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My JTP Experience It's a Dil Se thing...


Disclaimer: The views are my own and comparisons are from the vehicle my family has used and is using.

Please note: The names of executives mentioned are with their permissions.

Hi friends just got to lay my hands on the JTSV Tiago JTP. Much is written and said about the car by media houses, YouTube channels and few users too. One of the best reviews is surely the official one by team-bhp. There are professional as well as amateur photos available in abundance to drool over but I totally agree with the owners that the car does stand out more and is beautiful in person. It holds it’s own and stands out against the regular Tata Tiago as well as other hatches. Even the non-enthusiasts tell the car is different and pretty. The colour scheme, side skirting, larger wheels, different alloys, front bumper, hood vent, bumper lip and pseudo diffuser rear with twin exhaust pipes help in the looks.

I will point out my buying and owning experiences here. As far as I am considered, Automobiles and design are my passion, I have been rally and race trained by Simo Lampinnen and Akbar Ebrahim in Rally, Saloon and Formula cars and have competed in many events. Just to mention, I drive responsibly on public roads and hardly ever cross 100 km/h in any kind of vehicle & always prefer road journeys over public transport.

Made by and made for enthusiast tag is I think more important for petrolheads to get attracted to some hot product more than brand value and the heart takes the first step towards it. I was eyeing the car just like other enthusiasts since the news and spy shots were coming in.

We had a Nano LX besides a Scorpio S10 in our stables and our much loved Nano was given to a friend and the small car space was open now. The Nano was best for small commutes and also handled highways nicely with many long journeys under it’s belt. In fact there are around 7 Nanos with our friends.

Booking

Coming back to JTP, there were news coming of updated functions on the twins so fired up an email through the official website and got a prompt reply. They didn’t confirm the news so I asked them for a test drive whenever I go to either Mumbai or Pune. The guy wanted my number and I gave him on a condition that they would not bug me with spam calls and I will be the one who will approach again after the first call. My main query to him was about servicing the vehicle and he assured me that it will be arranged at a Tata Motors service centre nearest to my place. As a pleasant surprise, the guy on call turned out to be JTSV’s service manager, Mr. Aniket Chittar.

I was not in a hurry as the second car was not a dying need for family and at a small place, we don’t use any four wheelers for our daily commutes. The buying decision involved checking no competitors as I was not interested in any other car.

So when I visited Mumbai, called Mr. Aniket and he forwarded my request to Mr. Gaurav Sharma of the marketing team and a test drive was arranged from Wasan Motors at my place. I was busy when the car reached but the executive Mr. Akshay Ingale, assigned to JTP, patiently waited and told me to take a long test drive. The drive was uneventful as there was too much traffic but managed to briefly gas it. The car didn’t feel much jerky and didn’t stall even once. The in gear acceleration was strong. The executive though made me hear the exhaust before leaving and that was like dessert to the ears. He also offered to come back for another drive if I so desired.

Again I asked about 7” infotainment and he said company is willing to fit it on car if customer so desires at a price. They weren’t offering any discounts though.

I booked the car with updated 7” kit and got my loan done in the end of June. The car came to dealership in a week but I was informed the infotainment unit will take longer to ship and will be fitted at dealer. The date given was almost 3 weeks away now. I informed the Mr. Gaurav about the same. I got a call from JTSV's marketing head and even their procurement manager who explained the problem as mine was presumably the first Tiago JTP to be fitted with the 7” kit. I thanked them and requested everyone to keep me updated at every stage.

At last the kit arrived at JTSV’s Pune office and was taken to Mumbai dealer by hands of M/s. Gaurav himself and Abhijeet (Manager Purchase & Supply Chain) who installed and completely checked it and I was given a go ahead to take delivery. Just to add a note all of the JTSV personnel encouraged me to take delivery earlier and promised to fit it at dealership nearest to my home. They were very courteous and always answered and explained the situation patiently to me. As an afterthought, maybe as the updated model was getting launched, they wanted to give away the car as fast as possible :) But kudos to the focused team, I doubt if any manufacturer in India gives such service. Even the Wasan executive Akshay is always helpful.

