[alphahere]

Originally Posted by ashis89

While I thought it to be a simple electro-mechanical unit, the AMT is turning out to be quite complex and an adept piece of machinery. Your explanations suggest a lower clutch life of AMT vehicles. Users of Celerio AMT and ZEST XMA can share their experience though none has reported changing their clutch till now.

+1 to that! I was of the same idea that this was a pretty simple unit and got this car for my wife. Mechanically and functionally it is simple too but it looks like there is a lot of programming effort behind its functioning. Specially in the exception handling scenarios. I am definitely for your thought that the clutch life could be lower in this one given the way it operates unless they have beefed up the plate. But I should say, there was absolutely no burnt smell coming from the gearbox whatever I have tried till now. Probably because the revvs are limited when not moving. Still only time can prove the life of the clutch.
If it works the same way on a Celerio or a Zest we can be sure to see people doing burnouts on slopes being FWD cars!

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by alphahere

Specially in the exception handling scenarios..... there was absolutely no burnt smell coming from the gearbox whatever I have tried till now. Probably because the revvs are limited when not moving. Still only time can prove the life of the clutch.
If it works the same way on a Celerio or a Zest we can be sure to see people doing burnouts on slopes being FWD cars!

Exception handling is very difficult unless you know all probable uses of the product and its users. This is a grey area in case of India. Just for an example sake, recently I recovered an Estilo from a freshly reaped sugarcane field which was 10 ft below the road. (An acquaintance, while learning to drive, had used the A-pedal instead of the B-pedal to fly into the field and land softly). That day the Estilo first turned into a tractor plowing through the soft mud. Then it was a jungle safari tearing through the scant vegetation around the field (3 ft of the 10) and finally a off-roader/hill climber, climbing the steep, water-scared mud bank of the road (last 7 ft). Some human efforts, lots of burnt tyre and some burnt clutch brought the car on road. Over the years, I have witnessed similar situations during my visits to my village and other rural areas. Some of them are deliberate due to the prevailing road conditions and no second option available.

Do you think MM (Fiat) or Tata would have thought of such exceptions and handled them in their codes?


Since you have mentioned about no burning smell, clutch burning risk might have been taken care of and the clutch might last the distance. Only time will tell. Regarding the burn-out and wheelies, it might catch the driver off-guard in tight mall parking/traffic situations. High reaction times can lead to bumper and other damages apart from premature tyre wear.
The solution to this problem: Practice makes a person perfect. Keep practicing in zero risk situations (you might find some more exceptions handled beautifully by Tata).

[jessie007]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

I would not change over from the OE tyre size spec. Tata hasn't put in different sizes to save costs, but for engineering and driving safety reasons after extensive testing of the car, even when it results in an issue with not offering a full service stepney, an inconvenience even if it is a minor one. This change may not matter much in the city, but may have undesirable outcomes on the highway.
They may themselves change over to one size in future, but that will come with a change in the set up/geometry.
Some things in cars are best left alone,or at the very least, in expert hands.

Also the power steering unit will be rated to handle a limited load. Considering the Nano is an entry level vehicle, the tolerances for the power steering unit might be lower. It is not recommended to have wider / bigger tires at the front as it might lead to premature failure of the power steering unit - which will not then be covered under warranty.

[smiddela]

Originally Posted by mail2sekh

Has anyone got a blue or silver AMT delivered yet in bangalore ? It is 2 months and 10 days since I booked in Concorde motors , dairy circle and no news or updates yet.
Whenever I ask they say only the reds and purples have been allocated from the plant and the first blue that arrives will be delivered to me ! Looks like he is saying that to everyone.

We took our delivery from Prerana Motors BTM Layout Bangalore. We got our Nano XTA Silver color last Sunday July 5th 2015 - we booked in the first week of May. Just before we took our car another customer took delivery of a White color Nano XTA. I also saw a Dazzle Blue color Nano XTA in their Basement from where they handed over our car.

To put it in short we got our Silver color Nano XTA in a months time. It is unfortunate that you still have not received your Nano even after 2 months time :(

[keeprevving]

I was long hoping go for a Nano AMT test drive. Finally experienced it. I will soon be looking for a Automatic car for my Dad. So, my intention was clear. How easy is the car to drive, and if it comes with acceptable quality levels. Here are few of my views on Tata Nano XTA:

Exterior:
- The design is eye-pleasing. Looks more up-market.
- Paint finish and quality is quite good. Looks appealing.
- Tyres somehow, didn't look puny. May be I under-rated it to much, before-hand.
- Doors has good feel, and appeared well built for the Nano's price.
- The wiper is surely an eyesore. Tata needs to place it a bit lower.
- The bonnet hinges (right at the top area) are an eyesore too.
- Tata could have updated the Christmas tail-lights. They are okay though.

