Why would I buy it?
- An EV under Rs 10 lakh
- Impressive ride quality
- Variety of battery and charging options
Why would I avoid it?
- Cabin feels outdated
- Long-range version costs over Rs 12 lakh
Battery Pack and Performance
The Tata Tiago EV can be had with two battery packs – Medium range and Long range. The medium range sources its power from a 19.2kWh battery pack whereas the long range, the one that we drove draws its power from a 24kWh battery pack which feeds the electric motors to produce 74bhp and 114Nm of torque. This one has a claimed electric range of 315km on a single charge. Now, because we had the car for only a limited period of time, we could not test the real-world range. However, based on the previous Tata cars which we have tested and as per our testing cycle, we expect it to give a real-world range of between 220-230kms.
There are four ways by which you can charge the Tiago EV. The first two are the 15 amp portable chargers and a 3.3kW AC wall box charger, both of which come as standard with the EV. Both these chargers have a zero to 100 per cent charging time of almost 9 hours. This Tata EV also supports fast charging where the 7.2kW AC charger takes about 4 hours whereas the DC fast charger has an estimated zero to 80 per cent charging time of under one hour.
Now, since this is an electric vehicle, there is no vibration or noise as one feels with the normal ICE or typically a three-cylinder petrol motor. In fact, the Tiago EV is silent, refined, and pretty effortless to drive. The Tata Tiago EV gets two drive modes – City and Sport. So, when you are driving at slow speeds or running errands, the City mode works fine. It builds up speed gradually and builds up pace in a linear manner.
But, if you want to feel that extra boost from the electric powertrain, switch the rotary dial to Sport and the Tiago EV does feel fun to drive. The throttle response becomes sharper and it builds up three-digit speeds quicker than the standard mode. This will especially be handy when you need to make a quick overtake or want to drive your EV in a bit more enthusiastic manner.
The Tiago EV also gets four levels of power re-generation where zero means no re-gen and 3 is maximum re-gen. The re-generation kicks in when the charge drops under 90- 85 per cent. Now, these re-gen modes are effective and we did manage to squeeze out extra kilometres of range when we switched to highest-re-gen when stuck in slow-moving traffic. Of course, factors like the air conditioner and driving also accounts
Ride and Handling
As compared to the standard Tiago, the Tiago EV has gained 150 kilos. However, the extra weight is barely felt and Tata says that the ground clearance too remains similar to the normal Tiago. Although it runs on 14-inch wheels, the suspension setup feels spot on and the Tiago EV absorbs all the bumps, pot holes and uneven surfaces with ease. It feels composed at city speeds and the light steering further makes driving and manoeuvring the Tiago effortless.
On highways, the Tiago EV can keep pace and it also feels pretty planted while doing three-digit speeds. The ride quality continues to be comfortable and you barely notice any wind or tyre noise filter inside the cabin. It’s only when you encounter a sharp or broken road, is felt inside the cabin. Having said that, the brakes do work well, however, we would have appreciated a bit more feel from the pedal.
Exterior
The Tata Tiago EV looks identical to the standard Tiago, however, with this EV, Tata Motors has preferred a dual-tone paint scheme where you get to see gloss black inserts on the closed-off front grille, ORVMs, door handles, and on the roof.
Tata Motors has tried to enhance its EV appeal with the addition of blue highlights which can be seen on the front that runs across the width of the bonnet and around the fog lamps. At the side, there are 14-inch wheels. Now, while the standard Tiago is fitted with 15-inch alloy wheels on the XZ+ variant, the Tiago EV gets steel wheels with these dual-tone wheel caps.
There are two changes to the posterior. One is the new ‘Tiago.EV’ badge at the centre of the boot and second is the tail gate which can now be operated electrically. Firstly, the boot can be accessed electrically either from the dashboard or with a separate button on the tail gate. Now, even though the battery pack is tucked away under the rear seats and the boot floor, there is no change in the boot space and the Tata Tiago EV can fit in 240 litres of luggage. However, the compromise made here is omitting the spare wheel and the Tiago EV now comes with a puncture repair kit.
Comfort, Convenience and Features
When seated in the front row of the TiagoTiago EV, one immediately notices that the cabin feels unchanged except for the EV bits like the blue inserts around the dashboard and a full-digital instrument cluster that gives out EV-related information like battery charge, driving range, and the selected re-gen mode.
As for the seat, this top-spec XZ+ Tech Lux variant gets beige leather upholstery with a perforated tri-arrow pattern and the seats are comfortable with good under-thigh support and adequate shoulder room. The steering is adjustable for rake and even the convenience of a height-adjustable driver seat makes sure finding an ideal driving position is easy.
Another change is the centre console area. Since there is no transmission, it frees up more space and you can keep two cup holders and place your mobile phone in front of the gear dial.
As for the second row, the space is enough to seat two people comfortably and fitting in a third person will be a squeeze. Also, the seats are bench type and they cannot be split-folded. The seats themselves are comfortable for someone with my height (I am 5’5”) with decent under-thigh support and adequate headroom. However, taller people will find the space lacking and may brush their head with the roofline. For storage, you can store 1-litre bottle holders in both the rear doors whereas the front ones and fit in 500ml bottles. However, the headrests are not adjustable and you also do not get seatback pockets and an armrest.
As for the feature list, the Tata Tiago EV is offered in four variants – XE, XT, XZ+, and XZ+ Tech Lux. While the former two trims are offered only with the medium-range version, the XT, XZ+, and XZ+ Tech Lux can had with the long range iteration. The top-spec variants are equipped with auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, a cooled glovebox, automatic climate control as standard, cruise control, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, and ZConnect connected car features. On the safety front, except for the dual front airbags, the Tiago EV gets ABS with EBD, reverse parking sensors with a rear-view camera, and a tyre pressure monitoring system with impact-sensing auto door unlock. Now, although the Tiago EV has not been crash-tested yet, we can expect it to perform well as it is based on the same platform which scored four stars for the standard Tiago in the global NCAP crash test.
Conclusion
Should you buy the new Tata Tiago EV? If you are looking to join the EV revolution, the Tiago EV is definitely the way forward. It’s got compact dimensions, ranks high on safety, is economical to run, and is a feature-rich car.
And if you are looking to buy the long-range version, you will have to shell out between Rs 10 lakh to Rs 11.79 lakh (ex-showroom). And at that price point, the Tiago EV makes for an ideal second car which is also an EV and can manage your city roundabouts with ease.
Pictures by Kaustubh Gandhi
