Tata calls it the “Most Exciting car” .. Read on to find out how it turned out to be true for me.
It all started because of my enthusiastic Mom.. One day in the mid of April she came home with a brochure in her hand. That’s when I realized that she was interested in the Tata Nano. Since I’m her elder daughter ( and her advisor J ) I was told to suggest a colour for the car. I voted for Lunar Silver and was backed by my sister. We booked the Lunar Silver LX Model Nano.. None of us had the slightest hope that we are gonna get the Nano allotted since it was very well known that only a very few out of the 2,00,000 + applicants are going to get their cars in the 1st allotment. So we kept the news about our booking a secret. None of us were really very bothered ‘cause we already had a WagonR which is working fine.
Then came the month of July when we came to know that the Tata has announced the 1st allotment for Nano. In the evening I saw a message in my mom’s mobile congratulating her for being the lucky owner of a Nano car. I was truly surprised and until my mom confirmed the news with the dealer none of us actually believed it. The days that followed were filled with excitement. All of us were awaiting the Nano.. Finally the day arrived when the Nano had to come home. It was on the 21st of August, 2009. For 3 districts( Alleppey, Pathanamthitta and Ernakulam) a total of only 11 cars had arrived and our car was one of them!!! It was distributed at a grand ceremony held in the R F Motors showroom at Ernakulam with full media coverage. We had to travel 120kms to bring our Nano home. I could not go to Ernakulum since I had to attend college. It was a long wait for the car at home. At about 10:30 pm the car reached home. We were one among the first 11 Nano owners in Kerala.. YIPEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a wonder to see such a bubbly car.. It really looks like a bubble. Barely any bonnet… A rounded body… it’s a marvel to see it being driven.. But once u get in ,there is more surprise in store for you.. No one will feel that he/she is sitting in the smallest car in India. There’s a lot of space inside. The seats can be adjusted since it’s the LX model. There’s a lot of leg-space. My family is comprised of only tall people including me. And for any tall family like our’s it’s a relief to see such space in the interior.. There is a lot of space in the rear seats too. 3 people can comfortably travel at the rear part. The engine is at the rear portion and the engine compartment can be accessed by folding the back seat. One more strange feature is that the petrol has to be filled into the space provided in the bonnet unlike other cars where its at the side of the rear portion. And also there is just one wiper provided at the front and a single side-view mirror.
Since the car is a small one the air conditioning has a very good cooling effect. The model comes with a centralized locking system ,fabric seats and automatic front windows. There is no power steering but the car is easy to control and very easy to manage at turnings. Form my own experience I can say that driving a Nano is really easy even for women. It doesn’t consume much space and thus is perfect for the city where parking space is a major issue. The transition between gears is also smooth. We cannot call the Nano a silent car like the Maruti cars. Its engine is 624 cc and makes a humming noise. But after 2 drives we have all easily adjusted to the sound. The spare wheel is kept in the bonnet. The car goes smoothly at speeds until 80- 90 kms/hr . Above this speed we experience a shiver inside the car and that makes the car unfit for guys who like speeding in their trendy cars.
The positioning of the speedometer and indicators break the monotony of the design. There is an extra indicator signal which flashes next to the speedometer to denote any problem with the engine. The petrol tank has a capacity of 15 Litres. The most attractive feature of the Nano is its mileage. I’ve experienced the superb mileage of 22 kms/L in my Nano!!
Some price-cutting features of the Nano are:
- The Nano’s trunk does not open. Instead, the rear seats can be folded down to access the trunk space.
- It has a single windscreen wiper instead of the usual pair.
- It has no power steering.
- Its door opening lever was simplified.
- It has three nuts on the wheels instead of the customary four.
- It only has one side view mirror.
I’m really enjoying the experience of owning a Nano It’s the 1st and only Nano in our town at present. The look in every person’s eye is great to observe as he/she sees this new car on the road. Many people stop their cars or scooters to get a better view. Many people take photos of the car from various angles. Once we park the car somewhere then there is no escape at all.. Each and every person has some question or other to ask. Children are the 1st ones to recognize the Nano. Its good to know that even the people of our small and remote village are well aware of the innovations taking place in our country!! The Tata Nano has made us famous in town just in a single drive. Now everyone recognizes us as the “Nano Owners”. Thanks to our cute Nano and the whole Tata group.
Now we are waiting for our Dad to come home and have a drive in our brand new car. He is our motor expert and our Nano is awaiting his ratings..