Tata Tiago AMT engine and performance

Tata offers the Tiago AMT only with a petrol engine. It is powered by the same 1.2 litre 3 cylinder motor that develops 85 horsepower and 114 Nm of torque and is mated to a five speed AMT gearbox. The gearshifts are jerky at crawling and low speeds. The gearbox has been programmed to upshift quickly. At normal driving speeds, gearshifts are smooth and it feels like any other conventional auto box. By default, the car drives in City mode while Tata has also added a Sport mode which is our pick. Performance feels better in this mode and throttle responses feel sharper as well. The car holds gear longer but the engine isn’t really rev happy. The strain on the motor is felt when pulled to higher rpms. Want to overtake? Just tap the throttle pedal and the tranny will go down a gear, giving you the punch you need to get a move on. There’s manual mode as well for spirited driving and is also useful for engine braking.

The gearbox also gets the ‘creep’ function where the car will move forward or backward when the brake pedal is released in auto, reverse and manual mode. However unlike conventional automatic gearboxes, there is a slight delay before the car starts moving and the sudden way in which it does so can catch you unaware at times.