Re: Tata Nexon : Official Review TATA NEXON Revotorq XZA plus
I started living part-time in India from last year and prior to that, I started researching what vehicle to buy. My criteria included the highest possible safety, rating, dual air bags, solid build, adjustable driver's seat, automatic transmission, low NVH, driving range of 600km plus and a budget less than 15 lacs. The vehicles that seemed to fit and reviewed were Volkswagen Vento, Skoda Rapid, Maruti Brezza, Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster. I narrowed it down to the Brezza and Nexon based on the above criteria. I test drove the Brezza three times as I was taken aback by the poor performance of the AMT due to the turbo lag and jerky gear changes. I found the NVH also to be quite poor. The interior finishes were only average. I test drove the Nexon next and I was amazed at the difference. The performance of the AMT though not perfect was far superior and the power delivery excellent. The paint, internal fit and finish and the materials seemed far better than the Brezza, the handling and ride for a vehicle less than 4m was excellent.
So I took the plunge and booked a vehicle at Prerana Motors Lalbagh in September 2018 and took delivery in late October 2018. The dealer experience was good, the SE was very polite and accommodating and made sure that I got all the festival discounts. The delivery experience was not that great as another not necessarily well trained SE handled it. He wanted me to sign on the dotted line for delivery without even seeing the car which I naturally refused.
I have driven about 5000km to date including Bangalore, Munnar, Calicut, Virajpet, HAMPI, Chennai and so on. My driving has mostly been long distance and sometimes on pretty bad roads. The car behaved very well on these trips, was very comfortable and a pleasure to drive but developed a few niggles, such as a minor rear suspension noise, instrument panel rattle, steering noise. This was after the first service at 1800km. I lodged a request on the TMSC app and was pleasantly surprised by the practically instantaneous response from Tata Motors and Prerana Motors. They picked up the car within two days and attended to the complaints at no cost to me. I have owned cars overseas for many years and no car company or dealer ever came and picked up a car for in-warranty complaints.
I have to say I am really happy with the Nexon its strengths are;
- Feels solid and safe, the five star ANCAP helps
- Ride, handling and braking are excellent
- Effortless to about 140kmh
- Responsive Diesel Engine and good AMT performance particularly in City mode
- Good infotainment system, but have to sort connectivity issues with some phones. Make sure that the usb cables are good quality. I found this the biggest issue
-Seats are good and provide excellent support on long journeys.
-Interior finish and materials are excellent as is the air conditioning.
-Mileage of around 22.5 kmpl for mostly long distance and some city driving.
Now for the negatives
- Thick A pillar, a bit hard to get used to
- Orvm on the driver's side needs further refinement, 1/3 of the mirror shows the side of the car.
- No lumbar support
- Steering wheel has no tilt.
- multiple stage door locking should be made available through software update.
- Driver and passenger seat backs could have incorporated some storage.
This car compares well with many cars I have driven overseas. If they increase the number of airbags and incorporate electronic stability and traction control it could even be exported.
I am happy to recommend the Nexon as it is a safe, value for money proposition. |