Hello BHPians ,
Hope you all are doing good and taking good care of yourselves along with your cars. This pandemic has really altered our driving habits. No commute to office due to WFH, no more long/late night drives. Its painful to see our cars parked in parking lots for a long time.
I feel it more because, I bought BS VI Tata Nexon (XZ+ Petrol) in Feb 2020 and right after that the lock-down announced. Recently completed 1 year with the car. I could drive this car only for 5500 KMs due pandemic restrictions. Through this article I would like to share my one year experience with Tata Nexon. I will try to avoid common points like build quality, safety ratings etc, since we have covered it in various discussion/reviews on Team-BHP platform. Instead, I will share my opinion of this car after 1 year of use. I would try to keep it crisp. Hope you will find it helpful.
My first car – Maruti Suzuki Ritz VDI was my first car. Its was a great hatchback. 1.3 litre MJD engine was a gem. I drove the car for 1,05,000 KMs. That machine was a true companion. But later it stated showing its age. With evolving technologies, as newer cars were having more features and comfort, I decided to upgrade to something better. I decided to move on to crossover/Compact SUV because all advantages that we all know. After driven Diesel car for almost 8 years, this time I planned to buy a Petrol car.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136715&thumb=1 Options – With a fixed budget of 8-11 lacs ruppes, I checked below options..
1)Hyundai Venue – Good car, peppy 1.0 litre GDI engine but my family found rear seat a little narrow. We felt Venue’s road presence similar to a hatchback. Dropped.
2)Ford Ecosport – Ecosport is a great car. Solid build and a great road presence. But if it’s Ecosport, it has to be a TDCI engine. I didn’t find the punch in ford’s Petrol motor. Dropped.
3)Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza – Dropped. Having driven Maruti Suzuki car for 8 years, it was time to change the brand.
4)Kia Seltos Petrol – It was way out of my budget. Dropped.
5)Tata Altroz – Tata Altroz was meeting all my expectation. Aggressive looks, big boot, good build quality, roomy interiors. It was well within my budget. I was about to finalize it but the test drive forced me to change my decision. I found Tata Altroz’s naturally aspired Petrol engine very weak. Despite of all good features, I dropped it.
Finally I went ahead with Tata Nexon. Booking experience with Bafna motors , Baner, Pune was good. Staff in the showroom was very welcoming and was eager to address my queries (this is not Tata showrooms were known for, right?). Since I was clear about the variant I wanted i.e. XZ+ Petrol, booking process was quick. We discussed the rates, discount and resale value of my Ritz.
The bargaining tricks worked here as well. Please check the link where I had mentioned how I got the best deal
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...sed-car-2.html (Are you good at negotiating? How much did you bargain off your new / used car?)
I paid initial token amount and did basic paper work. The sales person kept me updated on the progress (vehicle allotment, Pre-delivery inspection, registration etc). Delivery of the car was smooth and prompt. Team did a typical cake cutting ceremony and handed over the keys to me along with other required documents.
(from left to right – Tata Salesperson, my daughter and my dad)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136716&thumb=1
Now lets talk about the product itself – Tata Nexon XZ+ (Petrol). After driven the car for 5500 KMs..here are my observations…
Looks (interior, exterior) –
Positives –
1)BS6 Nexon looks way better than its predecessor. Uplifted bonnet give a squarish stance. It’s no more like a beefed up Indica.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...135502&thumb=1 https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...135503&thumb=1
2)Blackened A, B and C pillar gives it a distinctive floating roof feel. That really goes well with the car and provides a great road presence.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...135500&thumb=1 https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...135511&thumb=1
3)Interiors are big step up from the predecessor. Flat bottom steering is good to hold. Plenty of storage spaces that can accommodate all your small sized belongings. My car didn’t have any panel gaps. So I am happy with quality.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136717&thumb=1
4)7 inch touch screen is good. The display could have more sharp but it does it’s job. Physical buttons provided below touch screen is very useful while driving. You don’t need to take your eyes off the road while driving.
5)Harman sound system is exceptionally good. It provides crystal clear sound. You can hear every single beat of your favorite music track. Please find couple of samples. It will not provide the exact feel of the sound quality but you will get a fair idea.
6)Seats are comfortable enough. Especially rear seat are extremely comfortable
7) The waterfall console layout looks premium and it separates driver and passenger seat. This provides rich feeling.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136725&thumb=1
Negatives –
1) Too much use of glossy black in the interior. Minor scratches are distinctively visible. Plastic quality still needs improvement. Too much of hard plastic used.
2)Seats are too soft to my liking. I would have preferred a little firmer seat for long drive comfort. I am planning to go for Art leather seats covers to gain some firmness.
