[WheelNut]

I am thinking of booking a Tiago, took the test drive of both the petrol and diesel. The petrol felt under powered or probably tuned for better fuel economy. May go with the diesel even though my running is less, it felt much better to drive around. The car is well built and AC was also fine during the test drive. I will probably book Revotorq XZ since all the safety features are a must.

My concern is the service interval of 6 months for both the petrol and the diesel. All the cars I have owned have had a one year service schedule. The SA at the dealership insisted it is yearly and 15000KM, but I crosschecked the manual which says 7500KMs or 6 months. Should I be concerned?

[rsm97]

This afternoon saw the car displayed within office compound. Having seen it once, my major curiosity was about the AC effectiveness as opposing observations have been made by members in various posts.

When drove previously, the car was already cooled and nothing seemed amiss. This time as the car was only for display and that too in the open, so AC was switched off. It was was switched on at my request. My observations -

1. Cooling was rapid. Not extremely strong, but par for the course for a small car. Tried both City & Eco modes and could not feel much of a difference on cooling parameter.
2. Blower sound was somewhat high, just liveable at low speeds.
3. Engine noise at low rpms is un-petrol like, but the burr goes away at higher rpms.

Overall, liked it for the second time too. A full-fledged test drive is due now.

[Aragorn]

This thread has generated an unprecedented amount of interest and rightly so. The Tiago truly seems like the start of the next generation of Tata cars.

Had an opportunity to TD the Tiago in Petrol. Must say the co-ordination between the call centre, dealership and the sales executive was quite seamless. I have taken TD of Tata vehicles earlier and this was by far the best experience.

Some apprehensions I had and the outcome of the TD are presented below:

1) The engine (petrol especially) - The engine certainly let me down (personally). The vibes on the steering, gear lever and dash felt odd. They are not so visible at higher RPMs / speeds (above 30-40 kmph), but they do distract you from a pleasant driving experience at low speeds. Having been used to a petrol from a Honda City and the Kappa engine from Hyundai, may be my expectations were high - and these vibes may not matter to a first time car buyer.

2) Interior space - If Tata had to carry forward anything from the Indica, it was the interior space and somehow they missed that. If indeed the floor plan is shared with the Indica, I wonder where the space disappeared? The front seats are very comfy with just the right amount of support. But the rear seats felt a little too short on under-thigh support (I am about 6 foot tall). The rear leg room and under-thigh support are in all probability manageable for anyone 5'8" or less - so decide on the car basis who will occupy the rear seats.

3) The AC (noise and performance) - The demo car had done a fair but of running and it was the 4th TD for the day. It was a hot Mumbai afternoon (around 4 PM) and the cabin was impressively cool. In the course of the TD, I switched off the air-con and re-started it after about a minute. A - there was no significant drop in power : B - the AC cooled back the cabin very quickly. Overall impressed with performance. As regards the noise, I certainly did feel it was on the higher side (again - my benchmark is a Honda City). At speed 3, the noise reached an unacceptable level.

Now with the apprehensions out of the way - here is a full low down of the car:

- IMPRESSIVE quality interior: Had seen the car extensively during the Auto Expo (in person), but to see it on a production car was very very heartening. No 2 ways about it. Tata has probably reached Grand i10 levels of interior quality and in the process jumped 2 generations in interior quality.

- Superb sounding audio system: I played around with the audio (listening only to the FM channels). The reception quality was top notch - not a single crackle or hiss. The audio was impressive in it own right. Mind you, I have worked with audio manufacturing companies earlier - so I can say this with some benchmarks. This is by far the best audio system south of a 15 lakh car. Period.

- Sublime ride quality: The roads around south Mumbai are in-famous for a mixture of asphalt, concrete blocks and full concrete roads (plus the regular craters ). Amidst all this, the car performed beautifully, with very little vertical movement and almost no suspension noise intruding the cabin.

- Super steering wheel: When someone talks about a "moment of truth" while experiencing a car, the steering wheel and the ergonomics of the driving position are very important. On the Tiago, the steering wheel was an absolute delight. Though the steering felt a little high-set, this is one amazing wheel.

Since the official review is so comprehensive, there are only a few other minor things that I noticed:

- The paint / coating on the door release latch appeared to be slightly fading. Since this is an area often used, I won't be surprised to see this lose shine after a few thousand kms.

