Some t-bphians and me went for a TD of the Tiago JTP on Sunday. We used the spare time to TD the Hexa manual and the Harrier - will share the details on the respective threads.
Coming to Tiago JTP, the showroom - KLN Motors were super courteous and responsive. Concorde, sadly hasn't received the Tiago yet and have the Tigor JTP for TD. I was told they'll get the Tiago JTP by April. KLN also allowed for a long TD and was completely at ease. We took the car from Ekkattuthangal to Airport and did a couple of runs there. I started with the TD and for some God known reason, there was horrible traffic on the entire stretch which is unusual on a Sunday afternoon.
Even while I tried to push, the car performed normal with absolutely no wow factor. However, I liked the ride comfort, clutch weight, noise insulation and steering feel (physical). I LOVED the brakes - I think I was so impressed with the Fiesta (Aston Martin grill) before this on the brakes front. The only unpleasant factor was the "wooden" feel of the brake pedal - friends say it could be because its a new car. I did some long drive and handed over the car to my friend coz it didn't impress me much.
My friend Abhi takes the wheel and the first thing he does is to shift into Sports mode!!!
That's when I realized I forgot to switch the mode while testing. There was a perceivable difference in the engine acceleration and also the growl from the exhaust. He gave a proper stick and the car responded. The SA (Sabarish) himself suggested me to take another round with the Sports mode. As luck would have it, I couldn't manage a proper TD since the vehicle movement was a little too much for pushing it. However, we still did some lane change etc and by the end of the drive,
we were TOTALLY IMPRESSED with the car.
Likes
+ Dealership experience
+ Looks - the design tweak makes it look so beautiful
+ Refinement - absolutely NO vibrations on the steering, pedals or gear lever. Once at idle, I had to revv and check whether the car is running
+ Steering leather and feel - felt premium
+ Noise insulation - Hardly much noise inside but still can hear the exhaust
+ Brake modulation - very sure footed braking
+ Ride and handling package
+ Acceleration in Sports mode
+ Gear shifts except for 4-5 transition
+ AC is good - had to use speed 3 to cool 3 of us down on a hot afternoon
+ Pretty decent boot for the segment
Dislikes
- The seating position is way too high than I'd like it - almost felt SUVish
- The wooden feel of the brake pedal
- The shifting from 4-5 was just not proper, rest all gears felt good (my benchmark is still the Swift)
- The redline is at 5500 rpm and a revv limited / fuel cut off happens at 6000 rpm, low for a petrol
At 7.6L OTR price (Chennai), this is a sweet package that no one can ignore. It's fast when required and keeps passengers comfortable. The high seating position is also nice for long drives (save for the lack of sporty feel to the driver). The good sound insulation will not wear you out on the long drives, but reminds you of the special heart. The City mode is tuned well and no nasty surprises with respect to lag etc. After all the wild revv we did, the MID still showed an avg FE of 10 kmpl, Since I didn't see any variation at all, not sure it was functioning or I looked at it the correct way.
What more would I love in the car - the same kit as in Tigor (ACC / reverse parking cam). It makes the Tiago all the more practical. This is one car that has a dual personality and does both really well too. In all the excitement, we forgot to test the HK system but having tested it in Tiago before, am sure it's a nice unit. KLN has received just 2 bookings and yet to make any delivery. However, he said there are quite a few who TDed the car, were impressed but still waiting for some discounts to come in before they book it.
After the TD they took a detailed feedback too and am told the JTP guys do check it religiously. If I have to purchase a sub 10L car now, I guess this is the foremost contender. Need to see what Ford brings in with the facelift Figo and a Figo S later (considering it's a diesel).
I made this statement to my friends after the TD - "This car (Tiago) mocks a Swift in lane change". I think that sums up what TATA / Jeyam has achieved. Guys -
Take a bow and THANK YOU for giving us this small bundle of joy.
Clicked on my LG V40.