Tata Tigor, Track Test

Over the past few years, Tata Motors has really tried hard to straighten out its brand perception. It initiated this process with the Zest, continued it with the Bolt and Tiago, and progressed even further with the Hexa and Tigor. Like most of its vehicles, the Sanand-based carmaker nailed it as far as pricing the Tigor is concerned. The car was launched at a starting price of `4.7 lakh for the base petrol, going up to `7.09 lakh for the top-spec diesel (ex-showroom). While this made it among the most affordable sub-4 metre sedans in the market, you also get a (Tata) truckload of features for that money. 

The top-spec variant of the Tigor comes loaded with a touchscreen infotainment system, paired with a six-speaker system, navigation, electrically adjustable ORVMs, power windows, steering mounted controls, height adjustable driver’s seat, and more. It’s no wonder then that the Tigor is amongst the top scorers in the ‘value for money’ category. Tata has also done well to give this sub-4 metre sedan a fresh outlook. While the front remains more or less similar to the Tiago, the swooping roofline and the stubby boot at the back makes it look rather attractive. Quality, for the most part, is reasonable – but there is a scope for improvement in some areas. 

The Tigor that we had for this test was fitted with the 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol motor that puts out 84bhp and 114Nm. Being low on torque, and peaking high in the rev range makes the Tigor feels a bit lethargic getting off the line. While the engine feels adequate for the city commute, out on the highway it struggles and vibrates at speed. The soft suspension setup ensures that the Tigor behaves very well on bad roads. On the flipside, it doesn’t feel too confident around corners – especially with its skinny tyres and lifeless steering. Overall, while it offers phenomenal value, it would have been a lot easier to recommend the Tigor if the engine felt a bit more eager and the car was equally at home on the highway as in the city.

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