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#1
Introduction
Our ageing Wagon R(April 2004) had crossed 1L km and started throwing troubles. Troubles were mainly related to body rust( Boot opening collapsed due to rusted hinges), AC not cooling the car and rattles but the engine+gearbox combo is still going strong. Also, our wagon R was LX variant hence it was a bare bones car without power steering (biggest reason for upgrade).
Hence, looking at our wagon r giving up, we knew it was time to upgrade.
Options Considered
Except Tigor we did not consider any other CS seriously. The reason being, since the Auto Expo 2016, we knew that nexon will be our next car but due to the long delay in it's launch and urgency to get a new car, we had to look elsewhere and coincidentally Tata launched the Tigor. No other car appealed this much to our eyes and also knowing that the new crop of Tata's aren't anywhere near indica, we were ready to buy it that too 1st batch! Gamble, isn't it? But touchwood, this tata hasn't disappointed.
Booking and Dealership experience
We bought our car from Sagar Motors Noida. Dad went to the dealership for booking the car and after completing the formalities he brought home the TD car for us to experience.
We were promised delivery by last week of April 2017 but somehow, we were allotted a Copper Dazzle XZ(o) revotron by 7th April. Completed all formalities by 11th April and were hoping delivery by 12th but it did not turn out as planned. Dealership quoted Rs.25K for comprehensive insurance against 13K quoted by Royal Sundaram, and on asking them to either match the quote and let us proceed with RS, they clearly refused stating that outside insurance was not allowed for Tiago/tigor, rest all models can be bought with outside insurance. I called Tata Motors helpline and it lodged a complaint and the very next day received 2 apology calls and 1 apology email with the resolution being allowance for outside insuarance. Tata has changed and how!
And finally received delivery on 13th April 2017.
Tata- The Heart vs Mind Battle
This topic also deserves a special mention, because when one is buying a tata car, he/ she will face a lot of resistance from their well wishers for obvious reasons and here are my thoughts about the same:-
1) Love the product not the brand: Suzuki swift is a perfect example, it is not the product that appeals but the suzuki badge that brings al the number and I totally dislike this. If the product is competent and after sales is acceptable then there is no reason to drop it out of the list.
2)Tata has evolved, Accept it!: They have evolved with time, tigor is not a modified indica for sure! But some people fail to understand or rather accept this fact and thus often drop tata products.
3)Value for Money: 29/3/2017 the day when the prices were announced I too was shocked to see 6.19L ex-showroom Delhi but on further research online I realised there is nothing better I could buy at that price point meeting my needs.
Keeping all the above points
Heart says Tigor(Just one look sealed the deal)
Mind says Tigor(VFM)
Battle Won
Performance
The most interesting section is here guys
Our's is the petrol 1.2L NA 3 Cylinder Revotron Petrol.
As all of you have read, engine is the weak link, the only stone left unturned(Rest of the car feels so much more engineered) . But make no mistake, it is no slouch either, you can go upto triple digit speeds easily and cruise all day long and still have enough for the overtakes but then it feels so much like our old Wagon R in this department. On our Noida to Lucknow trip we analysed the engine performance and following are the results obtained-
1) No pocket rocket(as expected)
2) Definitely a mileage king. (more on that later)
3) Can go upto 160KMPH with minor efforts.
4) 100-120KMPH is the ideal cruising speed, anything above that drops mileage below 20KMPL
5) Very Linear power delivery that means right gear is needed for urgent move on else wait for the power boost to arrive post 2.5k RPM.
6) Redlines near 6/7K RPM
7) Overtaking is easy if in right gear(>2.5k RPM)
All in all, as said earlier engine is a weak link, it is not involving but rather gets the work done and can pull the car even on steep inclines(experienced it on our way to nanital thanks to navimaps), it is not as bad as media has made it, it is a good option considering the price but when compared to the experience rest of the car provides it definitely needs improvement!
Mileage
Highways(City Mode)
1)Speed- 80KMPH
RPM- nearly 2K
Mileage- above 25KMPL
2)Speed-100KMPH
RPM- between 2.5K to 3K
Mileage- 23KMPL to 24KMPL
3)Speed- 120KMPH
RPM- Slightly above 3k
Mileage- 20-21 KMPL
City
Delivering around 16KMPL (city mode) to 18KMPL (eco mode) in Noida (no jams here)
*All the above speeds were speedometer indicated(speedo error is of around 10KMPH at 100KMPH) and also mileage reading are MID indicated.
