Tata Nexon India Review, Price, Specs, Mileage, Image Gallery, Interior, Features And Video

Tata Nexon Video Review India

With their first ground up SUV in many years, Tata Motors is finally looking to fortify their old roots with the Nexon. But it is a back to the future journey because, for the way the Tata Nexon looks, it certainly doesn’t draw anything from the past. Like the Tiago and its other siblings then, it is a new sprouting which has stemmed out from a young bark and promises a distinctly new-age fragrance that fills the gardens at Tata Motors these days. What is definitely a visually striking brand new car, here’s our attempt to describe just how much the Nexon impresses the rest of your senses. Let’s get cracking with this exhaustive Tata Nexon India Review

Tata Nexon Engine and Performance

The Tata Nexon will be offered with a choice of a 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine and a 1.5-litre Revotorq diesel. Both motors dial up the novelty factor of a product by being completely new and churn out impressive power figures on paper. The petrol engine is good for 110 PS @ 5,000 rpm and 170 Nm between 1,750 – 4,000 rpm. On the other hand, the cast iron block diesel with its aluminium cylinder head churns out 110 PS @ 3,750 rpm and a massive 260 Nm between 1,500 – 2,750 rotations. Both engines are locked on to a 6-speed manual gearbox and will be paired with an AMT system too. Picking either of the motors will present the driver with an option to alter the engine’s characteristics via three selectable driving modes – Eco, City and Sport.

Tata Nexon Petrol Engine

The turbocharged three cylinder petrol engine is steady off the mark and has a short first ratio which helps the Nexon start off clean from a standstill. A noticeable surge in power starts building around the 1,900 rpm mark, from where if you are in the right gear, the engine pulls quite strongly all the way till its 6,000 rpm+ redline. For everyday driving conditions, the little motor and its strong mid-range offer fantastic driveability.

Cementing that trait is the fact that even for an odd cylinder setup, in sixth gear, it cruised shiver free near the 1,600 rpm mark, the speedometer comfortably pointing at 80 kph. Even from there, there was enough juice available on tap for cruising speeds to go up gradually, without the need to downshift, unless we had to make a quick passing manoeuvre on a busy, single carriageway.

The three driving modes offer clearly differentiated levels of performance, where the ECU pinches the straw which squirts fuel inside the motor the most in ‘Eco’ mode, releases some of its grip in ‘City’ mode and opens the tap fully in ‘Sport’ mode. Clutch action is light and the six-speed gearbox is pretty smooth, where the lever sticks through all the gates positively. Levels of refinement are commendable, with the traditional thrum kicking in only once you start pushing the motor hard. ARAI verified economy figures aren’t available yet. Although, as we dodged some unusually dense early morning traffic, climbed uphill towards Idukki on the outskirts of Kochi, and followed the camera car in lower gears with the Sport mode engaged all throughout, the petrol powered Nexon’s onboard computer displayed a respectable figure of nearly 11.0 kpl.

Tata Nexon Diesel Engine

The new turbocharged diesel engine is a star performer that almost feels naturally aspirated for hanging its power to be tapped at an early and easily accessible point. Unlike most turbo diesels which make you wait in lull till you hit a shockwave, power delivery is linear and well spread. The motor starts building serious power right from the 1,500 rpm mark and spins quite easily until 4,000 rpm, where it hits a wall and the tacho needle turns red. When you gun it, the already climbing power curve hits another spike at 2,700 rpm, making the Tata Nexon sprint ahead with gusto.

Levels of refinement are as good as the Multijets of the world and although it is tuned for a strong low and mid range, the new engine never feels lazy when asked to spin faster. The six-speed gearbox’s ratios have been well matched to the engine’s power delivery characteristics. With a finely tuned, light action clutch pedal, the stick slots through the gates nicely. Get this, in sixth gear, at an indicated speed of 100 kph, the motor spins lazily near the 1,900 rpm mark.

Driving enthusiastically in Sports mode for the entire duration, the onboard system displayed an economy figure of 17.9 kpl. That number will only improve when a sensible driver is behind the wheel and calls for either the City or the Eco mode. Like on the petrol, all three driving modes offer distinguished levels of performance. Although given the healthy amount of torque available, engaging ECO mode to see that economy number climb up is weirdly exciting too.

Tata Nexon Ride and Handling

It is a known fact that all Tata cars excel in the ride quality department. Their newest, the Nexon, takes that genius to another level with its brilliantly tuned chassis-suspension combination. Ruts, bumps, craters and everything else that our wonderful roads have to offer is simply bulldozed with authority. The specially engineered dampers and springs are supremely adept and translate very little of what they encounter back to the cabin. As a result, there is no unwanted movement inside and occupants are comfortably happy.

