Sponsored feature: One car two Autocar Awards

The Tiago, Tata’s all-new car is the one that put the carmaker’s reinvention into high gear.  It also signals Tata’s arrival into the competitive mid-size hatchback segment. So, how successful has Tata been?

If the Autocar Awards are any indication, Tata has done a sterling job with the new Tiago. It took home not one, but two trophies at the 2017 Autocar Awards. This compact car from Tata Motors didn’t win over just the jury, but also has customers excited with its design and premium cues.

Compact Car Of The Year

Here’s what Autocar had to say about the Tiago winning the ‘Compact Car of the Year’ award.

“The Tiago comes as a breath of fresh air to a segment that is crowded with safe, functional econoboxes. Designed from a clean sheet of paper, it looks great and superbly proportioned. The Tiago’s cabin, however, is the biggest surprise. It’s well designed and spacious, but what bowls you over is how well-finished it is. Tata has gone the whole hog to make the cabin look and feel more special than many premium cars. The ride and handling are good too, and it imparts a reassuring ‘big car’ feel that’s missing from the cars in this segment. Sure, performance isn’t a strong point, but that is compensated for by the overall package. This is a classic case of a company going that extra mile to redeem itself. And Tata Motors comprehensively has.”

Value-For-Money Car

The Tiago picked up the ‘Value for Money Car of the Year’ trophy too. This is what Autocar had to say.

“Ever since Tata Motors coined the phrase ‘More Car Per Car’ with the Indica more than a decade  ago, the company has used the value-for-money tag to entice buyers. It’s no surprise then that the Tata Tiago is the car that gives you maximum bang for your buck. For your money, you get a richly-styled car and an even richer interior that is packed with equipment. The cabin has a genuine quality feel thanks to a high standard of plastics, which are nicely textured and have a soft touch. The seat fabrics feel upmarket and even the roof liner gets a premium knitted finish, something that even the four-times-more-expensive Innova Crysta doesn’t give you. Tata Motors has thrown all it could into the Tiago and gets this special prize for making the customer feel special.”

Tata Tiago. A Detailed Look

The Tiago is a clean sheet design and one that looks very appealing in the flesh. View it in profile and you’ll like the Tiago for its nice, sporty stance. A refreshing change is the way the wheels nicely fill out the arches, unlike previous Tata hatchbacks which looked like they were standing on their toes. The rear end too looks distinctive with spread-out tail-lamps, a neatly sculpted tailgate and a shapely bumper replete with a racy blackened lower portion. Oh, and don’t miss the roof-mounted spoiler atop the rear windscreen either.

The cabin is the biggest surprise on the Tiago. It’s well-designed and spacious, but what bowls you over is how well-finished it is too. Tata has really upped its game in this department and has gone the whole hog to make the cabin look and feel more special than some premium hatchbacks. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into everything, right from the choice of seat fabric to the rich knitted roof lining. The plastics are also of a high standard and, in fact, the textured finish on the dash top is something you won’t find even on some more expensive cars.

The two-tone dash looks smart and positions the important controls for easy access. Sound quality from the four-speaker and four-tweeter setup of the Harman-developed infotainment system, is really impressive. The system offers aux-in, USB and Bluetooth for audio streaming and telephone functions. Additionally, the system can be synced to a phone to display and readout turn-by-turn navigation instructions. There’s also the unique Juke-Car app that allows each passenger in the car to add songs from their device to a playlist on the phone paired with the audio player.

Up front, occupants get a good sense of space, and seat comfort is decent too. Rear seat passengers also have it quite nice. There’s a good deal of space, the large windows let in plenty of light and the seat is well cushioned. The single-piece rear seat backrest can also be folded forward to free up more luggage room, though the 240-litre boot can hold plenty as is.

Not only is the Tiago new on the inside and out, it also happens to be the launch vehicle for Tata’s new three-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Both engines come mated to five-speed manual gearboxes, with automated manual transmission options said to be offered later.

The 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine uses lightweight all-aluminium construction, a four valve per cylinder DOHC setup and variable cam timing for the intake. Peak power  is 85hp (at 6,000rpm) while max torque of 114Nm is produced at 3,500rpm.

Then there’s the three-cylinder Revotorq turbo diesel engine. The block is cast iron while the aluminium head houses twin cams and four valves per cylinder. The engine develops 70hp at 4,000rpm and 140Nm between 1,800 and 3,000rpm.

Both versions of the Tiago feature segment-first drive modes that change the engine characteristics at the touch of a button. There’s default City mode and also an Eco mode .
Tata has clearly put its heart and soul into the Tiago. The Tiago looks attractive, comes with plenty of equipment and has a cabin that could very well belong to a more expensive car. It has also been designed to tackle our imperfect roads with ease.

Little wonder then that Tata’s new Tiago is a double winner at the Autocar Awards 2017.

1 Utility spaces
22 intelligently designed utility spaces, for everything from water bottles to mobile phones, to carry all you need.

2 Interiors
Layered design theme coupled with a dual-tone interior, customisable air vents and premium fabric.

3 Safety
The Tiago comes with dual front airbags to enhance the safety of the driver and the co-driver.

4 Inforatinment
Experience connectivity like never before with the next-generation ConnectNext Infotainment system by Harman.

5 Music
Immersive eight-speaker surround-sound music system makes sure that everyone in the Tiago is entertained.

6 Quality
Dashboard texture, accented with chrome handles and premium knitted fabrics, add to
the high-quality look and feel.

7 Navigation
Smartphone based turn-by-turn navigation app also displays expected time of arrival and distance to destination.

8 Share
Juke-Car app connects up to 10 smartphones to enable users to share list of available songs in the connected device.

9 Seats
Body-hugging seats crafted with utmost precision for premium feel and elegance.

10 Comfort
Scooped-out front seat backs for more leg room, thus maximising comfort.