Jun 24, 2016 03:55 AM
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When the Tata Nano first arrived, it brought with it an idea, a message - and we all got so caught up in that idea, that the car was then held up to very high standards. High standards for failure I should say, because no one wanted to give it a chance. It started slow, but has since been managing decent numbers - of as many as 4000 a month. But well off the original target of 10, 000 a month that Ratan Tata had envisaged.
On the whole the car drives quite well, given its size. The electric power assisted steering that came with the Nano Twist a few months ago is now also available on the mid-variant and no longer just the preserve of the top-end. Its ground clearance remains a healthy 180 mm, and it still has the 4-metre turning radius that bests it's class. Tata engineers have taken not just customer feedback into account, but also visited several markets across India to monitor traffic and parking conditions. The idea was to use this data to recalibrate the engine settings - in an effort to increase fuel efficiency. The manual now offers 23.6 kmpl(Alto800: 22.74Km/l, Eon 0.8 IRDe: 21.1Km/l), while the AMT version has a mileage of 21.9Km/l which is lower than the Alto K10's(AltoK10 AMT: 24.71Km/l).
The new Nano now also has a 24 litre fuel tank. Girish Wagh says here too customer feedback prompted a change from the previous 15 litre tank, as many users didn't appreciate having to make two trips to the gas station every week, to tank up. The additional fuel capacity means the driving range is extended by approximately 210 kilometres now to over 500.