Team-BHP - Tata Nano Twist XT : Driven

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- - Tata Nano Twist XT : Driven (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/146600-tata-nano-twist-xt-driven-7.html)

I can understand that in a head-on collision, you are luckier to be in a Nano than most other cars without an airbag. But also remember that without an engine bay and the material inside it separating you and a vehicle from the other side, you are sitting much closer to the point of impact.

What happens in the case of rear-ending at high speeds?
Now, the engine gets pushed into the compartment. Is there something that absorbs the impact?

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Originally Posted by apachelongbow (Post 3345460)

The worst safety issue is us Indians strapping a big hulking tank filled with highly explosive CNG or LPG, in our boot, basically we are driving mobile time bombs...

The authorized kits are very safe methinks. It's the spurious ones which are a problem. So we can't generalize on this aspect.

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Originally Posted by S_U_N (Post 3345472)

But also remember that without an engine bay and the material inside it separating you and a vehicle from the other side, you are sitting much closer to the point of impact.

What happens in the case of rear-ending at high speeds?
Now, the engine gets pushed into the compartment. Is there something that absorbs the impact?

I am no automobile engineer but if the impact is severe I wouldn't want the engine block crashing into the cabin.

In case of a rear end shunt the point of impact would be higher than where the engine sits. Again I am not an authority on this so maybe someone better knowledgeable could explain it.

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Originally Posted by honeybee (Post 3345008)

Do you know which car will be recognized by even the kids who have just learnt to talk? Do you know which car will make you famous in the neighbourhood (be it your home or office) without making people jealous?

Talk desirability! Whenever I drive to work, I hear kids say "Nano!" as I pass them. These are kids standing at their doorsteps, in the arms of their mothers or passing by in an autorickshaw. They all recognize the car. Not even a BMW or a Mercedes would have that recognition.

It's an almost go-anywhere car. As long as the terrain is motorable and doesn't require a 4x4 capability, I am sure the Nano would scale it.

I agree that kids seem to love and recognise the shape of the Nano but they won't buying one anytime soon, will they?

On crash safety, we've had the unfortunate experience of having it tested on our Nano. A van crashed into the back of our car at a traffic signal when the engine had been stopped. My wife, who was driving and also the only one inside, hit her head on the steering wheel, despite wearing seat belts. She got a cut and a bump on her forehead but that was all. I think that the injuries would have been more serious had she not been wearing her seat belt.

As for the car, the damage was to the rear bumper, the engine subframe, the radiator assembly and various other small items. The chassis itself had not damage. The driver's seat recline mechanism also broke. The repair bill was 22k. The engine subframe has the dual function of both mounting the engine to the chassis as well as protecting it and the radiator assembly. Without it, I'm sure the damage would have been more extensive.

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I haven't seen all the pages for this thread, but my gut feeling says no one may have asked it yet. This one is for Aditya - Did you notice the rear fog lamps missing? Have they integrated the rear fog lamps with tail lamp assembly or is it simply omitted, just out of curiosity I am asking this question. Thank you.

A cars engine hampers crash performance as it is a rigid body. Ideally it is safer to have a engine in the back. Provided you have an adequately designed front end to manage the crash energy. Steel sheets have much better tendency to absorb crash energy while getting deform. A more rigid body like the engine doesnt behave like that.
Sad thing is, in India, regulations are pretty old. There is only a mandatory Full frontal crash regulation, while developed regions such as the Eu and the US have offset frontal, small over lap etc.

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Originally Posted by DCEite (Post 3345223)

As long as the car battery is inside the cabin, i am not buying this. Power steering or not.

BMW's too have it inside the cabin (as pointed pout in one of TBHP reviews) so does Tesla & other battery operated cars. Do you despise them.... no.

Basically India is a Maruti country, every other car is under scrutiny if it beats Maruti Car in one or other parameter, & then people start highlighting the minuses of these cars. e.g. - Eon's viby gear shift problem is solved, but even in in TBHP many would still point out the same.

