Tata Motors are launching GenX Nano in India on 19th May, 2015. Guess what? We got an opportunity to test drive and review this upcoming compact car by Tata Motors with the help of Indiblogger under the #FollowTheGenX initiative. This car is a very much advanced version of the predecessors and the current Nano which is in the market. We were amazed to experience a lot of improved features in this car which is very much suitable to drive in the city traffic.
As we unleash more details about this car, we would like to tell our audience that this is an AMT(Automated Manual Transmission) car. So for people who do not like always to shift gears, here is a compact car for your use. Just Hit the accelerator and you are off to hit the roads.
Tata GenX Nano Easy Shift
Tata Nano was way back launched in 2009. After different versions they have really improved a lot of things in this latest Tata GenX Nano easy shift. It is now no more the cheapest car, but yes it is very much affordable and is a super advanced version of the predecessors. So let us have a look at the design of this made for city car.
Design – DesignNext
In the first look we observe that it is a small car, but with good looks. Mainly when you have a look at the car from the front, you can see a smiling lower grille. It really gave a smile on my face when I saw this car. The design is completely revamped and you must been amazed at looking the pictures of the car.
There is a new front bumper, head lamps are revised and smoked. The hood of the car is given a glossy black garnish. Talking about the rear, the bumper has new looks. Exhaust is shifted to left, previously it was centered. By the way this version of Tata Nano has an opening hatch on the rear. This is a revolutionary kind of thing for this model.
The car has a 94 litre boot space. We are talking about the AMT version. Though if you go for the manual versions then the boot space will increase to 110 litre. You can keep a lot of stuff in this boot space, better than what you could had done in the previous versions.
Tata Motors is going to introduce new colors on the GenX Nano. These are Sangria Red and Persian Rose. The car which we reviewed is having Sangria Red color. Overall design does look fresh and we hope that youth will be the targeted customers of this car.
The interiors are improved drastically in this version of Tata Nano GenX. Mainly the 3 spoke steering wheel looks far more premium than the earlier versions. It does provide palm grip perfectly. Now the interior finishes will be different for the different variants.
For the XT and XTA there will be Latte color and for XE & XM it will have an ebony shade color. There are 2 glove boxes and also a small bottle can be placed. The AC vents look a bit stylish. The top version XT has the front power windows. For the back windows, manually they need to be adjusted.
Bluetooth Telephony
This is one of the excellent deal breakers and useful feature of this Tata GenX Nano. It has a Bluetooth telephony system. You can connect your smartphone via Bluetooth to the system and can easily pickup calls in the car while driving using this system. A rear parcel tray with speakers do enhance the overall sound experience of the car.
Talking about the space the car has enough leg room as well as knee room in rear and at the front. Though while sitting at rear, people will have to sit tight if you are going to get 3 people in there. Headroom is good. Seats are comfortable.
There is an instrument cluster which includes the dual trip meters, gear position indicator. There is a digital fuel gauge and temperature gauge. We liked the name embossed on the headlights “nano”, it does look premium and was never expected in such hatchback cars.
Performance
It has the same twin cylinder 624 cc engine. The car is having AMT with a 5 speed automated manual setup. There is also a 4 speed manual transmission for the regular Nano. The AMT version is 30kg heavier than the MT version. The car`s AMT kit is made by the Italy`s Magneti Marelli.
While driving in the AMT mode you have to be relaxed. There should be no use of the left foot whatsoever. So your right leg should take care of the acceleration and the brake. Do not expect much pickup, as mentioned earlier you have to be relaxed while driving the AMT version of the Nano. Top Speeds can go upto 85km/hr but we tested only till 60km/hr.
The sports mode of the car helps to drive on inclined roads or like flyovers. The GenX model has improved thermal efficiency. There is a cooling system in the front of the car. It was overall decent performance by the car. The company should improve the engine as it improved a lot other features for a better performance.
User Experience
While driving the Nano GenX easy shift the handling was good. Especially the steering performance of the car was great. We were able to steer the car properly without any glitch. The car is also capable of turning in just 4 meter radius. While taking a U turn in the test drive, we did felt that this car took the U turn swiftly in less space. This is perfect for traffic conditions. The brakes are important asset of the car.
While driving the AMT version we did utilized the brakes often for making the car stop. We do believe that in the manual transmission there will be less need of applying the brakes.
There is an economic mode in the car which will help the user to achieve 21.9km per litre mileage. Once you fuel up the car you can drive 500 kms with ease. The 24 litre tank helps the user to achieve the mark. The AMT variant user can fit in luggage of upto 94litre and for manual transmission the luggage can be fit upto 110 litre.
The Tata Nano GenX has safety precautions. Though we did not found the air bags, but other safety precautions are taken care off. A ground clearance of 180mm can be done with ease. This is a good move by Tata Motors to improve the ground clearance of this car.
We used the instrument cluster. In that you can play your favorite music using the USB, Radio, AUX, CD Player. Apart from these there is a Bluetooth system in the car as explained in the design. We were able to enjoy the sound using the 4 surround speakers. Overall sound quality was decent. We drove the Tata GenX Nano easy shift around Pune and it was a good experience.
Final Verdict
The car is compact, looks good and is comfortable. It is an ideal car for the first time riders and if you travel a lot within the city. The Tata Nano GenX is for the youngsters and housewives for easy ride to their destinations within the city. It is easy to ride and therefore for people who do not like to switch gears often, this car is the best alternative. The price is not yet revealed but it will be around 2.4lakh for the MT version and a bit more for the XT(AMT) version which we reviewed.
