car bother me. Initially they bothered me so much that I did not even consider this car. Regardless of how Tata positioned it, it is turning out to be a city car. If a car is meant for city it should have light controls. Otherwise it should have a great fuel efficiency (approx Rs 3 per km) that offsets everything else at the same price point of the car.

The things I'd like to see in this car

1. Power steering. There should have been a variant with PS from day one. I once drove an Estilo with a manual steering and have hated manual steerings since then. Maybe Nano is not as bad as Estilo manual steering but I'd happily pay a few thousands extra for the power steering especially if my parents have to drive it .

2. A disk brake on the front wheels. It is lighter on the foot for the same stopping distance.

[apuwdm2]

Regarding the poor climbing power of the tested Nano - this is a totally new car with only 695 kms on the clock. The power of the Nano definitely improves after running in.

I am in Pune and my Nano LX has done all the ghats connecting to the city with comfort and with the AC running. While the small engine of Nano is highly capable, starting from zero speed on a steep steep gradient with full load takes some careful driving.

My own Nano has crossed 10,000 kms in 11 months ownership and there are no major issues so far. The car has done trips to Lonavala, Mumbai, Alibaug, Satara, Nasik and more. Apart from highway running, the Nano is a perfect vehicle to drive on rough farm roads and dirt tracks - actually there is no other vehicle in its class that can do the bad roads (at that pricepoint).

Apurva