Tata Nano - First Drive

[JadeyBlitzen]

are you kidding me man, nano a fashion statement!!!!!!!! i highly doubt it. only reason the whole world is talking about it is because of its groundbreaking cost cutting. reminds me of the $100 laptop concept in the 90's. if tata manages to keep the price down the car will be a hit among the less fortunate till a competitor comes with a similar concept. i can just picture all the hero honda biker boys switching over.

i dont know about you. but when someone mentions the word fashion statement in sl few of the things that pop into my head are bright orange shirts, straightened bob cuts on men, bright yellow flip flops, camouflage troussers, track bottoms and flared jeans. i think over a maruti the tata nano would fit into their lifestyles rather well

[xXx]

i dont know about you. but when someone mentions the word fashion statement in sl few of the things that pop into my head are bright orange shirts, straightened bob cuts on men, bright yellow flip flops, camouflage troussers, track bottoms and flared jeans. i think over a maruti the tata nano would fit into their lifestyles rather well

IMO sri lankan buyers are very price elastic because they work god dam hard for the pennies they earn (exception been the politicos) and because credit is not easy to come by. you'll never see a sri lankan going to a store and buying a certain appliance because it's in buyers favorite colour or because its endorsed by his sporting hero.

so as i said if the Nano is prices lower than the Maruti people will make the swtich. a good example is the Cherry QQ and that 3 wheeler car thingy. people bought these brands/makes that are never heard of coz they were cheap. atleast TATA is a world renowned brandname. it got nothing to do with certain individuals fondness to have a straightened bob cut and wear bright orange shirts with yellow flip flops and camouflage troussers

[JadeyBlitzen]

IMO sri lankan buyers are very price elastic because they work god dam hard for the pennies they earn (exception been the politicos) and because credit is not easy to come by. you'll never see a sri lankan going to a store and buying a certain appliance because it's in buyers favorite colour or because its endorsed by his sporting hero.

so as i said if the Nano is prices lower than the Maruti people will make the swtich. a good example is the Cherry QQ and that 3 wheeler car thingy. people bought these brands/makes that are never heard of coz they were cheap. atleast TATA is a world renowned brandname. it got nothing to do with certain individuals fondness to have a straightened bob cut and wear bright orange shirts with yellow flip flops and camouflage troussers

i stand corrected

but i find it interesting just cos it was designed to be as cheap as possible. and its kinda sad to see people considering it as car thats just cheaper than a maruti and not as the design revolution it really is.

however that said i just noticed something that'll make me take extra care when i'm sharing the road with a nano.

IT DOESN'T HAVE A SIDE MIRROR ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE

now we cant even undertake them with much assurance when they are hogging the fast lane. (which they definitely will do)

[Pericles]

you'll never see a sri lankan going to a store and buying a certain appliance because its endorsed by his sporting hero.

Thank god, or I would have bought a Honda in 2004. I have a weakness for the brand ambassador that year However, the recent endorsement lines (Nike, Canon and Land Rover) all firmly meet my approval. Tho not so much the Motorola. If you wanna guess who, I'll transfer that to the trivia thread

[GTAm]

I think if the any agent wants to flog cars in decent numbers in this country, then right now an assembly plant in SL is the only way. Of course the "royal" family will have to be compensated properly to get this going.

I think the Nano is in a great position to cause a revolution in our market, if marketed properly. Whether the agents are capable of such a thing is another question.

[Devinda_Z]

Thank god, or I would have bought a Honda in 2004. I have a weakness for the brand ambassador that year However, the recent endorsement lines (Nike, Canon and Land Rover) all firmly meet my approval. Tho not so much the Motorola. If you wanna guess who, I'll transfer that to the trivia thread

A.R Rahman!

[xXx]

Thank god, or I would have bought a Honda in 2004. I have a weakness for the brand ambassador that year However, the recent endorsement lines (Nike, Canon and Land Rover) all firmly meet my approval. Tho not so much the Motorola. If you wanna guess who, I'll transfer that to the trivia thread

bit of googling gave out a name of a of sexy young Russian tennis star (who can actually play tennis instead of just snogging guys in music videos lol), am i on the right track?????

[xXx]

i stand corrected

care to explain my good man?

from what i understood your point was Nano will be a 'short term' hit due to it's 'fashion icon' status, correct?

[xXx]

Whether the agents are capable of such a thing is another question.

you really think so man. i thought of them as a company who always do their home work thoroughly before taking the plunge. a good example IMO is the introduction of 300C.

us lankans love things big - check

uncommon brand sort of help you to stand out of the crowd - check

competitively prices to tap in to the montero, prado market - check

what more can you ask for heh

[JadeyBlitzen]

care to explain my good man?

from what i understood your point was Nano will be a 'short term' hit due to it's 'fashion icon' status, correct?

not at all. i was expecting it to sell in large numbers initally because of its novelty status.

but according to your theory it will continue to outsell the maruti if it remains the cheapest car in the market.

