Tata Nexon: Five Things We Would’ve Liked

Tata’s entry into the sub-4m SUV segment was long overdue. But now, it finally has and what a shocker it was. With a starting price of just Rs 5.85 lakh, the Tata Nexon undercuts all its main rivals. What’s more, it is offered with the strongest diesel engine in the segment, refreshing looks and it is the first Tata car under the Rs 10 lakh bracket that has dual airbags and ABS as standard across all its variants. Actually, it stands second only to its big brother, the Hexa, that has these basic safety tech boxes checked on all variants.

All that is great and we genuinely believe that the Nexon has the potential to shake up the segment to capture a substantial share for itself. But when you look closely, the Nexon does reveal some chinks in its armour. Here are five things that we would’ve liked on Tata’s baby SUV.

Proper Rear AC Vents: Yes. The Tata Nexon does have dedicated AC vents for rear passengers. But they don’t really work as they should. The correct way to engineer those vents is to feed cool air from the air conditioning system directly and most of the cars get the same. However, in the Nexon, the rear AC vents suck in air from the cabin and divert it towards the rear passengers. That means if you have the rear AC vents open, the cabin will take a lot longer to cool down than it would otherwise.

Better Touchscreen Response: Unlike any other car from Tata Motors, the Nexon gets a new 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system that is mounted on top of the dashboard. While it looks cool and makes the interiors look fresh, it is still quite laggy. Sure, you can use the rotary nobs mounted below the central AC vents to operate any of the features on the system. But the experience of pairing a Bluetooth device or setting the navigation system would have been a lot better if the screen responded better.

Smoother Gearshifts: We had the opportunity to drive the Nexon way before it was launched. During our time with it, we noticed that the 6-speed manual transmission isn’t very slick. No matter which engine option you choose, the gearshifts do take a while to get used to and aren’t the smoothest.

Better Ergonomics: There are a few niggles in the cabin which could’ve been avoided as well. Starting with the placement of the USB and AUX ports for the music system. Both are tucked away in a cubby behind the gearbox. They are tough to reach and tougher to engage with a respective wire. Next up is the weird shape of the gear knob. It just doesn’t feel comfortable to hold. But the biggest issue is how the tambour door opens up to a world of ergonomic catastrophes. The narrow, but deep, space has been carved out for two cup holders but placing or taking out any kind of cup won’t be easy. Instead, the space should be have been used to house a mobile phone along with the USB/AUX ports.

More Features: The Nexon does have an extensive feature list but it does miss out on a few important ones. For instance, even in the top-spec version, there is no sunroof. The Honda WR-V has it. Similarly, there is no cruise control, automatic headlamps or automatic rain sensing wipers, all of which can be found on both of its primary rivals - the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and the Ford EcoSport.

Source: cardekho.com