While Datsun’s argument is taken, the enlarged front
co-passenger seat means the handbrake becomes a pull/twist type and emerges
from under the dashboard. And the position is very awkward because the grab handle
directly touches the driver’s left knee. Very irritating.
Also, when seated at the rear, the vision to the dashboard is entirely blocked.
The seats are comfortable though and are angled to provide
good lower back support. The extended seat at front is the best seat in the
house because it provides ample shoulder support. One driving tip – push back
the co-passenger’s seat more than your own to avoid your elbow hitting the back
rest when you change to second or fourth gear.
The capacious boot
can swallow all your luggage, and then some!
The other interesting aspect is the Mobile Docking Station
(MDS), which replaces the need for a music system. Simply connect your
smartphone to it and use it to play music, or use the GPS or even make and
receive calls. Once connected through the aux port, you can use the car’s
speakers. There is also a volume control dial for it. Clever.
But the protruding wire and the docking station itself look a little tacky. Could have been executed better. Though in terms of utility,
it just makes so much sense using your own smartphone for communication and
entertainment than a basic music system.
A
pull-and-turn handbrake. Handle rather oddly designed.
Uncomfortable after some time
The Go is powered by the Micra’s
petrol engine. It’s the same three-pot 1.2-litre engine with similar torque
figure but less on power. They still claim a 0-100kph time of 13.3 seconds,
which isn’t bad for a budget city car. But what is, is
the five-speed manual transmission with vague and rubbery shifts. Pretty much
like Maruti cars of old. The engine has decent grunt
low in the rev range and once you get the hang of the vague shift feel,
pottering around city isn’t a problem. Show the Go an open highway, floor the
throttle and you will miss the lack of, er, ‘go’. It
happily potters at cruising speeds below 100kph but is hard work above it. One
good thing is the ride. Interestingly, the Go borrows ‘high response’ linear
dampers in its suspension set-up, which are similar to those found on Nissan’s
luxury brand Infiniti. These reduce pitching and give a more pliant ride – even
over bad surfaces.
The barebones
dashboard does away with a conventional music system, and the plastic quality
feels cheap
For its size, the Go is amazingly light. Just
769kg. And that means better fuel efficiency. The ARAI certifies the Go
at 20.6kpl which is more than the Hyundai Eon but less than the Alto 800. Our
onboard computer (yes, it has one) however indicated a more real-world figure
just under 15, which is just about acceptable for a lightweight city car.
Large headlamps claims
to reach wider and further than those on other cars in this segment
Datsun says the car is aimed at the “new risers of India”.
That’s essentially those who aspire to a better life even when they look for
something at a budget, which all of us do. Which is when you wonder how they
will warm up to the cost-cutting that becomes apparent once inside the car – no
proper sound deadening, no rear wipers, no lockable storage spaces and a clever
MDS idea rather oddly executed. However, Datsun does admit that more
feature-rich Go variants will come eventually. While Datsun has embarked on a
familiarization drive across the country, it still has a long way to go before
it matches up to other big players in the segment. However, with the Go, it can
make a decent start. The car looks good, is spacious, rides well and has some
modern and bold touches like MDS. It’s almost cool. And that’s something that
should go down well. Time to do the tango.
