[400notout]

After 2.5 months and 4500Kms, I feel its the right time to write about my new car, a Calgary white Tata Nexon Diesel.

Variant: XMS
Fuel type: Diesel
Gearbox: Manual
Booking Date: 11th September 2021
Delivery Date: 14th October 2021
On road Cost (Navi Mumbai): 11,70,000 (Inclusive of 3 years extended warranty)
Accessories: Alloys, Rear Parcel Tray, Front Chrome Garnish, Mudflaps.
Discount: 12780
Freebies: Rubber Mats, Ganesh Idol.
Planned Upgrades: Dashcam, Child seat, Seat covers, 7d Mats.

For the convenience of readers, I’ll first write about the car and then follow it up with my backstory on how I, an absolute Tata hater, went on to purchase a tata car in the opposite color of my choice.

First let me start with what happened post finalizing the Nexon.

PDI done on 12th October 2021





Car had 09 Kms on the ODO. Every thing looked in place. It was an August manufactured Vehicle.

The Color Dilemma
The Salesman and the dealership did well to accommodate my request of getting the car on 14th (Day before Dussehra) as my wife was flying to Kerala for about a month and we wanted to have the moment together. We had booked the Foliage green color, but decided to go for white as it was readily available. My allotted car would have come in 15 days but that would mean either i leave it at the yard till my wife and kid are back or take delivery without them. So decided to go for white as it looked good enough. My choice would have been Black, but it was available only in the dark edition which was way over my budget. Also the fact that Tata's Dark treatment makes the car look smaller since there are no contrasting elements. The Kia Sonet or for that matter even the Nissan Magnite has a far better black shade. The Foliage Green looked good in the top variant but it looked nothing special in the lower variants. Somehow White looked much better as the Nexon has many black elements. Tata really needs to up its color game theres nothing special about any color on offer now. White became the safe choice.

Now since the car is an XM-S variant, i felt I could share how the mid variant felt like. As the TBHP reviews are usually about the top variants.

Feature wise heres what I got ;

Safety:
-Dual Airbags
-ABS with EBD
-Electronic Traction control
-Roll over mitigation
-Emergency brake assist
-Hill hold control (I'm yet to understand how this works on my car though)
-Electronic Brake Pre-fill
-Brake disc Wiping
-Driver Seat belt with pretensioners and load limiters
-ISOFIX anchorage
-Seat belt reminders for driver and passenger
-Reverse parking sensors

Aesthetics:
-Projector headlamps with DRL ( Love it!!)
-Turn indicators on ORVM
-Digital instrument Cluster
-Flat bottom steering feel

Electronics:
-4 speaker Harman Connect Next Bluetooth system.
-Auto fold ORVM with electric adjustment (closes/opens with remote key, Nice!!)
-All power windows
-Central locking with remote flip key.
-Bluetooth phone connectivity.
-Steering mounted controls

"Premium" features
-Electric sunroof with tilt function
-Auto headlamps
-Auto rain sensing wipers (has a mind of its own, more on that later)

This variant is not high on features but checks out most basic requirements of mine and then there is some to show off. Considering my previous cars were either old (2006 city) or cheap ( Chevy Spark PS) everything was an upgrade. The only sorely missed one is the Auto up-down driver side window from the city, that would have been really cool for me.

Now the pictures;





Fresh after the installation of allow wheels. Cost ~39K or so. I love it. It totally transforms the look of the car. Anyway Ive been living with wheel covers and steelies for 15 years, I had decided that alloys were a must! Takes the look of a car several notches higher IMO. Also you can notice a Chrome garnish on the front bumper. I thought they would paint it silver like the top variant (insert "imstupid" emoji here) This doesn't look bad though.

Projector headlamps and DRLs give it a sharp character.


A closer look


and again



DRLs, High beam and Low beam in action.


People have complained about the throw of the headlamps, I actually found it to be adequate.

Nexon branding on the sides


Front turn indicators


Lower variants get these turn indicators. Frankly speaking, it looks lame. The Top variants get it integrated in the DRLS. Might black this out later.