- The door grab handle looks very well made - but felt a little hollow and did not feel like it will hold up the constant use.

- The snap action of the hand brake lever (both on and off) gave a feeling of well put together car. There was no slack and the lever pivoted beautifully.

- The design team had not left a single area untouched. Despite having to live with the pull type door locks, it was heartening to see even those pull-up locks being designed nicely - brilliant!

In summary: The Tiago is a brilliant effort from Tata Motors and deserves to do well. The segment alternatives like Celerio, i10 (not Grand i10) are not even close in terms of overall appeal. All praise to Tata despite the above highlighted short-comings.

PS: If you are the sort who likes under-dog comeback stories - the Tiago may well turn out to be one. I for one, am rooting for the under-dog!

[S.MJet]

Originally Posted by Aragorn

1) The engine (petrol especially) - The engine certainly let me down (personally). The vibes on the steering, gear lever and dash felt odd. They are not so visible at higher RPMs / speeds (above 30-40 kmph), but they do distract you from a pleasant driving experience at low speeds. Having been used to a petrol from a Honda City and the Kappa engine from Hyundai, may be my expectations were high - and these vibes may not matter to a first time car buyer.

Is it not a bit unfair to compare Tiago with the mighty Honda?
I think one can buy two Tiagos at the price of a Honda City (no offence). At the given price very few will mind those vibes, if I was in the market, I would not.

[Torino]

Hi All,

I had a brief 10kms 30min test drive on the Tata Tiago XZ Diesel yesterday along with my friend who booked the car two weeks back and expecting delivery by mid of May. We had a Tata Indigo TDi for 8 years until 2014 and I have to say the Tiago feels way advanced in every bit of material, feel, engineering, ergonomics and refinement.

Visibility and Maneuverability:
Good driving position, compact dimensions and large glass area provides excellent all round visibility from the driver's seat. The steering to very light at slow speeds, lighter than my Alto K10 and Ertiga. This steering and visibility combo made the three point turns and driving in narrow streets easy.

Look and feel:
The exterior design is very nice and attractive with clean lines. I love the dashboard and meter console design, very pleasing and easy to read all the buttons and the speedo console. All the buttons felt good to touch and operate. The dashboard texture and the flat storage space on top of the dash is a nice touch and held my cell phone in on place during the test drive. Everything inside the cabin felt well put together and pleasing to touch and operate. I tested the silver color car and the ac vents had black surroundings which I think looks better than body colored.

Ergonomics and Comfort:
The driver seat has excellent bolstering especially the lateral area. All controls fall easily to the driver. The steering wheel is designed nicely and the rubber texture looks nice but feels a bit rough to my liking, I think leather wrap will feel great for this steering wheel. Rear seat has good recline angle and comfort was excellent and there is nothing to complain in terms of comfort like in all Tata cars. Height adjustable driver seat and steering has good range. So many thoughtful storage spaces will be very useful. The AC felt good at 1.00pm hot Chennai summer heat with four people on board, no complaints on cabin chilling except the blower was a bit louder than usual at every fan speed level.

Engine Performance and gearbox:
The diesel engine felt smooth, refined and less audible inside the cabin at idle and at 100kph. There was no turbo lag felt during stop-go speeds and acceleration was brisk in each gear. My Indigo TDi had similar power output but is was exactly the opposite in every way. I did not go beyond 3500 rpm and the engine felt smooth and silent enough. My friend commented that the engine performance is almost like his Punto diesel. The clutch and gearbox felt very light to operate more so the gearbox. The shifts were effortless and precise but it felt too effortless to my liking. At 100kph the cabin felt fairly silent and well insulated from road noise as well.

8 speaker Harman Kardon music system:
The sound output is awesome, much better than my Ertiga ZDI's 6 speaker OEM setup. The bass and treble level is good for all types of music lovers. The music system quickly paired with my mobile phone and sound quality during music playback was awesome and phone calls were clear and audible. Steering audio and bluetooth phone controls are easy to operate. The sales guy said the Tiago's music system deletes the phone contact list and call logs from its memory when the phone is unpaired. This is a safety feature to prevent contacts to fall into wrong hands. The reverse parking assist is simple and effective.

