TEST DRIVE

Taking Tata's Nano for a Spin

World's cheapest car, and one of the greenest.

Sure, its 623cc engine whines "like a blender" when pushed to 65 mph, its top speed, and it leans when cornering, but for $1,970, what do you want? The Guardian's Randeep Ramesh is the first journalist to test drive the car, and it performed admirably well: It's big enough for four six-feet-tall adults, has an amazing turning radius, goes from zero to 40 mph in eight seconds, has great suspension, and a stripped down display with only a speedometer and fuel and mileage gauges. Most surprising? At 67 miles per gallon, and emitting only 101 grams of carbon dioxide for each kilometer driven, the world's cheapest car is also one of its cleanest and greenest. Plans are already in gear to outfit the Nano with features like airbags that will allow it to be sold in the US and Europe.