Tata Nano 2012-2017 LX

Nano 2012-2017 LX Review

Tata Motor Group is one of the oldest Indian automotive manufacturers making popular passenger cars since 1991. This esteemed car maker is said to be the 18th biggest automobile manufacturer across the globe in terms of volume. Tata Group was founded way back in year 1954 and has varied other vehicle manufacturing units as well. Tata Cars are some of the most admired and trustworthy vehicles in the country and are known to be fuel efficient and affordable. The company is known for their innovative technologies that are integrated in their vehicles, one such brilliant development happened when the company came up with their immensely popular small car, Tata Nano. This car maker initiated the development of this fantastic car in the year 2003, but it took about five to six years to complete the entire process and manufacture the end product. This small car was first introduced in the Indian car bazaar in 2009 and the sales opened to frenzied bookings and long waiting periods. The company has now launched the 2013 Tata Nano model series in three variants for the customers to choose from. The top end trim of this new variant lineup is the 2013 Tata Nano LX  and the company has bestowed this new entrant with some wonderful features. This new Tata Nano is also acclaimed to be one of the most fuel efficient small cars in the country, with an impressive mileage and a peppy engine. The petrol mill that is fitted in this small car is a 624cc power plant, which has two cylinders and can attain a top speed of 105kmph, which is rather incredible.

Exteriors:

This top end trim has been bestowed with some striking exterior features, which will certainly impress the customers. The frontage of this variant has been revamped and now looks refined with a chrome treated front fascia, which is surrounded by a big head light cluster that is equipped with high intensity clear lens lamps along with the side turn blinkers. There is also a chrome finished insignia of the company embossed in the center between the head lamps . Below the bonnet is a small air dam on the body colored bumper, which is flanked by a pair of bright fog lamps that enhances the visibility of the driver. The tinted front wind screen is quite large and is fitted with front washing and wiping system that has a two-speed plus intermittent wiper. The side profile is smooth and lustrous with body colored external rear view mirrors and door handles, which add to the beauty of this top end trim. While the wheel arches have been fitted with an exclusive set of 12 inch steel wheels of size 4 B X 12, which have been covered with tubeless radial tyres. The rear end gets a sporty roof spoiler with clear lens tail lamps.

Interiors:

The insides of this Tata Nano LX trim are done up with elan, which will certainly amaze the customers. The seating arrangement is quite comfortable with well cushioned seats, covered with good quality fabric upholstery. The door pads and trim have been covered with premium beige fabric upholstery , which also has black vinyl in it as well. The dashboard gets a Barley beige color scheme, while the center fascia is finished in a silver metallic finish. The instrument cluster is radiant and has quite a number of notification and warning lamps such as an electronic trip meter, a fuel gauge and several other such notifications. This small car gets a very responsive three spoke steering wheel as well, which helps in the maneuverability of this vehicle. This small car also has a boot space of 80-litres without folding the rear seat, but this can increase to about 500 litres with the seat folded to accommodate quite a few things in it.

Engine and Performance:

The company has fitted this small car with an energetic 624cc petrol drive train . This lively power plant has been equipped with two cylinders and it also has the highly acclaimed multi point fuel injection (MPFI) supply system, which helps in generating good mileage. This active powertrain has the ability to churn out a peak power output of 37.5bhp at 5500rpm in combination with a maximum torque 51Nm at 4000rpm . It also has the ability to attain a top speed of 105kmph and is skillfully coupled with a smooth and proficient 5 speed (4 forward and 1 reverse) manual gear box transmission. This competent gear box has synchromesh on all the four forward gears along with a sliding mesh on the single reverse gear and an overdrive on the fourth gear as well.

Braking and Handling:

All the variants of this 2013 Tata Nano model series have been fitted with an efficient braking system along with a well balanced suspension mechanism. The front as well as the rear wheels has been fitted with drum brakes for competent braking of this small car on any road conditions . The company has fitted a dual circuit type of a brake along with a vertical split that is operated by a tandem master cylinder, which also has a vacuum booster. On the other hand, the front axle of this car has been fitted with an independent suspension mechanism that has a lower wish bone and a McPherson strut, which also has gas filed dampers along with an anti roll bar. Whereas, the rear axle gets an independent semi trailing arm with a coil spring, which also has gas filled shock absorbers. All these mechanisms put together ensure that this small car is perfectly under control of the driver.

Safety Features:

The company has fitted this Tata Nano LX trim with some very crucial and essential safety aspects, which will make sure that the passengers as well as the vehicle are secure and protected. The inventory of these protective features comprises of central locking , tubeless radial tyres, a rear center high mounted stop lamp, laminated wind screen, a door lock on the driver as well as the front co-passenger side, booster assisted brakes for efficient braking, front and rear seat belts for added protection of the passengers, additional body reinforcements and also an intrusion beam, which is an integral feature through an innovative door system design. All these and a few other such aspects ensure that this small car is well protected along with its occupants.

Comfort Features:

The Tata Nano LX is the top end trim in the model lineup and the company has bestowed it with most of their best in class and incredible comfort functions. The list includes a commanding air conditioning unit with a heater, front power windows for the driver and co-passenger , a couple of cup holders in the front console, an anti glare internal rear view mirror, a gear shift console that also has a provision for a 12V accessory socket, a cabin lamp, a magazine and coin holder in all the doors, a map pocket behind the driver as well as the front co-passenger seat with a separate plastic trim, front seat head rests, a sun visor each for the driver as well as the front co-passenger, integrated rear seat head rests. The driver as well as the front passenger seat has a slider and can be reclined back, more features include front and rear assist grips, a low fuel warning lamp, foldable rear seat, head lamp leveling function, which is an integral feature through an innovative suspension design. This top end trim also has an advanced and state of the art music system, which has an MP3 Player along with FM Radio and other input options such as iPod connectivity, USB interface and Aux-in port. The company has also given this top end trim a couple of front door speakers as well.

Pros: Refined looking exteriors, plush interiors, impressive fuel economy.

Cons: Engine lacks pickup and acceleration, the boot space is very less.