Interior:
- Easy Ingress and Egress. Thanks to tall-boy design.
- Seat fabric feel, design and pattern looked good.
- Seats are supportive. Wider seats could have been better. May be I am asking too much.
- Rear seat space is fabulous.
- AC, as we all know, is terrific to use.
- Steering is good to hold and use.
- Centrally located dash doesn't help. Conventional location could have been great.
- Dash plastic quality is average. The center console, dials craves for better plastic.
- A, B pedals are properly spaced. No issues here.
- Power windows switch works well. I dont have problems with its position.
- Boot space is small. I seldom use it anyways. Dad won't even use it extensively. So no complaints here.
- Music system is basic. Did not use it much. Can't comment more.

Drive:
- The engine is a bit noisy on the outside. Some of it creeps in the cabin too. Acceptable though. Nothing alarming.
- The engine power seems ample for city use, and occasional (rare) highway use.
- AMT is a joy to ride, once you get accustomed. It took me barely 10 mins to know it strengths and weaknesses.
- I thought the engine and gearbox works the best in "S" mode. It is as close as you can get to a manual.
- Manual gear change isn't quick. However it is fun and hassle-free.
- Creep mode take a sec or two to start. A boon for our congested roads.
- The suspension is decent. It takes potholes and bumps gracefully. No complaints.
- Steering is super-light. Joy for city driving. Tilt steering would have made it awesome. May be i being too finicky.
- Tata could have worked a bit more on the exhaust note. I hope you know what I am talking about.
- The car is eager to be pushed when you floor the A-pedal. (Of course, its no Ferrari).
- Brakes feel adequate. Once you get use to it. They work well.

Conclusion:
A great car. Hats off to Tata Motors. It is an awesome piece of machine for the price at which it is available. I have new found respect for Tata Nano GenX. I am going to get one for my Dad for sure. He will love it. I am planning it during Dushera or Diwali.

[Jyodi Backster]

Recently took a test drive of Nano XTA...
Found it to be really nice in most of the departments except breaking.

Engine is not really power full, but adequate. The TD car took weight of 4 adults and a kid very well without any problem.
I'm anyway planning to use it mainly as a single seater.

Nano's gear shifts and overall power delivery is smoother compared to Alto AMT.
I found Alto engine to be so powerful for it's weight, that the car does not 'creep' but it almost jumps when you lift your foot off the break. Even the gear shift is lot jerky when compared to Nano.

Nano was much more comfortable (at least at lower speeds) than Alto.

Nano's breaks fail to give you any confidence, and higher speeds seemed scary.

I asked the Sales representative s about changing all tyres to same width (155) to improve breaking,
But they said replacing front tyres with wider tyre 'll void the warranty :-(
I've written to Tata Motors Customer Care Team about the same, but not received any answer yet.

Now not sure which way to go….
In a bumper to bumper traffic, bang the poor rickshaw-wala with a 'Launch Control' Alto gear box, or with Nano's bad breaks !!

[sun_king]

Originally Posted by Jyodi Backster

<snip>
I asked the Sales representative s about changing all tyres to same width (155) to improve breaking,
But they said replacing front tyres with wider tyre 'll void the warranty :-(
I've written to Tata Motors Customer Care Team about the same, but not received any answer yet.
<snip>

The Nano has decent brakes, you just have to adapt to an all-drum setup. There are only a few scenarios where the AMT brakes feel weaker compared to the MT one. "Feel" is the keyword, the differences in braking distances is trivial.

The braking is not an issue as perceived by test drives, have a look at the link below to get the braking distances of some hatchbacks and see where the Nano stands.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...ml#post3713146

The much discussed and concluded Tata Nano wheel size disparity: The wheel size is intentionally kept smaller to prevent oversteer, it is not advisable to tamper with the wheels in the interests of safety. It may in fact be counterproductive.

[alphahere]

My GenX has reached 2000kms after a month and a week of ownership. To be frank, I'm having a ball with this car. Apart from the mileage, I find it comparable to any other small car on the road, if not better. No rattles, squeaks or clunks. And the A/C keeps impressing me always. The refinement when compared to the previous gen is just amazing. Makes one wonder why not like this in the first place.

These days I drive mostly on 'S' mode and the mileage is just the same as the non 'S' mode. The Sport mode keeps the lower gears for a longer time and throttle response also becomes sharper. Gear shifts are really seamless in this mode. So have decided to keep this mode active most of the time.

Once I ran out of fuel due to my own stupidity of leaving my wallet at home. The DTE shows to a minimum of 25kms below which it turns to 'refuel'. After driving in this situation for a while I drove into a bunk and to my utter dismay I found that I had left my wallet at home. I neither had enough fuel to reach office nor to reach back home. After pondering for a good while on the next course of action, Used the facility of cardless cash withdrawal (courtesy my wife) to get some cash but by the time I reached the nearest bunk, it started sputtering. This was about 10 kms past the time 'refuel' appeared on the display. Also after I managed to find a working ATM to get cash, the engine was not starting up as eagerly as usual. Probably due to the slope on the road. Had to crank thrice to start up. So it can be safely assumed that after the DTE turns 'refuel' you should have a max to max range of about 15kms beyond which everything depends on your pure personal luck!