Getting it and first long journey

Finally I travelled to Mumbai with my family and the new problem arose. The temporary registration was not getting issued. I took faux delivery on Friday and after some pestering from me and Gaurav, got the papers next day by afternoon. After so much waiting while the car was available at showroom, the date communicated in advance, the delivery was a bit turn off for all of us.

Now it was time for the long drive of almost 650 kms from my brother's place to our native place. We started in the morning amidst heavy rains and half an hour later water started to drip from passenger footwell. The suspected culprit was AC evaporator. Slowly the whole left side was turning into a pond. I had a long way to go, couldn’t turn the AC off due to rains, and no authorised TaMo workshop seemed to be open due to Sunday. Kids shot a video and and I immediately informed the issue to service and sales guys.

After consulting with them decided to reach home first. Then another issue cropped up, the wiper’s intermittent and wash setting stopped working without any reason. But after a break it started to work again on it's own. Other than this the drive was uneventful and didn’t gave it much revs due to running in of the engine.

After reaching home JTSV arranged a checkup at nearest TaMo workshop (Jaika Motors, Amravati) who were informed by the company. The staff were enthusiastic about JTP and checked the car properly. The culprit was drain pipe from evaporator which was not properly coming out under the floor and releasing the water inside the cabin instead. After properly channelling it, they also checked the whole car as well. They could not remove the water though and it was left for me to do the vacuuming. I released a sigh of relief. Touch wood!

Now about the car, lets talk about the ergonomics first:

1. The seating position is not out right sporty, and the front passenger sits even higher in lieu of height adjustment (me, brother and dad all are around and over 6’). Reach adjustment for steering would have been welcome.

2. The dead pedal isn’t too comfortable.

3. The MID mode button should have provided on the lights' stalk as gone are the days of only odo and tripmeter, it is cumbersome to change display while driving.

4. The door ajar indicator in MID shows the particular doors which are open including boot. The tailgate open warning is shown on infotainment screen as well. Nothing tell-tale spotted yet if the hood is open.

5. The IRVM doesn’t show horizon, just like my 1st gen Swift. I can only view around 100m or so of the road behind at a downward angle. I have to crouch down for a proper look.

6. The steering wheel is not installed properly in dead ahead centre position. Will have to correct that while aligning the wheels.

7. All doors unlock if driver pulls the door handle halfway, like lane change indicators which are also present. No need to do acrobatics to pull the knobs to unlock. An independent button should work beautifully.

8. The lock knobs nudge you if you roll down the window and rest the hand on the door.

9. The rear wiper operates automatically if front wipers are turned on while reversing. Once it was happening even when driving forward, then it got cured automatically, the JTP haunted wipers syndrome.

10. As the screen is whole touch now, I use the steering buttons to control tracks, stations and source. It's better that way or you have to take the eyes off the road. A volume control knob would have been very useful.

11. I would have liked the Bluetooth mic in centre position instead of where it is now ie., above the driver.

12. The gear position indicator suggests to upshift or downshift using up and down arrows and the display shows the gear which is engaged. The suggestions seems to be for fuel efficient driving and are mode independent. I like the Vento's system more which displays a dot for right gear and suggests the particular gear by showing the number as well as arrows. In my opinion, the suggestions should be turned off in JTPs and only current gear number should be displayed a la sports bike. The suggestions are distracting and this one is an enthusiast car.

13. The Auxillary input is not available in my car.

14. The headlamp levelling only applies to low beam like Mahindra Scorpio.

15. The interior and boot space is okay for a family to travel.

16. The carpet mats are of good quality but are nightmare to clean.

17. The fuel filler and boot opener are old style.

What I miss

1. Cruise control. I use it on my manual Scorpio all the time.

2. Rain sensing wipers. Should be a standard feature on all cars.

3. JTSV should have provided a switchable Traction Control as it is a sports car and additional safety net could be a life saver. Should offer upgrade to modified ECU with TCS.

