[gopa99]

Thanks Tushar for a very detailed review and the pictures.

I feel the Datsun team has hit spot on the idea of "Practicality" Indians see in a car. The 3rd row, albeit small and tiny, can always double up as an emergency seating option when otherwise serving as a voluminous boot. The frugal engine of 1.2 L hope is equally accommodative on mileage and pull too with the extra load.

[FINTAIL]

'Turns out, the commercial is already here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh0W...eview-instream

The location: Lavasa, a township between Bombay & Poona. The WagonR F10D shown in the ad looks a tad familiar.

I quite like the ad, to be woefully honest.

The cast is excellent, the shooting is good. BUT- Couldn't relate to 'powerful' and '1.2' liter engine. And in the acceleration scene, the WR was a wrong car to be chosen. The WR easily can overtake the GO, on account of a superior 1.0 l VVT., aka the K10BN.

[saket77]

Originally Posted by FINTAIL

'Turns out, the commercial is already here.
The location: Lavasa, a township between Bombay & Poona. The WagonR F10D shown in the ad looks a tad familiar.
----And in the acceleration scene, the WR was a wrong car to be chosen. The WR easily can overtake the GO ----

I could not run the youtube ad since I am at my workplace, but have they pitched the WagonR again in the ad? If I remember correctly, even the Datsun Go ad featured a few Alto(s) and WagonR(s) and the Go was shown as supreme to them in every aspect. Of course, the above vehicles were striped of badges.
But now targeting the WagonR again with the GO+ makes no sense. The error is that you cannot pitch both the Go & Go+ against the same car! Strange.
On the other hand, they seem to be targeting the market leader straightaway. Don't know if it is the right strategy especially with the sales number GO has garnered. Probably the reason why Maruti has not bothered objecting to the ads as yet

[W.A.G.7]

It seems that Datsun/Nissan have completely lost it. As much as the car looks shiny and nice from the outside, it is all the more disappointing when you go inside the car. I would give it two out five points. There's simply too much of cost cutting everywhere and somehow the cost doesn't justify what is provided to the customer. If they had targeted the taxi market, this car would have sold in decent numbers.

All in all a very good review of an already dead car. Time will soon tell whether this car is a dud or not.

[dileepcm]

As usual, a great review, appreciate the attention to details. Coming to the product, I cant really think of any reasons for which some one should invest on this car. Not a lot of positives in comparison and i believe this is not going to create any sorts of waves.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by i74js

Quanto is in different league altogether.

Correct. My response was to whether a sub-4 meter can also be a 7-seater.

Originally Posted by carwatcher

I have rechecked the Official Review of Quanto which is done by you and the verdict if far from what you have given here as 'Good job'.
Even MnM claims it as 5+2 seater.

Hey, I'm no Quanto fan. However, credit where it's due. Among the sub-4 meter vehicles out there, it's the best bet to seat 7.

[amitoj]

Excellent review, guys!
But did i read "non retractable seat belts" ??
And no rear washer/wiper? I have driven a minivan occasionally and even on slightly muddy or wet road, the rear windscreen loses all visibility within 5 minutes! This means your rear view mirror is absolutely ineffective!
If we want to see what safety regulations are missing from our laws, then we just need to look at this car.
I shudder to think how many lives will be put at risk, but since there is no diesel/LPG/CNG variant, I hope the sales will be too low for this thing to exist for too long.

[400notout]

A very unbiased and excellent review of a car which already a lot of pre-notions against it to begin with.

Not a great car for sure but why so much hate??

The reactions on the Go's crash worthiness says a lot about how much can media articles influence us.
Swift failed the test too so will a load of other cars across segments the day crash tests are implemented in India.

Forget seven seaters, people do not shy away from transporting 6-7 folks in cars configured to seat 5.
(I travelled in a mighty Indica once with 8 co-passengers other than the driver albeit for a couple of KMs at midnight).
The last row will be better than sharing the second row with one or two extra squeezed in passengers.

You show me a person who hasn't seen an over stuffed private car in India and I'll show you a bloody liar!

No matter how much we deny it we will not shy away from filling as many people in an automotive much more than it was designed to.
I see Omni and Eeco School vans daily ferrying 12-15 tiny tots at the least.

Badly arranged space - Yes!

Absolutely unusable - I doubt. I wont be surprised if this ones used as a 9 seater! (Front bench we forget)

Not a replacement or competition to the mobilios and ertigas but its definitely more for less. This car will appeal to the private buyer more than the likes of Omni and Eeco.

The car doesn't look cheap till you take a step inside. But the available space inside is what you get if you sacrifice on equipment and a few bare basics like a glovebox-lid

It has a better engine but NVH levels should have been better.

An MID is welcome whereas music systems and remote locks could be installed from aftermarket sources.

Its a modestly priced car that drives well and is spacious, it will have a few buyers. But I don't expect this to meet a fate any better than the Go.

Unless you rebadge this as a Maruti. Then it will sell 15k units a month.

[kadanaJ]

Originally Posted by 400notout

Unless you rebadge this as a Maruti. Then it will sell 15k units a month.

I quite agree, that the product itself isn't that bad. If it was a Maruti, it indeed could have sold in strong numbers. It's Nissan's still growing dealership network that will hold it back.

This car may never make it for consideration on my personal buyers list, but I do see potential as an alternative to the Omni or other taxis.
The Go+ does have more than ample room to seat 5+luggage for an airport journey. Far better than the Santro and WagonR taxis available in Mumbai.

As far as this car's competitors go, does any feel it could be called a 'down-market' Honda Jazz (without the joke of a 3rd row seat)?

[Geo_Ipe]

Well, well!Quite a lot of Datsun bashers out here!

Either way, I don't think there's any doubt that the Go+ is not a car that is gonna appeal to any BHPian. But car makers don't make cars only for BHPians, do they?