It gets the tri-arrow pattern


The most hated design aspect of the Nexon, I like it though.
The British flag inspired Led tail lamps;


Silver/shiny grey? finish on the area housing he AC vents and audio controls. Since this doesnt have the touch screen , the buttons remain!.


Interior is well put together. Feels very solid. And frankly speaking I like this dash better than the white color available in the top variant. The design of the centre console housing the AC controls could have been better. Looks tasteless.

No driver armrest, though the centre area is at a height and you can rest your arm here. The cubby holes are good for storing small objects but not your phone as it will keep obstructing your arm if you keep it there or while changing gears. Frankly speaking this car has no place for phones!!


Centre area gets a rubber mat. Good for storing keys and coins.


Only if the gear and the multi drive mode knob could interchange places, would sort one ergonomic mess in this car. Also would make the front charging socket area capable of keeping a phone. Now it obstructs gear movement!


This area looks particularly unappealing in an otherwise decent layout. Charging socket and USB provided. Doesnt fast charge though. Ac chills, need to switch it off very often. Blower is noisy even at one. Never needed to put it beyond that. White car means doesnt heat up that bad. Boot release button is located here. Fun fact; this is the only way the boot can be opened!! the boot has no key to open neither does the remote!! (bangs head). On the upside, the button doesnt work when the car is in gear as a safety measure.


The forward gears foul with your hand if you need to adjust the AC knobs.


A closeup of the fit and finish issue at the corner.


Otherwise neatly laid out dash


Steering feels good to hold. But texture is bad. Need to get it leather wrapped soon.

Showoff feature! I had to go for this as this was the only way to get steering mounted controls. It does impress people though.


Tips of chrome here and there improve the aesthetics.


Chrome inserts on buttons, knobs and separators. Looks nice. The hole for the start stop button looks bad though. Should have been sealed up somehow. Contrary to what I felt earlier, the start stop button would have been a good feature to have. Especially since I have a flip key now.

A close look at the vents.


The driver and passenger side vents can be closed, however some air does seep out. The centre vents cannot be closed.

Pattern to grip the adjuster. Vents have a Piano black finish.


Illuminated Key ring


Digital instrument cluster looks nice. Gets chrome at the borders. I know that the cluster is shared from the Tiago and that the cheaper Altroz and Punch get a better Cluster. But somehow this doesnt bother me.



Harman Connect next

Small bluetooth screen is clear to read. Has functions of phone, FM and Bluetooth. Supports USB, I havent checked that yet. Music quality is superb!!

Reverse parking sensors


Screen shows rear proximity too, neat!

[400notout]

Tells you to stop!



Whenever you look at the rear view mirror, you are greeted by the 2 animal motifs on the rear windscreen. The placement is such that its the first thing you'll see everytime. Very nice touch I would say. Its more visible in this variant as there is no rear wiper.



Comes with two set of keys. Regular and Flip. No Boot open button given.






Now the ugly part;

Fit and finish is horrible at places





I dont know what this sealant type material is. It is soft and impressionable and present throughout the car. Looks very bad.

Other points;

-Music Volume dips automatically when reverse gear is engaged.
-Car autolocks at 15KPH or when 2nd gear is engaged.
-Engine doesn't double crank
-Boot doesnt open when car is in gear
-Comes with a handy tyre puncture kit with an inflator.

However these are minor irritants compared to the joy the Nexon brings. The official TBHP review is apt in describing how the Nexon drives. There is nothing more that I could probably add. I can vouch for it word by word. My sincere respect to TBHP mods for being so accurate and fair when reviewing a product.

After 4.5k kms I can add the following.

What I like;
-Terrific Looks
-Solid build quality and list of safety features. Feels invincible.
-Confidence inspiring ride and control.
-Powerful yet fuel efficient Diesel engine.
-Spacious and comfortable for long rides.
-Absolutely fantastic Harman Music system.-

What I dont like;
- Poor ergonomics
- Engine is noisy (Hyundai/ Kia have silent diesels)
- Poor fit and finish
- Some vibration noises coming from A pillar. Need to check it out in the second service.
- Gearbox has some issue it seems. Shifting between 1st and 2nd and vice versa seems like its hitting something in between. Service centre assistant though courteous couldnt understand the issue. It was surely better in the test drive car I drove. Reverse gear gets stuck sometimes.

