[amalji]

I've been seeing the Tata Auto Taxi for quite some time. So today, decided to try it out.

Highlights

• Spacious cabin, lots of leg space.
• Comfortable seats.
• 5 seater (including driver)
• Airy cabin - lot of open windows allow good visibility and air circulation
• The roof seems to be having very good heat insulation. We were travelling on a sunny day at 2 pm. We did not feel any heat inside the cabin, even after travelling for 30 minutes.
• Superb car like suspension. Very comfortable
• Vibrations are well controlled, so is noise. Compared to the APE diesel autos, this is pure bliss.
• Gearshifts looked short and easy.

That raised area provides a teepoy like area to rest your foot. Very convenient.


Huge windows provide excellent visibility and air circulation, even for the middle passenger


Good Boot space


Neatly designed doors*


Front doors and convex ORVM


That's the dash. Notice the i10 like gear lever


There were 3 such vents at the front bottom side. I guess, it's again for ventilation.


3 can sit at the rear whereas 1 can sit at the front. There's no back rest for the front seat though. Just a piece of cushion.*


A closer view of the gear knob.


Wow, see that space!


Alto like door locks


Side view of the Auto Taxi


I'm really impressed with this vehicle. Comfortable, airy, spacious and Rs. 8 per km running rate (in Kerala). This should replace 3 wheelers within a few years.

[Viju]

Thanks for posting this. When I visited Kochi last month, I saw a large number of these vehicles running around. Being diesel and fuel efficient, I think this makes more sense than the auto-rickshaws. May be next time, I will take a ride in one of them.

Pardon my ignorance, but does anyone have a fair idea of how the price of one of these compare to a Diesel RE auto rickshaw?

[ACM]

Looks good and seems to be a much better place to be in during the monsoons compared to the 3 wheel auto's. They should have given the front seat a back rest as well. It can do the work of most Taxi's. Should be ok for short drives. The Rear Seat may not be comfortable for taller people for too long due to the low seated base though there is a lot of leg space.

Thank you for the detailed review.

[revintup]

Originally Posted by Viju

Pardon my ignorance, but does anyone have a fair idea of how the price of one of these compare to a Diesel RE auto rickshaw?

Saw one of these with this painted info on side :

"SAME CHARGE AS AUTO".

[SAE40 in veins]

Originally Posted by Viju

Pardon my ignorance, but does anyone have a fair idea of how the price of one of these compare to a Diesel RE auto rickshaw?

AFAIK the difference is about 60,000 Rs compared to the Ape three wheeler. No idea about Alfa and Atul though.

[amitwlele]

A very good option. Plus the added advantage of having a carrier for luggage.

Appears to be of the same lenght as an Omni. Is that right?

[scopriobharath]

Does this vehicle have seat belts for the passenger ?

After an accident with wife, I am paranoid about Autos

[narayan]

There is even a load carrier version of this thats doing the rounds in some parts of Chennai. Looks very cute. This should defenitely be far better than a 3-wheeler auto in all respects. Especially in Kerala which largely has a lot of KAL autos, this is a really a few notches above in the luxury quotient.

[Samba]

Now this is something different and a great review too! Now a days i spot many of these at Kolkata. It should be safer than auto's as the auto's are very prone to accidents plus there lack of balance makes them more accident prone. If these vehicles replace the three wheeled auto's it will be good for the passengers as its more comfortable and safer.

[slicvic]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

Does this vehicle have seat belts for the passenger ?

Good point there, but unless there is some legislation regarding this, the safety precautions will be ignored. I doubt that the manufacturer supplies the seat belt even as an accessory.

[rajeev k]

Nice review and ride Amakji.
This was a good move by TATA in launching the iris as an Auto Taxi. The name Auto Taxi is impressive and appropriate as it has the advantages of an Auto in terms of maneuverability and the benefits of a Taxi cab in comfort. TATA had the first starter advantage as Bajaj's offering is yet to see the light of the day.
The quadricycle concept has indeed caught on and it is going to stay.

Btb, perhaps the passenger capacity as per auto permit will be three and hence no proper seat in the front. AS the seats are comfortable and as the ride is good it would score heavily against Ape where the ride is always bumpy and coupled with a strange seating is definitely not spine friendly.

[girishglg]

Thats a neat review of the Iris taxi. Always wanted to ride in one of these cutie pies but there are none here in Blore. This vehicle seems to be a great alternative to the rough and crude diesel three wheelers sold by many manufacturers.

On the front missing passenger seat one, it seems like the actual seat has been ripped off to have this bench contraption to accomodate an extra passenger but wonder how one can sit with any comfort san the back rest

[amalji]

Originally Posted by amitwlele

Appears to be of the same lenght as an Omni. Is that right?

Omni is about 40 cms longer than the Magic Iris

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

Does this vehicle have seat belts for the passenger ?

Unfortunately no. :(
I agree this should have been a must. I'm also curious as to why this basic safety feature is not present even on the Volvo buses!

Originally Posted by rajeev k

The name Auto Taxi is impressive and appropriate as it has the advantages of an Auto in terms of maneuverability and the benefits of a Taxi cab in comfort. TATA had the first starter advantage as Bajaj's offering is yet to see the light of the day.
The quadricycle concept has indeed caught on and it is going to stay.

Spot on. They use the Independent MacPherson strut on the front and coil spring suspensions on the rear!
Even Maruti 800 didn't use to have coil springs on the rear. They only gave coil springs from Zen onwards and then the same made over to Alto.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Btb, perhaps the passenger capacity as per auto permit will be three and hence no proper seat in the front.

Good point. That could be the possible reason. I couldn't think of anything else either.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

AS the seats are comfortable and as the ride is good it would score heavily against Ape where the ride is always bumpy and coupled with a strange seating is definitely not spine friendly.

When I use Autos, I used to wait for Bajaj Petrol autos even if that means waiting another 5 minutes. The benchmark in comfort used to be the Bajaj 4-stroke Petrol Autos. Tata has taken it to another level even with a Diesel engine under its hood.
Ape is a best example as to how not to give comfort to a passenger.

Originally Posted by girishglg

On the front missing passenger seat one, it seems like the actual seat has been ripped off to have this bench contraption to accomodate an extra passenger but wonder how one can sit with any comfort san the back rest

Could be something to do with the permits and taxes. It's not at all tough to accommodate more people even with the back rests.

[Steeroid]

The answer to the question about the front passenger's backrest is in one of the pictures:

Originally Posted by amalji

Good Boot space
Attachment 1077627

Notice variant sticker 'D+3' - thats probably "Driver + 3". It is very likely that the front passenger seat was removed from the variant to meet some autorickshaw license norms - Autos cannot carry a passenger in the front. That explains the 'raised leg rest' in front.

The vehicle in the picture has a carrier on the roof - not sure if loading the top of this vehicle (tall with swb) is a good idea. They would be better off using the front passenger space for additional luggage.

[Prowler]

Good review Amalji. I wish they have such Autotaxis in Chennai too. At the least it will save many lives and injuries to the limbs from the mad max autos plying here.