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-   -   Datsun Go : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/149093-datsun-go-official-review-7.html)

@bblost - Superb review, Thanks :thumbs up

While Nissan seems to be positioning the Datsun Go at the 'low-cost' entry level/first time buyer segment, there is nothing extraordinary in the features being offered to differentiate it significantly from the competition. Only good thing is the extended coverage but with their service support credentials being so bad will that even matter ? I'm guessing it will be an uphill task for them to crack the sales bastion.

I would love to see the results of crash test on this car. Would it fare better or worser than Alto or for that matter Nano ?

^^^On a comparison-with-peers scenario, yes it would be interesting to see how the Go fares in a crash test, given the built-to-cost impression of the car.

But if looked at in general, even if the car failed miserably in crash-test, will it really be a big deal given that we recently read about cars like the Figo/Polo etc (which cost double or more than the top-end Go) failing miserably in crash tests (sans airbags).

Yes, petrol cars usually see much lesser running than diesel. But still to me it means a lot when a company does not restrict warranty to kms - shows the confidence they have in their product.

BTW there are folks who do real huge running on petrol cars. A colleague had an M800 that had done 1.5lakh kms in 10 years or so - now sold. Apart from this, he currently has an Alto (inching to 1lakh kms in 7 years) and an Alto-K10 which is only 3 years or so, but having clocked 65K kms. I keep telling him that his is a sure-fire diesel-car usage and when he swapped the M800 for the K10, he should have gone diesel.

No data to support, but something inside me says that it would be any day better than Alto. Go shares its platform with Micra, and Maruti is the king of tin boxes. Alto being the cheapest Maruti, would surely be the tinniest.

1. Thickness of sheet metal is not the main thing that ensures safety, but the platform plus how impact struts and crumple zones are provided does make a lot of difference. Add to it stability, grip and safety features including airbags and ABS 2. Most of the Japanese cars' sheet metal is so thin including Nissan; there is not much comparison among Suzuki or Honda or Toyota or the former.

I did compare the platform. Micra platform vs the Alto platform, take your pick.

Micra - 84% - http://www.euroncap.com/results/niss.../2010/413.aspx
A-star - 55% - http://www.euroncap.com/results/suzuki/alto/362.aspx

Given that there is no data available (on crash-test), your comment about Go faring better than Alto is nothing more than speculation.

But even where data is available (kerb-weight), you have ignored that in favour of sweeping generalisations, which is misleading. For eg, the Swift-P weighs in from 960 to 990 kgs depending on trim and the Swift-D ranges from 1050 - 1080 kgs. I could not get kerb-weight for the Micra on the Nissan website, but an Autocar review pegs it at 945kgs. Given this data, which do you think is tinnier ?

Alto or swift? Vikrantj was asking about the alto right? Can you post the kerb weights of the alto too? Also check the ncap links.

^^^You mentioned Micra, whose logical peer would be the Swift (not A-Star or Alto).

India is going backwards as far as safety is concerned with all these cheap cars being sold. People do need such in expensive cars but there needs to be some control through regulations and tests.

vikrantj was asking between Go and Alto, if I have not mistaken. Since data for Go isn't available, i referred to Micra as both share the same platform. Swift does not share anything with the Alto.

I think Nissan has made a huge mistake by offering Power steering and AC on only the top end Go.Imagine when even Tata had to equip the Nano with PS ,how many people would want to drive a car without AC and PS. Even the absence of a glove box lid seems like a joke to me, after all how much of a saving could have this yielded.Features such as follow me home headlamps, full MID & speed-sensitive wipers are in my opinion not absolutely necessary for the segment the Go is targeting and could have been offered on higher end variants keeping AC and PS as standard across variants.

Do you know if the same European manufacturing standards is followed for the local market in India?

If weightlessness (or tinniest in your terms) is the major safety criteria, how does the Toyota Aygo, Peugot 107 and Citroen C1 score 13% more rating with 40kg less, than the Alto?

Excellent review

This car packs a punch as compared to other entry level hatchbacks

Nissan will have to rethink on Micra's positioning once again

No, but do you have any reason to believe that only Nissan would lower the standards of manufacturing while Maruti keeps up to the European standards?

Safe car * (10% of european standards) IS SAFER THAN Unsafe car * (10% of European standards)