Tata Tiago Long Term Report: April 2017

Mileage Matters

Tata Motors introduced driving modes in some of its new cars starting from the Zest. While the compact sedan came with three driving modes – City, Eco and Sport, the Tiago with the smaller engine options comes only with City and Eco modes. These modes essentially alter the fuel mapping of the car thereby changing the performance. In the default ‘City’ mode, the acceleration is relatively eager and response to throttle inputs is quicker. As you switch to the Eco mode with the push of a button, the difference in performance is immediately noticeable. This mode pumps lesser fuel into the combustion chamber resulting in improved efficiency. All of the 1,060km clocked on our long-term Tata Tiago diesel this month has been in the city. And even with the kind of traffic we experience in Mumbai, the Tiago managed a respectable 16.7km/l, which is a nifty 2km/l more than what I get in the ‘City’ mode. Of course, I did barter a marginally energetic drive for better efficiency figures but considering the jammed roads in Mumbai, I didn’t have the room for the extra punch anyway. That being said, I found myself shifting back to ‘City’ each time I wanted to make a swift overtaking manoeuvre.

A lot has been said about Tata Motors and the improvement in the all-round quality of their new products. The Tiago in fact had set a new benchmark for them until the launch of the Hexa. My only grouse with the Tiago is the rattling noise from the dashboard that tends to get rather annoying, especially when driving over broken roads or potholes. That aside, it has held its own fairly well so far and there is really not much to complain about.