3)Thick A pillar impact cornering visibility
4)Digital instrument cluster looks like aftermarket fit.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136718&thumb=1 Engine and performance
1)1.2 litre Petrol motor does a decent job in Nexon. It delivers power is an extremely linear manner. After driving my Ritz’s diesel engine for more than 1 lacs KMs, initially I found Nexon’s Petrol engine a little under powered. But after few thousand KMs I stared liking it
2)At cold a start , its starts at 2000 rpm, then settles down to 1000 rpm. It’s a typical 3 cylinder motor so a little noisy. After oil change in 3rd free servicing, the engine noise is well controlled now.
3)It’s definitely not a rev friendly motor, low end is dull. This engine can be enjoyed most 1700-3500 rpm that’s where you will get a good mid-range power. After 4500 rpm, it hits a wall
![Frustration](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/Frustration.gif)
. You can hear the engine roaring but it doesn’t translate into any power. You must up shift to gain the power. I am a kind of driver who is having a light foot on the accelerator. So no complaints
![Thumbs Up](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbs up.png)
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4)If you rev the motor above 3000 rpm while driving and take your leg off the accelerator pedal, spooled turbo pulls car for a good amount of time, that a very pleasant feeling.
5)Drive models are not a marketing gimmick. They actually work. 80% of my driving is in City mode (preferred drive mode and default one too) . 5% in eco mode (very dull) and 15% in sport mode. Minimum average I got in City driving condition is 12 KMPL (City mode) and could extract maximum of 22 KMPL on highway (ECO mode). I generally keep AC on, all the time. Even if we give benefit of doubt to MID, you will get 12-19 KMPL based on your driving style.
Comfort / Handling / Convenience -
Positives -
1)Flat bottom steering feels good to hold. Its light at lower speeds and weighs up extremely well at higher speeds. It’s very precise and gives a great confidence behind the wheel. High speed cornering is great.
2)Body on frame structure has a little firmer/stiff suspension. While it gives great high speed stability, City rides are bumpy. As you increases the speed, rides settles down and gives an extremely comfortable drive. This car is a highway cruiser for sure.
3)Rear seat of the Nexon is the place where you would like to be. It’s at softer side but holds you well and provides a good comfort. Under thigh support is great. Long journeys are nor more tiresome.
4)350 litres of boot space is sufficient enough to carry your weekend luggage
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...etrol-boot.jpg
5)Physical button below the infotainment screen makes its very convenient while driving. You don’t need take your eyes off the road while driving.
6)Rear AC vents are useful for rear passengers
Negatives –
1) 12 V power socket provides at rear is at very inconvenient place
2) There is not a proper place to put your phone. The only place is over the sliding door of the front storage
Servicing experience -
Tata’s servicing experience is referred as hit or a miss. My experience so far is good. I serviced my car (3 free servicing) at Bafna motors Tathwade, Pune , I had a pleasant experience so far. They have tied-up with and agency named ‘Forefer21’. It offers free pick-up/drop facility. You can track your vehicle. Also it gives you timely updates of work done . After car is dropped at your place, you can do online payment through their website too. I liked the service.
Issues and niggles –
During last 1 year of drive I faced only 2 minor issues..
1)Infotainment screen was frizzed once. I restarted the car and it was OK. No issues after that.
2)I found parking brake's grip a little weak on slope. It might be because of the kerb weight of the car. It got fixed in 3rd servicing.
Suggestions to Tata motors –
Tata motors have come a long way in last 2 years. Their cars look modern, they are the safest cars, have descent engines. Kudos to Pratap Bose and team on bringing such a great cars. However, I do have few suggestions to the team, after my 1 year usage of Tata Nexon..
1)Tata motors should swap gear level and drive mode selector’s position in Nexon to something similar In Harrier. We don’t use drive mode selector that often as we use gear level. So in my opinion, gear level should be place at drive mode selector ‘ s position.
If we keep our elbow on arm rest, drive mode selector is within comfortable reach.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136719&thumb=1
However, while changing the gears, we need to extend the arm. Since the gear throws are long, its not comfortable in long journeys.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...136720&thumb=1
2)Please make seats little firmer. They are too soft to give comfort in log journeys. I would recommend to remove the hump and make rear sit a flat bench so that 3 people can sit comfortably at rear.
3)Please equip this Nexon with instrumental cluster similar to Altroz or its electric sibling (Nexon EV). Current instrumental cluster looks like after-market fit.
4)Please create a functional air dam at the bottom of fog lamp (similar to one in Hyundai Grand i10 Nios). That place accumulates dust after long drives.
5)I would prefer to have few new metallic colors introduced to Nexon line-up. It will definitely help to boost Nexon’s sales further. Current choice of colors is very limited as per my liking. Red is a very basic tomato red. Blue is non-metallic, green looks OK. But then customer are left with basic choices of White, grey and silver.
Overall I had/am having a great time with my Nexon. It’s a good product. Good engine, good build quality, spacious interiors, big boot, great ride and handling. I am hoping that this pandemic will go over and I can take my car for a long trip. Till then take care and stay healthy.