Above figures are the reason I call it the mileage king!
Eco Mode vs City Mode
There are two aspects to judge in these modes, first one being performance and second being the mileage
1) Performance- Eco mode dulls the accelerator inputs, and one can feel the sudden drop in power, if eco mode is disengaged with accelerator pressed, there is a forward jerk felt which indicates the peppy nature(comparatively) of city mode. In hilly regions Eco mode is even unable to pull the car and thus better avoided whereas can be used on highways.
2) Mileage- As mentioned there is a difference of 1KMPL to 2KMPL between Eco mode and City mode and hence one would prefer Eco mode but then it just becomes unbearably sluggish on inclines and expressways.
Other Mechanicals and Headlights
Suspension As mentioned everywhere, it is perfectly calibrated and provides excellent ride as well as handling. No undulations felt inside. You just feel that you are sitting in a premium car as it feels completely isolated. 5/5 Here
Road Manners Extremely good dynamics, it feels stable even at 160KMPH and there is no cross wind action. 5/5 here as well.
Gear Box Buttery smooth, short and precious throws with well defined gates but reverse gear sometimes take time to engage and thus 4/5 here
Steering Beautiful EPAS unit provided, it is the right size but feels a tad bit light(maybe because Wagon R had manual steering)though. Twisties near nanital were fun to drive on thanks to this wheel. 4/5
Clutch Clutch is light with short travel and is a joy to use coupled with the nice gearbox. 5/5
Brakes Again, Very impressive, ABS kicks in aggressively whenever wheels lock, stops without drama within a short distance but initial few centimetres of the travel generates no response. 4/5
Headlights The Projectors are awesome and the light is spread evenly throughout its range which is surprisingly large, and when combined with high beam it lights up the road very well. In short, lights are very good and I do not feel the need to upgrade them.
NVH
The engine is noisy no two ways about it! With the windows rolled down and harman system turned off it feels like a big diesel is plonked under the bonnet. With the windows rolled up, obviously, noise is controlled but is still present. Will try to capture all that in a video and post it here.
Though, I am happy to share that Vibrations felt inside the cabin are negligible thanks to that balancer shaft, gear lever and steering wheel have no vibrations at all.
Harman System
Enough is already said about it, Its best in next class! It is loaded with features and i would like to highlight my observations after using it for a long time now-
1) Fader and Balance- I use it when the rear passenger wants to have silence and the driver and co-passenger still want some entertainment, just set it to driver and the music feel you get while all 8 speakers were working is retained sans rear speakers and hence the rear passenger could relax although it is no magic and some noise is still audible at the rear. It is really a useful feature for long drives.
2) Music Quality- It is really good and one could feel every beat though on heavy bass, the door vibrates. But really enjoyable if you carry high quality music files.
3)Bluetooth- Now, most of you people would not know but there is a set of devices that are supported by the system and that list is not even mentioned in the manual and here is how I accessed it-
One fine evening i connected my secondary phone(primary phone went kaput) to play some music and was shocked to see the system constantly buffering and stopping though calling and phone functions work fine. It was really irritating, immediately made a video and reported the problem to TMSC app and in reply received the list in which neither my primary phone(Infocus M810) was mentioned nor the secondary one(Lenovo z2 Plus) but somehow Infocus worked flawlessly. As changing the phone was not feasible, i am currently using aux cable to play which works fine for now and planning to resolve the bluetooth problem during 2nd Service. Later found out even their listed Moto G was buffering hence left it as it is for the time being. Where is their 10,000 Hours of testing gone now?
4) Radio- Works fine, as it should.
5) Voice Commands- Easy to use for AC and radio controls as they are pre defined(but one needs to remember the commands) but when one needs to call someone and call out indian names, it is unable to detect our voice and even if it does, we need to specify the sim1 or sim2 by selecting the option on the cell phone screen. There is a work around though, select one sim as default and it will work fine. Message Readout is a waste, it is not understandable at all due to the british accent plus the high pace.
6) Navi Maps- They are not completely reliable and accurate and thus i make sure i double check the shown route with Google Maps. I wish they had mirrored google maps instead.
