The Tata Nexon is an impressive product at first sight. High ground clearance and a wide body impart it a lot of road presence. Tata has also managed to price it aggressively, and the XM variant delivers great value in our opinion.
Here are five things about the Nexon that left us impressed, and the interesting bit is -- four of them are common across all variants.
Dynamics
The Tata Nexon impressed us on the move. Its stability at speeds inspires confidence and the lighter (than diesel) petrol version is particularly agile in corners. The ride is also plush and there is not much body roll, which means that the Nexon is a comfortable mile muncher. Overall, it’s a good dynamic package that rides well and doesn’t feel nervous as high speeds too.
Diesel engine
The Nexon draws power from a 1.5-litre turbocharged diesel engine that makes 110PS of maximum power and 260Nm of peak torque. We think this is one of the better diesel engines in this range as far as driveability is concerned, and you can read it in detail in our drive report here. The best thing about the engine is that it does not feel lifeless even when driven at low revs.
Drive modes
The three drive modes in the Tata Nexon – Eco, City and Sport – are there from the base variant onwards with both the engines. The drive modes effectively change the characteristics of the engines. Eco tames the engine to extend the drive range, City mode allows you to upshift earlier, while Sport makes you use the top end of the engine. All the drive modes are very clear in their objective and are actually usable.
Space
Sit inside the Nexon and it’s hard to believe that this car measures under four metres. The legroom at the front and the rear is appreciable and the seats are large enough to accommodate slightly bigger than average frames as well. The rear seats are also bucket-type, which may not allow a third passenger to sit in comfort. But for four, the Nexon has to be one of the more comfortable cars under the Rs 10 lakh price bracket.
Infotainment system
Tata’s tie-up with Harman has put their cars on top as far as audio quality in the mass market segment is concerned. Like other Tata cars that have Harman-powered systems, the 8-speaker unit is a treat to listen to in the Nexon too. Audio quality aside, there are two more standout features of the Nexon’s infotainment system. The first is the placement (of the screen) and the second is the control knobs for the touchscreen system. The dashboard-mounted floating screen looks upmarket and the control knobs make toggling the menu without taking eyes off the road a delight.
The Nexon has a lot going for this but it has its fair share of misses as well.
Source: cardekho.com
