Datsun Go+ MPV India review, test drive

What's it like to drive?

Despite the same motor churning out the exact same number of horses as in the Go and with an added 20 kilograms to pull, the torque helps the Go+ MPV take off with quite some eagerness. The motor has been re-tuned and made more responsive and, as a result, the Datsun responds when you put your foot down. The Go+ is even comfortable cruising around in a high gear in city traffic. What’s nice is that you don’t even need to go to a lower gear most of the time. The gearbox and light clutch work well enough if you work with a firm hand. Other things that make driving easy are the well-metered brakes and the light steering. While the sound insulation is still quite poor with plenty of road and tyre noise filtering in, it is definitely a step ahead of the Go hatchback. Also, if you rev the motor to 5000rpm, it starts to sound quite noisy. It rides well too, the suspension has been upgraded to deal with the greater load at the rear, but it is very pliant and absorbent and really silent when going over rough patches and there isn’t too much pitching or nose-bobbing. It does roll when cornered hard though, owing to the high ground clearance, soft springs and lack of anti-roll bars. And the slim tyres don't offer too much grip either.

Should I buy one?

While Datsun insists on calling it a seven-seater, the Go+ isn’t exactly a proper one. The third row can only accommodate luggage and can't really be used to seat anyone (but small children).If you look at it as a five-seater, with a decent amount of luggage space, that makes it more of sense. True, the budget segment treatment by Datsun isn't very subtle, and could even put off some customers. But if you consider the Rs 4.1 lakh (estimated) price tag (which is only around Rs 30,000 more than the hatchback), this could very well turn out to be a practical and popular five-seater.