Tata Nexon

The Tata Nexon is a sub-compact SUV priced between Rs 7.99 lakh and Rs 15.80 lakh (ex-showroom). It recently got a facelift, which infuses modernity in the Nexon’s package and helps it put up a tougher fight against the likes of the Mahindra XUV 3XO, Maruti Brezza, Kia Sonet, and Hyundai Venue. But have the Nexon’s existing flaws been ironed out and are there any deal breakers that you need to know about? Let’s find out in this review.

Tata’s new styling signature is hard to miss and you get glimpses of the same with the Nexon. With its sleek LED DRLs, the split headlights and the connected LED tailights, the Nexon definitely looks premium and has to be one of the most modern-looking cars in its segment.

Up front, the big grille and muscular bumper design give it a dominating look, while the flared wheel arches still add character in its design. The newly styled 16-inch alloys also play a part in its premium styling quotient, along with the X-shaped LED taillights at the rear. These are based on gloss black elements, which look genuinely good but are hard to keep clean and maintain scratch-free.

If the car’s styling doesn’t already command enough attention, its new colour options definitely will, especially the Fearless Purple shade which looks like nothing else on the road. The premium-styling quotient is at its zenith in the night, when you feast your eyes on its welcome and goodbye animation upon locking and unlocking the car. It is nothing short of a mini light show and can be a new momentary obsession for the kids at home.

Just like its exterior, the Nexon’s interior looks quite modern. The design is simple, clean, and is made up of mostly horizontal elements. The Fearless purple exterior shade treatment extends inside with a matching interior theme, which is different and unique from the other Nexon variants and even cars in the segment. Don’t worry, if you don’t like this color, there are other options available as well.

The minimalism in the cabin styling is very apparent, and is also seen in the central panel for AC controls. There are no physical buttons, just two knobs for controlling temperature and fan speed. However, the entire panel is based on Piano Black elements, which are tough to maintain and keep scratch-free. Not to mention, they are touch-sensitive, which is slightly  distracting to operate while driving in busy traffic.

But in terms of materials and their quality, there is no complaint from the Nexon’s cabin. Even though the dashboard doesn’t have any soft-touch materials, all plastics and elements feel solid and well-textured. Only the door pads and central armrest get soft-touch materials, which feel smooth. The AC vents have a surprisingly good weight to them, and the steering-mounted controls also feel premium.

The leatherette on the seats is exceptional too, feels like a proper luxury car. As for comfort, they are perfectly comfortable for average-sized people. The cushioning is soft and offers good support as well. However, the side supports might feel intrusive for larger frames, and the back support may feel inadequate for taller people.

But irrespective of the height and size, finding an ideal driving position is easy, despite the omission of telescopic steering adjustment. 

Rear Seats

The Nexon's back seat is best used as a two-seater. Three people can sit here, but not without compromising comfort for all three as not only does the middle passenger not get a dedicated headrest, but the central tunnel also restricts their knee and foot room. However, with two passengers, the rear seat is very comfortable.

The seat has plenty of cushioning, including on the base, so there’s no lack of under-thigh support. Head, knee, and foot room are adequate, and two six-footers can sit back-to-back as well. To improve comfort for two, there’s a central armrest and a rear AC vents as well. There are two charging options here (Type A, Type C port and a 12V), which brings us to the practicality aspect of the Nexon.

Practicality

Despite the overall updates with this facelift, the Nexon still has some practical misses. All four doors have 1-litre bottle pockets, along with some extra storage space for dusting cloths. But the central area has limited storage spaces, which could’ve been utilised better.

The size of the wireless charging pad, for example, is small, and phones bigger than an iPhone 14-15 won’t fit here. The storage below the AC controls is wasted if there are cables inside it and only the space under the central armrest is usable.

The glove box is also small, and Tata has still integrated cup holders inside the glovebox itself, which is not ideal for anyone trying to use them, be it the driver or the front passenger.

