Sponsored feature: Tata Tiago: New beginings

Dhavan Shah

Dhavan is a 19-year-old law student who lives in south Mumbai. He was one of the first people in the city to drive home a brand new Tata Tiago. He said that he’d been hunting for the right car to buy for a few months. During his research, he learned that the Tata Tiago was on its way and decided to wait for it. While he waited, he conducted a detailed study about its competitors to figure out which car in this segment was the best one to buy. He realised that the Tiago offered the best value proposition amongst all the other hatchbacks in its segment. It had all the features he was looking for. He was convinced that the Tiago was the best car in its segment.

Dhavan also feels that the Tiago defines him as he believes that this is a car for the youth. “The looks are obviously eye-catching.” He believes it will be the cause of a lot of rubbernecking. The ConnectNext infotainment system by Harman® is exactly what the younger generation needs in a car. His belief was vindicated when he took his friends for a ride in his new Tiago. They were very impressed with the quality of the 8-speaker system that came with the car. He loves how easy it is to set up and use. Connecting his phone to it takes seconds. “The speakers are amazing. I never have to push the volume over 8 and it goes up to 30!”

What Dhavan loves most about his Tiago, though, is how comfortable it is. The seats are soft and are at just the right height. Despite being a shade over six feet tall, Dhavan is able to get in and out of the Tiago easily. He says with other cars, it feels like you’re stepping down into them, but not with the Tiago.

He can also quickly find the perfect driving position as he says that the driver’s seat is easily adjustable.

“The car is extremely practical for putting the things you can carry,” says Dhavan. With 22 intuitively designed spaces, finding the right place to put things in won’t really be an issue. He likes that there are bottle holders on every door, cup holders and places where you can safely place your mobile phone. He also appreciates the thought put into the glove box. It opens with just a push of a button and has space to hold a tablet. He mentioned the 242-litre boot and that it has enough space for the bags you want to carry for a trip. He hasn’t done any of that yet, but can’t wait to hit the highway in his shiny new Tiago.

Kapil Padale

Kapil is a 35-year-old manager with an IT services company and lives in a suburb of the city. “I am happy to own it,” he says. The primary reason for him to buy this car was because when he and his daughter walked into the showroom, looking at the Tiago made them happy. They were happier after taking a closer look. “We were more happy in terms of the looks that it had and the space that it had. The sound system is excellent and overall you can say that it is the best buy in this segment.” Kapil believes that the energy the car exudes matches his own. “This car gives me energy when I’m sitting in it.” The quality of the ConnectNext by Harman® infotainment system coupled with the space inside the Tiago adds positively to the energy, according to Kapil. He feels that the interior space is almost as good as a sedan.

Kapil believes that the performance of the car even drives his performance. He says that it accelerates quickly while keeping him comfortable. He likes to listen to music on his daily commute and the infotainment system is more than up to the task. “Since it has the best system available, and good sound quality, it helps me and makes my drive better.” He says it’s a practical car for everyday use and has an extensive list of features.

His friends and family were quite impressed with the Tiago’s ride quality and features. “The most impressive feature of this car is the infotainment system. The ConnectNext system comes with four speakers and four tweeters. The sound system is quite impressive and the quality is quite amazing.” He continues, “The navigation app is quite reliable because it gives us turn by turn directions whenever we go on a long drive.” Kapil says the most impressive feature about the infotainment system is the Juke car app which helps him create a playlist. “Whenever I’m going on a long drive with my wife, we usually fight over different genres of music, but this app has helped us fight less; so it has helped me a lot.”

There’s another reason the Tiago should hold a special place in Kapil’s heart. After all, it arrived home on his daughter’s birthday.

Rijesh Rajan

Rijesh Rajan is a 28-year-old team leader for business development in a marketing research firm. He lives in Navi Mumbai. His first reaction to being asked about what he thought of the Tiago was “really fantastic!” When asked why he bought the Tiago he said, “It’s a brand new car from Tata and I’m a big fan of Tata as well.” A turning point for him was the smooth experience he had during the test drive. “The exteriors are really good, especially the colour – the sunburst orange that I chose as it really complements my style. It’s very trendy in nature, the colour in unique.” Rijesh says that whenever he gets out for a drive in his Tiago, people stop to look and admire it. “So of course, I’m very happy with my purchase.” Rijesh is relearning how to drive after a long break from being behind the wheel. He says it’s much better than the hatchback he was driving a few years ago. Because of that, his confidence when behind the wheel is now quite high.

His family and friends are also very happy with his choice. A big plus for them is how comfortable the Tiago’s seats are. Rijesh says, “There’s enough space to comfortably accommodate five people even on long drives. It’s very easy for me because the pick up is quite good, and it’s a good car to begin with and of course, within one week I believe I will learn [how to drive].” Even the dimensions of the car make it easy for him to handle it in traffic.

He can’t stop talking about how happy he is with the Tiago. “The car looks very stylish, especially the front. The new grille adds a lot of style to it, particularly the chrome strip that goes through it.” He also says, “The headlamps are called 3D headlamps and they really project wide on the road. The car is very sporty and it has a unique design language. The front has a beast of a look, so I really admire it. The rear looks really distinctive thanks to the tail-lamps and the lovely spoiler. I’m very, very happy with my purchase.” 

Dilip Pancholi

Dilip is a 25-year-old store manager who lives in one of Mumbai’s suburbs. He says his reason for buying a Tata Tiago was very simple, “You literally don’t get anything better than this in this segment at this price point.” Dilip feels that even if you leave out the list of features, there’s enough about the Tiago to convince buyers. “The ride quality, the convenience that it gives you, the ease of shifting from second gear to third were all deciding factors that made me zero down on this car.” He points out, “It’s very fresh, it’s very young. It gives you the right mix of having a trustworthy company like Tata behind a modernised vehicle like the Tiago.”

“Once you sit behind its wheel and are manoeuvring your car through heavy traffic, like what we experience in Mumbai, you will know why anyone will go for a Tata Tiago over its competition.” He adds, “In terms of ride quality and the comfort that I experience when I’m driving this car; firstly, very smooth. Shifting gears, as I mentioned, is very easy, even for a new learner. The car does not judder or jerk. Also, what I’ve noticed is that the sound dampening in the car is really fantastic. I don’t hear any thumping when I’m going over a bumpy surface and the ambient noise is superbly controlled by the sound insulation provided.”

Dilip had another reason to buy the Tiago. It was meant to be gift for his brother. His birthday was on April 29th, which incidentally was the same day the Tiago arrived at Kapil’s home. “It’s a very big thing for someone who is born liking cars; he’s an automobile designer. He’s really in love with this. The colour that I drive is the Striker Blue; that’s the catchy factor of this car. The colour, the touch and feel is all good for youngsters like us, but our parents focus on the safety.” He mentions, “My family is really happy with the safety this car offers with the front airbags, ABS, EBD, and CSC; there’s literally nothing more that I can ask for in this car. The Tiago can easily match up to a segment above in terms of ride quality, its comfort and the bang for the buck that I’m getting.”

He also loves how practical the car is to live with. The 22 storage spaces created really add value for Kapil. He now has enough space for just about everything. “What I really, really appreciate in this car is the fact that the complete touch and feel of this car is premium. It just goes to show that Tata has not left any stone unturned in terms of customer service or listening to its clients and what they demanded. I’m very happy with the car I purchased and there’s nothing more I can asked for. Thank you for this Tata.”