Zig Opinion: Why The MG Comet Is The Modern Day Electric Version Of The Tata Nano

When the drapes on the MG Comet were pulled off recently a lot of people were rather quick to make comparisons with the OG Tata Nano and it wasn’t without a reason. The budget friendly product was a revolutionary vehicle at the time, which made switching from two-wheelers to four-wheelers accessible for the middle class of the country, all while being the perfect little thing for urban runabouts. The latter is true for the new MG Comet as well, but it does so with a completely different ethos, a more modern and comfort-oriented one.

And that popped a question in our heads: is the Comet what an electric modern day incarnation of the Tata Nano would look like? Yeah, it might sound absurd to compare the two at first, but if you actually ponder on it, you’ll realise how similar the two are. Just think about it…. 

Or In fact, wait. You know what? Don’t think about it. Let these parameters do the thinking for you and form an opinion then. Off we go:

Same size, unique styling

Both the Tata Nano and MG Comet EV have a wheelbase of around three metres. But it is the styling and shape of the vehicles that differentiate the two. The Nano was a cute hatchback with smooth-flowing lines and curvy wheel arches, bumpers and roofline. On the other hand, the Comet EV is anything but smooth in terms of design. There are boxy elements all around with the in-fashion split headlight setup with LED DRLs placed higher, while the headlights are placed lower on the bumpers. 

The Comet EV screams funky and modern at the top of its lungs, and even though the styling of the Nano has aged fairly well, it is anything but modern. In fact, Comet’s unorthodox styling is a harbinger of modern urban mobility, which takes inspiration from various sci-fi movies. Annulling their polar styling languages, their similar dimensions make them the perfect vehicles for urban runabouts.

Minimalist cabins

A simple and functional cabin layout. Both the Comet and Nano take a minimalistic approach in their cabin layouts, yet the approach in itself is poles apart. While the Tata Nano isn’t laden with creature comforts and soft-touch materials, MG has shown a lot of love to the dashboard and brochure of the Comet with premium materials and a slew of features.

Even the quality of the materials used doesn't feel restricted by a budget in mind. What is uncannily common between the two is the amount of space on offer on the inside, considering they aren’t the biggest of the lot.

Electric power = gasoline power

The modern aspect of the MG Comet EV truly comes to light through its powertrain, which is an electric one. Of course, electric powertrains weren’t really a thing, at least in India, at the time of the Nano’s launch. It was powered using a conventional two-cylinder, 624cc engine with an output of 38PS. That figure is surprisingly close to the Comet EV’s output, which stands at 42PS. So even though the MG uses a modern electric powertrain for propulsion duties, both their outputs are very close to one another.

Same drivetrain orientation

Even though the type of powertrains used in the Nano and Comet are completely different, the way they put down that puissance is similar. Both have their hearts placed on the rear axle and send power to the rear wheels only. This rear-wheel drive orientation negates the disadvantage of having a smaller footprint, by offering more space inside the cabin as mentioned before.

So squaring in all the parameters, the MG Comet EV and Tata Nano go about the same business, i.e. manoeuvring around tight urban spaces in a relaxed and easy manner. The duo goes about it in a largely similar fashion, but the only difference is that the Comet EV does so in a more premium and modern way. Of course, you have to pay a premium for that relatively opulent experience with introductory prices starting from Rs 7.98 lakh (ex-showroom). For reference, the base-spec Nano was retailed around the Rs 2 lakh mark just before being discontinued in 2019, which made it the most affordable four-wheeler on sale at the time – the same tag that the MG Comet EV currently holds in the EV segment.

Also Read: This Open-top Skoda Rapid Looks Really Cool, But It Isn’t For The Road

Hence, saying that the MG Comet EV is an electric modern-day Tata Nano without a budget restriction won’t be too far-fetched, granted the focus is on the budget part here.