Datsun GO D1

GO D1 Review

One of the much talked about hatchbacks, Datsun GO has been officially launched in Indian car bazaar. Datsun India has rolled out this low cost hatchback in the entry level segment, where it will lock horns with the Maruti Celerio, Hyundai Eon and other such contenders. The manufacturer is selling this vehicle in a total of four trim levels with petrol engine as standard. The Datsun GO D1 is one of the entry level variants and it sports a 1.2-litre petrol power plant, which is mated with a five speed manual transmission gearbox. The car manufacturer claims that the vehicle comes with an ability to give away 20.6 Kmpl, which is good in its class. This variant has a pretty decent body structure equipped with standard looking cosmetics. However, it comes with a silver radiator grille, which gives an attractive look to the hatch. The insides of this variant come with number of utility features such as power socket, interior room lamp, storage try for driver and passenger, ticket holder, door map pockets and numerous other aspects. The company is also offering this trim with speed sensitive wipers with intermittent and drop wipe function along with passenger side outside rear view mirror. The company is selling this trim in four colors, which are Sky Blue, Ruby Red, Silver and a sparkling White metallic finish option for the buyers to choose from.

Exteriors:

This all new Datsun GO D1 trim comes with an impressive body design, but it is equipped with standard set of cosmetics. However, it looks very attractive because of the robust front facade and an expressive rear profile. On the front, it is fitted with a silver garnished radiator grille that is equipped with the company's badge in the center. Surrounding this grille is the boldly designed headlight cluster, which is further equipped with powerful halogen headlamps and an indicator as well. The front bumper comes in black color and it is incorporated with an air dam along with a pair of air ducts. Also the rear profile is equipped with a black bumper along with a tail light cluster, a prominent company insignia and the variant badging as well. The rear windscreen is pretty large and it is incorporated to the expressive curvy boot lid . This hatchback comes with a total length of about 3785mm along with an overall width of 1635mm. The height of this small car is calculated at 1485mm, while its ground clearance is measured at about 170mm, which is quite good. This vehicle comes with a large wheelbase of 2450mm, which is quite good for a car of such stature.

Interiors:

One of the highlights of this hatchback is its interior cabin, which is very spacious in comparison to other vehicles. The front cabin comes with a lot of leg space as it comes fitted with connected seats, while the gearbox console is incorporated to the dashboard. This will create a lot of leg space for the occupants. The front and rear seats comes with integrated head rests, wherein the front seats have spinal support. This hatchback has a total boot storage capacity of 265 litres, which can be increased by folding the bench seats in the rear cabin. This variant has features like front door speaker grille, internal reading lamp , storage tray for both the driver and front co-passenger, ticket holder, door map pockets, door arm rests and collapsible air conditioning vents on the dashboard.

Engine and Performance:

This Datsun GO D1 trim sports a sophisticated 1.2-litre, In-line, petrol power plant that comes incorporated with an electronic fuel injection system. This engine is built with a dual over head cam shaft based valve configuration using just three cylinders, which further has twelve valves. It comes with a total displacement capacity of 1198cc , which allows it to produce 67.07Bhp at 5000rpm that results in generating a commanding torque output of 104Nm at 4000rpm. The front wheels of this hatchback will derive the torque output from the engine through an advanced five speed manual transmission gearbox. This petrol engine is capable of delivering a maximum mileage of 20.6 Kmpl, which is pretty good in its class. It takes about 15 to 16 seconds for the vehicle to cross the 100 Kmph speed mark and at the same time, it can reach a top speed of approximately 150 Kmph, which is rather decent for a small car.

Braking and Handling:

This variant is integrated with a manual transmission system, which offers a good response. Its front axle is fitted with a McPherson Strut type of system with suspension member and a double pivot lower arm. At the same time, its rear axle is assembled with an H-Type torsion beam system with a high performance linear damper, which can tackle with all the jerks caused on the roads. On the other hand, this variant comes with ventilated front disc brakes and rear drum brakes , which performs well on all road and weather conditions. All these put together helps in giving a comfortable drive to all the occupants.

Comfort Features:

The Datsun GO D1 is one of the entry level trims and it is equipped with a basic set of features. The list includes a digital tachometer along wit low fuel warning, trip meter, electronic fuel gauge, gear shift gauge, follow me home head lamps, remote fuel lid opener, a 12V accessory power socket, rear seat folding bench seat, heater and a rear tailgate opener . The company is also offering this variant with utility based features such as air conditioning vents, door map pockets, speaker grille, interior room light, bottle holder in the front door, reclining and sliding front seats, door armrest and an open glove box as well.

Safety Features:

The car manufacturer has equipped this variant with numerous safety aspects that ensures protection to the passengers to the vehicle. It comes incorporated with 3-point seat belts for the front and rear seats along with two point rear center seat belt. It also comes with an engine immobilizer that keeps the vehicle protected from unauthorized access. Other safety features includes child locks and a head lamp leveling device as well.

Pros:

1. Very spacious interiors with good storage capacity.

2. Braking and suspension mechanism is good.

Cons:

1. Manual steering makes it slightly difficult to handle.

2. Comfort and safety aspects need to improve.