This is a complete car until you open the trunk – as almost the entire available space in the trunk is taken up by a 60 liter (water equivalent) CNG tank (9-10 kg CNG).
But fill up the CNG tank, close the trunk, put your luggage (if any) in the back seat, and you get a car with one of the longest nonstop miles in India.The reason is that the CNG tank can take in 9-10kg of gasoline and has a claimed fuel efficiency of 26.49km/kg, with a range of around 250km for CNG alone.Once you run out of fuel, don’t worry, the 35-liter tank will get you another 700+ kilometers.The total range is over 900 km.
Maruti Suzuki has 9 CNG cars, Hyundai has 4 and now Tata has launched two (Tigor and Tiago).There are two reasons for the surge in demand for CNG vehicles – rising gasoline and diesel fuel prices, and a steady increase in the number of CNG outlets (currently over 3,100 CNG outlets in over 250 cities, up from 2,207) Early FY21 – Later Data provided by Care Ratings).
In terms of visual differences, there are two main ones on the body (iCNG badges and two fuel intake points) and two inside the cabin (two fuel level indicators and a fire extinguisher).
The cabin is a comfortable place.The dashboard is well laid out and all switches are within easy reach.The steering wheel is just the right size and grip is decent.There’s plenty of practical space, big and small, to store everything from documents to books, glasses to bottles.
Although the engine produces lower maximum power and maximum torque in CNG mode than in petrol mode, there is absolutely no difference in how the car behaves on the road.So, even in CNG mode, the Tiago is a very dynamic car.
One, while the CNG cylinder can’t be reduced in size (as it would reduce mileage), there can be a way to pack it better to create at least some usable space in the trunk.
Two, in the event of a tire blowout, removing the stepney (space tire) can be a cumbersome process (by folding the back seat and removing the stepney from under the CNG cylinder).can be reconsidered.
Third, the white spherical CNG cylinder can be dazzling to some people (so it’s best to cover it with some material so as not to add to its already large size).
This is an amazing city car.For example, in Delhi, the price of petrol is Rs 95 per litre and the price of compressed natural gas is Rs 53 per kilo.If you drive around 2,000km per month, you can recoup the extra Rs 90,000 paid for the CNG model in less than a year (the Tata Motors website has a CNG vs petrol/diesel calculator to explain this).
However, if you are a family of four and you need to travel out of town for a few days, your luggage needs to be at home, or you need to buy a slightly more expensive – around 75,000 rupees – Tigor iCNG (with larger luggage box space and therefore some luggage space).
Instead, experts say CNG is good for gasoline engines.The reason they cite is that, due to CNG’s unique properties (it contains no carbon), it does not contaminate or dilute crankcase oil, giving the engine new life.The absence of any lead in CNG helps prevent lead contamination of the plug, thereby extending the life of the plug.Because CNG enters the engine as a gas (rather than as a spray or mist like other fuels), no carbon is produced during the combustion of CNG, reducing the chance of wear.
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Post time: Mar-15-2022