Drive experience

As it happens i'm getting to understand the car better with each passing kilometre. After 4.5k kms, this is what I feel.

Power

Now my previous experience of significant extensive driving has been the Chevy Spark and the 2006 Honda City CVT. The Spark was ok for a newbie driver that I was then. It felt adequate but high speeds were definitely not confidence inspiring. The City was a rocket off the mark and had was confident on highways. However age was showing and anything beyond 120 was uncomfortable and even that speed was touch and go. You knew the speeds that you were doing.

Now with the Nexon, I had decided on the diesel not just because of my running but also that it was the better rated engine on TBHP. Anyway the future of diesels was bleak. let me enjoy one before the sun sets on it .

You start the engine and are greeted with clatter associated with diesels. It remains noisy till you attain decent speeds. The first gear gets you going and the second pushes you further, but this is not where you want to be. There is some lag, I cant say exactly till what RPM as the display is now a digital bar. But once you are in third the car leaps forward with a roar. Progress is still noisy and rough that is until you get to fourth. Now this is where my life is. The engine is now sitting on oodles of power. I can keep playing from 35kmph to 95kmph on 4th gear all day. No Auto? no problem I say. For city speeds the 4th gear works like and automatic. I might be doing 45kmph on 4th but a gentle push of the accelerator and Im doing 80 and a hard one I might reach 100! The engine does get rough post 85kmph though. I have not yet found a road where I could see where the 6th gear would take me. Now this is me trying to exploit power. Wanna drive gently? No problem. Engine is smooth and responsive at indicated gear ratios.

For me the indicator asks me to upshift on;

2nd gear @ 15 Kmph
3rd gear @ 30 Kmph
4th gear @ 45 Kmph
5th gear @ 65 Kmph
6th gear @ 100 Kmph.

The 5th gear could have been taller I feel, as there is not much of a stretch in the city where I can do constant speeds above 65. So I usually stay in 4th till 85 Kmph more if it is a short burst. But I dont upshift to 5th unless I'm sure I can maintain the speed atleast for a couple of KMS. I hope I'm making sense here. Do let me know if I'm doing something unhealthy.

Overall even if I'm driving sedately, I know that power is just a dab of the accelerator away. Overtaking is a breeze. However ill need to do an interstate travel to truly exploit the cars power. As of now I was unable to engage 6th on the Mumbai-Pune expressway owing to road repairs. Goa will soon be calling.

Ride Quality

The Initial lag and gearing makes me miss the zooming I was used to doing in the Honda City. However the way the Nexon is composed in high speeds makes me pick it over the Honda City anyday. There are times I feel the the steering is hard only to realise later that I'm doing 80! Speeds upto 100 feel like a walk in the park. I have had to do some emergency maneuvers @ 70 kmph and after swerving the Nexon zips back in line like nothing ever happened. Initially when the car was new, I found the suspension to be very intrusive. There was a lot of regret. However as time passed, the suspension now has settled in very well. The Nexon is smooth at slow speeds and at speeds above 60, imperfections are dismissed without a sweat. At no point is the ride unsettling. The visibility from the high seat is fantastic. Big ORVMs aid all round visibility very well. It is big on the inside, small on the outside and nimble enough to chuck it in gaps. This helps a lot in the city.

NVH

As i said the engine is noisy. There is clatter at idle which is more evident on a cold start. During idling at signals some sound can be heard however it gets subdued. During driving the sound is contained at higher speeds. IT gets smoother as it progresses. However I like the engine note as it lets out a roar when I out rev the gear from its set ratio. Mild vibrations are felt on the steering on idle, nothing noticeable while on the move. The Engine vibration can be felt much closely at idle if you "feel" the clutch. I kind of like it. It feels like a hearbeat. The engine throbbing is reminiscent of a bullets "dhak-dhak". If ultra refinement is a must, look elsewhere (Kia/Hyundai).