4. Four cylinders would have been great with at least 1000 more revs going upto 7000, that would be a true proper sports car territory. Maybe now I am asking too much!

5. The parking light icon display should be there in console as the instrumentation lights are always on. There is no way to tell if the pilot lamps are on besides checking the stalk.

6. A yellow fog light icon should also be there in console like other cars, the green LED on button itself is not much visible as it is out of drivers' field of view low below.

7. One touch up and down on at least driver window. Note: driver side window has one touch down feature.

8. A button to control the rear fog lamp!

9. Struts for bonnet. Again spoiled by Scorpio!

10. The engine should be factory run-in as this is a niche product for enthusiast and the company is quite focused. Then the owners can enjoy the drive properly from day 1 without worrying. At least allow the customers to change oil after run-in of 1500-2000 kms during first service (periodic schedule for first oil change is in third service at 15000 kms.)

11. Lastly TPMS, again all cars should have it.

What I don’t like

1. Ugly spot weld marks inside boot lid.

2. Exposed carpet staples on both rear door frame sills, why?

3. The fitting of the carpet is loose with ends popping out at some places. Feels like Nano; other companies do it way better and tighter.

4. No hood insulation, the hood gets too hot when even after a small drive after the car stops & with it the air circulation. Don’t know how the paint will hold after some time.

5. Very cheap looking 12v socket cover in otherwise good dash board.

6. Notchy gear shifts

7. Headlights on highways feel inadequate; though bright, the high beam focus seems downward

8. Stopping power though adequate lacks the punch at higher speeds and you yearn for more.

What I like

1. The team. They are hard working and focused, try to solve everything quickly and smoothly.

2. The compactness

3. The exhaust and other sounds :D

4. The music system, though not exactly audiophile grade, is good

5. Superb mile munching capacity

6. Interior quality and all black trim including the black roof liner, better than my expectations

7. The CarPlay function

8. No tacky stickers and chrome anywhere

9. Of course the drive, period.

The JTP experience


The car is a road legal pocket rocket. The suspension is fantastic in twisties and compliant on bad roads. The car always feels stable and the limit to push it in corners is higher. Planning to take the car to ghats to enjoy soon. In city mode, the car feels strained and on reins but it does what it says ie., city driving. Throttle input is also less jerkier than sports mode while slow driving in stop and go situations.

The sports mode immediately liberates power and the car feels responsive and lighter. The gear ratio jump from low 1st to 2nd is significant and then 2nd, 3rd & 4th are progressive and the fifth is slightly taller which is good to cruise. In fact in 1st and 2nd gears, the rev limiter kicks in even before you know what is happening. In 3rd too it cuts off just when the fun starts. At least the limiter cuts off very smoothly. I would have surely liked few more revs. But no complaints in 4th and 5th gear, the ratios are taller and the car pulls strongly and is capable of doing insane speeds for a small hatch very easily. The car gobbles up the road at 100 km/h with just a light tap on A pedal in 5th gear. The capability to munch long distances on highways is fantastic and non-stressful for the car, the driver and the passengers too. The car actually pulls nicely in any gear if you regulate accelerator properly without needing to shift down if one is driving sedately. As it is in run-in period, will update my high speed and service experience at a later stage. If you are at signal and are at front, the traffic behind you becomes a speck in RVMs very fast after the lights turn green.

Though this comparision is not fair (the cars are generations apart), as an ex-owner of 1st gen G13 engined Swift, The JTP is surely more powerful but feels slightly laggy (the character of small turbocharged unit) at low end, but compensates fast. The boost one gets when turbo kicks in is powerful & addictive. It easily pulls more Gs in corner too and feels more planted. Swift was a hoot and enjoyable to drive and the JTP is the more fun package with more power. Swift was ahead and advanced at it’s time and a true sport version would have been fabulous. To the Swift's credit, it was surely refined and mature overall. But I like the JTP's raw character like KTMs and point and shoot handling.


