JTP – Tata’s attempt at making FUN CARS for the MASSES!

The Hot hatch scene in India

The rather niche breed of 'HOT HATCHES' actually make a lot of sense in a country like ours given the hectic road jams and tight parking spaces, especially in tier 1 and tier 2 cities. While there haven't been a lot of such 'thorough-bred' hot hatches in India, the Indian market did actually receive some hot hatches like the Polo GTI, Mini Cooper JCW, AMG A35, Fiat Abarth 525 and probably the best hot hatch to come to India which still happens to be on sale today, the AMG A45S. Heck, even the 120d variant of the 1 series RWD hatchback (yes RWD!!) was a hot hatch. We also happened to have a few 'WARM' hatchbacks, which were not as fast or high-end like the proper hot hatches, but were surely much more affordable and accessible for most of the enthusiasts.

The first 'HOT HATCH' for the Indian market was the Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX, which became the first car to almost touch the figure of 100 hp, falling short by a meager 1 hp. Others included the likes of the handsome Fiat Abarth Punto, Baleno RS, Polo GT TSI, Maruti Suzuki Zen Carbon, Skoda Fabia  and even the first gen Swift with the 1.3 DDiS engine to name a few. Well, Tata Motors being already known for bringing out well built and competitive cars at affordable prices, decided to spice up the things a tad- bit and take the 'warm hatch' scene to the masses, and hence they came out with their Tiago and Tigor JTP twins in 2018!

Getting Introduced To JTP

In the world of 'KITNA DETI HAI?' and 'ALL SHOW NO-GO' cosmetic upgrades, Tata decided to shake hands with the wizards at Jayem Automotives, giving birth to a new breed of cars- JTSVs, as in Jayem - Tata Special Vehicles! These guys are India’s largest independent testing and verification facility, working for multiple OEMs all across the globe, providing testing services for a whole bunch of automotive components, systems and vehicles, all the way from 2 wheelers to even heavy commercial vehicles. 

And if you think that's not impressive enough, let us tell you that their Motorsport Division 'JA Motorsports' is India’s LARGEST motorsport facility! They have a huge racing pedigree and have also made India’s fastest single-seater - The Legendary 'MRF F2000' which was good enough for even 'F3' standards at the time, the almighty 230 BHp 'Super Nano' and also used to run Team MRF’s rally cars back in the day when they were active in the INRC (Indian National Rally Championship). Their partnership with Tata Motors goes back to the year 2002, when JA Motorsport built their first car for Tata, the 'Indica Sport' for the Indian Rally Championship and eventually went on to put their magic into the Tiago and Tigor, under the brand name 'JTP'- Jayem Tata Performance. 

Here's what you got in the JTPs:

They also came with City and Sport drive modes offering 2 different throttle responses, while some reported the sport mode to be a bit jerky in city use, the city mode was pleasant enough for bumper to bumper traffic. The engine remap and revised components also translated to a completely different throttle response from it's donor, the Nexon. Also, the torque was actually capped at 150nm of torque, so as to ensure the longevity of the gearbox. 

Here's what set the JTP apart from it's Competition

The JTP was not just any other performance variant of your everyday cars, it's suspension was actually tested by an entire fleet of experts including an EX- F1 DRIVER and was developed through multiple iterations at the same MMRT race-track which is inscribed on the engine cover, and also on a torture track and a rally track which were present at the same facility, now that's some proper 'MOTORSPORTS' DNA in the JTPs!!! Tweaks were accordingly made to the overall suspension geometry, while also making the dampers better and more stiffer, giving the JTPs some serious handling capabilities on the track while also being fairly compliant for your everyday use. Make your way to the 3rd gear where most of the 'oomph factor' lied, and floor the throttle, and you will find the torque surge taking you all the way from 30 kmph upto 120 kmph! And the fun is not over yet, let go off that throttle and the BOV would respond to you by making some 'WOOSSHHH' noises. 

It isn't just the 'BIG' horsepower figures that make a car enjoyable, but it is the overall driving experience which matters the most. The JTPs had a good amount of feel and feedback to it, the front end of the car was stiff, providing good bite from the front end when chucking it through the corners. The cars felt alive and were fairly responsive, giving some fresh air midst most of the numb cars which never established a connect between the car and the driver. And not to forget, the JTPs were still a Tiago and Tigor at the end of the day. They still had all of the practicality, solid built, and most of the features of the higher variants from their regular version, plus the same warranty policy and service intervals, could be serviced at any Tata Motors ASC and had the same service costs as that of the regular Tiago, plus all the performance extras, that too at a incredible price of just Rs. 6.4 LAKHS for the Tiago JTP and Rs. 7.5 LAKHS for the Tigor JTP (ex-showroom) at the time!!! 

