Practicality, ease of use, low running costs and hassle-free ownership – these are the rules that Datsun will have to swear by to get up and go in India. For, as we know, it is one thing to price a car attractively and a whole new ballgame to match the Maruti and Hyundai experience.
It’s why you see the Maruti Wagon R and the Hyundai Eon parked up next to the new Datsun Go. At Rs 3.83 lakh for the Wagon R LXi and Rs 3.85 lakh for the Hyundai Eon Sportz, these two cars represent the two heavyweights in this segment – the Wagon R, with its boxy, practical, no-nonsense air, and the Eon with its cheap-doesn’t-have-to-be-square attitude. Compare that to this top-end Go T’s Rs 3.69 lakh and the difference in price isn’t that great. What the Go will have to do then is, at the very least, match up to its rivals as a car and an ownership proposition. Can it?
Styling
The Go looks good. It may not have the head-turning styling of the flowing, fluidic Eon, but there’s a nice sense of proportion to the sheetmetal. It also maintains a healthy distance from the Wagon R’s function-over-form looks, and the robust lines give it the best road presence. In fact, the Go’s appealing styling is likely to be its biggest strength, and will be the main draw for many buyers. It’s only when you look deeper that you see that the design begs for a few embellishments. The Go’s biggish body could really do with bigger wheels, and the wheel arches have absolutely no inner cladding, leaving the fuel-filler pipe and the sturdy-looking torsion-beam rear axle on display.
In sharp contrast, the Eon’s mad angles and curves look way more expensive than the car they’re on, while the Wagon R unashamedly uses black plastic protector strips on its sides to break up the sheer vertical mass of its doors. What’s also apparent is that none of these cars has a rear wiper – an essential safety feature when it rains.
The Go weighs 788kg (the Wagon R weighs 885kg, the Eon 772kg), which is an incredible achievement when you consider that this car is the biggest of the lot. No doubt the light build is evident the instant you shut the doors, but the Go doesn’t feel flimsy in the least.
