Tata Tiago

The Tata Tiago facelift has been launched with a very attractive starting price, but what’s more attractive is what Tata has managed to do with its most affordable offering. The Tiago, with this update, does not feel like an entry level hatchback and its new additions will give its rivals a hard time catching up.

• Tata Tiago facelifted bookings and delivery details.

I recently drove the new Tiago in Bengaluru where I spent time driving it across city and highway roads. After my driving experience, here are my thoughts about the facelifted Tiago.

Design & Build Quality

Compared to the older version, the facelifted Tiago looks way more modern and sharp thanks to the new face. The smaller design upgrades have also made an impact on making it look much more premium. You can have a detailed look at the new Tata Tiago here. The face revision is the biggest change here as Tata has made significant changes.

You now get sharper looking LED headlamps with eyebrow-like LED DRLs.

Both the headlamp units are still connected by a strip, but the strip is now finished in piano black. Below the nose, the grille has also been made wider which merges with the fog lamps and the bumper has been completely redesigned and made slimmer.

In profile, you get the same silhouette as before but the Tiago now comes with 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.

You also get wheel arch cladding made with recycled materials and in the top-spec variants you get chrome inserts on the door handles.

The rear gets the same treatment as the front. You get slimmer and sleeker LED tail lamps, which have been connected with a red glass element. However, the connecting element is not illuminated.

The bumper here as well has been redesigned and it gets the same looks as the front bumper and grille.

In terms of colour options, the Tiago facelift gets 6 new shades, some of them are new like the Varanasi Vibrance, Sobo Surge, and Pangong Pulse. Other colours include Pristine White, Daytona Grey, and Pure Grey.

Now, while the design looks great, and much more modern compared to the pre-facelift Tiago,  Tata still needs to work on the build quality. During the first drive, I noticed panel gaps on the bonnet, boot lid, and near the rear spoiler, and all of these were too hard to ignore.

Design & Quality 

Just like the exterior, the interior of the new Tiago is also fresh and Tata has managed to make the entry level hatchback feel like a premium one, thanks to the new design and the materials used. The two major changes are the cabin theme and the materials used. The new Tiago comes with a dual-tone black and grey theme, which looks much better and airier than the older all-black one. And to make the cabin look and feel more premium, Tata has worked a lot on the materials.

First is the fabric which is on the dashboard, door pads, and the top part of the doors. This immediately makes the cabin look richer than it used to, and this type of finish is something that I haven’t seen in this segment or at this price.

Second is the new steering wheel, which has a matte finish that replaces the glossy one, and this compliments the new cabin design very well.

On top of this, there are physical buttons and knobs everywhere, no touch sensitive panels, the plastics feel smooth, and soft touch on the steering wheel and armrest also adds premiumness.

The new manual gear shifter also looks sporty and feels well built.

However, there are some quality inconsistencies. The new steering wheel has a bit of play, which I first thought was for the horn, but it is not. The plastics under the door armrest are not finished smoothly and they have some sharp edges, and just like the exterior, there are noticeable panel gaps around the glovebox.

So while Tata has added a lot of new things to this cabin, which does make it feel like it's pushing boundaries, the quality issues which were there in the older version haven’t been ironed out.

Front Seat Space

Once you enter the Tiago and sit in the front, you notice the ample amount of headroom. There is enough head space for a sit-footer to sit comfortably, and the added underthigh support along with the good side support gives you enough space to not feel cramped.

However, there is a problem with such compact cars, which is felt by your legs. Firstly, the footwell itself isn’t that roomy, so you can’t stretch your leg as a passenger, and on the driver’s side, you don’t have any room to keep your left leg in a comfortable position. Also, the central tunnel is now wider, which constantly brushes up against your left foot while driving, and it is something you just can’t ignore.

However, when it comes to finding your ideal driving position, Tata has got you covered since the driver seat is 6-way manually adjustable and the steering wheel gets tilt adjustment. 

Rear Seat Space

The Tiago is a four seater hatchback and it should be used as such, because seating three passengers in the back will result in everyone feeling cramped and uncomfortable. The missing middle headrest is there to remind you to only use the seat for two passengers.

Now I am 5’8” and I like to sit closer to the steering wheel rather than away from it in a relaxed position. Behind my driving position, I have enough kneeroom and underthigh support to not complain, and if the driver seat is raised, I have decent legroom as well. But when it comes to headroom, I feel it should be a little better.

For my height, there is just enough headspace for three fingers to fit, and if I sit upright then my hair brushes against the roof. Also, the headrest here is small and not adjustable, so in an upright position, the headrest only comes up to my neck, and I can’t use it for the purpose it was made for. If I want to use it, I have to sit in a very relaxed manner, and that causes me to lose both kneeroom and underthigh support.

What I’m trying to say is that someone of my height and build can still sit here in decent comfort, but if anyone taller than me sits here, they’ll have to compromise on space, and that will be uncomfortable during long journeys. Also, a central armrest would’ve been a nice addition for a more comfortable position.

