Tigor iCNG Review – Feature Loaded And Sprightly

Tata Motors has been in the news lately; in December it became the second-largest carmaker in India. Tata Motors also has a portfolio of two Electric Four Wheelers – the most affordable ones. While Electrification is where the industry is moving, Tata Motors has launched the Tiago and Tigor with company fitted CNG. CNG is still cheaper to run than petrol and diesel vehicles but CNG vehicles had issues with low acceleration and lack of top-end variants. While anyone can fit a CNG kit in any petrol vehicle, the company-fitted CNG cars are only available from Maruti Suzuki and Hyundai Motor in the country.

iCNG

Intelligent CNG or iCNG is what Tata Motors is calling it, the iCNG in the Tiago and Tigor offers an option to start the vehicle on CNG fuel while most other CNG cars have to be fired up, on petrol, and then switched to CNG. The technology also offers automatic switching between fuel sources.

Moreover, Tata Motors is offering the top variants of Tiago and Tigor with iCNG. In case you want to be frugal with fuel and yet enjoy the comfort and features of the top-end variants. Maruti and Hyundai both do not offer CNG options in the top-end variants of their cars.

The other important part of adopting CNG is the lack of boot space because the cylinder takes up the space. With the 60litre CNG tank good for 10Kgs of fuel, the Tigor iCNG comes with a 205 liter of boot space which is good enough for a couple of small bags. The fuel pipes are neatly hidden inside the boot and also can not be easily spotted under the bonnet. There is some storage available underneath the cylinder as well.

Driving and acceleration

We drove the Tigor iCNG, which came with a 1.2 liter 3 cylinder naturally aspirated petrol motor mated to a 5-speed transmission. This motor produces 86ps of power and 113nm of torque when using petrol as fuel. Switching to CNG drops the output to 73ps and 95nm but the performance difference is negligible and is quite peppy for a CNG vehicle.

The Tigor iCNG never felt lethargic like the Ubers and Olas that we are all used to. Acceleration is brisk and one never feels that it's running on CNG, there is no judder or reluctance even in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Pedal to metal on highways, the Tigor iCNG was happily cruising at 120kmph it could go faster but we were sticking to speed limits.

The gearbox, a 5-speed manual unit is well-tuned and works well with CNG power output, making the Tigor iCNG quite easy to drive. There is no AMT version available as of now. While we could not test the mileage figures, we expect the Tigor iCNG to return between 30-35kms per Kg of CNG.

The package

Tata Tigor with its 4-Star GNCAP safety rating is already considered to be a really safe car, and the Tigor iCNG carries forward all the good stuff. Additionally, you also get a fire extinguisher as standard. Additionally, the CNG can be filled from the traditional fuel cap area right next to the petrol fuel inlet.

The interior and exterior largely remain the same and the iCNG variants come with all the bells and whistles of the top-end variants. Android Auto, Apple car play, climate control, cooled glovebox, digital instrumental cluster with dual fuel meters it's all there. You even get automatic headlights and automatic wipers, a feature that is missing in many vehicles segments above.

Verdict

The Tigor iCNG offers a new take on CNG vehicles, it's frugal, quite peppy, and it's loaded with kit on the inside and outside. If you think petrol prices are too high and electric vehicle prices are just not there yet, the Tiago or the Tigor iCNG could just be what the doctor ordered.