Compared to the petrol, the diesel variant’s dampers have been tuned to be slightly more firm up front, given the additional weight. But that, along with the additional amounts of power, makes it the better driver’s car between the two. Around bends, body roll is startlingly well contained for a vehicle that sits higher up and offers such a fantastic ride. Here again, the diesel with its perked up dampers goes around even better than its petrol sibling. High-speed composure is great and the ride quality for the rear passenger is remarkable, no matter which engine option you tick.

Steering the Tata Nexon is a confident affair, thanks to a perfectly sized and well-designed wheel which is connected to an astute electronic system. The initially light steering weighs up naturally as speeds build and feels devoid of artificial resistance. The braking setup is well modulated and makes the car stop where you intend it to. A big thumbs up to Tata for announcing that all variants will come equipped with ABS, dual airbags and EBD.

Tata Nexon Interior and Features

Beauty is skin deep they say and that statement stands true beneath the Nexon’s striking external appearance. Tata has upped the ante for cars in this segment with a clean, yet striking interior design which made us drop our lips at the edges and nod in admiration. The first thing that will grab your attention is a free standing infotainment display which sits at the same eye level as the instrument cluster and its top edge never obstructs your view through the windscreen. A metal finished plastic insert mimics the fascia’s Humanity line and dips neatly under the central AC vent.

A V-shaped centre console below houses premium quality dials for the ACC and well-damped buttons. There’s a USB/iPod connector and a 12V socket which together sit neatly in a cavity beneath. With its silver finished tip, your palms wrap well around the gear lever.

Beyond that, the drive mode selector dial and a shutter for the cup holder cum storage bin display their premium Solihull roots with pride. The driver side’s armrest has an openable hatch which sits in place, courtesy of a magnetic latch. The storage space underneath is deep and wide enough for your phone and other things to stay in place.

With its opening switch sitting neatly in the satin metal finished strip above, the glove box is amazingly large. Cooled and lit, it has a removable shelf where you may store your tablet. There’s a drawer underneath the front passenger’s seat and door pads have enough space for 1-litre bottles, along with an umbrella holder which even has a drain hole to allow water to trickle out. A sunglass holder near the cabin light could’ve been better finished as no smooth surface has been patched there to negate any scratches on your eyewear.

The rather flimsy looking cabin light could’ve lit yellow instead of white, as it makes the cabin glow in a warmer light. There’s a little cavity underneath the driver side AC vent to store any bills and toll receipts. A vanity mirror beneath the passenger side visor will keep woman occupants happy, but she wouldn’t know if the lipstick rolls out of line in the dark.

The neat looking instrument cluster sits behind a familiar steering wheel which gets sturdy controls for telephony and the infotainment system. Unfortunately, the stick button controls for the onboard computer are placed near the dials, which make them troublesome to operate whilst driving, as one has to slip the hand from between the wheel. Stalks operate with smoothness and the steering wheel is only adjustable for height.

Seats are covered in fabric and offer great support all round. Front chairs are wide and the backrest offers lumbar support with excellent side bolstering. The driver’s throne is adjustable for height, which makes it easy for adults of all size to find a comfortable driving position.

The space to occupy inside the Nexon when not driving is in the back though. Unlike elsewhere, where the bench’s length is curtailed to increase visible space, the one inside the Nexon supports nearly every inch of your thigh even if you are a six footer. What will baffle you though is the amount of knee room that is still left after that. And this when the front backrest is adjusted by another six footer to make himself comfortable. Since the roof slopes downward aggressively, the rear seat’s backrest angle is slightly laid back and as a result, headroom is plenty. There are a couple vents in the rear blower unit with the provision to adjust fan speed.

Audio quality from the Harman sourced 8-speaker sound system is Mega. It reproduces every detail with such deep bass and crispness, we were thoroughly impressed. In fact, the sound quality was even better than what we had experienced only last week in a 40 lakh rupee car. Mind you, the system on that car had blown us away too. The 6.5″ screen isn’t like the display on your AMOLED phone, but its touch sensitivity is good and menu options are easy to navigate.

For now, it supports Android Auto and will be updated to pair with Apple Carplay shortly. The screen also displays a feed from the reversing camera and its theme colour switches between Red, Blue and Green, according to the driving mode one selects. Voice recognition worked flawlessly and a lady’s voice advises you if you haven’t worn your seatbelt, the handbrake lever is pulled, and when you switch between driving modes.

