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Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

Tata Motor's new naughty child, the Tiago has been creating huge ripples in the mid-size hatchback segment in India. We put its petrol derivative through its paces to see if this adolocent can really make its mark.

The idea of a peppy, petrol powered hatchback fascinates us all. A car which can do your everyday office runs, can accommodate your buys from the monthly grocery shopping, drop kids to school, can be the perfect companion for those short weekend trips and can simultaneously be an equally versatile car to drive. Now there are multiple such options available in the market at the moment that fit the bill, but the hot pick of the lot (quite literally) continues to be the emerging Tata Tiago.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

Launched in 2016, this hatchback has taken Tata Motor’s domestic sales to soaring heights, with bookings exceeding the reciprocate deliveries and waiting period for new buyers climbing up as high as up to 6 months. Now this was quite a bit of surprise for us all and more so for Tata Motors, because majority of the order received, contrary to the expectations of the automaker, was for the petrol derivative of the Tiago.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

Tata Motors have only recently forayed into the world of petrol powered vehicles with majority of its previous products running solely on oil-burners. The automaker introduced its newly developed gasoline engines under the Revotron range, one of which, a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder motor has found its way under the hood of the Tiago. Now we are happy to inform that much like its 1.03-litre diesel cousin (under the Revotorq range), this one too has equally made its mark.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

Its 82Bhp and 114Nm of peak torque, make the Tiago petrol classify amongst one of the best ‘meant to be driven’ vehicles that are currently available in India. Right from the start, the engine feels quite peppy with its enthusiastic nature luring you into pushing it to its limits. When in City mode, the engine is highly responsive to one’s throttle input as it pulls effortlessly and linearly from one gear to the other.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

Talking about gears, there are 5 of them present and slotting each one of them is breeze, thanks to the smooth operation of the manual gearbox. Be it any one of those 5, a dab of the throttle and the engine springs to action, though in a slightly noisy manner. When traversing in low RPM especially while cruising within city speeds, the engine noise does feel a bit intrusive and gets ever more so as one climbs higher up the rev range.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

Putting that factor aside, the Revotron power mil is quite smooth in its operations. For increased smoothness, one can shift from the default City driving mode to Eco mode, it dulls the engine response to a certain extent in order to provide a longer run through your tank of fuel. Mind you, popping the Tiago in Eco Mode does not mean that the engine loses its mojo and becomes ‘calm’. It is still very much responsive to sudden throttle inputs and one will never find a lack of power when going for that all so important overtake.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

The ride quality, steering response and other driving dynamics of the Tata Tiago petrol are identical to that of its diesel derivative, which is a good thing off course. The suspension absorbs bumps quite well, though larger ones do make their way inside the cabin and often leave you with a ‘thud’ to remember.

Tata Tiago Petrol review: It’s a mouse, a very naughty mouse!

That said, in its class, in the price tag which it falls under, the Tiago’s cabin is surely a nice place to be in. More so because of the creature comforts and features that this vehicle has to offer. The highlight of which is off-course is the banging stereo, thanks to the implementation of HARMAN KARDON sound system. That coupled with Tata’s CONNECTNEXT, Tiago’s in car entertainment is a well sorted out affair.

So what the verdict? Well, let us put it this way. We all like surprises, don’t we? Especially when it comes from those who were the least expected to give one. The Tata Tiago, fits this bill perfectly, it truly is of the biggest and highly appreciated surprises ever to come out of the stables of Tata Motors. The Tiago diesel ticks all the boxes of style, practicality, comfort and convenience, complementing it is the Tiago petrol which adds the ‘fun to drive’ factor as well.