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-   -   JTSV Tiago JTP roars into the garage! Edit: 6,000 kms up (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/205827-jtsv-tiago-jtp-roars-into-garage-edit-6-000-kms-up-6.html)

I think you quoted the wrong person. I was just correcting that it is a petrol.

Thanks to Sai Sharan for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Past weekend marked 4 months and 6,000 kms of what has been an enthralling ownership experience of Tiago JTP. During this period, the car has proven itself in short drives, long drives and very long drives. It has seen bumper to bumper traffic, little traffic and no-car-for-a-mile traffic. The car has been driven on access controlled expressway, butter smooth B-roads and no roads. I have had an opportunity of being behind the steering wheel while cursing the traffic, cruising nonchalantly and trying to upshift perfectly in each gear. And what an experience has it been.

To start with, the initial ownership experience simply pales in terms of the layers that have been unravelled over past four months. For a budget hatchback on mild steroids, it is amazing how it can have such a distinct character and quirks. The car has bestowed many a surprises during these drives, not all of them pleasant ones though.

I’ll probably want to start with the pleasant surprises first. The performance that this car packs is amazing for its size. As a result, overtakes never need too much planning and rarely require downshifts. Strong mid-range performance helps immensely in navigating through traffic on highways. What I find amazing is that 100 kph comes up at about 2800 rpm in fifth gear which is exactly the point where turbo starts spooling up, making overtakes from that point truly a breeze. Finally thus, a small car can keep pace with its better endowed brethren.

As for some of the quirks which I have become aware of, JTSV have probably spent the maximum amount of time working with the engine. Couple that with the fact that this is very first car coming out of JTP stable clearly shows in the way performance is tuned and fuelling is managed. While snatchy fuelling is something everyone is aware of, the issues go deeper. City mode, for instance is plainly useless. Floor the throttle in any gear and there are several flat spots on the way to redline. Throttle response itself is disconnected and it feels as though ECU works really hard doing all the computations and is thus slow to respond. Sport mode in comparison has power on tap and instantaneous response but suffers from the way power is delivered. When going pedal to metal, power delivery in JTP is analogous to someone hammering a nail while something like GT TSI would be akin to piercing a screw using precision powered drill. Both method get the job done of securing metal in place but that is where similarities end. However, I’ll have to admit that this power delivery creates a sense of drama and exhilaration, something which is a forte of JTP.

Continuing with engine tuning and power delivery, JTSV have tinkered way too much on this front. I guess engine is where they got the freehand and thus went bonkers trying to do too much like overzealous kids. For some reason, torque is significantly limited in second gear (to control wheel spin?) which is not the case with rest of the gears, even the first (why so much torque here then?). And this is in the sport mode where one doesn’t expect such restrictions.

Another quirk is the utterly optimistic and misguiding MID when it comes to fuel efficiency. While a 5-10% error is understandable, overstating fuel efficiency as much as 20% over a full tank distance makes no sense. This makes me want to continue with fuel efficiency, or lack thereof. When the initial media drives claimed figures of 9-11 kpl, I was surprised and not in a pleasant manner. If driven exclusively in dense city traffic, expect single-digit figures. Drive spiritedly on highways and expect single-digit figures. Try going feather light on the throttle and stay around 80-90 kph and efficiency improves to about 15kpl. But this is where it goes completely bonkers. City mode not only robs JTP off its performance but also the efficiency. The best fuel efficiency I have achieved over a full tank range has come while staying exclusively in sport mode. As for the numbers, I have seen best efficiency of 16.7 kpl while worst of 12.5 kpl all measured tank to tank. Honestly though, most of my drives are on highway with some city traffic thrown in.

On handling front, while the car is very nicely planted due to stiffer suspension, there is quite a bit of tendency to understeer when pushed. However, it is amazing feeling to see the front end tuck into corners and steering staying communicative. If only understeer did not cut short the joy.

I think it will be unfair if I don’t speak about the gearbox, especially the shifting quality. While the gearbox is old TA65, JTSV has done commendable work to improve shift quality. The shifts felt nice initially, but I have a feeling that this will not last too long. After 4 months now, shifting from say third to fourth gear gives that rubbery feedback sometimes. Also, may be it is because I have become familiar but it feels that effort needed to shift has reduced. I sincerely hope the shift quality does not degrade with time. That is one thing which dampens spirit when trying to go fast.

Apart from this, there are a few rattles and squeaks here and there manifesting themselves randomly; not a pleasant sound in a brand new car. What’s worrisome is that many owners are reporting these. I hope that these do not flare up with time. Another peculiar observation is that while driving in rain, water hitting roof is significantly noisier than, say Tiago. I have driven both in rain and with JTP, it felt as though I was driving a car with tin roof and absolutely no insulation to damp the noise.

To sum up, when I got the car, I had wanted a compact car which would be able to hold its own on highways while not being a pain to navigate through ever-increasingly crowding city streets. Also, I did not want to break a bank. From that perspective, JTP meets my requirements redeeming itself by plastering a grin on my face on every single drive.

Signing off with a pic from drive to Lonavala sometime back. Every time, I step out after a drive, I spend a few moments admiring what a rage this car is, making every moment behind the wheel worth it.