Boot space stands at 350 litres and can be further expanded by tumbling down the 60:40 rear backrest which releases 690 litres of carrying capacity. The spare wheel is tucked away neatly underneath the boot space and a flat parcel tray helps with some quickly accessible storage space when you need it. Overall, quality of materials inside the cabin is a mix.

The metal finished plastic insert in the dashboard and door handles looks and feels great, however, the glossy black finish elsewhere, although premium, is a dust magnet. It is so reflective, fellow journos were busy taking selfies of their own reflection. The cabin is well insulated from outside noise and everything feels tightly bolted and built to last. Like its younger siblings, we expect the Nexon to pile on the miles rattle free.

Tata Nexon Design and Styling

Where the ‘S’ in a Sports Utility Vehicle is often unjustified for the way the finished product looks, the designers at Tata Motors brought it to the fore when they conceptualised the Nexon. One of the rare production cars which look almost identical to the concept, the Nexon looks striking from every angle and commands your attention with its friendly, yet powerful design elements. Standing tall on kicked out wheels which are wrapped in a wide 205 section rubber, the Nexon looks even more purposeful in real, than it looks in pictures.

Up front, the smiling Humanity line seamlessly underscores a large honeycomb patterned grille and sharply designed headlights. Really bright LED DRLs have been positioned at extreme corners and do well to accentuate the width of the car. The large bumper gets an equally large cutout for air intake and high perched fog lamps which have been eyelined by a ceramic finished insert which also runs along the beltline.

Sideways, the Tata Nexon looks ready to accompany your surfboard lifestyle with its chunky, new age appearance which is matched with a contrasting shade for the roof, pillars and the white accent which swooshes through the shoulder line. When looked at closely from the rear three-quarters, it is easy to spot a sedan’s silhouette in the black strip that covers the B-pillar and the glass area’s shut lines. Five spoke, 16″ alloy wheels are machine cut and get a contrast treatment to look sassy.

The Nexon’s rear completes the densely packaged picture with an extended ‘X’ that starts its life under the front mirrors, and only momentarily, dips under the C-pillar. A roof mounted spoiler caps the aggressively raked rear windscreen which cuts curves at the bottom to make way for the high set tail lamp which gets LED illumination for the position lamp.

Matching the colour of the roof, the rear bumper gets a 3D insert which adds up to the sporty character of the design and also makes space for the licence plate and the rear fog lamp. Would’ve been great if, like the concept, it embedded a squarish exhaust outlet too. But it looks great nonetheless. When in motion, the Nexon’s derrière looks smashing as it sits on its sinewy haunches with that sloping roof and those pumped up wheel arches, making you believe that it has been doing its sit ups and bench presses right.

The Tata Nexon is a looker and there is no better proof than the fact that it made heads turn in a place like Kerala, where the Gods love cars as much as their own country. Thumbs up from bikers, appreciative nods from folks in their Brezzas, Balenos and what not, and turning heads from even those who are probably otherwise least interested in a motorcar, confirmed that looks might be subjective, but some things are universally accepted and appreciated in a majority.

Tata Nexon Buying Advice

As a product, the Tata Nexon has met and surpassed all our expectations we’ve had from it. For the average consumer who compares things on paper before making a decision, sure it falls short on offering camphoric features like a sunroof and cruise control. To offset that, it offers much more that you wouldn’t find elsewhere. And if you would believe us, you would rather trade what is superficial for a mechanically strong and accomplished product, which the Tata Nexon definitely is. The stellar ride quality, competitive engines, watertight packaging, and the overall comfort is at par and even stands apart from what the competition has to offer. And that is if you aren’t sold by the way it looks already.

After the Hexa, Tata’s return to the world of SUVs in the form of the Nexon has resulted in one of the finest products yet, to come out of a homegrown automakers facility. It is also a moment of pride for all the men and women at Tata Motors for having moulded the finest Tata Steel into a product which the country’s citizens can be proud about.

Tata Nexon Details and Features Explained Through Images

And two other wild cats on the rear windscreen

The Google Maps woman can be made to shut up or her volume be lowered

Under my umbrella…ella…ella…eh…eh…eh

The driver side wiper won’t succeed on Tinder because it doesn’t swipe right all the way

She can see her but not in the dark

Push for life

Individual map lights with yellow lighting would’ve looked just at home

To shock an annoying rear passenger, just put their finger inside that space

ORVMs get integrated blinkers

DRLs are super bright. Even when it’s Sunny

Active owners will appreciate that wristband which works like the key fob on the wrist

Boot release button is on the centre console. Fuel cap is connected to a lever though