The Tigor EV has been on sale in the country for a few years now but has largely failed to strike a chord with the electric car buyer. Along with the now discontinued Mahindra E-Verito it has failed to inspire consumers to go green and clean. Now Tata Motors has launched a 2021 model of the car that promises much more than before. This includes a longer ranger, more features and a long warranty on battery and motor. The Nexon EV from Tata motors has been doing well and new Tigor EV will be hoping to emulate the SUV.
LOOKS
When it comes to styling, the Tigor facelift that was launched earlier this year is the inspiration for this car. Of course, the EV badge on the more futuristic looking grille with a blue slat will give it away that this car doesn’t run on Petrol. It also gets projector headlights, horizontal fog lamps with DRLs, new 14-inch wheels alloy wheels with blue accents and new LED tail lamps. You can choose from 3 variants but only the top XZ+ comes in a dual tone option.
TECH & INTERIORS
The cabin also gets blue accents on the AC vents and the seats come with the now familiar Tata tri-arrow pattern. The digital instrument cluster is quite nice to look at and gives information like range, regeneration and Eco mode. The 7-inch touch screen is available only on the top trim and is compatible with both Android auto and Apple Carplay. This along with cooled glovebox, push button start and foldable rear armrest is also available only on the XZ+. The car now gets more than 30 connected features including remote cooling, intrusion alert and charging status.
While automatic climate control finds a place on all the variants, a 4 speaker Harman infotainment system, interior lighting with theatre dimming and all 4 power windows are offered on the mid XM trim. The second row is good but misses out on AC vents. The spare wheel has been placed smartly (vertically) in the boot to give you a decent space of 316 litres.
DYNAMICS
The EV has adopted the brand’s Zip Tron powertrain also seen on the Nexon EV. The electric sedan gets a 26-kWh lithium-ion battery with a magnet synchronous motor which makes 73 bhp and 170 Nm. Since all that torque is available right from the word go, the car reaches 0-60 kmph in just 5.7 seconds. But for that fast pickup you’ll need to switch to the sport mode. This will also mean a slightly lesser range on the car. The battery gets IP67 certification which means better protection from water and dust. Tata is giving a warranty of 8 years and 1.6 lakh kms on the battery and motor, thereby increasing the buyer confidence.
The Tigor EV gets an ARAI certified range of 306 kms. That number will come down in everyday traffic. When I started on full charge the car was showing a range of 204 kms. And after around 50 kms, including moving in stop and go traffic, the range was down to 130 kms. Still, it’s a significant improvement from the earlier car. It also highly depends on how hard you press the accelerator or how often you apply the brakes.
RIDE & HANDLING
Changing lanes at high speeds doesn’t not really unsettle the occupants in the Tigor EV. The Sportback shape has always given the car an edge when it comes to dynamics. The ride is also as plush and there’s nothing to complain here. Hill ascent and descent features help in a trouble-free and safe drive. Talking about safety, the car has been given a 4-star crash rating by global NCAP and this is for both adult as well as child occupant protection. This makes it one of the safest cars made in India. It also gets dual airbags and ABS with EBD as standard.
CHARGING
Tata’s EZ power app helps you in finding the nearest available charging station. And it is quite accurate as I experienced. The car can be charged to 80 per cent in less than 1 hour using fast charge while on a home charger it takes around 8.5 hours. Tata says the car can be fast-charged or slow-charged from any 15 A plug point.
VERDICT
The ex-showroom prices for the Tigor EV start at Rs. 11.99 lakh and go up to Rs. 13.14 lakh. This is almost double of the Petrol variants which only come with a manual version. The on-road price depends on state subsidies being provided on purchase of electric vehicles. When Petrol prices are crossing Rs. 100/litre, an affordable EV like the Tigor could be a smart buy. It’s got a low running cost and yes it also keeps the planet cleaner.
The Writer is the Senior Editor at carandbike.com