There are no seat pockets at the back either. However, the central armrest has two cup holders. For charging, besides the wireless charger, there’s a 12V socket, a Type A, and a Type C port – both front and back. However, accessing the front charging sockets is tough because of the design. There’s also a 12V socket in the boot.

Features

The Nexon is easily one of the most feature-loaded offerings in its segment and this is where you realise why the Nexon’s top-end variants are so expensive; because their experience is one step ahead beyond being ‘segment above’. The biggest highlights are the obvious dual 10.25-inch digital screens. 

• 10.25-inch infotainment system: Crisp and reactive. You can customise the home screen with switchable widgets, so you gain quick access to your most-used functions. Gets wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which is easy to connect and use. 

• 10.25-inch digital driver’s display: Boasts crisp graphics with multiple viewing modes. Relays a lot of information, including tyre pressure display and trip details, yet doesn’t look busy or cluttered. Plus points for the navigation integration, as you can get Apple maps with iPhones and google maps with Android phones here. 

• 360-degree camera: Great camera quality and resolution. Display is slightly laggy but multiple modes including 2D and 3D views make it easier while parking in tight spaces.

• Blind spot monitor: Automatically pops the feed for whichever side you indicate and is actually useful in low-light situations as well. Only issue is that it takes up the entire infotainment screen, which blocks the navigation. This can be troublesome while navigating a busy junction with multiple directions.

We wish we could’ve ended the features bit for the Nexon here – on a positive note – however, there are a few irks with its tech package. Both the dual screens are impressive and their functionality is commendable, but that is only when they actually work as intended. During our first drive review and even in this road test, both screens glitched multiple times. Sometimes a simple lag, sometimes an intermittent freeze or sometimes a complete blackout. 

In fact, the driver’s display also indicated wrong driving speed on multiple occasions, wherein the speedometer was showing a fixed 34 kmph, despite slowing down and eventually coming to a standstill. This is a significant safety issue. Hopefully, Tata will solve these bugs with a software update.

Despite this healthy list of features, the Nexon misses out on features compared to its peers. The list includes a panoramic sunroof, powered driver seat, ambient lighting, dual zone climate control and Level-2 ADAS features.

Tata has always been at the forefront of every vehicle safety conversation in India, and the case is no different with the Nexon. Not only did it once again prove itself in the global NCAP with a full five star rating, Tata is going all out by providing an extensive kit right from the base variants.

Standard features include 6 airbags, ISOFIX mounts, ABS with EBD, reverse guide sensors, hill hold control and electronic stability control. Top-end variants further pack a 360-degree, tyre pressure monitoring system, rain sensing wipers, blind view monitor, and rear wiper and defogger. 

Tata Nexon’s 382-litres of boot space is enough to store your family’s weekend worth of luggage. It can gobble up a full suitcase set, including one big, medium and small suitcase. For more space, you can fold the rear seats, which get a 60:40 split. But to access the flat floor, you will have to lift up the seat base first, which takes additional effort. 

There are no new engine options to be had with the Nexon facelift. The good old 1.2-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre turbo-diesel soldier on unchanged. We were expecting Tata to debut the new TGDI motor they showcased at the Auto Expo, but that seems to have been reserved for the Curvv. 

• 1.2-litre Petrol

There’s no apparent difference in the way the turbo-petrol motor performs. The thrummy three-cylinder engine isn’t particularly exciting to drive, but it doesn’t leave you wanting for power either. Acceleration is adequately swift, and you will be just fine cruising all day at triple-digit speeds. Moreover, there’s enough torque, so  you won’t need to shift every now and then for the city streets and hilly roads either. 

Surprisingly, Tata has added two more transmission options to the mix. There’s a 5-speed manual you can pick with the base-spec Nexon, and a 7-speed DCT that’s available on the top two trims. The dual-clutch automatic delivers on what’s expected from it. It’s smooth, quick, and picks up part-throttle inputs well too. It’s almost never confused, and has you in the right gear. That said, performance is closer to Hyundai’s DCT tech than VW’s slick DSG. 