I have personally seen an acquaintance drive a Ford Fiesta diesel in 2009 (now the Ford Classic) which showed a DTE of 3 kms by the time we reached our destination! Amazing!

[manoj_joseph78]

Originally Posted by alphahere

Apart from the mileage, I find it comparable to any other small car on the road, if not better.

@alphahere, what is the mileage you are getting now?

[alphahere]

Originally Posted by manoj_joseph78

@alphahere, what is the mileage you are getting now?

Max of 14.5 to 15. Never above this. This is fully in Bangalore city with ac on usually from e city to domlur via madiwala. No out station drives at all. I feel this can drop further depending on traffic conditions. Somehow the previous gen twist used to return 16 to 16.5 kmpl in the same conditions. 600 cc engine should return more than this in my opinion. I am not an aggressive driver by habit (but can be if I or someone else wants).

Due to lack of experience I do not know what any other petrol car returns in these conditions. Planning to swap my vehicle for a day or two with a friend's 1.2T Zest and see what I get. My remapped i20 CRDi gives me 13 kmpl same conditions.

[mail2sekh]

Originally Posted by smiddela

We took our delivery from Prerana Motors BTM Layout Bangalore. We got our Nano XTA Silver color last Sunday July 5th 2015 - we booked in the first week of May. Just before we took our car another customer took delivery of a White color Nano XTA. I also saw a Dazzle Blue color Nano XTA in their Basement from where they handed over our car.

To put it in short we got our Silver color Nano XTA in a months time. It is unfortunate that you still have not received your Nano even after 2 months time :(

Looks like it will be August. They called and said that allocation has been done from the plan.So another two weeks.Will make it more than 3 months wait ! Anyways..
Whats happening to the other ownership reviews ?Other than alphahere and freakmuzik ,I dont recall seeing any owner's posts. The initial euphoria also seems to have died down too soon ?

Also does anyone have info on sales figures ? I see only this link from about a month ago..

http://www.newindianexpress.com/auto...cle2885630.ece

[sun_king]

Originally Posted by mail2sekh

Looks like it will be August. They called and said that allocation has been done from the plan.So another two weeks.Will make it more than 3 months wait ! Anyways..
Whats happening to the other ownership reviews ?Other than alphahere and freakmuzik ,I dont recall seeing any owner's posts. The initial euphoria also seems to have died down too soon ?

Also does anyone have info on sales figures ? I see only this link from about a month ago..

http://www.newindianexpress.com/auto...cle2885630.ece

Sad to hear that it takes so long to deliver the vehicle. Last week one of my neighbors was saying that the Nano AMTs now have an 8 month waiting period, not sure how true it is. They were looking for a small car, went to Hyundai and a smart salesman made them change from an Eon to an i10.

Sales is normal for the Nano, in the sub-2K per month with the usual fluctuations. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...-analysis.html

Either there is serious availability issues for the AMT box or people have decided that the added cost of the GenX variants is not worth it. Tata still can't convert the footfalls to cheques.

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by alphahere

16 to 16.5 kmpl in the same conditions

That is about the best any Nano can do in a typical Indian city, with 100% AC use.
The FE is very sensitive to the right foot. Often you will find that the car takes time to come up to a speed that corresponds to right foot pressure. The time it takes to do that, FE is being hammered. Or, you may find that easing the right foot can be done at speed, without loss of speed. That again means that FE was getting hammered prior to reducing accelerator pressure.
Generally speaking, the quicker you move to 4th, the better the FE.
That said, the FE isn't a highlight of the car. One big reason it did not appeal to the 2 wheeler user market, more than the capital cost.

[ajay_satpute]

We finally got delivery of our Nano XTA (AMT) on Saturday, 18th July. The delivery process was handled decently. It could have been better frankly, but I will let it go.

The car looks and feels really nice. This red shade really stands out in the sea of whites. First impressions are great ! It was such a breeze to drive it on the bypass. I am still getting used to the clutch not being there.

This is the 4th car in the house and the car sizes have shrunk from car # 1 Vista to Nano. It cannot go any smaller now. It will only get bigger. (Already a storme is brewing in the background)

[alphahere]

Originally Posted by ajay_satpute

We finally got delivery of our Nano XTA (AMT) on Saturday, 18th July

Congrats on the new acquisition! And welcome to the family. Would appreciate if you would share your experiences with the car. I'm sure other Bhpians would too! IMHO this forum is the only place where you can find out if your car is working as it should and every bit of information can only help!