Kudos to Mr. Tata and everyone involved with the creation of the Nano, for they have against all odds brought a car to life that is not only ridiculously cheap but also surprisingly fun to drive, cute and competent. It goes without saying that the Tata Nano will drastically transform the automotive scene in the country, just as a certain Maruti 800 did many years ago.

Design
Before the Nano was first unveiled to the public eye, anyone would have thought that world's cheapest car would appear something like the end result of cross breeding a four-stroke scooter and an auto rickshaw. Therefore, it is particularly heartening to see that the Tata Nano looks like a normal hatchback and therefore, quite the contrary to what people had envisaged. There is nothing cheap about the Nano as far as looks and appearances are concerned. Infact, the Nanos' design, created by Justin Novak, can be labeled a masterstroke, for it possesses the power to make one embrace it with all its heart at the very first sight. There are many details on the Nano that catches ones eyes, like the sports car like side air-intakes, flared wheel arches, rear roof spoiler and the centrally mounted exhaust pipe. The Nano can be related back to other cars from the Tata Motors stable, like the Indica, by its vertical tail lamps and creased nose. With roofline almost matching that of the Hyundai Santro, the Nano is a tall car. However, the drooping roof veils its tall stance and prevents it from looking ungainly. As we all know, a tall stance makes a car susceptible to body roll, but it is not without benefits though, as it is translated into high headroom for the passengers.

The Tata Nano is a head turner, not only because of its status, but also because of the sporty, cherubic and agile picture that it paints. The front with its short nose, prominent headlights, the meshed radiator grill and vertical tail lamps at the rear, in conjunction with the sporty side-profile with its air-intakes and sharp crease manage to render the Nano with a look that is ageless, spirited, nimble, and sporty, and one that stays in one’s mind for a long time. The only aspect of the exterior that one might deem awkward is the midget tyres. The front and rear tyres it must be mentioned differ from each other in size. While at the front the Nano sits on 135/70 R12 profile tyres, at the rear the Nano has bigger 155/65 R12 tyres. This is largely to keep the car from toppling over and balanced. 

On the inside, the Nano is more concerned with maximum space utilization than anything else and quite rightly so. Inspite of its diminutive proportions it is shockingly spacious, with enough room for four grown-ups. According to Tata Motors, the Nano is 8 percent smaller than the Maruti 800, but with 21 percent more interior space and that is quite something. With the rear seats folded, a storage space of 500 litres is liberated, but it gets pretty hot back there, as that is where the engine is located. The engine at the rear is accessed after folding the rear seats as the Nano has a sealed rear hatch. With the rear seats in position, the Nano has a storage space of just 80 litres, which is large enough to hold only a small suitcase.

The high mounted seats are thin at the front, but possess decent under-thigh support. Being high mounted and with wide opening doors, ingress and egress automatically becomes an easy and comfortable affair. There is ample headroom for even tall passengers and an unobstructed view of the road is permitted to the passengers. At the rear, there are acres of legroom, which allows the passengers to stretch their legs and travel in comfort.

Like the Chevy Spark, the Nano too has its instrument stack located in the centre, which makes for easy and cheap conversion into a left-hand drive. The instrument stack is simple and consists of the speedometer, trip meter, a digital fuel gauge, and a bunch of warning lights. The dashboard has been deliberately scooped-out to serve as a storage space for knick and knacks as the Nano does not have a glove box. There are however two cupholders and small map pockets in the doors. The doors are very light and have integrated armrests. The top-end LX version comes with fabric upholstery, and twin-tone plastic, which is of cheap quality but nevertheless quite ok for a car of the Nano's price. The CX version gets dual-tone PVC seats while the base model gets all PVC seats like those found in some of Tata's commercial people carriers and pick-ups. But inspite of the simplicity and lack of glitz, the Nano's interior one must agree is very decent, largely owed to its capacious nature and the quality of finishing.

See specs of Tata Nano variants

Comfort
The Tata Nano is a bag full of surprises, right from its cabin quality, space, performance and now ride and handling. Independent suspensions and bigger rear tyres curbs the cars natural tendency to oversteer. The non-assisted steering is precise and with ample feedback. With a minimal turning radius and petite size, the Nano is a potent force in the confines of the city and tends to leaves most cars in its wake. It is ridiculously easy and comfortable to drive. Let's just say that the person with a Tata Nano will reach office much earlier in the morning than his colleague who drives an Indica or any other car for that matter.

Ride quality is decent as long as one doesn’t decide to go off road or drive over huge speed breakers. The puny wheels have a propensity to literally bounce off the speed breakers or any major unevenness on the road. Otherwise, the Nano behaves quite well over our average broken roads.