This is something I've noticed a bunch of times too, and most of them were europeans as well.. lol:

This is a very valuable post for many prospective customers, so many thanks to you for putting up an honest feedback after 6000 kms of owning the car. Most annoying is the part about the rattles that have cropped up as early as 6000kms.

Let us hope JTSV team is reading the review and come up with an updated map to get rid of the snatchy fuelling and the flat spots.

My requirements match yours to the T - Compact petrol powered car which can hold its own on the highways and be an easy drive in the city without having to rob a bank. Looks like i have to wait it out for the JTP v2 for the JTSV team to iron out these initial niggles.

Glad to see regular update here :) Most of the problem that you have mentioned are common for the regular Tiago/Tigor twins as well! JTSV Probably were restricted by the fact that they had to work on a car that is already on sale.

Similar observations on my Tigor :

• Dashboard rattles from day one.
• Weird power delivery in City mode and poor efficiency too, when the car is loaded in City mode.
• Actual FE in Bumper to bumper traffic is mostly close to 10Kmpl, MID throws inconsistent numbers.

Positives that you can expect:

• Mileage will keep improving, this 1.2 block seems to take its own sweet time to settle, feels less strained after first service and mileage is improving.
• Engine block seems to be solid enough, decent number of owners have clocked to 50K in close to 2 years with no issues.
• Reasonable service cost, if we make sure SA doesn't add unwanted stuff.

Definitely not pleasant but luckily these aren't irritating ones or persistent. However, other owners are reporting worse rattles so I guess these need to fixed better.

I am not sure how and when JTSV will be able to fix this. In comparison, 1st gen KTM Duke 390 had similar snatchy fuelling which made it feel like wanting to wheelie even in third gear. Then, 1st RC390 came which had much smoother fuelling. Now 2nd gen RC390 has such smooth fuelling, it feels as though 1st gen Duke and current KTMs have different motors. JTSV is learning and I feel this is part of the process.

Thanks! I did observe this with Zest as well which became significantly better in terms of refinement and efficiency after first annual service. Same with my in-law's Tiago. Hoping for same with me.

Sameer,

Good unbiased update clearly pointing out the pros and cons without letting emotions cloud the objectivity! Regarding FE, my Xcent petrol also gives around 10 kmpl in city driving, so a performance hatch giving single digit should not be considered worrisome :)

Love the car and loved your experience as well. Looking forward to more updates and travel adventures from you. To plenty more years of driving with your jtp. Cheers :Cheering:

Stuck in deciding between a Tiago JTP and Ford Freestyle.. Your thread is very informative. Thanks for taking the pains to share the detailed experience. Some key takeaways from your thread:

1. Peppy and powerful Rev happy engine.
2. 16.5kmpl.. Wow!!.

3. Rattles at 6k... Hmm, that's quite let down.
4. No service network in JnK and UK. One service station in Kangra in Himachal. :(

BTW, how does the AC performs in the current heat conditions?

Freestyle is the only car I had test driven briefly before putting the payment down for JTP. I was seriously eyeing Figo S diesel but couldn't agree on the asking price.

I won't call the engine rev-happy in true sense since this is no match for Maruti Suzuki engines. It is reasonably good though and peppiness is aplenty when keeping the engine on boil and riding that strong mid-range.

Tiago JTP is as good or bad built as regular Tiago. While I am not happy with minor rattles, I won't call them let down, but that's just me personally, since
I notice only on long solo drives. On the other hand, there are other JTP owners who are reporting worse issues on this front so the caveat is always there.

There is nothing special in JTP which a Tata dealership won't be able to manage. Service manual is an identical copy of Tiago and engine part of Nexon. I think JTSV would be willing to find a solution in places where they don't have footprint yet.

AC performance has been forte of Tata cars and JTP is no different. All black interiors do take a toll though but AC vents give out cool air within 30 seconds even if car is left out baking in sun.

Hi. If you feel that the engine noise is a little too much for you then I suggest you get an insulation sheet installed in the bonnet which is also found in non-JTP Tiago cars at an authorized service center. Please visit the following link to see how it looks like:

https://www.team-bhp.com/carpics/tat...ta-zica-07.jpg

In February 2016, the Zica was renamed to Tiago.

I have fixed this bonnet insulation in my in-law's Tiago and I agree that it makes world of a difference in reducing the harsh engine noise. However, I have resisted from doing same for JTP for a couple of reasons. One, JTP gets vent on bonnet so insulation will need to be cut which will reduce its effectiveness. Two, I am a bit apprehensive about all the heat generated in engine bay and last thing I want is something going wrong there. That being said, there is one JTP owner who has gotten this insulation fixed and he hasn't faced any troubles yet. As for me, I have now submitted to living with the car's traits.

I know a JTP owner who has cut the insulation sheet where the vent is present and installed it.. No problems what so ever. The NVH is better as well. He has driven around 5K after installing the insulation

I don't think it will lead to over heating if the insulation is cut out where the vent on the bonnet is located. It will lead to a slight reduction in noise insulation but would still make a world of a difference. Of course the decision lies with you.