Storage & Practicality

When it comes to storage, you don’t have to worry about much. All four doors of the Tiago get bottle holders, the front passengers get two cupholders, there are two trays to keep your phone, one of which acts as a wireless phone charger, there is storage under the front armrest, and there is a decent sized glovebox.

Rear passengers get two seatback pockets each apart from the door pockets. However, since there is no centre armrest, there are no cupholders either.

Charging Options

Apart from the one wireless phone charger (yes it's just one not two), there are two USB type-C ports in the front, one of which is a 65W fast charger, and there is a 12V socket in the armrest.

Rear passengers also get a 65W USB Type-C fast charging port.

Boot Space

With 242-litre of boot space available, you won’t be able to fit a large (25kg) suitcase here, and while you can keep a medium (15kg) suitcase, you won’t be left with much space afterwards. I’ll suggest you use small cabin sized trolleys as you can easily fit four of those here, enough for a weekend trip of four passengers. The rear seat doesn’t get a 60:40 split, but it can still be folded, which will allow you to keep larger items if you require the space for shifting houses.

In the CNG variants, however, space is pretty limited. Instead of a single 60-litre tank, Tata has put two 30-litre ones, which does save some space. But, this space is only enough for you to keep one cabin-sized suitcase along with two small duffel bags. The CNG variants also miss out on a parcel shelf which is available in the petrol variants.

When it comes to adding features to their cars, Tata does not back down, and that’s what we felt with the new Tiago. Firstly it gets the same 10.25-inch touchscreen as before. This free floating screen looks nice, has large icons which makes it easy to use, it runs smoothly, there were no lags or glitches in my experience, and it supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

This screen is paired with a 4-speaker sound system, which is not anything special. You get clear audio at medium volume, but if you try to increase it, you will not get any crispness. The 8-speaker system, which was removed from the pre-facelift version, offered better sound quality, and I feel it should’ve been brought back with this update.

Next is the new 10-inch driver’s display, but if you look closely, the digital display is only 5-inches big, that too only black and white. The bits on the corners are just fixed digital gauges. Still, due to its design, it looks like a full screen, and looks consistent with the touchscreen.

Tata has also added a wireless phone charger, which is placed on the right side in the new centre console, and it works just fine. However, it does tend to heat your phone a bit much, which results in the charging being cut off.

Another new addition to the feature list is the 360-degree camera, which is the same one seen in Tata’s bigger cars. The camera quality is crisp, it works well in harsh light and in low light conditions too, and there is a dedicated 3D mode which you can move with your fingers. This camera system also comes with a blind spot monitor, which puts the feed of your blind spot on the touchscreen once you indicate, and this feature really comes in handy while changing lanes. But in doing so, it takes up the entire touchscreen, and if you were using navigation, you have to wait till the feed goes away. Thankfully you can turn this feature off if you don’t want to use it.

Other than this, you get rear AC vents with automatic climate control, cruise control, push button start stop, all power windows, and you now also get electrically adjustable ORVMs with auto fold.

The feature set in the new Tiago makes sure you don’t feel like anything is missing for your daily drives, and all the features in the hatchback work as intended. Here you can check out the variant-wise feature list of the facelifted Tata Tiago.

Apart from new 360-degree camera setup, the Tiago facelift also gets 6 airbags as standard now. Other safety features include ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold control, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

Now, while the pre-facelift Tiago had a 4-star crash test rating from Global NCAP which it received in 2020, it applied to the older version and not the new one. So we are awaiting a new crash test result for the facelifted Tiago to find out its safety rating.

Engine Options & Performance

The new Tata Tiago is being offered with the same powertrain options as the outgoing version, which are petrol and CNG. Both these powertrain options have been distributed well in the new Tiago’s variant lineup.

1.2-litre NA Petrol

This petrol engine is a 3-cylinder unit and it is well refined for that. There are some vibrations when you start the car, but they go away quickly and you don’t feel them much while driving. 

City Performance

The petrol engine has enough power to drive around city traffic without any worry. The acceleration is smooth and linear, you gain speeds quick enough to not feel sluggish, and overtaking people in the city won’t take much effort.

With the manual, there are well defined gates, and the clutch is also light with a long bite point, so even in bumper to bumper traffic, you can drive effortlessly and won’t have to worry about the car stalling. However, if you want more driving convenience, you can go for the AMT, which changes gears on time and doesn’t stay at high revs for too long.

While there is a small jerk while changing gears, you do get paddle shifters for manual shifting which work properly.

As far as fuel efficiency goes, you can get around 15 kmpl in the city, but during my experience, the minimum fuel efficiency was locked at 8kmpl. With the AMT you will get a similar fuel efficiency.

Highway Performance

On the highways, this engine gives you enough power for relaxed driving. You can get to triple digit speeds and even overtake without much planning at speeds of 70 to 80 kmph. However, at higher speeds, overtakes will require some planning.

Also, while you’re accelerating, if you push the engine a bit more, you do hear a loud sound inside the cabin due to lack of insulation. 

On the highways, if you drive in a relaxed manner, you can get a fuel efficiency of around 19 kmpl.

1.2-litre NA Petrol + CNG

With the factory fitted CNG kit, you get a lower running cost, and while the vibrations remain well constrained, you do get less power.

