[.anshuman]

Yes, i am writing a Nano ownership report. No, i did not exchange it for my Punto this time. We got it for my elder Sister.

My Sister was in need of a new compact car to replace her 10 year old Daewoo Matiz SP that had logged some serious miles. The Matiz was not properly maintained so the it kept throwing a new tantrum every week. She required this car to local market visits, dropping kids to school, going to the mall etc. The car was required to be used within 5km radius. Also since she learnt driving recently meaning her driving skills are basic. Show-off factor did not matter. So we gifted her a Tata Nano CX.






CX is the mid variant in Nano, it comes with HVAC and all other essentials but does miss out on some cosmetic features like Body colored bumpers, fabric trim, half wheel covers etc. We paid for the body colored bumpers and wheel covers. Since this car was bought outside NCR region were able to buy and register last of the Euro 2 stock vehicle hence saving a decent amount of money. The final price worked out to ~Rs.1,6x,000. (This car was bought in November '10)




The Car-
Tata Nano is a car so much different compared to everything else we see on our roads, this is also the world's cheapest car.

Nano comes with a 2-cylinder 624cc rear mounted engine which placed below the boot which makes 33bhp@5500rpm and 48nm@2500rpm. The Engine despite the low power output pulls decently, it feels best in the midrange. I was able to climb back from the basement in second gear. The gear ratios are well chosen for city usage, Nano never feels underpowered in traffic, if feels quite peppy in 2nd and 3rd gears. The top end performance is spoiled by the conservatively set low rpm rev limiter, which also limits the top speed. Overall i find the engine performance more than adequate for city usage but out on open roads the small engine starts to feel uneasy at higher speeds thanks for lower gearing and small engine. The gearshift action is very good, the ger change with click i have never seen before on any Tata car(I haven't driven Aria yet).




I feel the Nano requires better sound insulation better quality engine mounts to filter out the NVH which is slightly higher than the Maruti 800. It feels OK for a car of this price but people often compare it to cars with much higher price tags. I feel NVH at idle could have been filtered out better.

The ride feels good within city limits at good roads. But the car easily starts to gets unsettled at higher speeds, ride at rear is choppy. I expected the Nano to have much worse ride considering the Puny tires and the cost effective manufacturing. The handling again is decent considering it's a rear wheel drive car with close to 60% of the car's weight resting on the rear wheels and the car's height. The Handling is set up on the safer side for beginners but that does not mean it's not fun to drive, a lot of fun can be derived by driving this car aggressively. The rear tires start screaming very early at lower speeds and rear can be stuck out like all RWD cars, the fun factor is only let down by low power and revv limiter which suddenly hits(No tachometer here). I know this car is not intended to be driven this way, According to my Sis this car suits her needs better than the previous Matiz.



The Non Power assisted steering feels heavy at standstill but it gets fine as soon as the car gets it's wheels moving. I found it manageable but ladies may find it heavy. The turning radius is just amazing, this car can squeeze into smallest of gaps and the parking spots which seem impossible in other cars are accessible for Nano.

Interior space is the best part about the Nano. The Nano had loads of space on the inside. The legroom is infact so good that even a six-footer can sit comfortably behind me(I'm 6'2"). The plastic quality is acceptably for a car of this price, i like the shape of the dashboard. I miss the glovebox badly though.
The seats are set up quite high, the dashboard and the steering feel low. Front seats are comfortable and can be adjusted to achieve a comfortable driving position. Rear seats have loads of space but are bench like and very stiff plus the engine screaming at rear and stiff ride make it uncomfortable for longer travel. Overall the ergonomics are very good, the low placed steering(Unlike the original Indica which had a higher set up steering), the pedals position and gear lever position make it very comfortable to drive.

I'll wait for the Summer before commenting on the AC's peak performance. I like the fact that the Nano comes with a proper HVAC system with thermostat(My Indica DLS did not have it), meaning the temperature can be regulated according to requirement.

I feel uncomfortable driving without LHS OVRM, The Nano does not come come with a LHS OVRM in any variant. The RHS OVRM is convex and covers blind spots quite well. Out on highway drives you may beg for a bigger fuel tank, the Nano has just 15 Litre fuel tank, for city usage it's Ok for the kind of usage my Sis has.

Nano could have been better with more power, Power steering, bigger fuel tank, 5-speed gearbox, a more absorbent suspension system, bigger tires etc but lets's not forget it cost us just 1.6lakhs. This car may be too small for many Indians with over inflated Egos and some may say it sounds like a Autorickshaw(How can a Twin sound like a V8?) but if we ignore such nonsense this is a incredible clever and excellent Value for Money car Tata has given us for a price no other car company could imagine.






Positives-

• Small price tag.
• Big on Inside.
• Full fledged HVAC.
• Power adequate for City usage, peppy midrange.
• Gearshift action feels very good, Ratios well sorted for city usage.
• Steering feels direct.
• Low cost of maintenance with updated warranty policies.

Negatives

• Steering feels heavy.
• Feels running out of breath on open roads(due to lower gearing).
• The Revv limiter cuts in as soon as you start having fun.
• Ride gets unsettled on bad roads.
• High NVH.
• No glovebox.
• LHS OVRM not available.

Will Keep updating as this cute little wonder logs on more miles. Some more pics

[.anshuman]

Since the Nano cx comes with Non-Body colored colored bumpers we asked for body colored bumpers, the Sales Person promised us to deliver the car within an hour.

When we came back after 4 hours the car wasn't ready, it took them 1 more hour to get the car ready in this state. Observe the picture below and see what's wrong?