The Nano is quite a comfortable car but not surprisingly, it does not possess any comfort and convinience features other than the rudimentary air-con, heater and front power windows in the top-end LX BSIII version.

Engine, Transmission and Performance
A lot has been said and written about the Nano's puny powertrain, with many taking the mickey out of it. The fact remains that the Nano's meek 624cc, 2-cylinder, in-line, SOHC all-aluminium petrol engine that at best only manages to displace 35PS of maximum power at 5250rpm is not cut out for dashing across the Nurburgring at break neck speeds. Once one gets hold of that fact, he or she will come to appreciate the fact that inspite of all its meekness, the car actually drives quite decently, much of which is owed to its meager body weight of 600kgs, creating a decent power-to-weight ratio. The Nano is at its prime at low-speeds. Initial acceleration is brisk and 60kmph is reached in a very decent 9.8 seconds. But as the speed keeps building, the engine is put to its test, so it is about 31.3 seconds after the car starts that the 100kmph mark is touched at a stretch. But for all its lack of sheer power and grunt, the car does well to climb small hills without much of a stutter even with full-load. The Nano's top-speed has been electronically calibrated at 105kmph, upon hitting which, the speed limiter kicks-in and the engine check lamp and temperature gauge starts to blink. A very modest torque of 48Nm available in between 2500 and 4000 revs ensures that the Nano loses steam at speeds in excess of 60kmph, so it will be most prudent to limit the jaunts in the Nano within city limits. In the city, the Nano is a sprightly little fella, dashing in and out of traffic and squeezing into spaces that only accommodates two and three-wheelers.

As one starts the engine, there are telltale signs of the presence of a 2-cylinder engine at the rear. There is a bit of vibration and the engine emits noises much akin to that of a scooter. But that by no means takes anything away from the fact, and the fact remains that this is a car that is surprisingly fun to drive and quite competent. One of the very few things that can be improved in the Nano is the brakes, as the tail tends to wag a tad when braking at high speeds.

If the Tata Nano does not excel in terms of speed and grunt, it is in the area of fuel-efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions and running cost where it reigns supreme, more or less making up for the lack of power. Tata Motors claims that emission is 12 percent lower than any motorcycle in the country, with carbon dioxide emission being less than 110gm/km.

There are unclaimed reports of the Nano returning a mileage in excess of 20kmpl. While that has not been confirmed as yet, one may rest assured that the actual mileage will atleast be in the range of 15-18kmpl. High fuel-efficiency has enabled the maker to keep the weight of the car down by incorporating a fuel tank of only 15 litres.

The Single Overhead Camshaft petrol engine is mated to a four-speed manual gearshift. The gearshift is quite pleasant, easy to use and precise with short throws. The Nano's gearbox is actually much better than that of some other cars from the company. Tata Motors is said to be introducing a CVT transmission to the Nano at the end of the year.

Safety
Even before its launch, the Nano had a bright red big question mark painted over it, especially when it came to the crucial aspect of safety. After all, a car with a body structure comprised of thin sheet metals could only withstand so much in the unfortunate event of a collision. Tata Motors assures that the Nano meets all current regulatory norms in India. Being a 'mono-volume' (combination of 'space frame and 'monocoque'), the shell of the Nano is safer than a plain monocoque. The Nano has been subjected to numerous 'full frontal' crash tests and 'roof crush' tests. Moreover, there are crumple zones in the front and strong doors to withstand side impacts.

The Europe specific model of the Nano called 'Europa' will feature airbags, anti-lock brakes and electronic stability program, as a car has to pass high levels of safety to be allowed to be sold in the continent. 

The Tata Nano is available in five trims, three of which are BSIII complaints. Priced in the range of Rs. 1.25 Lakhs to Rs. 1.75 Lakhs (ex showroom), the base Nano is Rs. 70,000 cheaper than the entry-level Maruti 800. Not only is it much cheaper than any other car in the world, it is also slightly cheaper than an autorickshaw.

The Nano is currently being manufactured at Tata's Pantnagar factory in Uttarakhand in limited numbers and deliveries will commence in July. Tata is offering a warranty period of 18 months or 24,000kms, whichever is earlier on the car. State Bank of India has been roped in by the automaker to provide loans to customers. Available with the bank are seven-year loans at interest rates of 11.7-12 percent.

The story of the creation of the Tata Nano is a lesson in having faith in oneself and believing that a difference can be made to the world (motoring world in this case). Surely one owes the universe to Mr.Ratan Tata and his team for giving India and the world the ultimate 'People's car'.