Fuel efficiency
All this talk of power, but at what cost? Well thats the beauty of the diesel engine. In my daily city commute of 90kms the Nexon diesel presently is giving me an average fuel economy of 17 KMPL. The average speed is somewhere 25 to 30 kms an hour. The highest reading I have seen is 27 KMPL on a short 120 kms sprint from outskirts of Pune to Navi Mumbai. What helped was a lot of downhill roads, couple with me driving at speeds of not more than 80kmph as it was night time.

Another point to note is that my ODO reading is not far off from tank to tank calculations. I had seen many owners report huge differences between ODO and actual efficiency. I have tallied both ODO trip readings and fuel fill ups as I reset every time I fill my tank. I divide the Fuel filled with the KMS done. Sometimes the tank calculation is marginally higher than the ODO! Has Tata worked on this? There was a news of some agency ordering a probe on Tatas ODO readings. Let me know if I'm doing anything wrong.

Overall I'm very happy with the efficiency considering my drive is far from boring. I'm sure the efficiency has scope of improving upto 18kmpl. As it was 15kmpl in the 1st 1000 kms and it only kept getting better.

Harman Kardon

This is the ace up the Nexons sleeve, sure the engine is noisy but all is forgotten when the bass kicks in. Along with the power and composed confidence inspiring ride comes the best music system in town. Now I dont have tweeters in my variant but I dont miss anything. Bollywood, Classic Rock, Metal, Rap, Ghazals , pop, techno, no matter what you listen to, the system just plays everything crisp and clear. No audio upgrade required period! For an audiophile like me this is a divine gift.

Now if you wouold like to know how I got into buying the Nexon, you could read further.

Avid Tata Hater

Ever since I saw my first Volvo bus, I always hated Tata for selling outdated and terrible looking CVs in the Indian market. I never liked any of their passenger car designs. I particularly loathed the Indica and the Vista. But It all changed the day I saw the Tata Zest. That was led me to my first test drive of a Tata car. And if I had the money back then, I would have surely bought it. It was leaps ahead of anything I associated with Tata. For all the hate I had for the Vista/Manza design I was stunned how the Zest looked better despite the same body shape. It was a lesson in design. Since then I always followed Tata and had a soft corner for them. But It was sheer fate that I ended up with the Nexon. More on this but first some back story.

History

I started driving in 2008 in a white MS 800 which we had bought used for my parents to move around the city. These were times when I knew nothing about cars. In 2009 I bought my 1st car, a Black Chevrolet Spark. After 10 long years and 1 lakh plus Kms I sold it to a close friend in 2019. Meanwhile I started using a used Honda City ZX CVT (2006 model). On Jan 2020 the city met with an accident. My stationary car was hit by a 2006 Skoda Octavia driven by a drunk driver near a toll collection junction inside Pune city at 5AM. That one incident taught me a lot about the world we live in. I was lucky the City took the hit well and nothing was felt by any of the passengers inside. That day I was lucky that the driver hit my driver side tyre and did not collide with me head on. The Skodas wheel broke with the impact and scraped the complete right side of my car. I had both my In-laws, wife and 1.5 year old son in the car. The baby was sleeping in my Mother in laws' lap that too seated near the impacted side. I've seen many arguments which keep the onus of safety on the driver and justify unsafe cars for city use. In this case, I shudder to imagine what would happen had I been in my Spark or any MS cab. So yeah, we are one stupid driver away from doing a free GNCAP assesment of our car out of nowhere. Rather be safe than sorry.

Some pics;




Post restoration;



I used the moment to restore the City as much as possible. Used it well for 1 and a half years more post the accident and it served me well in my 80kms daily commute in 2021. But the accident did bring forth some never before seen issues.

Requirement for a new car:

Unfit City

The first monsoon after the accident saw a lot of water leakage in the Citys cabin. Being the post lockdown monsoon, the cars upholstery got badly soiled with the accumulated water and moisture. I took it to 3M to do a complete interior job. 15k Later things were back to normal. In 2021 the city would turn 15. I had no plans of selling it but in the monsoon the same thing reoccurred and the city was a mini pool again.



