Tata’s recent product arrivals like Tiago and Hexa has slowly started changing the perception of the market towards the brand. Their latest product in the market is the Tiago based compact sedan, the Tigor. Even though this is the third compact car from Tata after the Indigo eCS and the Zest, the Tigor looks different. Tata calls it the Styleback and the car sure is one of the best looking vehicles in the segment. Let’s find out if the Tigor will be able to keep up with the Tata’s elevating image in the market.
Looks
The sub 4-metre sedan segment does not get any inspiring vehicles. Tata, however, has done a very good job of blending the additional boot the Tiago’s body. From the front, the Tigor will remind of the Tiago with the similar grille. The headlamp unit gets projector lamps while the lower part of the bumper gets round shape fog lamps. The whole design looks very clean.
From the side, the Tigor looks like a well thought off a sedan. The boot seems to very well blended with the body. There are 15-inch diamond cut blacked out alloy wheels with the petrol model while the diesel model only gets 14-inch inch regular looking alloys. There is a sudden bump in the window line towards the end that adds a character to the vehicle.
The rear design looks very attractive. The thick chrome ends at an illusionary inside the tail-lamps giving a similar effect of the rear end design of the older Jaguar XF designs.
Interiors
The car gets a two-tone dashboard with orange highlights, similar to the Tiago. Tata has worked to make the premium feel very well-toned. The infotainment system is similar to that of the Hexa, and it gets an own set of apps. The infotainment system can hook up to an Android based phone and can offer navigation too.
The steering wheel is similar to the Tiago with controls to set the volume. The seats have nice contours to support the body it feels very comfortable. The rear seat can hold up two people comfortable, the additional occupant will have to squeeze in.
Tigor also has some nice interiors. There is generous headroom even for the rear passengers, but the knee room and the leg room feels a bit less than the competition. The interiors are very well thought off, and there is a lot of space. Tata also offers two 12V charging sockets, one each for front row and the rear row.
The boot is joined by a 4-link system, and it has a space of 410 litres, which is best in the segment.
Engine and drive
Tata has not tweaked the engines, and they are listed directly from the Tiago. The petrol engine is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder aluminium engine that produces a maximum of 84 bhp. The diesel engine is a 1.05-litre 3-cylinder engine that produces a maximum of 69 bhp.
The Tigor is 50 kg heavier than the Tiago, and without any changes done to the engine, the car does feel little sluggish. The petrol engine is peppy, but it does not love open highways. You have to shift down to overtake. There is a lot of road noise filtering in the cabin too.
The diesel engine, on the other hand, feels better due to low-end torque. The cabin is also quieter due to better insulation. The car also gets an ECO mode that changes the fueling and saves more fuel when needed.
Image Courtesy : Shantonil nag
Should you buy it?
The Tigor starts at just Rs. 4.70 lakh, ex-showroom, Delhi. It is the cheapest sedan on the road you can buy. It also comes with smart features, and in no way, you can call it a bad looking vehicle. If you want to get noticed and want to go in a different way, this is the car to look for. The Tigor sure will rake in numbers for Tata in the coming months.