Qualities of Each Seat
The seat i Like the most in order-
1) Co-Driver Seat: It is set at sufficient height and also it is well bolstered and holds you in place around the twisties. Really comfortable and the bonus being that you get to fiddle with the harman system sitting here.
2) Back Seat: Good legroom and adequate headroom, the armrest is a boon. The seats are comfortable and generous. Suprisingly they can control each and every function of the Ac and ICE as well through Tata Smart Remote App(feels nice to have such features).
3) Driver Seat: Front armrest is missed during long journeys and lot of controls to use(obviously) rest it like Co-passenger's.
Tata After Sales Service
Completed First free service at Sagar Motors Noida, some observations
1)The Iron Rod which holds the bonnet in open position is held by a very filmsy hook and hence it always falls out of it's socket whenever i open the bonnet, on complaining about the same, they changed that hook which again fell the very next day. Tata needs to find a solution As soon as possible.
2)Bonnet Misaligned- The bonnet was misaligned and was clearly visible and when brought to their notice, the problem was rectified to our satisfaction
3) Car cleaning was not done properly and when same was reported on the feedback call from the dealership, got a free car wash, and was asked to rate them 10 when Tata calls. They are changing for sure.
Total invoice was Rs.12 (for that hook)
Service was booked through TMSC app and appointment was confirmed through a phone call. All the records were available on the TMSC app after the service. Neat!
Accessories
Bought-
1)Auto Cop Gear lock for Rs.5K from the dealer
Planned-
1)Front Armrest
Summary
Tata Tigor is a beautiful car that deserves attention as it offers a very VFM proposition. It totally lives up to the standards Tata is setting with it's new breed of vehicle. It feels really solid and extremely well put together with attention to details. Car excels in all departments except the engine as discussed which though acceptable but could have been better. If you are sitting on the fence deciding between Tigor, Aspire, Dzire, Xcent or Zest, do give tigor a proper look and do not neglect it. It ticks all the boxes and is even under cuts the competition by a lakh or even more. As rushlane said about tigor, it is "An Xcent-ric choice for those who DZire to be Amaze-d".
Photos and Videos
Coming soon!
Hope you guys liked reading my review
Our ageing Wagon R(April 2004) had crossed 1L km and started throwing troubles. Troubles were mainly related to body rust( Boot opening collapsed due to rusted hinges), AC not cooling the car and rattles but the engine+gearbox combo is still going strong. Also, our wagon R was LX variant hence it was a bare bones car without power steering (biggest reason for upgrade).
Hence, looking at our wagon r giving up, we knew it was time to upgrade.
Options Considered
Except Tigor we did not consider any other CS seriously. The reason being, since the Auto Expo 2016, we knew that nexon will be our next car but due to the long delay in it's launch and urgency to get a new car, we had to look elsewhere and coincidentally Tata launched the Tigor. No other car appealed this much to our eyes and also knowing that the new crop of Tata's aren't anywhere near indica, we were ready to buy it that too 1st batch! Gamble, isn't it? But touchwood, this tata hasn't disappointed.
Booking and Dealership experience
We bought our car from Sagar Motors Noida. Dad went to the dealership for booking the car and after completing the formalities he brought home the TD car for us to experience.
We were promised delivery by last week of April 2017 but somehow, we were allotted a Copper Dazzle XZ(o) revotron by 7th April. Completed all formalities by 11th April and were hoping delivery by 12th but it did not turn out as planned. Dealership quoted Rs.25K for comprehensive insurance against 13K quoted by Royal Sundaram, and on asking them to either match the quote and let us proceed with RS, they clearly refused stating that outside insurance was not allowed for Tiago/tigor, rest all models can be bought with outside insurance. I called Tata Motors helpline and it lodged a complaint and the very next day received 2 apology calls and 1 apology email with the resolution being allowance for outside insuarance. Tata has changed and how!
And finally received delivery on 13th April 2017.
Tata- The Heart vs Mind Battle
This topic also deserves a special mention, because when one is buying a tata car, he/ she will face a lot of resistance from their well wishers for obvious reasons and here are my thoughts about the same:-
1) Love the product not the brand: Suzuki swift is a perfect example, it is not the product that appeals but the suzuki badge that brings al the number and I totally dislike this. If the product is competent and after sales is acceptable then there is no reason to drop it out of the list.
