For a decade, Indian Automobile has witnessed extreme changes with a strong move towards SUVs (Sport Utility Vehicles) in different segments.
The leading category is the compact SUV, namely, Tata Nexon-a significant landmark in its segment by redefining safety, design, and performance parameters.
Launched in 2017 by Tata Motors, the Nexon has gained immense popularity and trust across the Indian SUV market within a very short period of time. It is known to offer a great blend of style, technology, and value for money.
There are a few basic factors that have helped the Nexon succeed-they are built tough, boast 5-star safety ratings from Global NCAP, and they come in different engine options: petrol, diesel, and electric.
But in this piece, we’re going to take an in-depth look into the features, design, performance, and how Tata’s Nexon has made its presence felt in an increasingly competitive market.
Design and Exterior: Bold and Distinctive –
One of the first things that strike the eye regarding the Tata Nexon is its bold and distinctive design. Tata Motors has used the Impact 2.0 Design Philosophy for the Nexon, giving it a sharp, modern, and somewhat futuristic look.
Considered a sub-4-meter compact SUV, the Nexon does indeed manage to give the impression of a much larger vehicle, carrying muscular lines and a rather large high ground clearance, taking an unmistakable stance on the road.
The front fascia is led by a highly chiseled grille of the Nexon along with projector headlamps and integrated LEDs. Thus, it now looks premium. The addition of a clamshell bonnet adds more rugged character to its look.
This is further enhanced by an aggressively sculpted bumper with tri-arrow elements. The rear of the Nexon is also striking – with LED taillights and a stylized X-shaped design element.
The Nexon rides on 16-inch alloy wheels, which complement its raised height rather nicely and serves to bring a perfect balance between form and function. Strong character lines, roof rails, and a coupe-like sloping roofline all seem to contribute to the car’s rather sporty appearance.
Also, it has a wide number of vibrant dual-tone color options that make it look young and dynamic. It has a Ground Clearance of 209 mm. This is more than enough for the Tata Nexon to drive through Indian roads no matter how bad they are. It can very easily do city traffic and reach out for weekend getaways.
Interior and Features: Tech-Savvy and Spacious –
Inside, the Tata Nexon impresses with a spacious and tech-laden cabin. Quality materials, well-designed dashboard, and thoughtful layout make the Nexon feel premium, especially in the top variants. Much of that comes courtesy of dual-tone interiors, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and soft-touch materials on the dashboard.
At the heart of the dashboard lies a 7-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system by Harman. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also supported for hassle-free integration of your smartphone into the device.
The infotainment system comes with the car together with an 8-speaker Harman sound system that provides rich quality audio to deliver an immersive experience in-car entertainment.
It also comes with iRA (Intelligent Real-Time Assist)- Tata’s connected car technology. This will enable owners to access a wide range of remote features via a smartphone app, including vehicle health monitoring, geo-fencing, remote locking and unlocking, and real-time tracking. All of this positions the Nexon firmly on the tech-savvy map for modern drivers.
Spaciousness This Nexon provides ample leg space and headroom for passengers from both front and rear positions. The seats are soft and supportive, which makes long journeys less tiresome.
The rear seat comfortably accommodates three people, and the rear armrest with cupholders adds to the convenience. The boot space stands at about 350 liters, and it expands to 690 liters if the rear seats are folded, so there’s ample space for luggage and weekend getaways.
The climate control system, complete with rear air vents, ensures that discomfort among guests will not likely to arise due to adverse weather outside.
Some of the features for the ride itself are cruise control and keyless entry. It even includes a push-button start as well as a digital instrument cluster. Those would cap the whole experience of driving.
Performance and Powertrains: Versatile Options –
Tata Nexon offers a range of powertrains to meet the requirement of all kinds of buyers. It is available in the petrol, diesel, and electric variants, thus being one of the more versatile models in its segment.
