2018 Tata Tigor AMT long term review, second report

In addition to being the car that helps me cover the distance between home and work, our long-term Tigor XZA AMT has been busy ferrying me and my family to every nook and cranny of Mumbai.

The car has been munching kilometres since I got my hands on it, back in June. At the time of writing this report, the odometer stands at around 3,500km and most of it has been done in bumper-to-bumper traffic and during the relentless Mumbai monsoons that only worsen our road conditions. Now the Tigor AMT is relatively new in our fleet, but considering it’s still running,  and that there’s no rattle or squeak so far is highly reassuring. This also confirms the consistent quality levels in newer Tata cars. We had the Tiago as a long-termer back in 2016, and it was just as good.

AURAL TEST: The music sytem is arguably the best in class.

We sent our Tigor AMT for its third routine service, which was conducted at no cost. It included the usual air-filter cleaning, engine-oil change, oil-filter replacement, wheel alignment and balancing. We got the car back in a day and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it drove a lot better than before; and because of this, I had no problem driving my parents around during the Diwali holidays to meet relatives.

ALL THE SUPPORT: Front seats have the right amount of cushioning.

The back seat won high praises from many of my family members. My mom found the cushioning to be just right and not very hard, and the centre armrest was a plus point. Also, the seat back stretches from end to end, which means three people can sit comfortably, even on longer journeys, and it isn’t too reclined either.

You don’t really miss not having AC vents at the rear as the Tigor’s air-con does a decent job of cooling the cabin. However, my parents didn’t appreciate the jerkiness at low speeds (due to the AMT) something that even I’ve found to be a major irritant, right from day one. 

TYPICAL BEHAVIOUR: Shifts jerky at low speeds but smoothen out eventually.

Fuel economy has gone up slightly and it now hovers between 10.5 and 11.2kpl in city driving, up from the 10-10.3kpl when we received the car. This number isn’t impressive for an AMT, but considering the weight and aspects like stop-and-go traffic, it’s not bad either.

TYRE OUT: Choppy low-speed ride due to shorter sidewall.

As a driver, the Tigor has made me lazier than usual, as this is a chilled-out commuter and doesn’t like to be pushed to its limits. Apart from the jerkiness at low speeds, the gearbox performs smoothly in both automatic and manual mode. I’ve also recently started driving the Tigor in Sport mode; more on how it affects performance and fuel economy in my next report.