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-   -   Tata Tiago JTP : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/204968-tata-tiago-jtp-official-review-13.html)

Absolutely! Tata have answered the prayers of many and have made it possible to have fun on a budget and not lose out on any practical stuff. My earlier plan was to get a second hand hatch back like Eon or i10 and invest in a bike. Still confused :Frustrati




1 and 2 are not that much of an issue. But, 3 is what I'm worried about as of now, specifically the service. I am trying to comb through all the threads related to Tata service centers in Bangalore at the moment.



I also don't want to spend a bomb on my first car. I wanted to go for the Tigor JTP, but don't have the budget for it.

I won't recommend the JTP twins for the first time car buyer who is also new to driving 4 wheeler.
This is not a car you would want to learn driving on! Few reasons from my i side:

• It is not Cheap
• Power Delivery is not Linear
• Very Jerky behavior at low speeds - I dont think new drivers can handle this as it is very easy to stall!
• Service Centers is less; Service Quality is still Unknown (Esp in case of mishap)
• High Running Costs (Need a mindset shift when you are coming from 2-Wheelers offering 3-4 times more Kms per Litre

Very valid points! Thank you. I'll keep this in mind before deciding.

Been wanting to test drive the Tiago JTP ever since it was launched. Found some time yesterday to visit a showroom on the ring road so I could feel the power and possibly take it on the Airport road for a longer drive.

I had contacted this particular showroom since they had displayed the JTP outside my office few weeks back and I had told them I will visit them on a Sunday when traffic was low. I called before going to make sure the car was available and was there in half hour for a 17-18 kms drive. The showroom staff was relaxing being a Sunday afternoon and no customers, but was quick in finishing off the formalities for the test driver. The car which had run around 5k kms was parked in the hot sun for a while as I realized later. The staff who was accompanying me said he will take the car out of the compound for some reason which was not much of a hassle anyway. The insides of the car was burning hot and with the blower at full blow, it was blowing hot air for a while along with the loud blower noise which was annoying more so because I wanted to listen to the engine and exhaust notes.

The car started in one crank, but stalled every time with a violent jerk once the clutch was released in first gear. This happened 4 times until he gave some extra gas and it got moving. I took over soon after that and saw the temp gauge was 2 bars and was wondering what caused the engine to stall or was it just the outside heat. It took me sometime to get the seat adjusted to my height and kept lowering the seat height as well and the steering seemed still low and it felt like I was too tall for the car and could not get a good position. I remember the official review that mentioned the seat height is a bit high for a sporty car.

The power delivery is linear, but I felt the AC compressor kicking in and off when accelerating hard in one of the higher gears and it felt like it was robbing some power there. The car could mask the speeds much better than my Aspire S although it was smaller. I felt the power delivery was quicker than the Baleno RS when I drove it ,but the roll on in taller gears felt it took a while , which is probably because I am used to the power delivery on my remapped Aspire.

I was a bit disappointed with the exhaust note probably because I was expecting something close to an aftermarket kind of note from the exhaust. This was more of a flat note. The BOV hiss wasn't heard initially, because of the loud blower noise, but later on I could hear it although it was not that pronounced, but was still a treat. Like many have already said, if TATA had worked on NVH levels, it would have been much better. There was an annoying squeak from the dashboard, the kind I haven't heard in a car for a long time.

For some reason I could not shift smoothly from 5th to 4th when I wanted to shift down a cog and floor it. It felt like I was shifting from 5th to second when it was actually 4th. The engine braking was something too strong I felt which I guess is only in Sports mode. This made gear shifts annoying since it took a while to get that sync right between releasing the clutch and accelerating to avoid head banging.

The car would be something else to drive on a track. In city , it needs some getting used to, in which a diesel Figo S is more forgiving.

How was the all round visibility in the car? Did you get to take it on some slight curves in the road to gauge the body roll and handling ability? If so, feedback in comparison to the Aspire S would be great! Thanks!

Also speed masking being better in the smaller car is something to commend Tata for. The Aspire S with stiffer suspension set up already does a better job of masking the speeds compared to the normal Aspire/Figo. JTP doing it better is actually nice to know.

I didn't have any issue with visibility. In fact on the Figo, the A pillar is a block at times, nothing as such on this.

I got to drive only on Airport Road which is quite straight and there was moderate traffic too, so I really couldn't say much about the handling, but at a certain speed I hit when I got the chance, it was super stable which makes me believe it is superior to the Figo S when it comes to high speed manners.

Test drove the Tigor JTP at the Lalbagh Road showroom.

Drivability wise, city mode is pretty dull and gets cumbersome in traffic. Sport mode, on the other hand, is pretty eager but needs careful accelerator and clutch modulation to keep things smooth, or you'll be constantly feeling like a headbanger at a rock concert.

This car is RAW and feels most natural when it growls in its power band, so prospective customers should keep that in mind. If one's looking for a refined runabout, this ain't it.

I've requested a longer TD on the highway, no response so far despite two visits to the showroom and showing plenty of interest in the car. Disappointing.

I own a Tigor JTP ( Probably the first one in Bangalore ) and beg to differ here. I dont see it as a dull vehicle in the city at all. Infact, it pulls easily from 20kms/hr even in 3rd gear in city. Not sure what your bench mark is. Can you please clarify ?

Such comments could potentially deter other prospective buyers from this great car. As of now, the only thing I observe is that it is a little low on mileage, which being the vehicle that it is and being petrol is fairly acceptable

I think he meant driving in city mode in a congested city like Bangalore.

The Cars suffers from mild Turbo Lag, but it is compounded in City mode due to the Restrictive Torque this mode gets! This gives a feeling of being sedate in lower RPMs.

