Tata has recently launched its Tiago at a starting price tag of INR 3.20 lakh for the petrol and INR 3.94 lakh for the diesel (all prices ex-showroom, New Delhi).
The car looks forward to serving as a potential choice for a large base of customers. Tata Motors now rely on the replacement of its trusty Indica to rebuild its declining hatch sales in the market.
The latest entrant in the buzzing B1 segment was showcased at the 2016 Auto Expo, named as ‘Zica’, which was altered to Tiago because it sounded similar to the ‘Zika’ virus.
The Tata Tiago trains guns on the Hyundai i10, the Maruti Celerio, and the Chevrolet Beat. Here is a comprehensive comparison of this potent hatch with its rivals, where the former seems to overpower the latter, involuntarily.
The largest car in the class is 3746 mm long, 1647 mm wide and 1535 mm high. These dimensions did justify the spaciousness of the vehicle as Tiago is approximately 150 mm more in length as compared to its fellow contenders.
Even the exterior of the latest Tata seems to be of the recent times.
While the rear of the car shines out with sharp lines and cool tail lamps, the side profile is the best ever done by Tata.
Built on an all-new platform, Tiago will fill in the space between the Nano and the Bolt in the manufacturer's lineup.
Promoted by the master footballer Lionel Messi, the new Tiago runs on the latest 1.2L 3-cylinder ‘Revotron’ petrol engine churning out peak power of 83bhp and peak torque of 114Nm. The first ever petrol engine by Tata to have a claimed mileage of 23.84 km/l according to ARAI test.
Another plus point is the most powerful and fuel efficient - 1.05L, 3-cylinder ‘Revotorq’ diesel motor that develops an enormous power of 69bhp and peak torque of 140Nm and claims of 27.28 km/l.
Tiago seems on the back foot in just one aspect - lack of an automatic variant. Both of the best-in-class engines of the hatchback come mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox.
However, only the petrol Maruti Celerio manages to offer an AMT at the moment. Tata has planned an AMT for the Tiago in the future stages of its lifecycle.
The first to flaunt Tata's new Impact design philosophy Tiago brings in a lot of firsts for its prospective buyers in the segment.
The 8-speaker Harman-Kardon sound system, GPS navigation, the Juke car app with Wi-Fi hotspot facility and the optional colour coding for the interiors set it apart from its rivals. The carmaker has loaded the Tiago with a host of creature comforts such as new fabric for upholstery, iPad/tablet holding tray, bottle holders on doors, and hands-free telephony for the driver.
Not ending with that, the top-end versions of the hatch also get 14-inch alloy wheels, fog lamps, rear wiper and demister. Keeping an edge over its rivals, the Tiago is equipped with multi-drive mode – City, Eco, and Sport (optional) - supported by an engine management system.
Being the third all-new product by Tata Motors in last 20 months, the car may pose a threat to its competitors. And the reason might be the combination of a competitive starting price of INR 3.20 lakh along with those one of their kind goodies that are absent in the rivals priced below Rs. 4 lakh. The bookings for the Tiago are available at a token amount of Rs. 10,000.
