The mid-level hatchback market is one of the hottest automobile markets in Nepal currently. With all the big manufactures focusing on getting it right to out-perform competition, the market has remained vibrant and extremely competitive of late. Japan-based Datsun, a subsidiary of Nissan Motor Company, recently threw another hat into the ring with the launch of their new hatchback Datsun GO. With big manufacturers like Hyundai, Suzuki and TATA retaining a strong hold in the segment, it will be interesting to see how Datsun’s latest offering will fare with customers. Here is how it performed in our review:

Styling

Datsun GO’s styling has been inspired from a vehicle from its parent company, the Nissan Micra. While the Micra sits higher in this category as a luxury mid-sized hatchback, the Datsun GO is its budget offering. The GO looks quite attractive, especially in the recently-introduced new shade of blue.  The rims are eye-catching and give the car a better aesthetic appeal. The car isn’t very big and will be easy to manoeuvre in traffic and will prove to be convenient while finding parking space.

Comfort

The seats of the car—wrapped in leather—is a nice touch, and have been given a blue and black accent to match the colour of the exterior. This really bends the interiors and the exterior of the car together. The seat provides plenty of support and holds you in place. The usual gap between the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat is closed by the extended seat, which was quite odd at first glance but proved to be quite handy—leaving ample room for your wallet, phones or other items that you need quick access to.  The seat also might come in handy while travelling with a child, although it doesn’t come with a seat belt.

The closed gap does mean that the handbrake is shifted to the front like the ones in buses. You pull the lever towards you to activate the handbrake and turn and release it to disengage. The rear seats were pretty comfortable as well. There was adequate amount of leg and head space so it should not be of any discomfort for drivers of average height. It might, however, be a little cramped for taller drivers and passengers.

Handling

The Go boasts the highest ground clearance in its class, so driving over Kathmandu’s pot-hole-ridden streets will not be a major problem. And even though the wheel base of the GO is slightly longer than some of its competitors, the turning radius of the car is very good and can be easily manoeuvred in tight spaces. Go’s suspension is set up to take into account both comfort and handling and it has achieved that often illusive balance well.

Performance

The 1.2L three-cylinder engine produces 68Ps of power and 106Nm of torque which might not sound like a lot but does get the job done as the car doesn’t weigh very much. This also means that the GO will be returning a pretty decent fuel economy. The company claims that the GO returns around 20KMPL on average which is very good for a petrol engine. The motor pulls hard when you floor the pedal—you can feel it picking up speed instantly. This means that stop and go traffic won’t prove to be a problem for this responsive engine.

Verdict

If you are looking for a car that looks good, performs well and won’t break the bank then the Datsun GO is a great option to mull over. The maintenance costs of the car are pretty low too, so the after-sales costs shouldn’t be very high either. The price of the Datsun GO ‘T’ is Rs 2,239,000 and ‘O’ costs Rs 2,339,000. If you are looking for a car that is more affordable than the Datsun GO, you can also check out the new Datsun Redi-GO that starts at Rs 1,399,000.