The Moment you put the Sports mode, the Torque restriction is lifted and you feel reasonably peppy in lower RPMs as well.

Not sure I follow your logic here, and I'm a potential JTP buyer myself.

One, I clearly called out that my observations stem from a relatively short test drive in traffic and I need a longer TD to evaluate better.

Two, everyone's opinions, needs and requirements differ, so nobody should be buying cars based off of anyone else's opinion, however competent they may be. I respect GTO and our reviewers a lot, both for their due diligence and the quality of content they put out. I still won't buy a car just because they like/recommend it. I need to live with it, not them, so I'll evaluate it to my satisfaction before money changes hands.

JTPs are lovely cars, and you're courageous to buy a niche product that appeals to the heart, but you need to chill and stop reading too much into a TD opinion.

I actually mentioned that.

Even though I found the response dull in City mode (for a performance-oriented car, benchmark clarification!), Sport mode isn't practical in traffic as the car is a bit too eager to move and a handful (ergo stressful) to manage. The last thing I want is to bump the guy in front, expensive components and plumbing are literally centimetres from the front end of the car!

City mode performance isn't a negative on the car, bumper-to-bumper traffic just isn't its natural habitat. FIAT 1.4 T-Jet equipped cars have the same issue, probably worse, in traffic. Can't use more smileys but it went from a wide grin smiley on highways to the head-banging one in Bangalore traffic.

If it was such a short TD, and you weren't able to really gauge the feel of the car, then why make this half baked observation? It is only going to cloud peoples judgement and confuse them.
Again, If a TD opinion is not to be read into, and isnt of that much relevance, then why the need to post it in the first place?
Isn't this the exact reason why cars come with brakes and a clutch?
Neither is the clutch grabby in a way that it's uncontrollable, nor did I ever find inadequacy in the brakes to get the feeling that I may be about to bang the car in front of me.
I have taken 3 extensive test drives of the JTP cars and found no such problem, maybe the fueling is a wee bit snappy while moving in 3rd or 2nd gear, and you let off the gas pedal. But in start stop traffic, be it in city or sport mode, at least I personally did not find anything amiss. In fact i found the clutch to be super light and really easy in traffic.
I would suggest that you please ask the SA to bring the car over to your home/office and take the TD for a good amount of time, maybe you can gauge the feel of it properly, then.

Again, in city mode in traffic the car performs like any normal car would, and the moment you see that free stretch and switch to sport, the car isn't good, rather its nothing less than an absolute joy.

-x-x-

I too happen to be a potential buyer and have put my money where my mouth is by booking a Red Tiago JTP yesterday! :D
I shall post my booking experience soon in the upcoming posts.

In short the response and service I have received from the dealer(KLN motors) for whom I will be the first JTP customer, and directly from the JTP team itself has been just great and extremely reassuring regarding the after sales customer service I can expect in the time I will own the vehicle. Really never expected this from TATA. :)

Anyway, I will not touch upon too much of the driving/dynamics as it has been extensively covered by our fellow members, and my observations and opinions align with many of them.

However the one and only grouse I had was, me being 6feet 3inches tall. I felt that the seat height adjustment could go lower down, maybe something I will look to modify once I own the car, because when I put the seat at it's lowest and the steering at the most comfortable level, a good portion of the instrument cluster is hidden by the top of the steering wheel. If only the seat went lower by another inch, I would not face this problem. But being that I still managed to get a comfortable driving position, It was not a deal breaker in my books.

Alright, folks. I shall continue updating my experience here on this thread as and when I can.
Also a big congrats to all those BHPians who have already gotten their JTPs, eager to join the club.
Let's maybe start a Whatsapp group, including the JTP executives who have been assigned to us, and we can all compare notes with each other directly.

A member did a TD, penned his observation here – what he felt as good and bad. What is the issue here? A Mercedes AMG may have an Eco mode, and someone who TD that car may comment that the Eco mode kills the character of the car. For me that doesn’t appear as bad-mouthing the car and some potential buyer will deter because of that reason.

By the logic mentioned above, you shouldn’t have written this. This could dissuade buyers above 6 feet from considering Tiago JTP :)


See below – a well-balanced and objective comment from a Tiago JTP owner, who had recently put up a brilliant ownership review:

Well my observations stemmed from extensively driving and getting a feel of the car. If you noticed I have shared my observation after driving it 3 times and in different road and traffic conditions, and after longish TDs. Not after just a small TD, in only heavy traffic conditions. Also a few of us BHPians went as a group and these observations were made after we compared notes.

Also my point about my height, it very much is an issue which every 6 footer will face, so I don't know what logic you applied but in not just my opinion it is a very valid observation. It's not something I inferred or heard about nor is it an issue only which is isolated to my case alone.

Also thank you for pointing out a well-balanced comment. I am more than capable to understand that for myself.

:)

Hi everyone! I booked the Tiago JTP about 10 days ago.

It's finally arriving in a few days, April 10th, Wednesday is what I've been told.

This will be my second car. I just sold my first one today, the Renault Kwid, after 3+ years and 41K+ kms. 'Bittersweet' doesn't even come close. So many memories.

Long story short, I can't wait for the JTP to arrive. I was initially looking to spend some money to spruce up the Kwid, but the damn thing is so underpowered, it would've been ineffective. So the JTP ticks all the boxes and more! However, I'm still a little wary about the fact that it's a TATA product. I've heard their service isn't the best.

Anyone here from Delhi, who has experience with TATA vehicles who could help me navigate around the few dealers and service network that are here in Delhi NCR?