[Pericles]

bit of googling gave out a name of a of sexy young Russian tennis star (who can actually play tennis instead of just snogging guys in music videos lol), am i on the right track?????

Right in one

[isam]

Found this review from another forum, looks like the dude who wrote this had first hand experience. His name was not there, due credits

NOTE : The following has been submitted by a staunch supporter. He prefers to remain anonymous.

You know who you are : Many thanks!

So how does it drive?

Let me put first things first. The Nano drives like a car. It feels like one. And that is the biggest achievement by the R&D and the company given the cost structures. It also is better than the Maruti 800 in perceptible areas. But let's get back to the story.

The first impression one gets when one sees the car is that it is built like a car. Panel gaps, sheet work, paint quality, trim... they all are just what you would expect in a car. The 12-inch wheels might look dimunitive, but that's ok. The integration of the panels is pretty good, the head lamps and tail lamps look fine and even though the single rear view mirror looks a bit cheap and small from a safety aspect, everything else works. The packaging of the spare wheel at the front along with the battery is well done, while the fuel filler cap reminds you of the Premier Padminis of yore. Those who've seen it will know it. The air-conditioning gas charge point is located at the front as well. Tata Motors claim a 42:58 front/rear weight balance when loaded, not bad.

Get behind the wheel and there's lots of space. Importantly your knees don't foul against the dashboard at any point. Yes, your shoulders do collide if two well built persons sit ahead, though you really can't expect everything to be spot on. We were driving the LX variant, which has airconditioning, front power windows, fog lamps, better seat trim and better trim on the doors as well. There's ample head room - I could feel at least 2-3 inches of extra clearance over my head. Jump behind and you will appreciate the extra knee room and legroom. I made a 5 ft 11 inch person sit behind the wheel, while I sat behind and let me tell you, there was at least an inch and a half of knee room. Leg room is good too - really it can rival an i10. The steering wheel is slightly odd, while the seat is set high in typical Tata fashion. The pedals are offset to the left so it takes some time for someone who drives regular cars to adjust instantly. But you do after 10-15 minutes.

The engine is loud, let me put it this way. It's a two-cylinder unit and no matter what you do, it will sound loud. To some it might sound like a two-stroker twin motorcycle, and to some a bit like the Ace. Either way it really doesn't mar the driving experience. First things first, it takes off well from a standing start. There's no wheelspin for obvious reasons, but power delivery is fairly good. Driveability is where this car scores. it can keep up with regular traffic rather easily. It moves smartly and moves up to 80 kph with not much of a fuss. The first gear is short and at 30 kph you need to shift into second. It'll hit 105 kph alright, so there's no doubt about Tata's claims. The gear lever is a cable type and yet it isn't notchy to be troublesome. It does its job well for the price and is decently positive in its shift.

Ride is bumpy. A bit bumpy, but not as uncomfortable on the 800. Handling is alright, but there's considerable body roll, since there are no roll bars. Steering lacks some on-centredness but is good during high speeds, not that vague though. High speed stability is what makes this car truly unique. It doesn't float like the 800 and gets affected only by really strong crosswinds. Since the steering is non-power assisted it feels heavy only during parking speeds, but I guess we are really spoilt by power assisted ones. First time car buyers won't even complain, just like us when we bought our first 800s.

So is it good? That brings me back to the first question. It drives like a car. Feels like one. Handles like one. Has space like one. And is built like one. There are scruffy plastics, poor bits here and there. But keep the price in mind and it's great. And for the different tyre sizes, it's only because they wanted to make the car less oversteery.

Final call. It's a great car at its price. That's what you got to keep in mind and not go on a deliberate fault finding mission. Now for Tata to make it a reliably good product.

EDIT : Writer has provided the following answers to some questions raised in this discussion:

1. The air-conditioning is effective. Effective enough for four to not sweat. It won't chill, just like in the 800. TML claim a 5-7 per cent drop in power with the AC on. A 3/5 rating overall.

2. The car was homologated in two weeks flat in February 2008. That's a record of sorts by ARAI standards!

3. I wanted to add, the gears are not entirely notchy. They shift well and the clutch is light. Marginal notchiness is evident, but not disturbing.

4. It drives like a car, and comparisons with two-wheelers is meaningless. The real deal is if potential two-wheeler buyers can cough up the kind of deposits Tata expects at the moment.

5. It is built to similar techniques like the Indica Vista. That the Vista is decently built should give you a good idea of how the Nano is.

6. How much ever one tries to defend the M800, trouble is comparisons will be drawn. And though the M800 is 25 years old, it feels its age in terms of packaging. One must remember that a lot is riding on Tata as a group and not just Tata Motors on this project, globally. Am sure, reliability must have been top priority for the company, lest it tarnishes the group's image forever.

7. Take a test-drive. Don't draw comparisons with your car or any other but try and weigh it as what you get for what you pay. You will get your answer any which way.