Overall I am very impressed by this car, owning a Tata car in the past for over 8 years, I can easily observe and appreciate the level of engineering done in this car. I would recommend the Tiago to anyone looking for a entry level small car and I suggest the top XZ variant to anyone buying the Tiago. Three of my friends have booked Tiago XZ diesel in Orange, Silver and Brown colors and awaiting delivery. At present the waiting period for the car is 8 weeks in Chennai.

Likes:
Smooth and refined diesel engine
Supportive seats
Easy maneuverability and visibility
Feature list
Practical and pleasing interior design
Quality of materials

Dislikes:
Loud AC blower

All buttons on dash and steering feel good to touch and operate.


Very nice steering wheel design. Meter console is easy to read.


Silver color looks good.




Neat and attractive rear. The black insert in the bumper gives a sporty look.

[extreme_torque]

The more i see it, the more i have come to appreciate the styling of the car. This to me is the best looking car design to have come out of India since cars like Indica and Safari were actually designed outside.

Mahindra cars are not even close as they are more of a design mess with too many lines and curves without sense or purpose. Tiago deserves to sell because overalp it is a terrific product.

[avingodb]

Originally Posted by Torino

Hi All

Thanks Torino for the review. However, the images raise a couple of red flags for something the dealer has done.
First of all, unregistered test drive vehicle may be pushed down the throat of some unsuspecting customer.
Second, what's with not removing the plastic covers!

[ashwinsaval]

Hi All,

Loved the car after TD and I've booked the XM petrol variant. It doesn't come with alloy wheels so I was looking for aftermarket options. Some questions:

* Does anyone know the PCD of the Tata Tiago?
* I read somewhere(don't recollect) that the non-alloy wheel options come with 13 inch wheels. Is this true?
* Any good aftermarket wheel shops in Bangalore?

Ashwin

[Torino]

Originally Posted by avingodb

First of all, unregistered test drive vehicle may be pushed down the throat of some unsuspecting customer.
Second, what's with not removing the plastic covers!

Hi avingodb, according to the sales guy the diesel TD car arrived only that morning from transit. This could be the reason for the TC plates and covers.

[thatsdileep]

More and more I hear about this car and all the appreciation from fellow BHPians, I want to check this car out soon. But just not getting enough time during the weekends.

Have a few questions to the BHPians in Chennai:
- What is the typical TD distance the dealers are ready to let you take
- Are the dealers ok to give out long TDs of both Petrol n Diesel back to back
- Will the SA bring both petrol n diesel to home for the TD.

I wanted to ask the dealers the same questions and ask for a TD yesterday evening or today. But I guess it was too late in the evening yesterday and today being Labor Day the showrooms are closed.

Hopefully I can find some time in coming weeks to TD the Tiago.

[DicKy]

Happened to see the Tiago displayed at Lulu mall, Kochi today by chance.
Checked out the car and was mighty impressed by the interior quality.

Sure the external plastics were shaky and the centre console plastic around the handbrake lever was poorly fitted, but that's the same case with any car this side of 15 lakhs.
The texture of the plastic used is the main reason for the feel good effect and the sales guy was repeatedly telling that the plastics are from Mitsui/Mitsuko(?) Japan, hence the quality.

Signed up for a TD of the diesel, waited 10 mins and starting to get impatient, i was about to leave, when they offered me the petrol which was readily available. An young affable chap was assigned to me and we went for a TD of about 5kms. Brief impression:

Revotron engine Felt pretty average in performance, though was impressed with the refinement, given its a 3 pot engine from Tata. The power delivery was linear, though the throttle response was a lil' jerky in slow moving traffic. Revved the engine when stationary and it revved till about 5k rpm before being aggressively cut off by the limiter, though when i was driving in 2nd gear it had revved till well past 6000 rpm.

Steering This was the highlight and i walked away pretty impressed with the steering. Couldn't go past 60km/h, but below that the steering was just sooo good. Felt almost like a good hydraulic steering minus the effort.


Dunno if anyone else had noticed that, but the driver seat travel is pretty limited. At it's backward most position, it was just the correct position for me. Not sure if 6 foot plus(am 5,8") guys will find it comfortable.