There are paddle shifters to be had too, should you want to shift yourself. Oddly enough, long pressing the shift up paddle does not switch the vehicle back to Drive. 

• 1.5-litre Diesel

Consider the diesel engine if you foresee driving over 50km per day consistently. This is where the better fuel efficiency of the diesel engine will start reaping dividends. Here too, performance isn’t all that different. The diesel engine is clattery as you’d expect and gets loud if you push it. 

Tata claims to have worked on the gearbox during the BS6.2 update. This was our first time experiencing the improved setup. The shifts are crisper now, and not as rubbery as they once used to be. You wouldn’t really mind the weight of the clutch either, but the long travel might just be a bother, especially for heavy city use. There’s an option of a 6-speed AMT here. We wish Tata could’ve provided a proper torque converter instead. 

Nexon gets two engine options, including both petrol and diesel. Both get manual and automatic options, and we had the turbo-petrol DCT powertrain combination on test with us.

NVH levels are good for a 3-cylinder engine. There’s some vibration that is felt, even when idling, but it isn’t significant enough to make you uncomfortable. Its driveability is also good, be it in the city, or on the highway. Sure, it does take some time to pick speeds when you’re really low in the RPM range, but once it gets going, the performance is adequate. 

Overtakes are easy in the city and it cruises at 100-120kmph on the highway without a sweat. The gearbox is also hard to fault when driving at a relaxed pace. It feels smooth and keeps you in the right gear, for the most part. It’s only when you demand a really quick overtake that it gets slightly confused and takes some time to react to your input. You can override this by using the paddle shifters, but they don’t really feel engaging enough and isn’t a true manual mode as the system denies the shifts sometimes.

In terms of fuel efficiency, our usage with the Nexon was rather mixed. We consequently received figures of 10kmpl in the city and 13-15kmpl on the highway. You can expect a better number in normal driving conditions, but if you have a high running and want to keep fuel costs in check, then pick the diesel engine. Although, it won’t be as refined as this turbo-petrol, and it doesn't get the option of a smooth shifting DCT, just an AMT.

There are three drive modes – eco, city and sport – which only alter the engine and gearbox tuning, wherein your throttle response becomes eager and the gearbox holds the gear at higher RPMs for a longer duration. There are no changes to the steering and suspension setup, and that is actually okay because Nexon already has a good balance as standard. 

The steering isn’t heavy, which makes it effortless to pilot the Nexon in the city. But it does weigh up, just the right amount, on highways and higher speeds, which definitely is reassuring while taking a corner or changing lanes. But don’t expect sedan-like handling manners, because you do get body roll when pushing it a little harder than usual.

The Nexon continues to impress in the way it rides. Despite being slightly stiff, you won’t feel uncomfortable over bad roads or bumps as the suspension cushions everything nicely and silently. It’s only over really sharp bumps or bad roads that you feel some jerks and side to side movement, but that too can be resolved by either slowing really down or speeding right up.

It feels planted on the highway too, irrespective of any sudden undulations or change in level, and won't give your family any instances to complain about. 

At first glance, the Nexon seems to be everything you’d want from a small SUV. It has chic looks that can deceive you into thinking that this might be designed for a price point above. The cabin too follows that same one-segment-above deception with a premium design and good quality materials. The features list too, is genuinely good enough to be in a segment-above car and we already know how impressive Tata’s safety standards are. 

No matter your usage, be it confined to heavy city usage, or extensive highway driving, or even a combination of two – you’ll have a powertrain combination that suits your needs just right. And those needs can be met by taking your entire family along with you, courtesy of its comfortable seats and ride quality. It really has everything you'd want from a small family SUV, however, this is where the ‘but’ comes in, i.e. its reliability.

For all the things the Nexon does well, it is let down by its tech pack’s glitches. The whole experience could well and truly be something that would easily pass off as something’s that one segment above – only if the screens work reliably. These issues have surfaced in other new Tatas as well, not to mention the quality control and after-sales service issues synonymous with the brand. Only if this business was taken care of, we wouldn’t have to think twice before recommending the Nexon.