I am getting asked kitna deti hai? quite often and they think I am crazy to buy small petrol car which won’t return much more than 12 kmpl. Many fail to understand why I bought a car from dealer which is almost 700 kms away. Of course it’s a dil se thing... and I answer it’s a poor man's Ferrari.

Anyone who loves driving, even after a short ride, instantly develops a strong liking for the car.

To wrap it up it's a very special car created by enthusiasts which has not happened in India by a local manufacturer. The team is great and dedicated. Every drive is special and you know the power is there whenever you feel like it. In my opinion, Tata and Jayem have succeeded in making a sports car which is also a practical, value for money daily driver and excels in driving satisfaction.

The RTO passing

The first time I went to RTO office which is like 65 kms from my place, I was immediately turned back as the hypothecation branch of bank was wrongly mentioned. I made contact with dealer and couriered the documents and temporary registration back immediately.

The dealership then got the new corrected documents issued except insurance and send it back. I immediately went to RTO office again and got the vehicle passed. The JTSV issue didn’t come up this time as the temporary registration was online and had trouble with it in Mumbai as mentioned earlier, but needed to correct my address slightly as it was showing adjoining district too after the right address.

But my woes were far from over as RTO fined the vehicle for mismatch on dates on documents and then some penalty on 2 months’ tax which came to ₹7700/-. Documentation it seems is Achilles heels for some TaMo dealers as my Nano LX finance (from Tata only) has different VIN number mentioned with them and even years after the loan is cleared and multiple visits to the dealer (in Nagpur) & Tata Finance office it is yet to be cleared. In my opinion, all dealers should be extra careful with out of station cars.

Update: Received the RTO number confirmation message after a month, now dealer has to upload car photos then only the RC will be issued.

First service update

First service was done at Jaika Motors Amravati, again a 120 kms round trip, and they took their sweet time for a service which takes no more than 30 minutes besides washing. No complaints though, they did their job.

Even though the first oil change is recommended at 15,000 kms, I wanted to change the engine oil but the service staff were reluctant as it is a JTSV and they didn’t want to take any risks (?) so I let it go this time round.

This is such a refreshingly honest review for an amazing car! Look forward to your updates. What I find strange with this car is every review I'm reading gives a different opinion on it's drivability/jerkiness. Some swear by the city mode and others by the sport mode for getting a smooth drive. It's like each individual has a car which is unique to them that they have to master.
The niggles you experienced are shocking for any new car, let alone a halo product! Wish the manufacturing department had the same passion as their technical department. The JTPs have potential for greatness especially in the hands of someone with your pedigree, speaking of which, what took you so long to reveal yourself to the unwashed masses! Please please share more about your rallying and road experiences (the fact that a nani is a good highway tourer is a revelation to me!). Wish you many happy and niggle free miles :thumbs up

Congratulations! :) And those are some really drool-worthy pics! Love to see how many JTPs are munching miles on the highway. There is a certain sweet combination of power, suspension and ergonomics which makes the car effortless on highways. Looking forward to read more about your experience and more of those lovely pics!

Congtarulations Himanshu. The JTP looks fantastic. The colour is smashing. I have been wanting to get a test drive of the JTP but have been too lazy. After reading your thread, I think I will go and take a test drive today itself.

Cheers.

Thanks @Iyencar for reading and the opinion. The small niggles are there, but they are surely not deal breaker. Though everybody will like a stress free product for sure. If bigger problems arise, they are for the JTSV team to resolve. If one loves to drive, this car is true fun. By the way, went through your profile, you cover many subjects nicely, way to go, please keep posting :)

I presume you are refering to Nano, it is nice overall package but it lacks top end on highways. I have done many 1000 kms trip in it.

Regards
Himanshu

Thanks again Sameer
Appreciate it. You are right about the combination, which makes the car effortless. Everybody loves the car and the drive. Will surely try to update my experiences.

Regards
Himanshu

Thanks pal! Glad you liked it :) The car is super fun. Please have a long test drive if possible on highways and mixed surfaces too. Whoever loves to drive, likes it and don’t forget to hear the exhaust.

Cheers!
Himanshu