Look about the cabin and you see business
as usual, but on a more bare-bones level. There are four vents for the air-con,
a centre console with a weird contraption sticking out. They call it a mobile
docking station and you can hook up your phone to the system and use the
speakers, which are standard on the T model. On the passenger side, the storage
is plentiful, but then you realise that’s where the lockable glove-box should
be. Here, it’s neither lockable nor a glove-box. But, yes, so far as storage
goes, it does offer a practical volume, although none of it is concealed. The
seats are basic, wrapped in fabric, but are comfortable. There are no
adjustable headrests, but the height is enough not to worry about whiplash in
case of a rear-end collision.
Mobile
docking station means you only use your smartphone in place of a basic music
system
Enter the rear and immediately all the
happiness built up from entering the car and looking around with glee at
everything on offer bites the dust. The seat is barely existent and feels like
a bar with foam and cloth draped over it. If you happen to be anything over
five-and-a-half feet tall, the head-rests barely reach your neck. In case of a
shunt, rear occupants will be dealt an unnecessary blow, which could be easily
avoided if there were proper headrests in place. Of course, most cars in this
segment are the same, and cost-cutting overpowers basic safety thanks to
non-existent regulations in the country. Clearly, life has little or no value
and cost is everything.
The
assist surface links the two front seats providing space to keep things
To make matters worse, the seat belt is all
manual. The adjustment buckle is complicated to figure out and downright
irksome to use on a regular basis. Of course, that would only bother those who
actually care to buckle up at the rear. In comparison, even the then $1,665
car, the Tata Nano, has belts which automatically reel back in the rear. In a
car without ABS, traction control or air-bags, which would not even be cleared
for sale in Europe for not meeting even basic safety regulations, this abysmal
level of safety gets by out of sheer neglect on the part of our authorities.
The back seat is clearly not safe for occupancy by humans and certain animals
for that matter either.
Moving past that aspect, the boot is rather
generous. The loading area is wide and the 265 litres of space on offer would
be sufficient for luggage for two, or, dare I say, four. The rear seat folds
down as well, and though not level with the load floor, allows for even more
luggage, making it a good car for two in the city and out of it.
Enough
legroom and shoulder room to accommodate three abreast with ease
That’s all you would probably look at
before you get on the move, because once you do, that’s where the Go really
shines. For its price, the dynamic ability it possesses make it seem like money
well spent. There several cars which are priced higher than the Go but lack the
ability to appreciable high-speed dynamics. The Go doesn’t have you worry about
any of it. It feels planted and stable, and you know that when you enter a
corner, you will find yourself leaving it in the same direction you intended to
be going. It can handle the turns and the bends well and not once did it step
out of line. Even under braking, it feels quite sure-footed. Of course, the
addition of ABS would be a big plus, given that if the wheels do lock up in a
panic-braking situation, any involuntary spasm on the steering wheel would translate
into something unimaginably unfortunate.
