I want to start this blog with a topic that has been hovering in my mind for past few months since i have seen TATA Nano at Auto Expo 2008.
Main Differences Between Tata Nano and Maruti 800?
Price :
Tata Nano is going to be the cheapest car in the world. Expected to be around Rs. 1 Lakh ($2500), however after road-tax, registration, sales tax etc etc. For the base variant’s, the on road price of Tata Nano is about Rs. 1.3 Lakh ($3300).
Maruti 800 costs about Rs 1.95 ($ 4900), which is the cheapest available new car until Tata Nano is launched. Maruti Suzuki will most probably bring down the price further to attract the customers after the Tata Nano is launched.
Looks:
In Looks, Tata Nano clearly beats the Maruti 800, I have seen Tata Nano at Auto Expo 2008 in Delhi, and it looks stunning considering that its the cheapest car in the world. I hope the production models will have the same finish as was there on the display models at Auto Expo.
Maruti 800 has old style looks, Maruti will really need to give it a facelift to beat Tata Nano’s looks. Also Maruti 800 is about 10% longer in exterior dimensions, which means Tata Nano will be easy to drive in congested traffic as its small in size from outside.
Power:
Now we are talking about something real, the power, Tata Nano churn out a Maximum power of 33 BHP as compared to Maruti 800 churns 37 BHP. But the catch is Tata Nano weighs only 580 Kg compared to Maruti 800’s wight which is 660 Kg. So if we compare the power to weight ratio Tata Nano is at 0.057 BHP / Kg and Maruti 800 at 0.056 BHP / Kg. It means, the feel of power of Tata Nano will be almost equal to Maruti 800’s feel, which is not bad at all for almost half the price 
Noise and Harshness:
This is an area where Maruti 800 beats Tata Nano, according to auto experts and reviewers, Tata Nano becomes quite Noisy at speeds above 60 Km/hr. Reason is that the engine is rear mounted and noise insulation is not that high end. Second reason being the low capacity engine in Tata Nano (625 CC) compared to Maruti 800 (800 CC), the engine of Nano has to put in more effort for extracting out more power in lesser engine displacement.
Safety:
Safety is something on which I cant comment much, but Maruti 800 being a tried and tested car for long time, has a better good-will in its robustness and sturdiness. Maruti has front mounted engine and a safe and strong structure.
Tata Nano has rear mounted Engine and is yet to hit the market, so can’t comment much right now on safety, but I hope that Tata’s have designed it well keeping in mind all the crash Norms which cars have to fulfil.
Mileage or Fuel Efficiency:
Tata Nano beats Maruti 800 in Fuel efficiency, two reasons for this, it has less capacity engine which means that it runs at close to its higher engine speeds mostly ( which improves fuel efficiency) and second that it has been designed taking into consideration of Euro 5 norms, which means a really fuel efficient engine.
Comparing Maruti 800 Mileage of approx. 15 to 18 KM / litre and Tata Nano Mileage of approx. 20 Km/Litre, its a 20% saving in the fuel cost, which is considerable if you drive a lot.
Interior Space:
The interior space of Tata Nano and Maruti 800 is nearly same, Nano has about 20 % greater inner space compared to Maruti 800 as claimed by Tata.
Miscellaneous:
There may be some miscellaneous features which vary between Maruti 800 and Tata Nano, for example, adjustable seats, headrests, comfort feel, drive-ability etc.
All in all, I would say Tata Nano is really a common man’s car who needs to commute without any luxury features.
On a Scale of 10, I would give:
Tata Nano a score of 8 out of 10
Maruti 800 a score of 7 out of 10
Stumble it!
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27 Comments »
Vicky Gupta said :
September 5, 2008 at 10:51 am
Hi Rohit,
Good Work man…
abhishek said :
September 9, 2008 at 11:26 am
I am going to buy TATA nano, anyhow its a quite car
P@rul said :
September 9, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Gud stuff for everybody!!!
Keep writing…
varun miglani said :
September 13, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Nice work dude!!!
good comparison specially the BHP & mileage one.
To add to this….rear engine make the expelling of smoke & other pollutants much easier & efficient.
