CNG as a fuel is cheaper than petrol, and that is the reason why so many people have shifted to it for lowering their running costs. Although CNG cars abound, especially in econoboxes, there has been no effort to mate an automatic tranny with it. Till now. Tata Motors promised and has now delivered a CNG Automatic variant of the Tiago and the Tigor; and we were privileged to drive it.
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Most of you are already familiar with the Tigor. That familiar whale shape is quite handsome and the front and rear lights look updated and modern along with the Daytime Running lights (DRLs). On the inside, the car is as loaded as they come. We were driving the XZA+ version, and that comes with all kinds of bells and whistles. I love that white upholstery finish with faux perforated leather – yes, it is a dust magnet but gives the vehicle a really royal touch. You also get a two-tone dashboard in black and white that looks classy. Sitting in the middle is a rather nice 7-inch touchscreen with vibrant colours and excellent touch response, with no lag – something that you do not find in vehicles costing twice or thrice that. The infotainment by Harman is quite acceptable and produces reasonably quality sound for its segment. You also get a 12-volt charging socket, a USB-A port and a USB-C port for fast charging.
Another good thing about the Tigor is its instrument cluster. It now has separate indicators for petrol and CNG, that makes it very convenient to see fuel levels. A small switch on the fascia seamlessly switches between petrol and CNG in a way that you will not even notice, except for the discreet yellow indicator for CNG on the full-digital dash. Besides speed and other necessary info, you also get a tire pressure indicator on a little graphic that also doubles up for door open indicator. Very nifty and I love the large speedo readout in digital, that is easy to see day or night. The rear passengers do not get any charging ports, except for a solitary 12-volt charging point at the end of the transmission tunnel. This I think is a miss and the rear should have gotten its own device charging ports. You do get automatic headlamps and windscreen wipers as well.
Now lets come to the main part, the driving dynamics. The Automated Manual transmission (AMT) is now in a much-improved state and shifts are getting smoother than before. Although technically you do feel the shift, yet the jerkiness of the earlier cars is gone. There is a slight lowering of power in CNG: 73.4 horses versus the 86 in petrol mode. You also get twin CNG cylinders in the boot, nicely covered up. However, this does mean that the Tigor iCNG loses overall boot space, but then this is something that you have to get used too. However, all these shortcomings are addressed when you get into the car and drive it. This is not a performance vehicle, but a supremely comfortable one. The CNG mode is spot on and the switch to petrol is hardly discernible, even given the power difference between the two. The 1,197-cc 3 cylinder turbo engine is quite smooth and tractable and coupled to the smooth shifting AMT, you can make very good progress. Interestingly, you do not get a ‘D’ position on the AMT – it has been replaced by an ‘A’. It signifies automatic, perhaps?
The Tigor iCNG AMT is a niche car that is designed for those who need the convenience of an automatic with the thrift of CNG. This is a first in the market and offers a lot of features for the money. Given the way traffic is growing in all Indian cities, this might be exactly what the doctor ordered.
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Priced between INR 8.85 lakhs to INR 9.55 lakhs.