Before I start talking about the car, let me first thank everyone from Tata Motors involved in giving us a glimpse of the soon to be launched GenX Nano at Tata Lake House. It was an amazing experience. And thank you Sachin Singh, for answering my stupid questions patiently and truthfully – something very few people seem to do these days.
I had never driven a Nano before; I had never sat in a Nano before. Nano has taken a lot of beating to its perception for being a cheap car. But let me tell you, its material and performance is anything but cheap. I have seen worse interiors and cheaper quality plastic used in some mid-sized and premium cars. So on the material and finish front, at no time do you feel that you have been short-changed.
It took a lot of restraint in the last few days to not read other GenX Nano Easy Shift reviews, and I am glad that I went in without any bias or preconceived ideas about this car.
GenX Nano Easy Shift has top of the line features and you will have all the latest features available in the small car segment in it, such as integrated Bluetooth to take your calls on the drive. But let’s first talk about the look.
Design – In terms of the look-and-feel
The car has an overall Beetle like look. The GenX Nano has some new design features that make it look more energetic and give it a good road presence. The new front grille is shaped like a smile which is a departure from the earlier grille design that looked more like a frown.
Genx Nano also introduces an Infinity symbol in Easy Shift that is used as a motif and underlines the exterior and interior design elements. As I mentioned earlier, quality of fabric and the dashboard plastic is good. It is thick enough to not give it a cheap look.
The four AC vents in the front ensure that cooling is efficient. We drove around all day in 40+ degree C and at no time did I feel in the front seat that the car wasn’t cool enough or uncomfortable. GenX Nano has a good music system with all the latest features that allow you to hook in your portable music system and USB drive. The USB drive can also be used as a charging port for your portable devices.
And, of course, the Bluetooth. Long city commute means you will need hands-free communication. You can link your phone to the Bluetooth and use the car’s speaker system to talk when you are driving around the city, or looking for an address. You can also connect your music devices with the Bluetooth technology and stream music from your portable device.
Space
The tiny car is not so tiny. Maruti Alto or the older 800 was much more cramped and had less leg space compared to the GenX Nano. A 6ft, slightly heavy person can fit in with ease. And an average Indian family can sit and travel in comfort over long distances.
The interior space and ease of sliding in and out of the car was a big surprise!
Performance
GenX Nano is designed for ease of use and fuel efficiency. The electronic power steering – ePas – ensures that you don’t have to wrestle with the steering wheel to make a sharp turn or take a U-turn in a tight spot. The wheel is light at low speeds and as you gain speed it provides enough resistance to help you stay in the lane.
Automated Manual Transmission
And now about the most important feature of the car – AMT. I have been wondering about all the discussions on different auto forums in India that discuss what gear the car is in at what speed, and all the talk about the speed at which the gear changes, in an automatic car. I have driven a few Automatics and have never experienced any gear changing in those cars. So this discussion had me stumped for some time.
Thanks to Sachin Singh, the guy heading the Nano platform development, who took out time to talk to me about the car, I have this funda all clear now. AMT or Automated Manual Transmission is a step up from a manual shift car and a notch below an automatic car. AMT takes care that the car does all the clutch and gear changing tasks for you. However, the gear box is still manual.
The AMT algorithm senses the speed of the car and decides for the driver if the car should run in the second gear or the third. But this also means that you can sense the transition. You also feel some jerks as you take your foot off the accelerator – something similar to what you experience when you try to take-off in a higher gear without pushing the accelerator as much as required. This happens because there is a slight delay in the gear shifting to a lower level at the reduced speed.
So if you are new at driving, with AMT there is definitely one cumbersome thing less to do. If you are used to a manual shift car, you might find the gear changes slightly different than your usual rhythm and will have to be patient to let the car do its thing – a small price for an idle left hand and foot. And if you are used to an automatic car, feeling the gear changes is the only difference, when you are driving GenX in the Auto Mode.
The Creep feature ensures that you are free from all the worries of changing the gear. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Creep feature rolls the car forward as you take the foot off the brake pedal. This means you can stand at the red light with your foot on the brake and just release the brake when the signal turns green. However, in the normal Auto mode, you might have to nudge the accelerator to move. This also changes based on the road gradient, of course.
Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency is a big factor for drivers in India. Tata GenX Nano ensures that you get the most out of your car by providing two different driving modes under Auto. You can choose to drive in a fuel efficient normal mode or quickly switch to the Sport Mode to overtake the vehicle in your front or clear a big crossroad.
The Sport driving mode helps the GenX Nano driver to accelerate at a faster rate. So the car responds much better in the Sport Mode than it does in the fuel efficient mode. And if you spend sleepless nights worrying about the fuel efficiency of your car, the GenX Nano instrument cluster also gives you live feedback on your driving style. The Efficiency Indicator tells you how fuel efficient your driving is so that you can adjust your speed to get the most from your fuel.
Day at Tata Lake House
Now, about the awesome day with GenX Nano . Again, a big thank you to all from Tata Motors and IndiBlogger for making this possible. It was a lot of fun meeting other bloggers from Pune and Mumbai, and knowing the people behind the mug shot.
We began with a detailed presentation by Sachin Singh, who explained the product philosophy and Tata Motors’ commitment to give its customers the best possible at a reasonable price.
He also addressed the important safety concerns most Nano buyers have by explaining the structural design changes that make the new GenX Nano safer.
All set to take challenges from Tata Motors and a live Twitter audience, we hurried to the Nano GenX waiting for us.
We had some seven to eight cars traversing the busy Pimpri-Chinchwad roads testing every possible Nano GenX features.
We scaled flyovers, took sharp U-turns, rode the bumpy roads, and took on all the fun challenges that were thrown at the teams.
The organizers made sure that we were fed and replenished with food and entertainment. Tata Lake House has a beautiful campus and there is a certain old-world charm to the whole place.
The tranquil lake surrounded by tall teak trees and green grass was the perfect setting to meet and interact with everyone.
Overall, GenX Nano has all the ingredients of a small car and more. It drives comfortably on city roads where there is hardly any chance to touch 50+ on the speedometer. The boot space can accommodate a couple of big bags and is enough for weekend travel. GenX Nano buyers will get decent power from the 2-cylinder engine at roughly 17 – 20 KMPL. With that fuel efficiency and all the trending features like Bluetooth connectivity, a good stereo and keyless entry, GenX Nano promises to deliver the best-in-class experience in small cars.
Tata Motors has not announced the price for this new model, but I think a price of 3 – 3.3L should put it substantially below the Alto AMT and compete at almost all levels.