Observed that a lot is being said about the Global NCAP results the Go obtained - 0 stars! The way I remember it, the only car that got any stars was the Polo, with 2 front airbags standard. even the Swift got a perfect 0!! Yet 15,000+ people buy that car month after month in India! Noone seems to be bothered about that!

What about the Omni and Eeco? Combined, they sold 10,000+ units in Decemeber! How do we explain that? How many of us BHPians use an Omni as a daily ride? Negligible, would be my guess. The question I would like to ask is this - Which one would you think would fare better in a crash test - Omni or Go?? So when the tin box Omni with its 3 decade old mechanicals, which noone in most likelihood will ever crash test, is selling 6000+ units a month in our country, why bash a new comer so much??

And is the Go really that much a failure? Looking at the sales figures, it did sell > 1000 units a month August - October last year, dropping later. Isn't that way better than figures of the Spark, Punto, Sail UVA, Verito Vibe etc?

The product may look stupid, but I do think the Go+ will appeal to tiee II and III customers quite a lot! Especially with a CNG/LPG kit slapped on!

Would I buy a Go/Go+ - Never! But if someone else chooses to, I think it should really be up to them to decide for themsleves!

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

As far as this car's competitors go, does any feel it could be called a 'down-market' Honda Jazz (without the joke of a 3rd row seat)?

Friend, if you are comparing the Datsun Go with the Honda Jazz, you shouldn't be on this forum!

[honeybee]

It's difficult to see how Nissan wants to position this vehicle. Lack of features and even decent space makes it unattractive to the private buyers, while the accessories such as the seat covers are too much for a fleet operator.

With unknown service experience and virtually no brand recall for Datsun, most people would stick to the known brands, though the Go+ is dirt cheap.

[arjab]

Throw in a CNG kit and offer it to the Delhi cabbies and clock in decent monthly volumes. This way people will "see" some of these on the roads and consider buying for personal use. End of the day"....Jo Dikhta hain, woh bikta hai". To be very honest, Datsun is not not exactly reeking with brand equity in our country.

Boot has enough space, if the 3rd row is removed to comfortably take a CNG cylinder.
Whatever the Datsun marketing bosses may say, once the quest for sales numbers starts pinching the regional sales bosses - all will toe the "cab segment" line!

It happened with Indigo CS, Manza, Dzire tour, the Etios twins, Tavera's, Innova's et al.

Its just a matter of time. Let's wait and watch !

[charanreddy]

IMO, there is demand in market for an ultra cheap 7 seater that looks like Innova / Ertiga and thats where the Go+ scores even with its spartan interiors and next to nothing safety.

A lot of families spending less than INR 5 L OTR for a vehicle do not have the choice now to seat 7 people even for short in-city runs / or short weekend trips, legally. This is more so in tier 2 towns / villages where neighbors are more closely knit or relatives stay close by.

IMO, GO+ will appeal to this set of customers with a real or perceived need of seating more than 5 people.

Also you can't argue it seats more people per Rupee spent (If you forget the Omni / Eeco, which families don't want to be seen in because of their cargo van image).

Infact I have myself felt the need when I want to visit a temple / movie on the weekend with a few relatives who stay close by. Travelling in different cars or non-existing Bangalore public transport takes the fun out of travel.

Obviously Datsun needs a massive brand perception change from "cheap quality foreign product" to "Good, Value for money product and Cheap to maintain" ala Maruti 800 / alto for this product to do any serious numbers.

[puchoo]

This is not a 7 seater in my opinion , a station wagon would be a more accurate description , i would hate being in that last seat on this car, it looks horrible!

There is no USP or wow factor in the car clearly , but the price is strong and i also feel that maybe commercial fleet operators might like the car for the possible value it is providing but nothing honestly to really make it raise it's arm to the private buyer.

Personally i do not like the 'bench' concept in the front either , a gap with decent storage space in the middle would have been acceptable and it would have also meant a more conventional placement for the brake which would then not have interfered with the legs of the driver..... and really they should stop making noise about the mobile docking station

[Tushar]

Originally Posted by prabhu789

People haven't accepted Datsun as a brand. If the same car comes out from Maruti stable this would be a blockbuster. When Omni, Eeco sells then why not GO+. Personally I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy these vehicles as they fail miserably on safety parameters.

Yes, brand weight does make a massive difference. Maruti doesn't make safe cars, but at least they back it up with a reassuring ownership experience. It's unfair to bash on Datsun alone, but that doesn't change the fact that the cars are unsafe. The basic issue is, Datsun's highlighted faults surpass the benefits like novelty features or space.

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Nice and informative review as is the norm in the forum. The photograph of the car on the stream makes the Go+ quite gorgeous. Which is this location? A picture aside a Mobilio would be better for comparison purpose.

Location: Rishikesh. Datsun chose the location for the amazing backdrops.

We also looked for a Mobilio or Ertiga, but couldn't find one at the time.

Originally Posted by Grand Drive

People might be interested to buy this as a 5 seater rather than as a 7 seater.

This is more wagon than MPV, but Datsun can't promote is as a 5 seater. Even with the 3rd row down, compact sedans still offer more practicality.

Originally Posted by anachronix

Killer pricing and killer car too, now that you can carry more people also makes it sound a little scary. I am surprised TeamBHP really bothered with a review for this suicide machine on wheels!

If Team-BHP only reviewed cars that were genuinely safe, the review section would go really dry .

Originally Posted by kadanaJ

As far as this car's competitors go, does anyone feel it could be called a 'down-market' Honda Jazz (without the joke of a 3rd row seat)?

hahaha, I'm a Jazz owner and I'm offended . I suppose in some ways you could call it a SEVERELY down-market Jazz.