In times of high Petrol prices many buyers in the entry space are switching to CNG vehicles. This has been evident of success of cars from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai which come with CNG models. Now Tata Motors has decided to join the party and has introduced the CNG versions of the Tiago and Tigor in the market. According to the company these are the most powerful CNG cars in the segment and also come with what features like direct start in CNG, single advance ECU and auto switchover between fuels.
Commenting on the launch, Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd., and Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd., said, “The demand for both economical personal mobility as well as greener, emission friendly mobility is rapidly rising. With this foray in the fast-growing segment of CNG powered vehicles, we are offering more choice to our discerning customers. Our iCNG range offers a delightful experience with incredible performance, a wide range of premium features, upmarket interiors and uncompromised safety. Developed on the 4-pillars of Design, Performance, Safety and Technology, the feature rich iCNG technology will further expand the appeal of our popular ‘New Forever’ range of cars and SUVs to open new vistas for growth.”
LOOKS
In terms of looks both the Tiago and Tigor CNG get the same design as the Petrol models apart from the iCNG badge that finds a place on the boot lid. While the Tiago iCNG comes with features like the projector headlamps, LED DRLs, chrome embellishments on the exteriors and premium black and beige dual tone interiors; the Tigor iCNG too comes equipped with features such as rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and dual tone roof. The company has also introduced a new midnight plum body colour on the Tiago and a magnetic red option on the Tigor.
INTERIORS
Unlike some of their competitors both the cars come with multiple variants to let the buyer choose the number of features he wants. To differentiate from the Petrol siblings the cabin gets new seat fabric and new dual tone black and beige interiors.You also get a digital instrument cluster which now has 2 fuel gauges, one each for Petrol and CNG. The top variant gets features like 7.0-inch touch screen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple Car Play, 8-speaker Harman sound system, electrically adjustable side view mirrors and automatic climate control. On the lower variants features like black & grey interiors, 4 power windows, rear parking sensors and cooled glovebox are offered. The presence of a CNG tank in the boot though has really cut down on luggage space, especially on the Tiago which gets just 80 litres compared to 242 litres on Petrol Tiago.
SAFETY
Tata says both the cars use high strength steel with the inclusion of standard safety features such as dual airbags, ABS with EBD and Corner Stability control. Additionally, you also get features like speed alert, seatbelt reminder, speed sensing door locks, followmehome lights, rear view camera and rear defogger.
ENGINE
The new Tiago iCNG and Tigor iCNG are powered by the Revotron 1.2L BS6 engine which produces maximum power of 73PS – the highest for any CNG car in this segment. But this is also a tad lower than what this engine makes on the Petrol models. According to Tata, the iCNG cars come with a seamless shifting of fuel modes from Petrol to CNG and vice versa. The cars are only being offered with a 5-speed manual transmission unlike the Petrol models which also get an AMT option. The claimed fuel efficiency figures are 26.49 km/kg and Tata says the cars can be started directly in CNG mode which isn’t the case with their rivals.
PRICES
The 4 variants of the Tata Tiago CNG are priced between Rs. 6.09 lakh and Rs. 7.52 lakh (ex-showroom). The top XZ+ is also available in a dual tone option for which you need to shell out Rs. 12,000 extra. The 2 variants of Tigor CNG are priced at Rs. 7.69 lakh and Rs. 8.29 lakh (ex-showroom). The XZ+ dual tone is priced at Rs. 8.41 lakh. Both these cars have come with a warranty of 2 years or 75,000 kms, whichever is earlier, as a standard option for all customers.
The writer is Senior Editor at carandbike.com