An avid motoring enthusiast from Kochi, Thomas Chacko, began an adventurous expedition on 3rd May 2012 in newly launched Tata Nano 2012. The trip will scale the distance of 25,000 km in Indian Subcontinent, which will last till 80 days. His route plan includes the drive to the farthest corners of the country, Kanyakumari in south, Dwarka in the west, Kargil in the north and then will set course on the highest motor-able road in India, Khardung La towards the highest accessible point in east by car, Kibithoo. He will be also driving to the geographical centre of India, Nagpur. The whole expedition is supposed to be the ultimate affirmation of how much a man and a machine can handle.
Thomas Chacko expressed while starting the journey, “I have chosen the Tata Nano for this journey because it is a car that has put India on the world motoring map. Despite being the lightest car, and having the smallest engine currently in production worldwide, the Nano can take on every kind of road, especially with its clearance of 180 mm. I have driven a Tata Nano for almost 900 km across cities and towns and also to Munnar, which is 5,000 feet above sea level. I am now convinced that the Tata Nano will go wherever I take it on my trip.”
Tata Nano was upgraded in November 2011 with a host of new features like option of vibrant colours, improved interiors, a pumped up gasoline powertrain and an improved mileage of 25.4 kmpl reinforcing its image as the best car in the country in terms of fuel efficiency.
Making the car more appealing, Tata motors assimilated a 624 cc engine within the car which delivers 37 bhp of power compared to 34 bhp of earlier emissions. In addition, the improved engine generates maximum torque of 51 Nm from 48 Nm of the older model. The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) attested that the mileage has been improved from 23.6 kmpl to 25.4 kmpl, which solidified the top reason why people opt for the Nano. The low kerb weight of the car totalling 600 kg combined with the improved mileage makes Tata Nano the lowest CO2 emitting car in India standing at meagre 92.7 gm per km.
Tata Nano is a perfect blend of power and performance, all credits to its top speed of 105 km with best in-class turning radius of just 4 metres and the capability of cornering with a grade-ability of 30 per cent.
The drive-ability and the steer-ability, which is another reason why Nano is preferred by its owners, is also improved using a revised suspension module with an anti-roll bar in the front and a more convenient steering. The car now has a racier sounding exhaust note to make its presence felt, however the cabin remains quite. The standard model of Nano borrowed the Booster assisted brakes from the CX and LX variant both of which now comes with side mirrors on either side. Nano standard does comes with the driver side mirror, however one can always install passenger side mirror as an add-on.
The interiors of the car received a complete overhaul which exudes style and elegance in both look and the feel of it. Nano LX has got luxurious beige in its interiors while Nano CX comes with rich black and standard version dons a gorgeous graphite colour.
Tata Nano models are available in 10 vibrant colours out which eight are latest additions, namely Pearl White, Rouge Red, Aqua Blue, Neon Rush, Serene White, Meteor Silver, Mojito Green, Papaya Orange, Sunshine Yellow, and Champagne Gold. The company now gives the option to have half or full wheel caps in order to make the Nano stand apart. The car comes with an extended warranty of 4 years or 60,000 km whichever comes first.
The Nano has proved to be quite sturdy and dependable in various rally and expeditions held by the company itself or undertaken by the customers on their own. The company plans to continue extending its support to such expeditions so that the customers can have a better understanding and experience of the car.
Thomas Chacko set on a road trip to cover a distance of 25,000 km over 80 days scaling the diverse terrains of the subcontinent and expects to end expedition around 20th July 2012. He is a certified FCS from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and has served to various companies in his long run.
Being the motoring fanatic that he is, Chacko has participated in various motor-sport events. He also has a craze for Formula One car racing and has travelled to Sepang, Malaysia, Singapore and Monaco to watch the races. Among other things, Thomas Chacko also loves to travel and have toured more then 26 countries. He has experienced driving in Canada, Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Sri Lanka, The UAE, UK and USA.
Thomas Chacko has penned a number of published articles on motor sports and is an author of a novel; “Without a City Wall”, which is a periodic story based in Europe and South India. He also happens to be the Co-author and publisher of a 200 page coffee table book titled “Forest Gold- The story of South Indian tea”. Chacko is also an owner of Panthera Imprint which is a publishing house.