2)Tata has evolved, Accept it!: They have evolved with time, tigor is not a modified indica for sure! But some people fail to understand or rather accept this fact and thus often drop tata products.
3)Value for Money: 29/3/2017 the day when the prices were announced I too was shocked to see 6.19L ex-showroom Delhi but on further research online I realised there is nothing better I could buy at that price point meeting my needs.
Keeping all the above points
Heart says Tigor(Just one look sealed the deal)
Mind says Tigor(VFM)
Battle Won
Performance
The most interesting section is here guys
Our's is the petrol 1.2L NA 3 Cylinder Revotron Petrol.
As all of you have read, engine is the weak link, the only stone left unturned(Rest of the car feels so much more engineered) . But make no mistake, it is no slouch either, you can go upto triple digit speeds easily and cruise all day long and still have enough for the overtakes but then it feels so much like our old Wagon R in this department. On our Noida to Lucknow trip we analysed the engine performance and following are the results obtained-
1) No pocket rocket(as expected)
2) Definitely a mileage king. (more on that later)
3) Can go upto 160KMPH with minor efforts.
4) 100-120KMPH is the ideal cruising speed, anything above that drops mileage below 20KMPL
5) Very Linear power delivery that means right gear is needed for urgent move on else wait for the power boost to arrive post 2.5k RPM.
6) Redlines near 6/7K RPM
7) Overtaking is easy if in right gear(>2.5k RPM)
All in all, as said earlier engine is a weak link, it is not involving but rather gets the work done and can pull the car even on steep inclines(experienced it on our way to nanital thanks to navimaps), it is not as bad as media has made it, it is a good option considering the price but when compared to the experience rest of the car provides it definitely needs improvement!
Mileage
Highways(City Mode)
1)Speed- 80KMPH
RPM- nearly 2K
Mileage- above 25KMPL
2)Speed-100KMPH
RPM- between 2.5K to 3K
Mileage- 23KMPL to 24KMPL
3)Speed- 120KMPH
RPM- Slightly above 3k
Mileage- 20-21 KMPL
City
Delivering around 16KMPL (city mode) to 18KMPL (eco mode) in Noida (no jams here)
*All the above speeds were speedometer indicated(speedo error is of around 10KMPH at 100KMPH) and also mileage reading are MID indicated.
Above figures are the reason I call it the mileage king!
Eco Mode vs City Mode
There are two aspects to judge in these modes, first one being performance and second being the mileage
1) Performance- Eco mode dulls the accelerator inputs, and one can feel the sudden drop in power, if eco mode is disengaged with accelerator pressed, there is a forward jerk felt which indicates the peppy nature(comparatively) of city mode. In hilly regions Eco mode is even unable to pull the car and thus better avoided whereas can be used on highways.
2) Mileage- As mentioned there is a difference of 1KMPL to 2KMPL between Eco mode and City mode and hence one would prefer Eco mode but then it just becomes unbearably sluggish on inclines and expressways.
Other Mechanicals and Headlights
Suspension As mentioned everywhere, it is perfectly calibrated and provides excellent ride as well as handling. No undulations felt inside. You just feel that you are sitting in a premium car as it feels completely isolated. 5/5 Here
Road Manners Extremely good dynamics, it feels stable even at 160KMPH and there is no cross wind action. 5/5 here as well.
Gear Box Buttery smooth, short and precious throws with well defined gates but reverse gear sometimes take time to engage and thus 4/5 here
Steering Beautiful EPAS unit provided, it is the right size but feels a tad bit light(maybe because Wagon R had manual steering)though. Twisties near nanital were fun to drive on thanks to this wheel. 4/5
Clutch Clutch is light with short travel and is a joy to use coupled with the nice gearbox. 5/5
Brakes Again, Very impressive, ABS kicks in aggressively whenever wheels lock, stops without drama within a short distance but initial few centimetres of the travel generates no response. 4/5
Headlights The Projectors are awesome and the light is spread evenly throughout its range which is surprisingly large, and when combined with high beam it lights up the road very well. In short, lights are very good and I do not feel the need to upgrade them.
NVH
The engine is noisy no two ways about it! With the windows rolled down and harman system turned off it feels like a big diesel is plonked under the bonnet. With the windows rolled up, obviously, noise is controlled but is still present. Will try to capture all that in a video and post it here.
