A little over an year after unveiling the car in concept form at the 2016 Auto Expo, Tata Motors launched their all-new compact sedan, the Tigor, yesterday. Along with the Indigo eCS that pioneered the segment and the Zest, the Tigor is Tata's third compact sedan on sale in India.
The Tigor is essentially a Tiago with a boot and so shares the design, powertrain and underpinnings with it's hatchback sibling.
Under the hood are the same 3-cylinder petrol and diesel engines that power the Tiago. While the 1.2-liter Revotron petrol churns out 84 horsepower and 114 Nm of torque, the 1.05-liter Revotorq diesel engine churns out 69 horsepower and 140 Nm of torque. Both the engines are currently mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox while an Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) is reportedly in the works. Both the engines get a first-in-segment 'Multi-Drive' modes - 'Eco' for superior fuel economy and the default 'City' for a peppy driving experience.
The petrol variants are priced between ₹4.70 Lakhs for the base XE trim and ₹6.19 Lakhs for the top-end XZ(O) trim. On the other hand, the diesel variants retail at prices ranging between ₹5.60 Lakhs for the XE and ₹7.09 Lakhs for the XZ(O). The closest competitors to the Tigor are Maruti-Suzuki Swift Dzire, Hyundai Xcent and Honda Amaze, each of which the Tigor undercuts by a significant margin.
Wearing the company's new IMPACT design philosophy that has been very well received on the Tiago and the Hexa, the Tigor is an impressive effort from Tata Motors. Compared to the Tiago, changes to the front end are minimal with just minor tweaks to the headlights and the bumper. The side profile is where the Tigor stands out, thanks to the sloping roof that merges with the boot lid in an almost 'fastback' fashion. The folks at Tata call this 'Styleback.' Though the terms 'compact sedan' and 'stylish' in the same sentence sounds like sacrilege, there is no denying the fact the Tigor is one stylish automobile to look at. That rear end, especially, with the neatly-integrated boot and the split LED taillights, does create an impact!
As you would expect, the interiors are very similar to the Tiago’s with the Tigor getting the benefit of a few additional features.
The cabin is well-styled, boasts superior fit and finish and comes loaded with features that will not just make the drivers happy but also keep the rear seat occupants engaged. Standard features in the top-end XZ(O) variant include a Harman-designed 5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with navigation and voice command recognition, automatic climate control, rear parking assist with camera, projector headlamps, electric boot opening, premium knitted roof liner, customizable air vents and a comprehensive app suite with dedicated apps for Navigation (NaviMaps), sharing music on-the-go (Juke Car App), a BlueTooth-based remote (Tata Smart Remote) as well as the Tata Emergency Assist that shares the co-ordinates of the vehicle to the emergency contacts in case of a collision.
What's disappointing though is the complete absence of safety features in the base XE variants. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake-Force Distribution (EBD) and Corner Stability Control (CSC) are present from the mid variants while Dual Airbags are restricted to the top two trim levels only. This is a step backwards considering most rivals now offer dual Airbags and ABS as standard across the range.
As an overall package, the Tigor is hard to fault at with the only weak link being the modest 3-cylinder engines. But then, those power-hungry customers can be catered to by the Zest in the same showroom.
We hope the positive effect of the Tiago rubs off on the Tigor and the car takes off in the sales charts. Tata just can't afford to lose the momentum they have gained with the Tiago and the Hexa. Come on, bring the Nexon already!