Tata Nano LX 2012 (Final Report)

You might think tackling city traffic in a tiny little box such as this might be a bit nerve-wracking, but it isn’t, really. Confidence is the one thing that the Nano gives you at the wheel. The seating position is nice and high, and couple that with the great visibility and the ridiculously short overhangs, and you realise you don’t need fantastic judgment to punt the Nano around town. This makes it an ideal car for learners, especially if they live in a big city.

Speaking of the seats, they’re not something you’d expect to improve during an annual update, but the 2012 car was a huge leap forward in terms of comfort, particularly from the driver’s seat. Get into our car after the previous model or even say a Maruti Alto 800 and you’ll notice it instantly.

The Nano was a big help during summer last year, when my relatives were visiting on vacation. The list of visitors included my beloved, travel-loving, 89-year-old grandmother, and she deputed me as her official chauffeur. The 2012 Nano ticked three very important boxes on gran’s list of car comforts. First the living room-like space in the cabin. Second, the seats are positioned at a near-perfect height, so senior citizens can simply slide right in. And third, the air-con is quite effective too – an essential, given Mumbai’s weather in May.

Another unexpected plus point of our Nano is its Papaya Orange paint scheme, which as my colleague Kedar once discovered, is a huge advantage in itself. You simply cannot lose this car in a parking lot. Despite having no recollection of where he left it, a minute’s walk through the crowded mall lot was all it took for him to find it. The car’s 1,652mm height no doubt helped.