You Can't say "NO" to "Nano"!

A cute, frugal and comfortable car, nowhere does the Nano feel like a compromise at such a tempting price, Currently made at the Pantnagar plant, the Nano Standard is priced at Rs 134,250 ex-showroom Mumbai. The CX costs Rs 163,320 ex-showroom Mumbai and the LX costs Rs 185,375 ex-showroom Mumbai.

The Tata Nano is finally here — a good six years after the idea was generated. First shown at the 2008 Auto Expo and launched recently, the Nano fulfils the chairman of Tata Motors, Ratan Tata’s aspiration of a small, affordable car that costs Rs one-lakh. What’s more, it is a ‘proper’ car.

A car that could change the dynamics of the auto industry in the years to come, the Nano looks cute and bubbly. With dimensions that measure 3099 mm in length, 1620 mm in width and 1652 mm in height, the Nano is highly compact on the outside and spacious on the inside. The all-metal one-box design employs innovative ways at saving weight and costs, and all this without sacrificing the looks. With bold lamps, the steeply raked front portion signals an effort towards achieving a low drag co-efficient that also extends an attractive profile to the design. There are no hard edges — the smooth flowing lines are juxtaposed to form a silhouette that is clever in utilising space and graceful at the same time. On the safety front, the Nano passes the roll-over test and offset impact. The all-sheet metal body has reinforced passenger compartment, crumple zones and intrusion-resistant doors in addition to seat belts and tubeless tyres.

Getting behind the wheel is simply easy, easier than in many an insanely costlier cars! Any hint of basic is offset by a roomy cabin, thanks to brilliant packaging. Central to the theme is the dashboard with the instruments arranged at the top end of the centre console. Instrumentation is minimalist. The quality of the plastics is good for a car that costs such. Good ergonomics and higher seating result in a comfortable yet commanding driving position. Two people can seat at the rear in good comfort. The Standard Nano gets single-tone seats and fold down rear seat. The CX gets HVAC, two-tone seats, a parcel shelf, booster assisted brakes, fold-down rear seat with nap rest. The LX gets fabric seats, central locking, front power windows, body-coloured exteriors, fog lamps, electronic trip meter, cup holder in front console, mobile charger point and rear spoiler.

The (BS II and BS III compliant) 2-cylinder, multi-point fuel-injected petrol engine displaces 624 cc and is situated under the rear seat. The two cylinders are arranged in parallel with the drive going to the rear wheels. With the rear space taken by the power train, any storage space available is at the front. This too is cut down by the space-saver spare wheel and the fuel filler lid.

The fuel filler lid is under the bonnet. With a kerb weight of 635kg for the LX model, the Nano is light. The 35PS of power put out by the engine at 5250 rpm and an impressive 48 Nm of maximum torque delivered between 2500 rpm and 3500 rpm present the car with a good power to weight ratio. The result is a car that performs quite admirably. The ratios of the four-speed gearbox are matched well with the torque characteristics of the engine and result in an impressive performance to be precise.

Availability of a good amount of torque at low rpm results in good drivability in town. On the highway the car pulls admirably well and almost until it reaches the top speed of 105kph. With lowest CO2 emission amongst cars here at 101gm/km according to Tata sources, the Nano is expected to give fuel efficiency in the region of 21 to 25kpl.

On the move, the Nano exhibits good ride quality. Capable of drawing a clean line out of corners, the dynamics of the Nano, it is clear, are set more towards a good ride than sporty handling.

Expected to launch a new segment that would blur the boundary between two-wheelers and passenger cars, the Nano is worth the hype it has created.