Edited April 5, 2009 by isam

[JadeyBlitzen]

we all like to brag about our cars dont we? but sri lankans never brag about how cheap something was rite? (unless they got it 95% off or something) so i guess the only thing you could say about your nano when you are having a drink with your mates is "...and the best thing is it feels like a real car"

[Supra_Natural]

Interestingly, the Tata Nano has passed Euro Crash tests... This is all the more interesting because of the massive discussion we were having over on the "Modified Chapathi" thread....

Guess fresh thinking does indeed win over rehashed old leftovers...

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Tata-Nano/241500/

[harshansenadhir]

Interestingly, the Tata Nano has passed Euro Crash tests... This is all the more interesting because of the massive discussion we were having over on the "Modified Chapathi" thread....

Guess fresh thinking does indeed win over rehashed old leftovers...

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle/Tata-Nano/241500/

it's indeed a better car I guess and 28% more spacious than the one we discussed. and have you seen smart crash test where they drive the car using remote controller and crash it against a concrete wall at a very high speed. Impressive safety it has considering the size of the car esp the nose ..

Edited July 15, 2009 by harshansenadhir

[Supra_Natural]

it's indeed a better car I guess and 28% more spacious than the one we discussed. and have you seen smart crash test where they drive the car using remote controller and crash it against a concrete wall at a very high speed. Impressive safety it has considering the size of the car esp the nose ..

Oh yeah i did see that one! good results on the smart were only to be expected, since it was designed by Mercedes, with all of the relevant safety standards in mind....

As to the Nano, this just goes to show that the indians are entirely capable to making something innovative and competitive, if they only get themselves out of the "Copy it, deduct some features and sell it cheap" mentality.... The nano is an indian vehicle im actually looking forward to trying out.

[samishka]

Glad to see those guys who used to hate "Anything Indian" at last admiring an Indian Vehicle (i.e. TATA NANO)

[MkX]

Can we compare Nano Vs Micro Trend?

It's very strange to there are very low or zero comments about Micro. Being assembled in Sri lanka and partly manufactured here in SL we should be proud of there work, isn't it ??

[zonda]

Can we compare Nano Vs Micro Trend?

It's very strange to there are very low or zero comments about Micro. Being assembled in Sri lanka and partly manufactured here in SL we should be proud of there work, isn't it ??

You can not compare the Nano with Trend. Nano is designed to be cheap, and trend is designed and build as a rubbish for just to make money.( Poor build quality , Poor customer service , high prize and just a hafei lobo with micro badge )

[Supra_Natural]

Glad to see those guys who used to hate "Anything Indian" at last admiring an Indian Vehicle (i.e. TATA NANO)

Mate, do you actually READ posts completely before replying to them? if you did, you'd realize that we have clearly outlined the reasons that we like the nano when compared to the products of Maruti. So you might want to re-visit those posts a bit.

[samishka]

Can we compare Nano Vs Micro Trend?

It's very strange to there are very low or zero comments about Micro. Being assembled in Sri lanka and partly manufactured here in SL we should be proud of there work, isn't it ??

It has to be Nano Vs Micro Econo/Privilege.

Micro's maiden attempt (Econo/Privilege) was commendable, since it was launched 5 years earlier than Tata Nano and that too by a new comer into Auto Industry!

Just like Mr. Ratan Tata's "INR 1 Lakh Car", our very own Dr. Lawrence Perera of Micro had the dream of a "LKR 3 Lakh Car".

(Both the above prices are ex-factory)

While Micro successfully came up with the car, it could not taste the success it deserved owing to many unforeseen obstacles that befell on the company with Govt. bureaucracy being the biggest culprit.

Finally when they started accepting bookings, the ex-factory price of the car jumped to 3.95 lakhs (i.e. between 4.35-4.75 lakhs after adding 10% and 20% VAT respectively)

Even at that price Sri Lankans were ready to buy that car, but then Micro had to face production capacity constraints.

Remember all this happened 5 years ago.

It is sad to note that although Micro has overcome most of their initial hiccups, they have discontinued that Sri Lankan equivalant of Tata Nano.

Since Micro Trend is of Chinese origin, they may have used their experience in assembling the Trend to come up with their very own MICRO NEW PRIVILEGE. (The very first, truly Sri Lankan Hatchback with FF format unlike the RR format previous model)

Everybody ask "When will it be launched ?"

Officials at Micro are still tight-lipped about the launch date.

[samishka]

Mate, do you actually READ posts completely before replying to them? if you did, you'd realize that we have clearly outlined the reasons that we like the nano when compared to the products of Maruti. So you might want to re-visit those posts a bit.

Re-read my previous post. I have emphasised "ANYTHING INDIAN".

[Supra_Natural]

Re-read my previous post. I have emphasised "ANYTHING INDIAN".

W. T. F.?

[samishka]

W. T. F.?

All right.// Go ahead with the TATA NANO discussion, with your friends.

[samishka]

You can not compare the Nano with Trend. Nano is designed to be cheap, and trend is designed and build as a rubbish for just to make money.( Poor build quality , Poor customer service , high prize and just a hafei lobo with micro badge )

Definitely. Micro has to try really hard in improving their customer service.