In fact am so impressed, am beginning to think of saving almost 2.5 lakhs and to go for the Tiago, instead of the Figo TDCi. (Though the 100bhp 1.5 has me enthralled)

At the end of the drive and inside the mall, the organizers asked me for the feedback in front of the public and gave me a gift voucher from CCD for Rs.500

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Is it not a bit unfair to compare Tiago with the mighty Honda?
I think one can buy two Tiagos at the price of a Honda City (no offence). At the given price very few will mind those vibes, if I was in the market, I would not.

Hi there S.MJet, no offence meant at all. I only mentioned that I am used to driving a City / i10. Fully agree with you that they are in no way comparable.

If I were used to driving a 3 pot motor like a Wagon R, I would probably feel ok. I only mentioned those 2 motors because I have no other (long term) benchmark.

[X_T_A Rose]

Originally Posted by X_T_A Rose

Had a look at the Tiago and found it to be an amazing car in terms of the overall design and build quality.

Spent some time over the weekend taking a test drive. While the AC sound is on the higher side, the cooling is typically Tata and cools the cabin rapidly. Ergonomics, ride & handling are spot on. Space like I observed earlier is more 'compact' in the rear.

Showroom staff seemed busy as were their 3 test cars!! Waiting times are 4 weeks for Petrol and 5-6 weeks for Diesel.

Looks elegant in all colors. Yet to see the Brown & Red shades though.

Few random pics, including a lower variant (XM) which does not have the Harman System.

[dZired]

So finally got to test drive the Tiago Petrol this weekend. Here are my impressions after a 10km long drive.

Design
Much has already been said about its looks, and I would agree that the Tiago does adorn a very fresh character. It simply doesn't look like any other Tata car currently on offer. What I particularly liked is the fact that the nose juts out a bit from the front fascia while the headlamps have been pulled back a little. This surely adds dynamism to the Tiago's character.
Coming to the negatives, the panel gaps on my TD car can in no terms be claimed as uniform. The bonnet-shut line was more spaced to the right than it was to the left. Then there was the prominent shoulder line, that didn't seem to connect whenever there was a change in the body panel. For ex, the area where the rear door meets the rear quarter panel, the character line didn't integrate seamlessly. These are very minor details that Tata needs to focus on during the Tiago's manufacturing process.

Interiors
Woah! Everything I just ranted about the lack of uniformity in exterior body panels becomes obsolete once you enter the cabin. The Tiago is surely not a car you can simply walk into. The seats and roofline have been placed a lot lower, even as compared to the Bolt. So one needs to creep in to get into the cabin, but the wide opening doors ensure that egress and ingress is an easy affair. And once you are seated, the Tiago just doesn't look like a car of this segment. The panel quality feels rich, and everything on the dashboard is laid out in a pleasing arrangement. Stalks, control knobs, door pads, and the centre console area have been detailed nicely, and feel like they will last the distance.

Music System
I am no audiophile, something that can be verified by the fact that I am satisfied with my DZire's OEM 4-speaker system. But the much talked about Harman system on the Tiago is indeed the best in this segment, and even a segment above. Sound quality will leave every music lover satisfied. The bluetooth connectivity works without any glitches, though the rear parking sensors appeared to be a bit optimistic. I also liked the fact that the display can be turned off during night drives, thus avoiding distraction to the driver.

Engine, Brakes and Driveability
I drove the petrol 1.2-litre Tiago, and had neutral feelings about it. It can in no way be termed enthusiastic, but doesn't lack anything that an average customer would require from a city car. Clutch action is light, and gear ratios have been aptly slotted with crisp and small throws.
Ride quality is quintessentially Tata, thus the Tiago soaks in every bump with ease. I touched a speed of 100 km/h during those short bursts, and it seemed planted and well insulated.
The best part in this department is the steering. It is perfectly sized, aptly weighted, and provides enough feedback to inspire confidence for those high-speed cornering.
Brakes too are extremely balanced, and provide enough bite to stop the car in emergency conditions.

Verdict
If one is in the market for buying the Celerio or the Grandi10, the Tiago is totally worth considering. I too may take the plunge and buy the Tiago in the next couple of months.

[X_T_A Rose]

Originally Posted by ashwinsaval

* I read somewhere(don't recollect) that the non-alloy wheel options come with 13 inch wheels. Is this true?

Yes the non-alloy versions come with 13" wheels. You must have seen this on the brochure.