Note the grille it's closed, But why? The Nano's radiator is located at rear but the AC uses the air from front grille. The dealership had a Base non AC Nano with painted bumpers, so they exchanged the bumpers but they did not know that the bumpers were different. They were delivering us AC equipped Nano with a blocked grille. I noticed this and asked the sales team, not single person in the whole sales team knew the difference until i explained it to them. Then they another couple of hours to deliver the car. To sum it all they took the whole day to do what could have been done in less than an hour.

I have never ever come across a Tata Dealership that is at par compared an average Maruti or Hyundai dealership. The Service centers are even worse.

This is how the grille should ideally be.

[binaiks]

Oh wow! This is one car that has fantasized me to no end! I keep looking at a Nano when ever it comes around - and the first time I saw it close (hands on), I was truly shocked! The car has oodles of space inside - which'll put many bigger hatchbacks to shame!

Is the Left side ORVM available atleast as an accessory?

How noisy is it actually inside the car - i mean with the windows shut and the AC running (at say blower speed 2)? I hope it doesn't get as noisy as a diesel autorickshaw (pun intended).

Congrats on the acquisition...

[Technocrat]

Congrats & that's a nice little small car you got your sister.

Great review of the Nano, its requirements like these where the Nano fits perfectly.

Its good to know it has full HVAC, somehow I thought that being middle model it wouldn't have heater(as the first gen Indica's didnt have them either)

Btw how bad is the impact on performance with A/c, I am assuming it would be somewhat like Alto or even worse.

Keeping in mind that you folks do get Fog, any plans to put in Fog lamps? How much would they cost if fitted additionally?

[sabret00the]

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[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Since the Nano cx comes with Non-Body colored colored bumpers we asked for body colored bumpers, the Sales Person promised us to deliver the car within an hour.

When we came back after 4 hours the car wasn't ready, it took them 1 more hour to get the car ready in this state. Observe the picture below and see what's wrong?

Note the grille it's closed, But why? The Nano's radiator is located at rear but the AC uses the air from front grille. The dealership had a Base non AC Nano with painted bumpers, so they exchanged the bumpers but they did not know that the bumpers were different. They were delivering us AC equipped Nano with a blocked grille. I noticed this and asked the sales team, not single person in the whole sales team knew the difference until i explained it to them. Then they another couple of hours to deliver the car. To sum it all they took the whole day to do what could have been done in less than an hour.

I have never ever come across a Tata Dealership that is at par compared an average Maruti or Hyundai dealership. The Service centers are even worse.

This is how the grille should ideally be.

Congrats
you should have bought a red one as the punto,Nano looks hot in Red.
Yellow i guess is available only in LX.
Btw,Radiator at rear?
Isnt it air cooled?

[freakmuzik]

@.anshuman: Congrats! And welcome to the nano family! Its good to see that you liked the car. And btw, does the CX version come with a front seat recliner option? If yes, is it working smoothly? Because i found the recliner in two of the nano's that i saw, including mine, to be very jerky and I get a feeling that I would break it into pieces! And I came to know from the dealership that they would be providing the LHS mirror very soon! All the best( to your sis actually! ).

[amtak]

Dear Anshuman,

Congrats on joining the league of extraordinary gentleman. Nano, indeed a sheer marvel of engineering. With regards to the LHS mirror, I was told by a dealership, that it is now available as an accessory. Although, I am yet to see a Nano with that yet.

Can someone confirm the above please?

[Amartya]

Very nice pictures and thanks for the nicely rounded review.
The Nano's paint quality surprises me, it manages to look quite rich due to the lustrous paint.
Also, about the wrong bumpers, man, that was quite a catch. The thing I don't understand is why the Base model doesn't have the front grill (as in, it shouldn't matter whether there's an HVAC unit or not). Surely it would make things easier for everything (from fitment to accident repair, where no real thought from the mechanics would need to go in).

[benzinblut]

Very nice review. Pictures are amazing.

Most people compare the nano to cars segments higher and develop a negative opinion. If one views it with an unbiased mind, the nano really surprises for what it offers at what price.

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Negatives

• Steering feels heavy.

In contrast, I found the steering very nice to drive. I loved the steering feedback in comparison to the EPS cars I've driven.

[safari_lover]

Excellent pics and review @.anshuman.

I hope, the reported five geared version will take out most of the negatives, you listed.

[lsp]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

...
This car may be too small for many Indians with over inflated Egos...

Nice Review Anshuman, and your above statement sums up the attitude of hordes of people who have dissed this car and made fun of it. That being said, the service leaves a lot to be desired .

So how many cars do u have in your household? TFort, Laura, Punto, Elantra, Nano. 5 and counting

[Mpower]

Congrats on the Nano .anshuman. There is something about this car that fascinates people from all segments. If they make one with full size hatch door, then for sure I would get one for our office use. Are you listening TATA?

The beat of the engine may not sound upmarket but its gutsy like an old Beetle. Personally my favorite is also white.

[richie4u]

Congrats on the Nano, well I own a Nano LX so I know how it feels to drive this car.Well another good thing about the Nano is that it can make heads turn, and almost every single day I have a person asking me "Is this car safe? Is it comfortable? How is the driving?",

Well their question about comfortabilty question arises when they see me (I am WWE kinda material in size and around 6.1 in height so you get the picture)
Well if Tata takes me in a commercial, I can assure them they will sell hundreds of Nano's in a day is tata listening?

[AbhiJ]

A very well written and detailed review

Please keep updating the thread ..