Tata Tiago CNG Review: Full Features, Specifications & Price Of This Premium Hatchback
Prices start at Rs 6.09 lakh while the top-end XZ+ is Rs 7.52 lakh. It is clear that Tata Motors has made CNG cars more premium and in turn have made them more attractive. Read the full review below.
With rising fuel prices, lack of diesel or electric cars below the Rs 10 lakh price point, CNG seems to be the only way to go. However, the number of cars with factory fitted CNG kits are too few while long waiting lines at the CNG filling station also makes people turn away from them.
That said, with petrol prices, many have no option but to look at CNG and that is where Tata Motors come in with its iCNG range. Other than adding to the list of cars available with factory fitted CNG kit, Tata Motors have also made CNG cars a bit more desirable. Till now, the concept was that CNG car buyers only wanted to save money hence the CNG versions were mostly limited to the basic or the lower end trim- something which Tata Motors have not done.
Its Tiago CNG as tested here comes in all trims that the petrol also comes in. Hence you can get it in XE, XM, XT, XZ+ trims. That also means a fully loaded Tiago too. Hence you can get the CNG with all the features that any petrol Tiago owner gets. In that sense the Tiago is better equipped than other cars due to the presence of features like climate control, black and beige dual tone interiors, Projector Headlamps, LED DRLs, steering controls, rear view camera etc. We must say that the 'Midnight Plum' colour in the Tiago also looks very good.
Of course, let's get down to the driving bit. The standard petrol engine in the Tiago makes 86bhp/113Nm while in CNG mode it drops to 73bhp/95Nm. Crucially you can start the car in CNG mode while a switch on the centre console changes between petrol or CNG. If you are running low on CNG/petrol it automatically switches over too.
I started the car in CNG mode and performance is adequate with decent power for city use. You do not need to constantly downshift and it does not feel slow or lacking in power. Even sudden overtake and driving in quick traffic felt relatively easy with CNG mode. A bigger test came with a series of steep roads which the Tiago managed to cope with surprisingly well in CNG mode. The fact that it has a bit more bhp over rivals here has made a huge difference. Also despite having an extra 100 kgs, the ground clearance is 168mm and will not be a problem too.
In terms of efficiency, the official figure is just below 27km/kg but I found out that you can get more. If anything the biggest issue with the Tiago CNG is the lack of boot space which has been reduced to 80 litres or even accessing the spare wheel which has to be via removing the rear seat. A notable safety feature is that the car refuses to start if the fuel lid isn't closed properly and switches off the vehicle with a micro switch.
Prices start Rs 6.09 lakh while the top-end XZ+ is Rs 7.52 lakh. It is clear that Tata Motors have made CNG cars more premium and in turn have made them more attractive. The CNG performance is good enough and the efficiency is very good as well while there is no competition in terms of features that this car has currently. With more CNG stations set to be added, the Tiago CNG very well makes sense.
What we like - Looks, features, safety, CNG performance, efficiency
What we do not - No boot space
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