Though, I am happy to share that Vibrations felt inside the cabin are negligible thanks to that balancer shaft, gear lever and steering wheel have no vibrations at all.
Harman System
Enough is already said about it, Its best in next class! It is loaded with features and i would like to highlight my observations after using it for a long time now-
1) Fader and Balance- I use it when the rear passenger wants to have silence and the driver and co-passenger still want some entertainment, just set it to driver and the music feel you get while all 8 speakers were working is retained sans rear speakers and hence the rear passenger could relax although it is no magic and some noise is still audible at the rear. It is really a useful feature for long drives.
2) Music Quality- It is really good and one could feel every beat though on heavy bass, the door vibrates. But really enjoyable if you carry high quality music files.
3)Bluetooth- Now, most of you people would not know but there is a set of devices that are supported by the system and that list is not even mentioned in the manual and here is how I accessed it-
One fine evening i connected my secondary phone(primary phone went kaput) to play some music and was shocked to see the system constantly buffering and stopping though calling and phone functions work fine. It was really irritating, immediately made a video and reported the problem to TMSC app and in reply received the list in which neither my primary phone(Infocus M810) was mentioned nor the secondary one(Lenovo z2 Plus) but somehow Infocus worked flawlessly. As changing the phone was not feasible, i am currently using aux cable to play which works fine for now and planning to resolve the bluetooth problem during 2nd Service. Later found out even their listed Moto G was buffering hence left it as it is for the time being. Where is their 10,000 Hours of testing gone now?
4) Radio- Works fine, as it should.
5) Voice Commands- Easy to use for AC and radio controls as they are pre defined(but one needs to remember the commands) but when one needs to call someone and call out indian names, it is unable to detect our voice and even if it does, we need to specify the sim1 or sim2 by selecting the option on the cell phone screen. There is a work around though, select one sim as default and it will work fine. Message Readout is a waste, it is not understandable at all due to the british accent plus the high pace.
6) Navi Maps- They are not completely reliable and accurate and thus i make sure i double check the shown route with Google Maps. I wish they had mirrored google maps instead.
Qualities of Each Seat
The seat i Like the most in order-
1) Co-Driver Seat: It is set at sufficient height and also it is well bolstered and holds you in place around the twisties. Really comfortable and the bonus being that you get to fiddle with the harman system sitting here.
2) Back Seat: Good legroom and adequate headroom, the armrest is a boon. The seats are comfortable and generous. Suprisingly they can control each and every function of the Ac and ICE as well through Tata Smart Remote App(feels nice to have such features).
3) Driver Seat: Front armrest is missed during long journeys and lot of controls to use(obviously) rest it like Co-passenger's.
Tata After Sales Service
Completed First free service at Sagar Motors Noida, some observations
1)The Iron Rod which holds the bonnet in open position is held by a very filmsy hook and hence it always falls out of it's socket whenever i open the bonnet, on complaining about the same, they changed that hook which again fell the very next day. Tata needs to find a solution As soon as possible.
2)Bonnet Misaligned- The bonnet was misaligned and was clearly visible and when brought to their notice, the problem was rectified to our satisfaction
3) Car cleaning was not done properly and when same was reported on the feedback call from the dealership, got a free car wash, and was asked to rate them 10 when Tata calls. They are changing for sure.
Total invoice was Rs.12 (for that hook)
Service was booked through TMSC app and appointment was confirmed through a phone call. All the records were available on the TMSC app after the service. Neat!
Accessories
Bought-
1)Auto Cop Gear lock for Rs.5K from the dealer
Planned-
1)Front Armrest
Summary
Tata Tigor is a beautiful car that deserves attention as it offers a very VFM proposition. It totally lives up to the standards Tata is setting with it's new breed of vehicle. It feels really solid and extremely well put together with attention to details. Car excels in all departments except the engine as discussed which though acceptable but could have been better. If you are sitting on the fence deciding between Tigor, Aspire, Dzire, Xcent or Zest, do give tigor a proper look and do not neglect it. It ticks all the boxes and is even under cuts the competition by a lakh or even more. As rushlane said about tigor, it is "An Xcent-ric choice for those who DZire to be Amaze-d".
Photos and Videos
Coming soon!
Hope you guys liked reading my review
Last edited: