My first car. Review on Tata Nano

After online research of almost 6 months, I finally decided to go with the Nano LX Lunar Silver. I got my Nano on the 21st of August 2011. I am one among very few fortunate owners who had the privilege of receiving the keys from Mr. Ratan Tata himself. Now that's really a moment for life.

I learnt driving very recently, drove an Alto, manual steering, which is the closest that schools can offer. Drove it for a total of 8 hours in 16 days.

I was the only one who knew how to drive at the time of vehicle delivery, my family was with me, and I really had to struggle to move it through exhaustive Bangalore traffic. Had many instances where I heard lots of cars honking from behind, for obvious reasons. I had to sweat it out, to take it past 7 KM, which seemed 70 KM to me.

It has been 10 days now and now I am in a better position to give a meaningful review. Here are some thoughts:

Space: Ample leg room, head room. Dashboard scoops on either side provide space for anything and everything. I could keep all my shopping stuff there.

Handling: Piece of cake. In just 10 days, I can now maneuver with confidence. Small roads, bad roads, parking, inclination are not a problem. Moves like a bug and gets me through quickly and saves a lot of time.

Comfort: AC is very powerful. I use it sparingly to save fuel. Seats are comfortable and do the job just right. The space adds up to the comfort for front and rear seaters.

Mileage: I am getting 19+ in Bangalore traffic. I am still learning to make best use of the landscape and the momentum to extract more mileage.

I plan to take it on a highway in a couple of days, 450 KM journey, one side. People are suggesting that this car is just a city car and I still want to take it out, lets see how it goes.

Overall, I am satisfied with the car. It was not that a burden on our pockets and it took some time for me to feel the sense of ownership. I now keep admiring it, the idea behind it, accepting it for what it is made for. All car companies have the capability to build something like Nano, but Tata is the one which actually did it, a bold move from them. I think we should stop comparing or speculating things and start looking at it as a concept that is making buzz in the rest of the world (Nano Europa and Nano Pixel). For me, my expectations are practical and so are the results.

Happy Reading. :)

Update:

I took my car on a highway, Bangalore to Dharwad-450 km. We maintained the speed below 90. Mileage varied but was more than what I expected. Car delivered 26.5 km/L with 2 persons traveling and 23.6 km/L with 2 persons and miscellaneous luggage worth 250 kg at the back. We used AC intermittently. Traveled 900 km in 2 days with 36 liters of fuel. Now it is time to give it for 1st service. Lets see.