Here's Where The JTPs Lacked Behind

The engine carried forward from the Nexon still had average NVH levels at the best, some owners felt the car to be somewhat jerky during city driving, the car definitely had some turbo lag down the revs and had a rather smaller redline at just 5900 RPMs, meaning mediocre top end performance. They also did not have as much features as the top variants of the non JTP variants, nor was the Tiago JTP the 'warmest' or the 'hottest' hatchback, as in did not have the highest performance figures or the hottest lap times. Not to forget as these were based off the same Tiagos and Tigors, they still had all the inherent problems present in the standard cars like their fit and finish issues and the 'bitter sweet' service experiences. 

But the JTPs were still the 'go-to' cars for an enthusiast who did not have the deepest of the pockets, and still wanted to have a fun little car, docile enough for getting groceries or having a ride with their family, and still being potent enough to get you smiling ear to ear upon spirited driving. All this while still having the capacity to comfortably occupy 4 full size adults and a good fuel economy of 12-13 kmpl in city driving, all at very affordable prices!

How Tata Motors Failed The JTPs

Even though the JTP twins were some really good cars, as it is the case with most of the good cars in India, they couldn't survive for long, and there are a few reasons we could blame Tata Motors for:

The Unfortunate Death of JTSVs:

The series of missed opportunities, marketing blunders, adverse market conditions and   limited sales for the JTP twins meant only one thing- the 'JTSVs' had to sadly go away. They had to even discontinue their venture with Jayem Automotives, but assured the customers via an official statement about providing all requisite after sales support and service to the JTP customers at their selected dealerships so as to ensure their hassle free ownership. This is how one of the most AMBITIOUS VENTURES by an INDIAN MANUFACTURER came to a unfortunate end in just 2 years from the launch, and the Indian market lost another gems, which had so many ambitions and unexplored potential in them!!

Is Altroz Racer The Successor to JTPs?

While the Altroz Racer is really good in itself, Tata Motors have definitely spoilt us by setting high benchmarks with the JTPs. Sure the Altroz Racer makes more power by a margin of 4 bhp and 20 Nm of extra torque, it weighs around half a ton heavier than the Tiago JTP and takes 11.33 secs to go from 0-100, which is around 1.4 SECS SLOWER when compared to the Tiago JTP who used to do it sub-10 seconds! Tata has also not made too many significant mechanical changes to the 'Racer Edition' as compared to the regular Altroz, except for putting the Nexon's powertrain in it and of course the 'quircky' aesthetic upgrades, while you used to get a plethora of mechanical upgrades in the JTPs. Not many people found the gear-shifts to be good enough either in the Altroz Racer and complained of them notchy and operating the clutch to being underwhelming, whereas shifting gears in a JTP were quite precise and slick in comparison.

Don't get us wrong, the Altroz is already a very solid car to begin with, and the Racer Edition is the FASTEST Altroz you can get while having all the modern bells and whistles, but it is more of a 'NEXON in an ALTROZ's CLOTHING'. It lacks in having a 'Motorsports DNA', the 'Experience', and the level of extra equipments and goodies like you used to get in the JTPs, let aside it being 50% faster than the regular Altroz! While the Altroz Racer is a  good offering in today's market, considering that it was Tata Motors themselves who had made a product like the Tiago JTP makes the Altroz Racer look more of a marketing gimmick at the best. And in case you need to buy yourself the Best 'Indian' performance hatchback, you will be a hundred times more thankful if you could somehow manage to get your hands on the JTPs (because they are so rare) and until then, you can consider reading other such high quality blogs. You might also want to browse through the genuine used car deals and honest ownership reviews on our website, and you can also drop-in your own reviews and  get your own car listed for sale. Subscribe to our YouTube channel- Sunderdeep Singh for honest and insightful car content, and visit the Paid Car Consultancy service by Munish Ji for any car related expert support and guidance. Thank you for stopping by!

Akshay Kashyap