2021 Tigor EV is priced from Rs 11.99 lakh to Rs 13.14 lakh

The highly-awaited Tata Tigor EV will be launched in the country on August 31, 2021. Here's what you can expect from the new electric subcompact sedan.

 

 Electric vehicles are finally reaching the mainstream market. You don't have to spend more than Rs 20 lakh to get your hands on one that you can use every day. This transformation is being led by Tata. The Nexon EV has become India's electric vehicle poster boy.

The Tigor EV makes a subtle statement. The rich Teal Blue colour is a dead giveaway, to be sure. However, a short glance at the Daytona Grey colour option reveals that Tata is only nudge you to notice the difference rather than screaming it in your face.

The grille has been reworked with 'tri-arrow' decoration, and the front bumper has more of the same. The matte aqua-color accents around the grille, fog lamps, and wheels, as well as the faint highlights on the bumpers, are the only design differences between an electric Tigor and its fuel counterpart. We like how Tata has kept the chrome to a minimum here: an underlining for the window line, a splash on the door handle and boot — just right. Highlights such as the halogen projector headlamps, daytime running lamps, and clear lens tail lamps have all been retained.

The wheels are a noticeable difference from the petrol Tigor. The EV must make due with 14-inch steel wheels that attempt to imitate alloy wheels. It doesn't help that the design is nearly identical to the Tiago NRG's previous iteration. The Tigor's 15-inch two-tone alloy wheels would have looked great here.

The Tigor's robust design clearly benefits the electric vehicle. If you like to make a statement, the Tigor EV does it in a variety of ways.

When you step into the Tigor EV's cabin, you'll see more blue touches on the dashboard. They draw attention to the AC vents and even make their way to the instrument cluster. Blue tri-arrow designs on the cloth upholstery are another distinguishing feature. With the exception of them, the cabin is similar to the conventional Tigor.

And for some, that may be a letdown. On an entry-level vehicle that costs less than Rs 10 lakh, the rough and scratchy plastic is tolerable. Tata might have improved the overall experience by including a leather-wrapped steering wheel, leatherette seat upholstery, and door mats.

Thankfully, space and utility have not been compromised. With a height-adjustable driver's seat and steering tilt-adjust, getting into a comfortable driving posture is pretty simple. The Tigor EV, like the normal car, offers enough room for four six-footers. You can fit a third occupant in the back seat if everyone isn't as tall. Also, at this price point, rear-adjustable headrests and rear AC vents feel like foolish omissions.

The only significant reduction is in the boot space. The Tigor EV has 316 litres of room, compared to 419 litres in the conventional Tigor. Because of the elevated boot floor and the spare wheel being stored in the boot, this is the case. The Tigor EV comes with a puncture repair kit, so you can get rid of the spare wheel if you truly need the boot room. The boot space increases to 376 litres when the spare wheel is removed.

In comparison to the petrol Tigor, there are no features that have been removed. Keyless entry, push-button start, and automatic climate control are included on the top-spec XZ+ model. A few more features over the regular Tigor, such as auto-dimming IRVMs, front armrests, and cruise control, would have been fantastic.

Tata also offers connected car technology, which is accessible through the 'Z Connect' app. This app allows you to remotely access data (such as the car's range) and turn on the air conditioning.

A 7-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay is also included. This is complemented by a fantastic Harman sound system with eight speakers. The screen also serves as a display for the reverse camera, which, unfortunately, produces poor footage and has considerable lag.

Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, and corner stability control are all standard on the Tigor EV. It's also the first electric vehicle to pass the Global NCAP crash test, earning a commendable 4 stars for adult and child occupant safety.

A 26kWh battery pack powers the Tigor EV. The new 'Ziptron' engine means the wheels are powered by a permanent synchronous motor (75PS/170Nm) rather than the Xpres-old T's 3-phase AC induction motor (Tigor EV for the taxi market).

