I recently got my NANO LX BS-IV ( Top end model, Lunar Silver colour) on the 31st july, 2010 from Auto-links dealers, Hauzkhas, New Delhi. This is my second car, after having driven Santro Zip-plus , 2002 model for 8.5 years. I got the car for Rs. 1, 99, 996 (on-road price), and I hav fitted all the accessories like stereo, auto-cop central locking, seat covers, alloy-wheels for another sum of Rs. 28, 000, so my total cost of Nano is now Rs. 2, 28, 000. Now, I have been driving Nano for nearly 2100 kms plus on city roads as on 18th october, 2010 ....n this is what I found about Nano-
First of all, let me tell you all that its a ’PROPER CAR’ in every sense of the word, comparable with other hatchback cars like santro, alto, etc...
It is the most fuel-efficient car, giving me easily a mileage of 21kms/ litre (a.c on)...whereas my other car used to give me 14-15kms/litre (a.c on) in city drive...so, it is really value for money car, every worth your penny. I commute daily for 36kms from my home , near C.P. to Shahdara, Delhi in peak traffic hours, I have found out that 10 litres of fuel covers 210 kms with a.c on which works out to almost 21km/litre.., which is fantastic for a car.
The interiors of Nano is extremely spacious, in fact, 5 adults can sit quite comfortably, as the legroom n headroom space is big..not much of a difference with the spaciousness of Santro.
The pick-up speed of the car is very fast, I now drive Nano at 65-80 km/hr at 4th gear, and the car handles very well at that speed, there is stability and no shaky vibrations while driving at such a high speed, in fact I easily overtake all the SUVs n other cars while commuting to work...as a result, I have started to reach my office 10-15 mins. earlier than before when I was using my santro.
The A.C. of the car is very effective, in fact I was thinking that it wnt be that effective when I got the car.Even at the lowest level, the A.C is quite chilling, making me to switch to fan only at times, its kind of funny how much this car packs in such a small size...
Also, since the front windshield of the car is quite wide, it gives me a very good view of the road ahead, there’s no feeling of obstruction and it adds to the feeling of spaciousness further.
The turning radius of the car is quite sharp and therefore very easy to manouver in narrow crowded lanes, which makes it a pleasure to drive on indian roads packed with cycles, rickshaws, 2 n 3 wheelers, buses n wayward pedestrians who come out from nowhere!
The idling of the engine at red lights is so silent, that sometimes I wonder if the engine has stopped.
The shifting of the gears while driving is pretty smooth without any rough glitches. The car is quite safe to drive, there’s no burning smell even at high speeds, thats a wrong misconception that Nano is an unsafe car to travel in, completely wrong misconception !!!
Lastly , the exterior design of the car is cute and sporty in a way.
The only cons about the car is that , its suspensions and shock-absorbers are not very effective, at times the car gives a rough jerky drive over rough roads.There is no power-steering even in the top end model, so its hard to steer at 1st gear., also, the location of battery( under driver’s seat) and rear engine is not appealing. It is difficult to access the engine as one has to unscrew all the 6 bolts to come to the engine.
I had given my car for 1st service on 18th sept. The servicing at A-1 Motors workshop was quite good, right upto detail. In fact, now after the 1st servicing was done, the mileage is much better giving me almost 23-24kms/litre in normal traffic flow (with a.c on at lowest level) !!! I was quite astounded by it! Lets hope the car runs well in the long term, but so far my travels with my baby car has been fantastic! Its a real street smart car :-)....yes definitely, now m saving 1/3rd of my money I used to spend on re-fueling my other car, Santro! So, its definitely worth the money I paid for it..!
OVERALL, I’D SAY THAT SO FAR MY EXPERIENCE WITH DRIVING NANO IS FANTASTIC, IT HAS NOT GIVEN ME ANY SORT OF PROBLEMS, GIVES AN AMAZING UNHEARD OF FUEL MILEAGE IN THESE TIMES OF EXPENSIVE PETROL, ITS WORTH EVERY PENNY AND SAVES MONEY IN THE LONG-TERM ... I SUGGEST, EVERYONE SHOULD GO FOR IT, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO ARE COMMUTING TO WORK FOR LONG DISTANCES IN CITY TRAFFIC..., NANO HANDLES IT VERY WELL! HATS OFF TO THE HOUSE OF TATAS AND ITS ENGINEERS FOR PRODUCING SUCH A FUEL-EFFICIENT CHEAPEST, COMPACT CAR, TOTALLY INDIAN IN ITS PRODUCTION AND SUITED FOR INDIAN ROADS! I AM PROUD TO HAVE THIS POWER-PACKED PERFORMING CAR...!!!