Wonderful review Aditya.

I am one of the satisfied customers of the Tata Nano and I am thrilled at the modifications which TML has made to the basic car on account of feedback.
2 years on, my Nano 2012 is definitely still the cynosure of all.

Though the XT is tempting, I shall wait for TML to introduce the Auto version. Then I guess it would be a complete city car.

It is easy to find faults in any vehicle and even so if you start comparing it with others. The truth is - the Nano is a class apart; I mean, there is no other car in India in its class. So there is no comparison.

However, given our Indian trait of 'yeh dil maange more', we would love to see more and more high-end features on this small wonder.

Wonder if the auto companies look at the T-bhp threads for any new ideas - certainly there are plenty out hereclap:

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Originally Posted by Bluestallion (Post 3343446)

1. Salesperson was very eager to dispose off the current stock with the observation that the New Twist may not get any discounts. Looks like they are struggling with this car.

2. Read reviews on many forums and servicing issues and spare parts issues seem to be the maximum with this car.

3. For all we know, next version may have ABS, ACC, Airbags and Steering mounted controls too. The point is, the price of the car has been consistently increasing. What was supposed to be a 1 lakh car is already 2.8 lakhs on road in BLR. If they add more features, it will graze the prices of other low end cars and then Nano may get lost in the crowd - after all, the quality of material in the other cars is a touch higher.

4. I think TATA has lost it in terms of market segmentation as far as Nano is concerned. They simply don't know where to position it.

1. That is the case with any brand, the recently launched City had salesmen bend over to sell the old ones. Nothing new, salesmen are, after all, salesmen.

2. Care to point out these forums ? No issues with spares for any TATA car as far as my experience goes. I owned an Indica since 2002 and have a Nano 2010 model LX and an Aria Pure and an Indigo LX of 2010.

3. You have the answer in your comments, friend. This car will never have features of steering mounted controls, ACC, etc. Its not designed to cater for them, it was designed as a car for the masses, which it excels in.

4. TATA could have introduced this car in the urban / semi urban areas initially as well, that could have made a change in the percieved value and potential of this cutie, IMHO. You get nothing comparable at his price, and for the quality and reliability, the Nano does wonders (at this price point). As far as material quality goes, pl check the Amaze, Etios, and similar cheapies, you will learn to appreciate TATA's quality and values much better.

Did a brief test drive of Nano Twist a few hours ago along with my wife.
There is some difference in the clutch pedal positioning as indicated in the review on page 1.
This results in some improvement (read comfort) for the short people. However, wife was still uncomfortable with the seating position (mainly strain on the leg when the seat is in the front most position).
For now, we have dropped idea of the Nano. Perhaps automatic transmission would be able to solve that problem.

One thing we observed is that the engine at idle is dead silent. There is no way to figure out if the car is on or not. Also the noise seemed to be lesser while accelerating than the earlier Nano 2013 that we had driven. Overall, a good job by the Tata engineers.

The AC was not a chiller like the earlier version, though.

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Originally Posted by vvijay (Post 3343999)

Someone would maybe not feel good about buying a Nano but Nano already is anyday bettering Alto in terms of equipment, value for money, interior quality, and fit and finish. The only factors weighing down are its A$$ which Tata can work it out and the cheap-ness which would sure go away with time.

I too agree Tata brings in more value for money than any other make. What we need to look at is - its a car designed in India and as always things improve based on effective feedback.

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Originally Posted by aabidansari (Post 3346606)

Though the XT is tempting, I shall wait for TML to introduce the Auto version. Then I guess it would be a complete city car.

Exactly, if Tata Nano can be launched with an AT option for may be another 80K premium, I tell you it will be the best thing that can happen. An amazing city drive in all aspects. My wife wasn't comfortable with stick shift and so we went for the i10 AT. Had Nano AT been there, we would have got for it any day.

