Time flies and how. It feels like yesterday when I got the Tiago AMT home as a long termer and three months later, it is already time to say good bye. You might have read the first two reports which showcased what a lovely hatchback the Tiago is. So here’s a short report card on its tenure at Throttle Blips.

There is no two ways that the Tiago is one of the nicest looking hatchbacks in the market today. The size is just perfect for everyday driving. I love the way the headlamps are so beautifully sculpted. There is no overdose of chrome which is a good thing. The gloss black grille also looks classy. At the rear, it nice to see the wrap around tail lamps and the rear spoiler. The Tiago is testament to how far Tata Motors has come in terms of design.

It’s the same story for the interiors and I loved every time I took to the driver’s seat. The cabin gave an airy feel every time I got into the car. The dashboard has a lovely texture and the side AC vents in body colour was my favourite has been my of the interior. Other niceties include a bright LED cabin light, piano black finish on the centre console and electrically adjustable ORVMs. Listening to music was always a pleasant experience with the Harman sound system. Its better than some systems I’ve seen in cars from a higher segment.

The 1.2 litre 3 cylinder petrol engine with 85 horsepower is perfect for city commute combined with the 5 speed AMT gearbox.  The gearbox has been relatively fuss free except the jerkiness in the first couple of gears. The small size was perfect every time I hit the market for grocery shopping. Parking in small spaces has also been a breeze. The steering feels light too.  Also useful has been the creep function in bumper to bumper commute. As much as the motor felt at home in urban daily traffic, a couple of drives on the highway exposed its weaknesses as well. At speeds around the 100 kph mark, the engine would feel strained and short of breath. And this was in Sport mode. On the flip side, the Tiago always felt stable and ride quality has been good too. The monsoon hit potholed Mumbai roads did not flutter the little hatch at all. Coming to the FE, the Tiago AMT consistently delivered between 11 to 12 kpl in city driving while highway gave around 15 kpl. The worst I saw was 8 kpl in bumper to bumper traffic.

The Tata Tiago AMT turned out to be a wonderful driving companion for the three months that it stayed at the Throttle Blips garage. Good looks, quality interiors, build quality and features along with the AMT make it the perfect city run about. Well, farewells are always sad and letting go of MH01 CP 6490 wasn’t easy either. On that note, signing off.