In a little over an hour, you may charge up to 80% of the Tigor EV's battery, as is the case with other modern EVs. This necessitates a 25kW DC fast charger, which can be found at public charging stations in cities and along national highways, as well as certain Tata dealerships and even some gasoline and diesel pumps.

To charge the Tigor EV at home with a conventional 15A outlet, you'll have to wait roughly 10 hours to get the battery from 0% to 100%. To ensure battery life and performance, Tata suggests charging the battery to 100 percent at least once a week rather than relying solely on rapid charging. It's comforting to know that the battery pack comes with an 8-year/160,000-kilometer manufacturing warranty.

Audi e-tron Sportback 55 quattro India

 The e-tron, Audi's first electric vehicle, is a five-seat SUV. Unlike some other radical-looking EVs, this one is designed to look ordinary, and it has the room and utility you'd expect from a large luxury SUV. It's available in two versions: the e-tron 50 (313hp, 540Nm) and the e-tron 50 (408hp, 664Nm), with the latter gaining more standard features. 

 

 Both cars have two motors and AWD, however the 50 has a 71kWh battery with a range of 379 kilometres, while the 55 has a 95kWh battery with a range of 484 kilometres. Both cars come standard with 11kW AC fast charging (with a 22kW option) and can be charged at DC fast chargers up to 150kW.

 Audi's word for a 'four-door coupe,' whether in sedan or SUV form, is a sportback. It translates to a roof line that tapers smoothly all the way to the vehicle's rear end, resulting in a significantly more eye-catching shape. It's not just about looks: the roof has been lowered by 13mm, resulting in a slipperier 0.25cd drag coefficient compared to the 0.27cd of the standard e-tron.

 

Instead of slamming down hard like a Q8, the roof slopes down gently and meets the edge of the tailgate with a suggestion of an integrated spoiler, obviating the necessity for one at the roof level. Despite the lack of a rear wiper, the back window is curved and heavily sloped, and water didn't collect there even once during our rainy test days. On this trimmed-down rear end, the now-signature LED taillamps connected by a light bar stand out even more, and the Sportback design fits well with the e-size tron's and proportions.

The 95kWh battery has a WLTP-rated range of up to 484 kilometres, which in our conditions should translate to roughly 350 kilometres in real-world use. It can be charged at up to 11kW with an AC charger (or 22kW with a 22kW option) and up to 150kW with a DC charger. We observed that charging from 10-100 percent took roughly 8 hours at 11kW using the AC wall box charger that came with the car.

The two-stage regeneration system controlled by the steering paddle is a great trick to play with because, in addition to recouping maximum energy, it can also slow the car to a near-stop without you touching the brakes. We just wish there was more real-time data available for the driver, such as the e-battery tron's level, rate of discharge, significant power consumption variables, and so on. This is critical information in an electric vehicle, especially for new owners who are concerned about range anxiety, and what is available on the instrument cluster and touchscreen is far too minimal and rudimentary.

Audi's e-quattro AWD technology uses twin motors, one on each axle, to produce 408hp and 664Nm, which are torque-vectored and sent to the road almost instantly. When you press down on the accelerator in Dynamic mode, the car accelerates quickly, with a nice, artificially increased electric hum in the interior, and though we didn't get a chance to test it, Audi claims it's just as speedy as its more traditional sister. We tested that version's performance, and it went from zero to one hundred kilometres per hour in 5.58 seconds.

Ride quality is superb thanks to the standard air suspension, and the 20-inch wheels feature a large 50-section profile that keeps sharp bumps at bay. Although the air springs allow you to raise the car so that the underfloor battery pack doesn't scrape against tall speed breakers, we never found the need to do so because the usual ride height is sufficient.

Sportback rounds out the lineup with a little extra style for individuals who want to make a statement at the expense of functionality. The best thing is that it's only Rs 2 lakh more expensive than the ordinary 55 quattro at Rs 1.18 crore (ex-showroom, India), making it almost exclusively an aesthetic rather than a financial option.