Datsun Go+ - Road Test Review

Report: P.Tharyan; Photography: Mohd. Nasir

The Datsun Go, when I first drove it, excited me because of its several features and its cosy seat arrangement, especially in the front. It is an ideal car in the entry level segment. The Go+ is a bigger car on the same platform. It’s a compact sub 4-metre MPV that can accommodate seven people in a combination of adults and kids. I am sure this would excite the middle class in the country, yearning to buy an affordable car that can accommodate their not-so-small family and loads of luggage. It comes into the segment of compact MPV which does not exist in India. Every other car that labels itself as an MPV or an MUV in the country is in the price range that may be a tad expensive for the real middle class of the country. The Datsun Go+, to my understanding, may not be that expensive as compared to the others of its kind.

There is no point comparing this car to the Ertiga or the Mobilio or the Innova. This one’s different. The car has been innovatively designed to accommodate more people and yet drive smoothly. I had the opportunity to drive this car some great distance from the Dehradun airport to our base camp in Rishikesh in Uttarakhand. For someone who is spoilt to the hilt with loads of electronic features of all kinds in a car, the Datsun Go+ may prove to be a wee bit disappointing. But where this vehicle will score would be on the practicality front. It offers great storage space (with the last two seats folded there is ample storage), a good driving experience, good styling and solid performance. 

As I drove from the airport to the base camp on the banks of the river Ganges, we passed through good roads, bad roads, extremely rough patches and solid sand. The car stood its ground on every terrain. A 67bhp engine output may not sound all powerful, but surprisingly the car does deliver significantly at different gear levels. Coupled with that, a peak torque of 104 Nm is more than adequate for the vehicle to take on any rugged journey.

Though it is a sub-4 metre car, it really does look much longer. Since it has been built on the Datsun Go platform, it has been extended to accommodate more passengers and luggage area. Hence, it gets the ‘+’ tag now. The extended area for the last two occupants may not be large to accommodate tow burly adults, but it’s more for those little kids who can keep themselves entertained with their tabs and digital games. Safety belts too are provided for them to keep them safe.

The ‘+’ also has the same D-cut grille like its little brother. The large full integrated three dimensional head light merges aesthetically with the sculpted bonnet. This translates into a strong shoulder line that begins its journey from the front of the car and continues to the rear of the car. The car may be a compact one, but it has a decent ground clearance at 170mm, giving it a tall boy feel. 

The interiors too are appealing in a subtle way. The three spoke steering wheel, the white and blue coloured large speedometer, a digital tachometer, gear shift guide and fuel computer, etc are just the right features for this car. Just a couple of more features would have simply brought about more comfort to the driver. These include an ORVM toggle for adjusting the mirrors from inside, both the front door window pane controls on the driver seat, and definitely a volume control knob on the steering wheel.

But then driving comfort is enhanced by electric power steering, low turning radius of 4.6m, soft suspensions, well designed seats, leather feel cabin material, Intelligent Wiping System, a unique mobile docking station and not to forget, a solid presence on the road. As for the mobile docking system, this in reality proves really good as your smartphone can enable to driver to access satellite navigation, hands free telephone, USB charger, music player, radio….all this by simply syncing the smart phone with the car. The smart phone can be fixed into a holder in the centre of the dashboard.

And just when you thought this compact MPV is too simple to write home about, you realise it even has Follow Me Home lights.

Now with so many unique features, comfortable sitting and storing space, solid road presence and a great mileage to boot, why should this car not be a fun car? It’s simply Fun on the Go!