Tata Tiago hatchback: 17 changes since 2015
December 2015 I had braved Chennai floods and travelled to Goa to attend media launch of Tata Motor's new hatchback Tiago (then named Zica). Recently I took test drive of Tiago again. In this post I am listing what all has changed w.r.t Tata's Tiago hatchback since past 5 years.
1. XB and XM variants discontinued: Earlier XB was Tiago's cheapest variant. XM was a mid variant. Now both are discontinued. Tiago is now available only in XE, XT, XZ trims. (XZ has XZ+, XZA, XZA+, XZA+DT and XZ+ DT).
2. No more Nano. Tiago is now Tata Motor's cheapest offering. As Nano has not been upgraded to BS6 and its production stopped last year, there is no indica, zest or bolt or Vista D90, so Tiago is the kid in the Tata Motor's stable.
3. No more diesel. Earlier Tiago was available with both petrol and diesel engines. But as diesel prices have increased and cost of BS6 upgrade is too much, many manufacturers are avoiding diesel cars. Maruti has completely got rid of diesel from their portfolio. Tata Motors offers diesel in Altroz, Nexon etc but not in Tiago or Tigor.
4. Zica to Tiago. A deadly virus named Zica broke up in 2016 soon after Tata Motors launched Zica, forcing the company to rename the car as Tiago. Lucky no one had a car named Corona or Covid.
5. XZ won't get alloy wheels now. Earlier XZ variant used to get alloy wheels. Now XZ gets only steel wheel with plastic cap made to look like alloy wheel. For alloy wheel you've to go for XZ+, which costs another 30-50k more. Alloy wheels are now diamond cut/dual tone ones. May be TM could have given standard white alloy wheel on XZ.
6. Refined instrument cluster: Tiago's instrument cluster is now more digitized. Check the photos for earlier design and current.
Above: 2015 instrument cluster design of Tiago
Below: 2020 design of Tiago's instrument cluster
7. No major design/body panel change. If you see Swift or Innova or WagonR, they have got good refresh involving design changes. Swift or WagonR's body panel, taillamp etc are now different from earlier model. Tiago hasn't got any major upgrade in terms of design. Except probably the front bumper, all other body panels are same as earlier. Changes to car's look n feel are negligible. A good refresh is due.
8. Engine Upgrade: BS3 to BS4 to BS6: Tiago's petrol engine remains the same- 1.2 liter revotron. But it has proved itself over time and has been upgraded to BS4 and now BS6. The same engine powers Tigor and Altroz. Hopefully Tiago and its engine will prove as reliable as earlier Indica and will survive 10-15 years without any troubles.
9. Price increase by 50%. Tiago was costing a lot less back in 2016. Now on road price ranges from 6 to 8.5 lakhs depending on variants.
Tata Tiago Variant | Ex-Showroom, Chennai (INR, Lakhs) | On Road Price. Chennai (INR, Lakhs) | Remarks |
Tiago XB Petrol | 3.31 | 3.81 | No AC (only blower) |
Tiago XE Petrol | 3.71 | 4.27 | |
Tiago XM Petrol | 3.97 | 4.56 | |
Tiago XT Petrol | 4.27 | 4.91 | |
Tiago XZ Petrol | 4.84 | 5.55 | |
Tiago XB Diesel | 4.07 | 4.67 | No AC (only blower) |
Tiago XE Diesel | 4.42 | 5.08 | |
Tiago XM Diesel | 4.78 | 5.48 | |
Tiago XT Diesel | 5.09 | 5.83 | |
Tiago XZ Diesel | 5.64 | 6.46 | |
Tata Tiago ex-showroom and on road price now (Udupi, Karnataka, November 2020)
Tata Tiago Variant | Ex-Showroom, Udupi (INR, Lakhs) | On Road Price. Udupi (INR, Lakhs) | Remarks |
Tiago XB Petrol | NA | NA | Discontinued |
Tiago XE Petrol | 4.7 | 6.0 | 5.999 to make you happy! |
Tiago XT Petrol | 5.34 | 6.82 | |
Tiago XZ Petrol | 5.84 | 7.41 | |
Tiago XZA+ Petrol DT | 6.74 | 8.5 | There are few more variants costing between 7.9 to 8.4 lakhs |
10. Four star safety rating: Tiago's fortunes have been improved because of Global N CAP's 4 star safety rating. Tiago is the only budget hatchback to have such a good safety rating. All its rivals have much less rating (Kwid & Hyundai Grand i10 Neos: 2 star, Swift 3 star etc)
11. NRG is no more
Tata Motors had introduced a performance variant called NRG. Even this has not been upgraded to BS6 so doesn't exist now.
12. Variant badge no more
Earlier vehicle makers were showing a metal badge highlighting which variant it is. These days both Maruti and Tata Motors have stopped it. Probably they are saving 100 Rs by avoiding this small metal piece. Now we have to put lot more effort to identify which variant the car is.
13. Projector headlamps
Tata motors has made minor tweak to Tiago's headlamp assembly. Now it gets projector headlamps. Still no DRL
14. Orange colour replaced by Yellow
Originally sunburst orange was Tiago's communication colour. Now Tata Motors has stopped this, instead a bright yellow colour has been introduced. Other colours- white, silver, grey, red and blue seem to remain intact as is.
15. Dual tone
Originally Tiago didn't have dual tone. Now for about 10-15k more, you can have a black coloured roof on XZ+ DT trim. This trim also gets piano black mirror (not body coloured mirror like XZ)
16. Tectonic Blue and Victory Yellow to be discontinued
From Feb/March 2021, Victory Yellow will be permanently discontinued and Tectonic Blue will be replaced with more darker Arizona Blue.
17. Limited Edition on XT
Only XT variant now available in a limited edition trim- gets a designer alloy wheel, bigger infotainment system. No other changes (no fog lamps, no driver seat height adjustment etc)
I am also assuming audio system and Android auto's quality would have improved over time (less lag etc). Despite all these, Tiago is only selling about 5000-7000 units a month, compared to its rivals Swift, Grand i10 etc which are selling 2x-3x more. Despite good design and safety features, after sales service and showroom experience is probably forcing customers out. Something Tata motors need to focus in 2021.
Do share your thoughts.
Related: Deciding between Tiago, Tigor and Altroz *
You know what? Your blogpost was one of the reviews I trusted and went ahead with buying Tiago in December 2018. :-) XZ+ was just launched but I still stick with XZ to save 40k+. Don't regret buying at all. That too after seeing the Safety ratings (when I bought, car was yet to be put to tests). Very good & solid on highways, but asks for more gearshifts in city traffic. The only complaint is it lags in 2nd gear, but its due to the 3 cylinder engine is what I have learnt from the reviews and also from the service center guys.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your inputs and confidence in the vehicle. I might just be buying one soon.
DeleteI own XZA from the past 4 years. The biggest drawback is, as you have suggested, of Service. They have very few service centers and they are not up to the mark. We can't complain much against these service people for their inefficiency, because we have to go to the same service center again and again. There is no other choice.
ReplyDeleteOnly for this reason, my next car may not be from TATA.
Thanks for your input. There are complaints about Hyundai and Maruti also- have to trust someone and take some chances
Delete