Datsun Go long term review, final report

Peppy and city-friendly as it was, our long-term Datsun Go didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Published on Feb 29, 2016 07:00:00 AM

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Datsun Go long term review, final report

Peppy engine gives the Go serious go. Mid-range pep is genuinely impressive.

Light clutch doesn’t require much effort and is easy to modulate.

Stock setup includes only aux-in and speakers. No radio even.

As you may recall, the Go was at the heart of a controversy when the results of its crash test became public. While many in office felt Datsun had been unfairly singled out and that its competitors would fare no better in the same test, the horrid images of the Go crumbling into an unidentifiable mass of metal did play on everyone’s minds. And mind you, ours was the model without airbags. That’s a large part of the reason why our Go saw little highway action. In fact, photographer Vishwajeet was the only one among us to venture beyond Mumbai city limits for a music festival in Pune. Thankfully, there were no untoward incidents and he actually found the car quite pleasant to drive on open stretches. The large boot was also put to good use. That said, his complaints were no different from others who have had a go in the Go. The unsupportive flat seats, the lack of a concealed storage bay in the cabin and the stock audio player arrangement (speakers and aux-in only) were things we just couldn’t get used to.

On the positive side, the Go was always light on the pocket. Our car averaged 12kpl in town and 16kpl on its sole highway excursion with a full complement of passengers. Routine service at 5,000km cost Rs 2,083 (including Rs 828 for engine oil) and we also paid Rs 600 for having the air conditioning ducts cleaned. We didn’t have any problems with the car but the engine check light did come on when it was time to hand it back.

The Go spent a lot of time ‘on the bench’ in its time with us.

Our Go has gone (sorry for the pun) and the thing is, I don’t see anyone missing it. It just didn’t have the pull factor and that’s worked against it right from day one. But all’s not lost. Spacious, peppy and efficient as it is, I am of the opinion the Go can be developed into something a lot nicer. A few more creature comforts, nicer seats and better noise insulation should inject the needed desirability into the package. I’d be happy to give such a version of the Go a second round on the roads.