Wow! Some times I can’t believe that I own a car!!! A dream with which we all grow!! Most of the parents grow their children saying this particular thing ‘Study well else you can’t buy a car’ and I was not different.
Why Car Now?
Usually no one buys a car in their 3 or 4th year or work. People wait for some 5-7 years and then buy! Now the reason for me to buy a car is very simple! Lack of public transport near my house! Can’t waste an entire day waiting for a BMTC right? I do have a bike but it would be difficult to ride with too much of luggage and also to ride during rainy season!
Why TATA NANO?
Again the answer is simple! Its affordable for me! Thanks to Ratan Tata for visualizing millions of Indians dream of owning a car! That’s not the lone reason but also the mileage that Tata Nano offers, a whooping 25Kmpl and it really gives that mileage! With the petrol prices climbing the price graph, its not easy to own a car else!
Fight Against the Odds
When I asked my friends about buying the nano, most of them said it would be foolish, rather go for a used Maruti 800. People said its a auto rickshaw with 4 wheels. Some people also said it can burn anytime on road!!! (Because 4 or 5 of them did).
But I had my own stances for each reason people gave me for not buying it! I would rather go by auto rickshaw (nano) rather than getting drowned! Any machine when used above its capacity, the results would no doubt be unpleasant!
More than anything I had faith in something called fate! When things are to go wrong, they will go wrong anyway and we can’t avoid that!
Dream Come True
One fine day I decided to test drive the Tata Nano and to my surprise the car was really impressive! Very smooth controls, great pick up and what not! So I decided to go for it! Thanks to my wife who supported my decision!
I booked it and after about 10 days, on November 23rd 2011 I got my cute little Tata Nano 2012 version! I had opted for a white color model! And it was really a dream come true for me and my family 
Tata Nano 2012
I was lucky enough to grab to upgraded version of Nano which they call the Nano 2012. There were many feature enhancements in this version like a fine tuned engine, better interiors, better mileage, improved emission rates but same price
Tata Nano 2012 Serene White
The Driving Experience
I have driven some 500+ Kms on my Nano and below are some of the observations as of now.
Good things first
1. Very comfortable for person having long legs like me. Leg room is really good both front and at rear seats. You don’t have to bend as much you do when getting into a Maruti 800.
2. No power steering but the steering wheel is very very light, you can control it with your fingers
3. Awesome mileage. It gives me an average of 24 Kmpl in city.
4. Pick up is really good with 4 people inside car
5. Acceleration is really good, in fact I was shocked how it can give such performance with a 2 cylinder engine.
6. Air conditioning is really powerful as the TATAs claim ‘Best in class AC’
7. Very cute looks, at least I liked it.
8. Very very easy to take a U-turn on narrow roads and parking efforts are minimum. I feel so happy when I can turn my car so easily while others struggle to take a U-turn.
9. Digital odometer which is very easy to follow!
Things to be improved
1. Fuel tank capacity is just 15 litres which is very less for long drives
2. Hatch does not open from behind, you have to fold the rear seat to access the boot space and the engine.
3. The wind shield completely blocks the view while taking a right turn so need to be very careful.
4. No glove box at all, in case you want to keep any documents etc
5. Petrol needs to be filled by opening the bonnet.
6. Gear ratios are not that great.
So that’s about it If you ask me if to buy the TATA NANO, I would say Go For It!!!
