Tata Tiago review, test drive

What is it like on the inside?

The cabin is the biggest surprise on the Tiago. It’s well designed and spacious as it rightfully should be, 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 like the new Maruti Baleno. The silver shroud around the instruments is the only bit that looks tacky. Drivers will, however, like the meaty steering wheel (shared with the Zest and Bolt), chunky column stalks and good all-round visibility afforded by the large windows and low dashboard. 

What could be a sticky issue is the air conditioning. The air-con vents feel solid to operate but have limited reach, the blower is loud and the knobs feel a bit too mechanical in operation. The bigger concern is that the aircon didn’t cool the cabin quickly or effectively.

On the plus side, Tata has responded to feedback on the insufficient storage in the Bolt by giving the Tiago lots of space for small items. There’s a bottle holder on each door (albeit good for slim 0.5-litre bottles only), two cupholders near the gear lever, a shelf at the driver’s end of the dashboard and a bay to hold mobile phones at the base of the centre console. What’s more, the glovebox is cooled and features a dedicated recess to hold tablet devices. The glovebox’s soft release via a neatly integrated button on the dash is a superb touch. Also worth a mention is that the driver’s footwell is spacious and there’s a dedicated dead pedal too.