City Performance

While driving inside the city, the lack of power in CNG mode is barely felt. You have enough power to drive comfortably and can easily overtake others at city speeds. Driving in bumper to bumper traffic is the same as petrol as there is enough low end torque.

In the city, you can get a mileage of around 16-17 km per kg.

Highway Performance

On the highways, the power drop is felt while accelerating. Till the speeds of 50-60 kmph, you get decent acceleration, but beyond those speeds, it starts to feel a little slow. You have to plan your overtakes and getting to triple digit speeds also takes longer.

As far as mileage goes, you can get over 21 km per kg on the highways.

Ride Comfort & Handling

A common trait in all Tata cars is a plush ride quality and that’s what you get with the new Tiago. Since there have been no mechanical changes made to the suspension setup, the ride quality remains unchanged, and that’s good. While driving over rough patches, speedbreakers, and potholes at city speeds, the impact gets absorbed and you don’t feel any sudden movement inside the cabin. On poorly built roads, while there is movement, the suspension setup keeps the ride cushioned and you don’t feel constant motion.

On highway undulations and expansion joints, the Tiago remains stable and the vertical movement is well controlled.

However, around sharp corners, you have to drive in a laid back manner. It can take corners at high speeds, but it does not feel too planted and does not inspire confidence. It is not unstable in any way, and the movement here is predictable, but it’s not something you will enjoy doing, as you’ll have to constantly give steering inputs.

The new Tiago is available in three broad variants: Smart, Pure, and Creative, and these variants are further distributed into subvariants.

Tata Tiago Smart

• Gets both petrol and CNG options with a manual transmission.

• Gets 13-inch steel wheels, halogen headlamps, and blacked out ORVMs and door handles.

• Cabin gets a dual-tone black and grey theme, fabric seats, and fabric padding on the dashboard and doors.

• Features include a semi digital driver’s display, a tilt adjustable steering wheel, manual AC, and manually adjustable ORVMs.

• Safety kit comes with 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors, and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

• Check out the Tata Tiago base-spec Smart variant in detail.

Tata Tiago Pure

• This is the entry level AMT variant for both petrol and CNG powertrains.

• Gets 14-inch steel wheels with covers, wheel arches, and body coloured door handles.

• Additional features include steering mounted controls, a height adjustable driver seat, all power windows, electrically adjustable ORVMs, and 2 speakers.

• Safety kit gets follow-me-home headlamps, day/night IRVM, and a rear defogger.

• Get a more detailed look at the Tata Tiago Pure variant.

Tata Tiago Pure +

• Design changes are limited to a shark fin antenna.

• Additional features include an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, cruise control, 65W type-C USB port, and 4 speakers.

• Safety kit gets electronic stability program, a tyre pressure monitoring system, hill hold control, and a rearview camera.

• Take a look at the Pure+ variant in detail.

Tata Tiago Pure + A

• Gets a connecting element between the LED tail lamps and 14-inch styled steel wheels.

• Cabin gets a front armrest with storage and a parcel shelf (petrol only).

• Additional features include rear AC vents, automatic climate control, and auto headlamps.

• Safety kit gets rain sensing wipers and a rear wiper with washer. 

Tata Tiago Creative

• Exterior gets LED headlamps, LED DRLs, and 15-inch dual-tone alloy wheels.

• Cabin gets a cooled glovebox and seatback pockets.

• You get a 10.25-inch touchscreen, auto folding ORVMs, and one touch down driver window as additional features.

• You also get a 360-degree camera and a blind spot monitor added to the safety kit.

• A detailed explainer for the Creative variant can be found here.

Tata Tiago Creative +

• Exterior gets LED fog lamps and dual-tone black roof.

• Additional features include a wireless phone charger, a rear 65W type-C USB port, and connected car features.

CarDekho Recommends

• Pick the one-above-base Pure variant if you’re on a budget. It comes with all daily use features including bluetooth connectivity and offers the option of an AMT as well. Just keep some money aside for an aftermarket infotainment system.

• If you want a better experience, you can go for the one-below-top Creative variant. It gets most of the top-spec features and you won’t feel like anything major is missing.

The new Tata Tiago has been packaged in such a way that it feels like it should sit in a segment above. The design is modern, the cabin is surprisingly premium, the feature set is impressive, the ride quality is comfortable, and the powertrain options do not disappoint. It does feel like a very well-rounded hatchback which is being offered at a very affordable price.

But, there are still inconsistencies in cabin and built quality, the space on offer is fairly limited, and Tata’s aftersales services still need improvement for you to commit. Still, for a small family or for an individual, the new Tata Tiago has everything needed, and it should definitely be considered.

Other Options To Consider

Maruti Celerio

Reasons To Consider

• More affordable

• Maruti’s reliable aftersales

Reasons To Ignore

• Less features

• Dated design

• Basic interiors

Maruti WagonR

Reasons To Consider

• More Affordable

• Better space

Reasons To Ignore

• Basic features

• Not so premium cabin

Citroen C3

Reasons To Consider

• More comfortable ride quality

• Good features

Reasons To Ignore

• Does not feel premium

• Feels expensive