Tata Tigor Honest Customer Review (Long term review)
Why this review and
why me? Well, like you, I too was searching for honest and first-hand customer
reviews of the latest ‘styleback’ from Tata Motors’ stable – the Tata Tigor.
And, unlike you, I found none. So without further ado, here it is.
My Tigor is Platinum Silver-coloured,
XZ (O) Petrol and yes, is the top model, the fully-loaded one if you may say. The
car has been through its 2nd service and has clocked around 4500 kms
till now.
Before purchasing this
car I owned a Maruti Zen Estilo and a Maruti Ritz; both of which are
hatchbacks. So please treat this as a reference point when I refer to a hatchback
during my review of the Tigor.
I know that by now you
must have gone through all of its features and expert reviews. Hence, I am
skipping this part of telling you these features all over again. Let’s get to
the actual stuff. That is, how are these features relevant and what is my
experience in driving this beauty.
Tata Tigor is surely a
head-turner and you will fall in love with its design. In fact, when I went
back to the dealership after purchasing this car, a couple, who had finalized Tata
Zest, saw my Tigor and immediately told the dealer that they will now be going
for the Tigor. It’s that beautiful.
The sloping roofline
softly merges into the boot, giving the Tigor a coupe-esque look and add to its
racing stance. High-mounted Stop Lamp and 15” Diamond-Cut Alloy Wheels only up
the style quotient further.
And so does the Double-Barrel
Smoked Projector Headlamps, which, while adding to the menacing look, do a
wonderful job and even on low-beam the visibility is perfect. It can light up
any track. During my drive, I have been through roads which were pitch-dark,
but, with this car, there was no need to even go on a high-beam (save for a few
kms here and there).
Coming to the inside.
The Driver’s Seat is adjustable for height as well, apart from the usual forward/back
and backrest adjustment, which helps in providing a better and a comfortable
driving position. The Steering Wheel is adjustable too and has a premium piano
black (black glossy) finish. The Gear Knob too has a premium finish along with
chrome inserts. However, the gear cover, which is attached to the bottom of the
console, used to keep coming off and hence was fixed during the 1st
service. The AC vents on either side have piano black finish with chrome
inserts (only red and copper colour have body-coloured vents) and there are
thoughtful chrome inlays at various other points within the car as well. Tata
Motors has given ample storage spaces inside the car (I’ll come to the boot
later) and even the Door Pockets are able to fit-in 1 litre bottles, and, for bigger
bottles, you can utilize the bigger holder provided between the driver and
co-passenger seat.
The seats are
comfortable and there is good amount of legroom for passengers seating at the
back. The backseat can adjust 2+1 adults and there is also a retractable centre
armrest with cup-holders. Some people however, may find the seating position a
bit on the lower side.
And oh, did I forget
to tell you about its ride quality? Well, Tata cars have been known for their
ability to ride through even no-existent ‘roads’ with ease and Tata Tigor is no
exception. It can make mockery of any rough patch on the road and when there is
no road, it simply gobbles them up for lunch. The car comes fitted with
Bridgestone tyres and, coupled with its extraordinary suspension setup, weight
of the car and the light steering wheel, the car displays exceptional road
manners. ABS with EBD and Corner Stability Control also helps in delivering a
superb ride quality and a smooth drive. A Dead Pedal (essentially a footrest)
is also provided, which helps in reducing driver’s fatigue and making the
experience a comfortable one. Which reminds me, that I used to take a journey
break while driving to Jaipur (200+ kms) in my Maruti Ritz, and the drive
itself was tiring to say the least; but, with Tata Tigor, the drive was a
breeze and even my family (as passenger) didn’t feel the need to stop mid-way,
and I also had ample amount of energy left after reaching there.
Talking about the
drive to Jaipur. We, i.e. my parents, my wife and 2 kids, went to Jaipur for a
wedding some time back. But why am I telling you this? Well, for starters, you
can imagine the amount of luggage we were having. 2 full-size suitcases, 1
medium size one, one airbag, a separate bag for shoes, and few smaller items.
And before we could start the journey, we had to load this luggage in. I was a
bit apprehensive owing to my previous experiences with hatchbacks as well as (cabs)
Dzires, Innovas and Ertiga. All my worries were put to rest once I started
loading the boot, which is a whopping 419 litres. It obviously took a few
permutations combinations but, eventually, I was able to load all the mentioned
luggage right inside the boot, literally to the brim. And now came the ultimate
test – closing the boot. The innovative 4 bar mechanism and struts (a clever
take from hatches) do not intrude into the boot at all and I was able to close
it quite easily. Wow! It is important because this helps in freeing up crucial
space in the boot which otherwise, in a ‘normal’ sub-compact sedan, is eaten up
by the goose-neck hinges.
Driving, in general,
was a mixed bag during the initial few kms i.e. before the 1st
service. During that period the car obviously took time to even do 60-80 kmph
and, to be true, I also didn’t want to push it because of advices by various
‘experts’. I didn’t bother to check the average/mileage till then either. But
boy oh boy, after the 1st service (and a few kms after that) I was
pleasantly surprised when I noticed the car was doing a good 110 kmph and I
wasn’t pushing it at all. The instant average/mileage (as displayed on the MID) was between 18-21 kmpl. However, using tank-full to tank-full method I got
around 17 kmpl average/mileage. The car’s first gear is too short and you are bound
to immediately switch to the second. Inside the hood, the plastic hinge that
holds the iron rod (which is for keeping the hood in its place) is flimsy. The
one on my car broke and was changed during the 2nd service. The opening
of the windshield washer tank is such that it does not allow air to fully dispense
and hence you require patience while filling that up. Apart from that, the layout
is pretty simple and they’ve even given a box for spare fuses.
Talking about comfort,
the Steering Mounted Controls, with Voice Recognition System for the ConnectNext
Infotainment System by HarmanTM and Auto Climate Control, gives you
a commanding position and helps you be in total control of the car. The system
responds well to voice commands. However, it may take some time in getting used
to it. Though the top-model comes with a 5” touchscreen, I mostly use either
voice commands or knobs or steering mounted controls simply because it is
easier to use them while driving. If you are not driving, you may even use the
Tata ConnectNext App which has a simple interface and is quite easy to use. It’s
an 8-speaker system on Tata Tigor XZ (O), and trust me on this, it completely bowls
you over. I can guarantee that there will be a broad smile on your face when
you’ll listen to your favourite music on this system. Frankly, I haven’t felt
the need to turn up the volume more than 8, but even then you can hear every
note, every instrument clearly. Pure magic.
EDIT: The 5" touchscreen also works as a display when you are going in the reverse. This helps in parking the car to a great extent. The screen is also utilized for the Navigation System (when connected to the system via USB). However, maps from only NaviMaps (part of the Tata App) are displayed on the screen. Now I've figured out a hack which I utilize quite often. Since I generally prefer voice commands while driving, and also Google Maps, I start my navigation via Google Maps on my phone. Next, on the system, I switch to Bluetooth device in the media. So essentially what it does it that whenever there is a voice command in Google Maps (in phone) I am able to hear it in the speakers in the car (which otherwise you cannot). This has helped me a lot while driving.
In conclusion, I would
highly recommend this car as it comes with a whole lot of features at unbelievable
price point.
I think this sums up
my review. Thank you for reading. Do share your comments and reviews.
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