CAR drives Tata Nano, goes 60 mph in 17 seconds

The Tata Nano's claim to fame is its budget $2,500 price tag. You'd have trouble picking up a 1995 Honda Civic with 140,000 miles on it for that price. But what do you get for the price of a lawn tractor? How about a 624cc 33-hp motor mated to a four-speed manual transmission, for starters. That potent combo will propel any lucky Nano driver from 0-60 in 17 seconds. Add some groceries and a passenger (or a slight uphill grade) and we're guessing you'll never see 60 mph in any time frame.

CAR Magazine in the UK recently became one of the first publications in the world to drive the Nano and did mention that it has a compliant ride, which is quite a feat considering the MSRP. The Nano also has options like a radio and air conditioning, but if you ever want to go faster than 50, we'd advise you skip the freon. Tata is looking to remedy this "performance" problems with a more powerful gasoline powerplant mated to a five-speed automatic, but for now the Nano will only manage to hit 60 in the time it takes to heat up a hot dog in your 1,200-watt microwave. That 13-year-old Honda is starting to sound pretty good right about now.

[Source: CAR Magazine via eGMCarTech]