Tata Nano – Features Specifications Looks and Initial Review said :
March 1, 2009 at 12:18 am
[...] the features, specifications and looks of Tata Nano. I have previously published an article for comparison of Tata Nano vs Maruti 800. In this post we are talking exclusively and in detail about Tata Nano and what you should expect [...]
jayadeep shenoi said :
March 12, 2009 at 11:51 pm
A fantastic piece of information to whet the appetites of NANO enthusiasts.Realllllly well done!!!!!!!!
shankar ramaswamy said :
March 25, 2009 at 4:34 am
to add to all this, NANO HAS lot of first to its credit-
1) First car to file for 34 patents
2) First passenger car to have all aluminium body engine
3)first passenger car to have 2 cylinder engine mounting
@Rohit , dont u feel rear mounted engine will pose problems durinf sharp turns as I have heard these r most common incidents of sports cars which have rear mounted engines
admin said :
March 25, 2009 at 8:39 am
@Shankar
I feel the rear mounted engine will not cause stability problems. For racing cars, the speeds are way too high.
Manu said :
March 25, 2009 at 10:01 am
hey..good work yar…..
aman said :
March 26, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Realy Tata Did Amezing.
ashish said :
March 26, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Any Way Waiting for Nano Car to come on the road and let us see what happen.
As a good businessman wait for 6 months to save the more money.
after all it is a indian car. we cant say much more.
Rani said :
April 10, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Two and a half months back I purchased Maruti 800 Uniq. It is a wonderfull car. People working for Maruti is also good. Well about Nano – people reading this mail should keep one thing in mind and that is buying any car is as good as buying a elegphant and to maintain it is difficult. If the servicing etc. has to be done in three months it should be three months and not more than that. More than that means you will spoil your cars life. So before buying, please think whether you can afford it or not in future then only go for it otherwise….. What exactly I want to convey is if you can afford to buy a car then please remember that there are many more expenses you will have to bear after that and be prepared for that too….. Nothing more – bye and have a happy buying… Rani
AAK said :
April 12, 2009 at 4:34 pm
whether this car can be Exported to Pakistan? What it be cost then?
Amit said :
April 16, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Rightly Said,
A point to add, there is differnce between the front wheel and rear wheel size, and stepny is provided only for one.
Moreover one needs to open his front bonnet to get the petrol in.
Rest assured Tata Nano is cool, very asthetic.
sumit said :
April 24, 2009 at 2:40 pm
goog work buddy…………..
Electric Power Steering VS Hydraulic Power Steering said :
May 27, 2009 at 11:14 pm
[...] rear engine cars like Tata Nano or light weight cars like Maruti 800, its ok to have no power steering and still drive comfortably because of low weight on the front [...]
sammy said :
June 16, 2009 at 6:24 am
how i wish tata nano car would be available here in philippines in near future.. is it posible? I was hoping that someday this car would be here and im sure that i’m ONE of the MILLION filipinos would purchase that car.
randeep said :
July 10, 2009 at 3:52 pm
In Tata Nano how much long drive can be in one attempt.
Is Tata Nano is suitable for hill journey with 300 kg weight
Please reply and mail immediately
marwaha said :
July 16, 2009 at 7:55 am
Hey Rohit, good work man…..Hello to vicky as well
Chatura said :
August 6, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I bought a maruti 800 two years ago and i ‘ ve done over 75000km.except basic maintainces,
I haven’t spend a single rupee for engine or other materials.Still it goes smoothly and it gives me the pleasure of riding just like the first day i bought it.So i’m just asking you to think twice before you buy a car and choose what best for you rather than reading anyone’s comments
bombay said :
August 17, 2009 at 8:06 pm
i agree to rani buying is easy at once but maintainence and other things like spare parts and other things should be cost friendly
bombay said :
August 17, 2009 at 8:08 pm
also tell me if compared for long drives on highways which one should be the best nano or maruti
manjunath said :
September 7, 2009 at 11:45 am
I have my maruti 800, its really maintenance free vehicle.
This model is having 25 years history, still it is selling like hot cake!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sagar said :
September 7, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I think 800 is better than nano.
sunil said :
October 30, 2009 at 11:02 am
Nano can’t Beat Maruti 800 even in cost effectiveness. Ultimately it’s all value for your money you are paying. You can buy a metal at very low cost but you cannot by gold below a specific prise.
I woned Maruti 800 for past 4 years. Recently I exchanged the same at M true value. Got a good prise. Till the last day I was happly driving. I expect the second woner would also be very happy with the same.
Koustavjit said :
November 17, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I think nano is a good car but, is it equal in power with maruti800? Is this car suitable for long journey? what is the millage?
rabinarayan sahu said :
January 2, 2010 at 11:19 am
TATA NANO is good looking car ,cheaper price best for crowed road
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