Rising Usage

In Nov 2020 i had started a new job which included 80kms of travel per day. So I was spending around 20k just on transport owing to covid restrictions on public transport. Also, I made good friends with a younger bunch and after spending time with them, I realised I was living a very strained life. So I added a compulsory monthly leisure trip with my family just to break free from the routines.

Personal health

I had to close my entrepreneurial venture in 2016. It left me in a huge debt, and subsequent events left me depressed. My disconnect with my emotions became a constant source of fight with my wife. So she proposed we buy a new car. It should uplift my mood and anyway we have a lot of usage for it.

Who was I to say no to that?

The Shortlisting

Considering I spend all my time on TBHP, it was surprising I did not have a definitive car in mind. The ones I had were all out of budget.

Considering my income and expenses I fixed a budget of 12 Lakhs on road. We started looking for a car actively in July 2021.

Requirements:
1) Safety (Rated cars would be good)
2) Looks (no boring or ugly designs)
3) Performance (The City spoilt me, Man it was quick!)
4) Good build quality
5) Acceptable fuel efficiency
6) Comfort in traveling Long distances
7) Top or 2nd Top variant
8) Automatic (City CVT guilty again)
9) More features than my previous cars (not tough to beat at all)
10) Good stock audio
11) Ground Clearance (The City grated its bottom at the sight of a bump)

The Candidates

Renault Kiger Turbo CVT

Price: 11.50 on road, top end cvt
Likes:
Snazzy design
Better interiors compared to Magnite
Decent level of features
Audio in top variant was great
Fuel efficiency
4 star GNCAP (rumoured)
Great audio system

Dislikes:
Drive felt disconnected
At 11.50 on road isnt exactly cheap.
Built quality was flimsy
Materials used were of a very Budget offering.
Wouldn't suit for the Mumbai - Thrissur Drive

Dealership experience: Not bad, nothing great either.

Nissan Magnite Turbo CVT
Price: 11.50 on road, top end cvt
Likes
4 star safety ratings
Car was quick and fun to drive
Compact yet spacious
Disikes
Top variant at 11.53 wasnt cheap, especially since it needed an audio upgrade.
Interiors are cheap in look as well as feel.
Could feel the engine vibration on the rear seat!
Wont be comfortable for a Mumbai - Thrissur Drive

Dealership experience: 6 Magnites lined up for delivery! Sales was casual.

Kia Sonet Diesel
Some variant available @ 12 lakhs. Had a touchscreen.
Likes
Ultra refined powerful diesel
Outrageously well kitted
Driveability
Dislikes
Safety is a question mark.
Automatic is less fuel efficient.
Absolutely cramped!!
Though the engine is capable, the seat comfort wont make intercity drives fun.

Dealership experience
I test drove the Sonet just out of curiosity. I had no Intentions of buying a Kia after the Seltos shame. Of all the things the interior space put us off. All my friends are on the healthier side, the rejected it outright on this factor alone. The saleswoman was very professional, and pushed me to take a booking which I politely refused. On my complains of space, they even suggested I check out the Seltos!! Overall I realised, I wont be missing out on much.

Skoda Rapid TSI Riderplus
Sedans were not in contention, but I wanted to test the Automatic TSI before I made any new car purchase and Rapid was the only acceptable machine as the Polo is cramped for space.
Price: Rider plus @ 11.24, Ambition @ 12.5
Likes
Well built
Clean design
fun to drive
Skoda badge has good snob value
Decent car for 11.25 OTR
Dislikes
Felt like the car you wanted 10 years back! Theres no hiding the age.
Cannot expect it to be very fuel efficient.
Would need an audio upgrade.
Space was still a question. Less width Would affect comfort on long drives.

Dealership experience: Casual, nothing great.

Tata Nexon
I test drove the petrol version and was really floored by the build quality and solidness of the car. The confidence it gave to tackle deep potholes was reassuring for someone who scraped every breaker on the Honda City.
I wasnt keen on a petrol Nexon but there was no diesel available for test drive then.
Likes
5 star safety rating
Solidly built inside out
Spacious and comfortable seats
Ground clearance
Dislikes
Noisy diesel
No proper automatic, Premium for AMT too much.
Top diesel variant was beyond budget.