- Petrol Engine: Nexon is powered by a 1.2-liter turbocharged Revotron petrol engine which develops 120 PS power and 170 Nm of torque. This petrol engine comes with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a 6-speed AMT (automated manual transmission hence gives more choices to the users in terms of driving. The turbocharged petrole engine gives the brisk acceleration and is responsive in city as well as highway driving conditions.
- Diesel Engine: For the diesel enthusiasts, the Nexon also comes with 1.5-litre turbocharged Revotorq diesel engine, churning out 110 PS of power and 260 Nm of torque. The diesel is famous for its strong mid-range performance and its great fuel efficiency. Thus, it is ideal for people who travel often. Like the petrol version, the engine can be teamed up with a gearbox that is either manual or AMT.
- Electric Version (Nexon EV): Tata Motors is leading the electric mobility market in India and one of the best electric vehicles coming from the company. The Nexon EV is a flagship electric vehicle, with Nexon being powered from the lithium-ion pack of 30.2 kWh, and with an ability of taking the peak power to 129 PS and with 245 Nm of torque through its motor. Electric motors deliver instantaneous torque; hence, accelerated acceleration is noticeably smooth. The Nexon EV is certified by ARAI for 312 km, henceforth providing a sensible as well as reliable solution for daily commutes as well as short road runs. Charging the Nexon EV to 80% using a DC fast charger takes around 60 minutes and it will take about 8 hours in the home charging scenario.
Driving Dynamics and Ride Quality –
Not only does the Tata Nexon concentrate on exteriors and features but also on driving experience. The multiple drives modes-Eco, City, and Sport provide driving comfort from time to time on the choice of the driver.
Eco mode saves maximum fuel, City mode offers a balanced drive for office commuters, while Sport mode increases the potential of an engine for spirited road performances.
The suspension setup of Nexon is more comfort-oriented, which puts it in the right space for India’s roads. For most bumps and potholes, the independent McPherson strut on coil springs at the front and twist-beam suspension with coil springs at the back takes care of, ensuring a supremely comfortable and stable ride even on fairly bad roads.
To top that, the steering response is light but is accurate enough to make the Nexon feel silky and easy to throw into tight spaces in the city while remaining stable at highway speeds.
Safety: Leading the Way with a 5-Star Rating –
The one critical area that Tata Nexon has got covered is the safety ratings. In fact, it was the first Indian car to ever get a 5-star safety rating from Global NCAP and is one of the safest vehicles in the category.
The company, Tata Motors, has all this while kept its focus on safety. The Nexon comes equipped with a lot of standard safety features across variants.
These comprise dual airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold assist, and rear parking sensors. The body of the Nexon has been strengthened with an emphasis on impact-absorbing design and a steel-reinforced structure to ensure the protection of occupants in the event of a crash. Top variants have enhanced safety features such as front fog lamps with cornering functionality, rear parking camera, and brake disc wiping.
With the awareness of safety amongst Indian consumers, the Nexon has been decently popular with its strong safety package.
Pricing and Variant: Value for Money –
The Tata Nexon is also competitively priced, starting from around ₹8 lakh (ex-showroom) with the base petrol variant and around ₹15 lakh for the top-end diesel and EV variants (ex-showroom). Pricing- The Nexon is one of the most affordable compact SUVs in India given its feature-rich package, robust safety, and strong performance.
The Nexon comes in several trims, namely: XE, XM, XZ, XZ+, and XZ+(O) that help the buyer choose the right variant best suited for the purpose and budget. Nexon EV (electric variant) is offered in three trims XM, XZ+, and XZ+ Lux.
Conclusion: A Winning Formula –
The Tata Nexon has emerged as one of the more aggressive players in India’s extremely competitive compact SUV market. With its attractive design, high-tech interiors, versatile power-train options, and an eye on safety features, it makes for a great deal from which a wide chunk of buyers might benefit. Be it a family workhorse SUV, a feature-full urban runaround, or even an electric weapon, the Nexon does just fine on all fronts.
With Tata Motors commitment towards innovation and high safety and the affordability combined with the performance of the Nexon, this product is one among the best in its category.