The ET has an article about Tata's plans to attract youngsters. A campaign focussing on youth, new positioning (from cheap to smart), using young achievers for ads, distribution revamp and changed pricing are the 5 key steps to achieve success. IMO the soon to be launched AT will be another important step.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/...w/29015830.cms

"Yeh dil mange more" is what I expect from Tata Engineers.
- Add front disc brakes
- Automatic (possibly a CVT)
- Diesel or no diesel hardly matters, the car is good at mileage in any case thus going to stay pocket friendly.
I
Its a perfect city car for a small family. I am game if these things are offered in due course.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aditya (Post 3343312)

The Electric Power Steering (EPS) system of the Nano Twist is developed by ZF Lenksysteme. It has a brushless motor and features an active return function.

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Mechanically, the Twist is identical to the 2012 Nano. The engine, gearbox, brakes and suspension are carried over from the older car:

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The Twist may be Rs. 13,000 more expensive than the (non-PS) LX variant, yet it is certainly worth the extra cost.

So does this mean we can buy the PS unit and retrofit it to the old Nano?

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Originally Posted by GrammarNazi (Post 3343862)

The center aligned instrument cluster is to save costs incase they export the car to LHD countries.

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Originally Posted by a4anurag (Post 3343877)

I agree with you as it does save a lot of costs when a RHD car has r be made compliant to an LHD one. This kind of Dashboard will keep costs down.

Actually Tata had a better solution to this problem. Look at the dashboard of the Tatamobile. If you remove the instrument cluster and the glove box lid you will have 2 identical holes on the dashboard, which means for LHD markets you just had to swap the glovebox lid and the instrument cluster and this is exactly what Tata did for the export versions.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordrayden (Post 3344962)

Autocar reports that Tata has confirmed that its evaluating an automatic transmission for the Nano. Me likey clap:. I've been thinking for a long time that the Nano with PS + Auto-box would be the ultimate city car. Quickly Tata, quickly!

This is what I would like to buy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pardus (Post 3344994)

I have spoken to lot of people in my circle with diverse background and age and the common response from all of them are as below;
1. Sounds like an Auto
2. It's a back engine like an auto
3. It's too fragile and small

Sadly only 2-3 of them out of 50-60 people I might have spoken to said they had seen and experienced the Nano in flesh. Rest of them made the comments based on hearsay and not independent evaluation.

For all the above comments made by people I would like to ask the following questions.
1. What if it sounds like an auto if you don't mind travelling in one ?
2. What if the car is back engine ? How does that affect the drivability or capability ?
3. Fragile ? Just because it was launched at 1 lac doesn't mean its fragile.
4. Small ? Have you seen a Nano next to Maruti Estilo or Wagon R? Do you still see it as small and fragile ?

Hope the Indian mass awake and make a reasonable judgment for their own good.

My +1 to this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by apachelongbow (Post 3345397)

A big plus which most of us here on the forum are not discussing at all, is crash protection. Nano has certified crash protection on European norms. What are the crash ratings for a Esteem, Estilo, Zen or an Alto? Zero, Zilch. Infact the Suzuki Alto has been regularly termed the most dangerous cars in Europe. That says it all

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi (Post 3345445)

Edit : IIRC Europe Nano & Alto both had airbags, but in India, Nano is safer due to the excellently engineered crumple zone in the front section & the side impact bars.

Has anyone seen a Nano in a crash? I have and it does a damn good job of protecting the occupants.

I can forgive TATA for

1. Not giving a refined 2/3 Cylinder Engine
2. Not giving a proper hatch door. [Considering the limited space behind the seats]
3. Not giving a proper user friendly dashboard
4. A clutch that's gets hard like a truck as miles gets added.
5. A horn that's so feeble even shame a bajaj scooter

BUT I CANNOT FORGIVE IF THEY FAIL TO PROVIDE SOME OPTION TO RETROFIT THE POWER STEERING TO EXISTING NANOs.