Tata Aeris CNG AMT review: New name, new face, same strengths

Sedans are dead, and there are plenty of reasons that come in different shapes and sizes but belong to one prevalent family – SUVs. From being the choice of those who upgraded from the entry level hatches, sedans have now become the enthusiasts choice considering their performance benefits. But there’s a catch, the highest selling car in India last year was a sedan, and that is the situation this year as well, but we are talking about a no nonsense, value package that the fleet operators love and private owners choose for its great fuel efficiency. The formula works brilliantly so, and for someone else to try and replicate this formula is quite unsurprising. Enter the Tata Aeris, new name, but same old Tata DNA. New face is modern, but is a bit boring

While it gets a new name, this is out and out an update to the Tigor and not a new car. But the fact that Tata has gone to the lengths of renaming this car, knowing full well that it isn’t fooling anyone is actually deeper than you think. The brand wishes to change the compact sedan’s identity, from one product serving both fleet and private markets to two separate ones, with the Aeris aimed at the private buyer. It gets new LED headlamps, DRLs along with a smoother nose.

The design is very similar to the Tiago hatch, with the new face with a flatter look. The LED headlamps, the slim DRLs and the new bonnet give it a fresher look, while the contrast provided by the black grille is quite nice. Over to the sides, the Aeris looks very much like before, but it does get new wheels – 15-inch alloys on the petrol and 14-inch steelies with wheel covers. The rear is perhaps the most distinguishing aspect, the taillamp is a nearly full-width affair, with segmented LEDs inside. It looks modern, but it also looks a bit boring and sedate, but then again that is what most customers want. The rear is a bit more dramatic with the nearly full-width tail section Designers didn’t really go overboard with the exterior, the interior however looks like they were given a free rein. Every single plastic bit is now in a nice light grey shade, with a sprinkle of colours in it because this includes recycled plastics. The dash is layered, and it gets a fabric wrap as well, and this treatment continues to the doors too.

There is a free-standing 8-inch infotainment, good resolution and also serves as the 360-degree camera display, blind spot display and the access to the in-built dashcam, that uses the parking camera feed and just saves it into an in-built storage. The driver’s display is also cool, but this is the same unit that was earlier set inside a binnacle, and now stands free – could have done a better job with this. The 350-degree camera works well with a good quality feed but also gets inbuilt storage that allows users to record footage like a dashcam.

It also gets a new steering, better to hold, no gloss, but the full plastic affair doesn’t work so well as on many occasions the horn wouldn’t engage. The Aeris is the most feature-loaded car in the segment, the 360-degree camera, ventilated seats, wireless smartphone mirroring, automatic climate control, rear aircon vents, centre armrest and a few other bits. But while the design and features on paper are segment leading, there are niggles such as panel gaps, and the camera stuttering at times on the go, that dilute the otherwise pleasant experience. New seats are comfortable, but not perfect for thigh support. Ventilation is a definite win, albeit noisy

Mechanically though, the Aeris is the same as the Tigor, and comes with the same exact configurations. We got to drive the CNG AMT variant. This comes with a 1.2-litre three-cylinder motor that makes 86bhp and 113Nm of torque and 75.5bhp and 96.5Nm of torque in CNG mode. This can start up in CNG mode, and can switch on the fly which is quite useful. The performance in CNG mode is nothing to write home about, it is adequate and the difference in petrol mode isn’t very discernable, and that is to say that the car doesn’t have a lot of grunt burning petrol either. One can hustle it a little bit, keeping the engine in the red, with the paddle shifters which surprisingly work well but the noise and the vibrations and the not so impressive speed tells you that the Aeris isn’t really comfortable doing this. But for the most part the car feels adequate in city conditions, except bumper to bumper traffic where the AMT gets confused and can lead to a lurch or no power going to the wheels at all. This is no highway muncher, unless you’re comfortable doing 80 in the middle lane for hours. The rear space is not bad, the seats are comfortable and there are rear aircon vents. But the space can be a bit restrictive for taller individuals.

While the CNG from a driver’s seat perspective isn’t fun, it comes with great benefits in terms of cost. Practicality isn’t hurt either, as the twin CNG tank setup in the boot ensures that the space is still usable for about 200 litres. As a configuration, being a CNG setup that can switch seamlessly and comes with a minimal compromise boot is a win, especially considering that this also gets an automatic option that is growing in popularity with the Indian customer. The 200 plus litre space in the boot of the CNG variant is not bad at all, and one can fill it up with a few cabin-sized luggage pieces.

The ride quality is what makes the Aeris stand out. It has the signature ride that we have come to expect from Tata, and it can truly take on our roads. And this is a nice thing, considering that a lot of customers would be living in tier 2 or 3 cities with terrible road conditions, and the Aeris is quite well suited to them. But this capability of handling Indian roads comes with the drawback of the sedan not being very handly, especially at higher speeds where it just feels out of its depth through corners. Could also be the miniscule tyre grip, but it does rob one of the confidence to maintain higher speeds even on good tarmac. The steering is a let down, its nice to grip, light at low speeds but doesn’t match up as you gain speed, its disconnected and has ever changing heft, not really that fun, or safe for that matter. The Aeris has really impressive ride quality, but suffers from unimpressive handling.

The Aeris is a good package, especially when one counts its features, space, aesthetics and comfort quotient. Compared to its rivals it does edge out with its tech and interior feel, but does lack that robustness that customers in this segment want. In addition, its rivals are actually quite fun to drive, both the Dzire and the Amaze give you that typical sedan fun and most importantly the balance and stiffness that sedans are known for. The Aeris does have the private buyer tag going for itself, meaning that customers don't have to worry about getting one and then spotting it with a yellow plate right on their way home.

Cannot decide whether I am a gamer at heart, or a driver, irrespective, I do love spending hours and hours in the seat, behind the wheel of a car or a gaming setup. And while our country, and the world sadly loves only SUVs, I think, the lower the centre of gravity, the better, and purer. Totally up for thousand (or few thousand) kilometre cross-country drives, any month of the year.