Tata Nano 2012-2017 Twist XE

Nano 2012-2017 Twist XE Review

The charismatic Tata Nano, which is manufactured by one of the biggest automobile manufacturers, Tata Group is designed to lure masses of all age groups to get themselves a chic and handy car. Discarding many of the luxury features, the price was brought down accommodating the buying capacity of its targeted customers. Eventually, it started to improvise the much appreciated hatchback with the features in demand by the current necessities. One such effort is the new Tata Nano Twist, that is made available in two variants of which Tata Nano Twist XE is the base trim. It is equipped with a small yet peppy engine that can displace 624cc. This mill is integrated with 2 cylinders and also an MPFI supply system to generate an impressive fuel economy. Its braking system is quite efficient with drum brakes for all its wheels. Whereas, the handling is taken care by the combination of independent wishbone, McPherson strut along with semi trailing arm with coil spring for better balance. Apart from these, the company has fitted it with quite a few comfort and safety aspects for attract the buyers. The list includes front and rear seat headrests, a digital clock that has LED display, an electronic tripmeter and a distance to empty for the fuel tank. Then there are safety functions like side intrusion beams, a set of tubeless tyres and a rear central high mounted rear stop lamp.

Exteriors:

The outsides of this small car look simple and decent providing three classic exterior colors to chose from, which include meteor silver, royal gold and a serene white shade. It has black colored bumpers and door handles. The tip-tap external wing mirrors are also in black color. Then there are half wheel covers fitted to the steel wheels that are integrated in its neatly carved out arches. It also has an aerokit, which includes bumper with an air dam for better air intake. The windows as well as both the windshields are tinted. There is a single front 2-speed wiper and washer. There are clear lens headlamps along with side turn indicator and a bright tail lamp cluster as well. This hatch looks smaller from the outside, but it sure does have a lot of space internally. It has a total length of 3099mm along with an overall width of 1495mm (which does not include the outside rear view mirrors). Then its height is 1652mm and it has a decent wheelbase of 2230mm that can take in four passengers with ease. This small car has an impressive minimum ground clearance of 180mm and a fuel tank that can store up to 15 litres in it. This car weighs has an approximate kerb weight of around 660 Kgs. There seems to be ample boot space inside it with the capacity of storing luggage of about 80 litres. This can be further increased to a whopping 500 litres, when the rear bench seat is folded.

Interiors:

The seat upholstery comes in a trendy black fabric and the door trims too compliment them along with black vinyl. The dashboard is in a ebony black shade. It is also provided with a center fascia and has dual glove boxes, which helps in keeping quite a few things at hand. The front and rear speakers are in silver dust. Its A, B and C pillars are in black color as well, which is a standard feature for both its trims. An electronic tripmeter is provided along with a digital fuel gauge, which keeps the driver updated. It is also equipped with a three spoke steering wheel, which is fitted in the place of a two spoke one, which was in its older sibling. Apart from this, it has the standard cup or bottle holders as well as assist grips to further make it convenient to the passengers inside.

Engine and Performance:

The company has equipped this hatchback with a 2 cylinder based petrol engine that displaces about 624cc. It has the ability to churn out a maximum power of 37.5bhp at 5500rpm (+/- 250rpm) and a peak torque of 51Nm at 4000rpm (+/- 500rpm). This mill is integrated with a multi point fuel injection supply system, which helps in generating a better fuel efficiency. This small car can reach a maximum top speed of 105 kmph, which seems to be quite good for a car of this stature. It comes with a manual gear box transmission, which includes four forward and 1 reverse gear. There is a synchromesh on all its forward gears and sliding mesh on the reverse gear with overdrive on fourth gear.

Braking and Handling:

The braking system is equipped with a dual circuit, which is vertically split and operated by tandem master cylinder along with a vacuum booster. The front as well as the rear wheels are fitted with 180mm diameter based robust drum brakes. It has an electric power assisted steering system, which is quite responsive and makes the maneuvering of this vehicle very simple, even in peak traffic conditions. The other important aspect of its suspension mechanism is also taken care of. The front axle of this hatch is equipped with an independent, lower wishbone, McPherson strut, which also has gas filled dampers and an anti roll bar as well. Whereas, the rear axle has an independent semi trailing arm with coil springs and gas filled shock absorbers, which helps in keeping this small car well balanced at all times.

Comfort Features:

This Tata Nano Twist XE trim has got features that keeps all the passengers at ease. It has an electric power assisted steering, which comes in a brushless effect. There is a multi information display that comes with this hatchback, which displays crucial information to the driver that includes distance to empty display of the fuel tank as well as the average fuel economy that has been consumed by this vehicle along with a low fuel warning lamp too. Then, there is digital clock that has an LED display. There is a moderately powerful air conditioning unit provided for this hatchback along with well placed vents to keep the cabin air regulated. When it comes to its storage capacity on the inside, there are cup holders in front console, and a cabin lamp as a standard feature. The front seat has head rests, whereas the rear seats have got integrated headrests. The sunvisors are fitted for both the driver and co-passenger side, where the co-driver sunvisor has been provided with a vanity mirror. For the convenience of the driver, that seat has a slider that can be adjusted as per their individual preference and the rear bench seat is foldable to bring in additional utility value to it. This vehicle also has front and rear assist grips to aid the passengers.

Safety Features:

This car maker has given this hatchback quite a few safety features for the security as well as protection of its occupants. There are tubeless radial tyres that help to get a better grip on the roads. There is also a full size spare wheel affixed in the boot compartment along with the tool kit to change the tyre. This is a standard features across both the variants in this series. The rear center high mount stop lamp helps to alert the other vehicles coming from behind and further assists in safer driving. Additionally, it has booster assisted brakes for all its wheels, which further improves its braking mechanism on any road condition. Then there are the front and rear seat belts provided as a standard feature, which adds to the occupant safety. It also has additional body reinforcements such as intrusion beams that lessens the impact from any collision. All this put together makes this small car, one of the most liked vehicle in the country, which comes at an affordable price range.

Pros:

1. It has improved comfort features.

2. Better safety than its predecessor.

Cons:

1. Rear seat cabin space is smaller for taller people.

2. The wheel size is too small.