Tata’s Nano is a special car. It’s a car that started its journey more than half-a-decade back as India’s most affordable four-wheeled offering but has been suffering from an underwhelming response, to say the least. Ratan Tata’s dream of delivering a One Lakh Rupee Car to the world, very soon, became a lesson in marketing don’ts.
If I put it briefly, the number of Nanos sold annually is equivalent to the number of Altos sold in a month. But despite this, Tata hasn’t given up and continually improving the product and investing in it. Twist and then the current GenX model with an AMT, Tata has left no stone unturned but I guess, that first impression spoiled it all.
Pros:
Cute & Cool styling
Priced more than a lac lower than the Alto AMT
Light power steering & small footprint makes it a breeze to manoeuvre in urban condition
Openable tail-gate & bigger fuel tank for enhanced practicality
Powerful air-conditioner
Cons:
Sluggish performance of AMT
Sub-standard plastic quality
Bumpy Ride Quality; Suspension tuning could have been better
Too light to handle cross-winds – Fast heavy vehicles passing by can really disturb Nano’s motion
Stand-Out feature:
The cheapest Automatic car in India
Fuel Efficient – Delivers close to 20kpl in combination(city and highway)
Design:
After seeing a Nano, the first word that comes out of your mouth is ‘Cute.’ Just 3164mm long and 1750mm wide.
Nano has quite a proportional design and stands taller than most of our regular hatchbacks at 1652mm high.
The Nano, in the newest Gen Next avatar, is a great offering for someone who wants a small and efficient city car. The in-built flaws of its original like the top-heavy shape, tiny wheels, limited cabin storage and small boot are still there with the Nano and digesting that at a price equivalent to country’s most successful car- Maruti Suzuki Alto, seems like a difficult call. But Tata Motors have tried their level best to bring it up to speed with the segment standards and has added Bluetooth-equipped audio system, power steering, an openable hatch and, of course, the automatic gearbox, which makes Nano – even better at being an intra-city compact car.