Tata reveals fuel efficiency of Punch CNG. Here's how much mileage it offers

Tata Motors has revealed the official fuel efficiency figures of the Punch SUV with CNG technology. The carmaker launched the Punch iCNG, which is offered with Tata Motors' latest twin-cylinder technology, on August 4. The Punch CNG is offered in three variants - Pure, Adventure and Accomplished. They are priced between ₹7.10 lakh (ex-showroom) and ₹9.68 lakh (ex-showroom). It will rival the likes of Hyundai Exter SUV, which also comes with CNG technology.

Tata Motors said that the Punch CNG will offer mileage of almost 27 km/kg. The official figures shared by the carmaker on its official website is 26.99 km/kg. This is similar to the fuel efficiency figures of Tata Tigor CNG. Compared to its rival Hyundai Exter CNG, the fuel efficiency of the Punch CNG is marginally less. The Exter CNG offers mileage of 27.1 km/kg, claims Hyundai.

Under the hood, the Punch CNG SUV comes powered with a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder engine. It is capable of generating 84.82 bhp of maximum power and a peak torque output of 113 Nm while running on petrol. On CNG, the power output drops to 72.39 bhp while the torque output goes down to 103 Nm. The engine comes mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed AMT. However, the CNG powertrain only gets a 5-speed AMT.

One of the biggest distinguishing features of Tata's iCNG range is the use of dual-cylinder tech. Instead of using one large CNG cylinder, Tata Motors is using two small 30-litre cylinders which means the total capacity is rated for 60 litres. The cylinders are placed in the floor well of the boot. This means that there is still a usable boot space available for the occupants to store their luggage and other stuff.

Being a Tata, the CNG vehicles also come with several safety features. It gets a leak detection feature and Tata is using high-quality stainless steel and rust and corrosion-resistant materials. There is also thermal incident protection in which the CNG supply to the engine is cut off automatically and the gas in the cylinder is released into the atmosphere automatically. There is also a microswitch that makes sure that the car does not start if the fuel lid is open.

Cosmetically, the brand has not made any changes apart from the new iCNG badging. The cabin gets a CNG button that is used to switch the fuel supply from CNG to petrol or vice versa. The instrument cluster is updated to show a CNG gauge.