The Newest Craze in the hatch segment is the urban crossover under the 10-lakh mark and Tata seems to answer it with the beefed-up Tata Tiago as its contender. Does it fair in the competition?
Tata’s cars were never related to being the most reliable and Tiago change that perception totally with its stylish design and reliable ride quality. Tiago was the first car from Tata that opened new doors for the company with improved standards making great sales numbers overall. Tiago had a lot of input from Tata’s companies – Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover to become one of the cheapest yet valuable option in the segment.
Tata Tiago NRG
Tata recently launched their crossover hatch that comes with the same engine, body but with additional claddings all around and rugged styling to match the crossover profile. The NRG represents “Energy†but we are not sure what has it to do with urban crossover styling. The car looks and feels the same from the inside and to ride thanks to the most fuel-efficient engines in the segment with the best value for money features.
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Tata Tiago NRG Exterior Design
Finally, Tata has come out of the Indica design which it has been using in most cars for over a decade now. The new design is fresh and offers a small car feel. The compact and modern design appeals very well to the millennials. It is a well-crafted design with good attention to detail from the headlamps to the fake roof rails and rear spoilers. The plastic cladding runs all around giving it a bolder appearance. The silver slide plates are found on the front and rear bumpers along with the cladding to add to the off-roading capabilities, or at least the looks. The side view mirrors are finished in black and the same for the spoilers. Overall the design adds ruggedness to the sporty looking small car.
Tata Tiago NRG Engine, Brakes and Suspension
There are only two options available with the NRG variant. Diesel and Petrol both fully loaded. The engines are carried forward from the regular Tata Tiago. The petrol variant has a 1.2l revotron engine producing 84 bhp and 114 Nm of torque which sounds less on paper but makes a sufficient torque and power combo on the road. The 5-speed manual transmission is easy to operate with short gear lever travel and a soft clutch. City rides are a breeze with this car on City mode. Put it in Eco mode and you will find it very hard to pick up phase. The diesel engine is an unusually small 1047cc revotorq producing max power of 70 bhp and 140 Nm of torque. Both engines are a bit similar on the roads with a whopping high mileage of user claimed 20 Km/l which is really great.
The front wheels get ABS and the car comes equipped with EBD and body roll control features to offer a stable and secure ride. The car feels well planted and strong on the road. The steering is small and compact with not great feedback but acceptable. The ride, in general, is comfortable except at high speeds when the noise starts to creep in. The suspension has a good travel and set right in between to favor both, bumpy city rides and the highspeed cruising. Cornering causes quite a bit of body lean which is acceptable as a budget crossover.
Tata Tiago NRG Interiors
Interiors don’t feel like from a sub-10lakh car for sure. On the first glance, you are invited by the plush looking interiors which even takes design cues from the Jaguar themselves. The quality of plastic does not feel on par with the looks but it is solid and lasts for years as we know from the regular Tata Tiago. The dash is done in dual tone with piano black finish inserts here and there. There is enough storage space for all your bottles and the glove box is cooled. Seats are comfortable enough and well spacious. Despite the car looking so small from the outside, easily fits 3 persons on the second row. Boot space is close to 300 liters without folding the seats.
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Tata Tiago NRG Features
The media infotainments system is an inbuilt minimalist 5.0-inch touchscreen media player with Bluetooth connectivity. The speakers used are 4 units of Harmon Kardon which sounds the best and blows its competitors out of the water in the current segment. Dual front airbags ensure safety for the driver and the front row passenger. The reverse parking camera makes use of the infotainment system for live video.
Should you Buy It?
Tata Tiago NRG retails for around 6.3 lakhs on-road for petrol, 7.3 lakhs diesel. For the price, you can get no better complete and all-around package in the market. The main rivals, Maruti Suzuki Celerio is simply a better dressed Celerio with no special features and cars like Ford Freestyle and Hyundai i20 sport are considerably pricier making it the easy winner in the segment.
