Tata GenX Nano AMT review, test drive

Another year, another revised Nano, but the auto gearbox and openable hatch are a big step in the right direction.

Published on May 01, 2015 05:00:00 AM

58,901 Views

What’s it like to drive?

The 624cc, two-cylinder, rear-mounted petrol engine hasn’t changed, apart from modifications to the ECU for a minor bump up in real-world fuel efficiency; you’ll have to wait for a full road test to see how well that's worked. Also, to accurately tell you how much of a difference that’s made to performance, we’d really have to drive the manual version. For now, we just have the Easy Shift automatic, so let’s see how well that works.

For a start, while the manual is a four-speed gearbox, the AMT is a five-speeder. It shares a lot of parts with the four-speeder, but obviously things like the gear ratios have been altered. Tata, of course, is tight-lipped about when (or if at all) a three-pedal manual version of this ’box will be used in the Nano, but we think it’s likely at some stage.

It’s operated by the same, well-finished gear selector you find in the Tata Zest AMT, and like that car, the Nano Easy Shift too has a Sport mode, as well as manual gear selection via the lever. Tata has also placed a sticker with instructions on how to drive an automatic on the driver’s side door, which is handy since, for many, this car is likely to be the first two-pedal driving experience. It’s also been equipped with a ‘creep’ function, which mimics the effect of a torque-converter auto and moves the car forward slowly with no accelerator input. Sure, it’s a little jerky and doesn’t work too well on an incline, but it still proves quite useful in stop-and-go traffic.

In normal automatic mode, the inherent issues of any AMT are present. Pin down the accelerator, and there will be a big pause in power delivery between gears; not ideal in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre. You soon learn that planning ahead and being gentle with the throttle results in smoother shifts, and even pre-empting the shift with a slight lift-off from the pedal helps a lot. You’ll also find responses at low revs to be a little sluggish, but this improves greatly in Sport mode. This mode is also better at judging when you need a downshift, and lets the motor rev out a little bit more, though without a tachometer you have to anticipate where the shift point is. Overall, Sport seems to be the better choice — there’s perhaps a slight penalty to fuel economy, but even in traffic, you’ll appreciate the quicker responses.

Manual mode is actually the best of the lot, letting you avoid the gaps in power delivery by shifting at just the right time. Yes, that defeats the purpose of an automatic, but should you find yourself on a fun set of corners in your Nano Easy Shift, this is the mode you’ll want to use. Refinement isn’t a strong point of the Nano in general, and along with an ever-present buzz from the engine, you’ll also get a slight whine from the gearbox, and a bit of mechanical noise with each gear change. The gear ratios themselves could have been better judged too. So yes, it’s not perfect, but once you learn to drive around this gearbox’s idiosyncrasies, it’s easy to make smooth and easy progress. And for the convenience it affords, you really can’t hold this against the Nano.