Now, if you're the sort who likes to multiply money by investing in stock markets, you must
have heard of what Tata Motors have achieved in the past one year. No, you haven't? Well,
you really should. In fact, it's so important that I'm going to pull out my phone and tell
you an exact quote that I found. Tata Motors is in the early phase of a multi year turnaround
that is led by confluence of improved strategy. Well, the report is a lot more longer than that,
but my brain is just trained enough to analyse this much, what I can tell you for sure
is that the keyword for money milkers is going to be turn around but for us at PowerDrift,
it is strategy, so what is Tata Motors really up to?
It's this, the Tiago iCNG.
You will now be told the tale of how this very practical hatchback lost all its boot space.
And that is exactly what they've done with the boot space. This used to measure at
242 litre and it's now down to 80 litre which basically is your typical duffel
bag. Instead what Tata Motors have done is fitted a tank here, a 60 litre tank,
which means the Tiago gets extended range making it a perfect getaway vehicle.
The only problem is you can't fill this tank with petrol, you can fill it only with gases.
No, I'm not talking about those nukes, I'm talking about gases
that help you save, gases that power your engine and ignite
to produce a greener byproduct than fuel, gases that make you richer and smarter.
Smarter, because you roughly lose about 15% of power and torque in exchange of Rs. 65,000 worth
of savings over 10,000 kilometres, a distance that I can easily cover in six months. Alright,
I do understand that getting to the spare wheel that is placed under the tank
is a little more tedious but then again a point to note, Tata Motors packs in a tyre,
a puncture repair kit with the Tiago which makes things a lot more easier, still, if the savings
aren't lucrative enough, Tata Motors has thrown in a few more features to make the Tiago better.
Remember, we are discussing a strategy here that makes it a better hatchback.
Let's go, we need to go to Panvel. Panvel? Speak faster, we need to leave for Panvel tomorrow morning!
So what they've done is made a handsome looking car look even smarter. Tata Motors
has added projector headlamps, DRLs and some chrome treatment to the grille. What
they're also offering is this new colour, which surprisingly makes all Tata cars look sinister.
Sinister yet safe, Tata Motors wants you to know
that the Tiago iCNG is guarded. It uses high quality stainless steel components
and is programmed to cut off CNG in various risky situations,
the single ECU can automatically switch between fuels, and can also directly start in CNG.
We were also told a thing or two about performance and acceleration, which we did put to test.
Underpowered are what CNG cars are known as and the Tiago CNG is no rocket but it is no slouch
either, getting up to triple digit cruising speeds is a fairly easy task. It does take a lot of time,
but it gets there and once you're there, it does not mind lingering around those speeds.
And I'm experiencing all of this while driving a hilly section of road because I really wanted to see how
the Tiago CNG performs when you are negotiating a few hill climbs. To my surprise, it's doing just
fine, obviously you have to remember that this is a heavy hatchback, so, it does take some work,
you have to really work that engine to get somewhere and similarly overtaking on the highways
will need prior planning because you really have to be in the right power band to do it safely.
You have to remember, this is a very cost effective hatchback, 26.94 kilometres to one
kg of CNG, do the math and you will realise that this could be
the key to your success in saving a lot of money.
Think about it, the distance between Mumbai and Pune, 150 kilometres, the Tiago CNG would do it
in just Rs. 400 which is 130 bucks more than what you pay for toll, 130, just 130,
it is quite cheap to run.
Alongside the Tiago iCNG, Tata Motors has also introduced the Tigor iCNG in the market. Now
if you are asking us which one is better? It's simple, go out and splurge all the money that
you would buying a CNG car something like this and try fitting it in a hatchback of this size,
which you can't, so,
if it's going to be the Tigor,
would you buy the CNG or the electric? Let us know in the comments below.