We are the country of magnificent things, a country of people caring for people. Our country has long standing reputation of being self-reliant whenever rest of the world has turned its back to us. We have one of the most remarkable and powerful corporates in the world. And we are also the country with a lot of people; second largest in terms of population. A country of this size and magnitude needs an efficient form of transport. We are also a country that respects and holds on to the foundations of a family. For an Indian, family is his most important priority. A man and his wife spend their entire lifetime to nurture and raise their family, which collectively forms a society and that makes up a solid strong nation.
But this solid nation suffers a lot when it comes to have efficient, economical and personal mode of transport. Maruti 800 was considered the car of people but it was in the reach of a significant income group. Which is why, Bajaj Chetaks had to pretend to be a car. It was a terrible danger plus it was utterly uncomfortable. Especially in the rains. A family of 4 riding a scooter was the common sight of the time. And it was truly symbolic representation of how a man single handedly looks after his family.
Practically it was miserable. Seeing all this suffering came forward a man to rescue his nation from the grasp of expensive family cars. That man was Mr. Ratan Tata. As he was raised on the core foundations of family, society and patriotism, he wanted to change this all. His solution was the most economical car in the world. Japanese Suzuki made a laugh of him and said it is practically impossible. Tatas moved heavens and earth, invented new ways to bring costs down, invested heavily on a new factory and realised that dream. It was not at all easy. If you can, please watch the NatGeo's documentry about the Nano and you'll understand how this sweet little ice cream scoop was conceived.
Tata Nano is a very respectable effort. So, I stole my friend's a day old purple Nano to find all about it. I have always critised entry level cars for being crap. These cars are always terrible on safety, always terrible on performance and its better if we don't speak about the feel. But even though some do have their own personality and charm. Datsun's Go is one example and Tata's Nano is another. We have already wrote about the Datsun though.
So, the Nano. It does feel cheap, because it is. The version we drove just had manual steering, manual gearbox, a funky looking cabin and 4 wheels underneath. That's all. You must be feeling disappointed now. but please bear with me. The nano is actually a very good car. Its a proper city car and an occasional tourer. There is a bit bumpiness to the ride and overall NVH levels are little bit high. Suspension is set up to keep it composed so it won't topple on the turns. And if you are an irritating accountant, 25Kmpl on petrol and 36kmpl on CNG are the figures. Powering this purple sweetness is a 624cc parellel twin dual fuel engine. It is mated to a 4+1 gearbox.
It might not impress very well but I think its a good overall package. For enthusiasts who like to drive something that demands involvement, the base model nano is an excellent option. If you accelerate it hard from stand still it feels awesome because of its rear engine layout. Manual steering can help you build biceps and you look manly. But the fun part is its composition. You can drive it hard, brake it hard, shift gears like a BEST Bus Driver and still get the impressive fuel economy.
All in all, its a very very very good efforts from the house of Tata. Its an example of brilliant manufacturing engineering. Its a car that forced Suzuki to shut its mouth. In the 150 years of cars, Nano will be written in golden words. This is an important car. No wonder Jay Leno has one, even he can't drive it in his country.
Trust me, its a sweet little ice cream scoop. I loved it.
Mandar Sakharam Gotad. Editor, Mazi Gadi.
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