Then came a contender out of nowhere. While moving from showroom to showroom we casually visited Ford to check out the Ecosport. I took a test drive of the diesel which was readily available and really liked what the car offered. Even the Titanium was priced at 12.21 vs 13.65 for the Nexon XZ+. It was a no brainer. I booked one straight away. Between the two I felt the Nexon was better on space and clutch was light and short. Also I felt it was more nimble to drive. But I did find the Ecosport to be a more "polished" product. The Engine characteristics were similar but the Ecosport was way more refined. The only problem with the Ecosport was that I found the clutch to be on the heavier side.

Despite rumours of Ford shutting down and then to add all the DPF issue reports. I still stood by my booking. But Ford didnt. The day Ford shut shop was followed by a holiday (Ganesh Chathurthi). The Next working day I went straight to the Tata showroom and the salesperson then realised that I'm a serious customer, so he arranged a car the very next day. One drive of the Diesel manual and I was sold. One month later I found myself to be the owner of a Calgary White Tata Nexon Diesel.

So like I mentioned earlier, I wanted a car to get me out of the dump I've been living in mentally. And the Nexon has done the job like no other could.

The song "Eye of the tiger" goes;

Don't give up on the dreams of the past,
You must fight just to keep them alive

The Nexon has injected "living" into my life. I got a new job in a better organisation. I look forward to going to work now and I'm not tired to drive back home. In fact, feel down the days I'm not driving. The Nexon carries the weight of chauffeuring my life from the dumps to the higher ambitions which I had begun with. It has begun very well, only time will tell if I can "reclaim my life".


Apart from the mods, special thanks to all BHpians, especially dsuman for clearing a lot of my doubts on variants, Arjab and Reinhard for keeping the Nexon review thread informative and sincere. Let me add a few pics before signing off for now. Thanks for reading.

With the one who began it all


Notice the tri-arrow pattern in the side cladding


The Future is catching up


The past is ahead of you


Made of dreams


Some aggression

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[GOTTI]

Lovely write-up. Straight from the heart and sprinkled with some much needed emotion.
All the very best for your journey with her, may there be many (kms)miles together.

[Vinod_nair]

Congrats on getting the safest Indian car, very well written ownership review.

You can open the boot, with a long press on the centre of the remote (the headlight sign).

I've a 2018 Nexon D XMA, with not a squeak or rattle.

Enjoy your ride.

[gmhossain]

First of all, congratulations on your new machine! Frankly, it's a wonderful initial ownership review of a superb and equally capable vehicle in its segment. Wish you thousands happy miles ahead.

Originally Posted by 400notout

Fun fact; this is the only way the boot can be opened!! the boot has no key to open neither does the remote!! (bangs head). On the upside, the button doesnt work when the car is in gear as a safety measure.

As Vinod has already said, there is a hidden feature in your remote key. You need to long press the "follow me" lamp button in remote key to open the boot. A short press would turn on the headlights briefly. Secondly, the boot will open only if the car is stationary.

Originally Posted by 400notout

Reverse gear gets stuck sometimes.

Initially, I had also faced this issue in our XM (P). The trick here is to keep the gear lever pressed slightly toward the driver as you slide it out of the reverse.

Originally Posted by 400notout

The 5th gear could have been taller I feel, as there is not much of a stretch in the city where I can do constant speeds above 65. So I usually stay in 4th till 85 Kmph more if it is a short burst. But I dont upshift to 5th unless I'm sure I can maintain the speed atleast for a couple of KMS. I hope I'm making sense here. Do let me know if I'm doing something unhealthy.

Actually, Nexon's gears have lot of overlaps with each others. For example, above 65 kmph, you can actually slot into the 6th gear and it doesn't ask you to downshift (at least not in our Petrol Nexon). By looking at the downshift recommendation, you can actually figure out the recommended minimum speed in a gear. In any case, congratulations once again.

With best wishes,

[rideon74]

Belated congrats for the white knight. The review was quite engaging to read. Nice clicks and clear details of the pros and cons. A mid-variant write-up was definitely required, as you'd rightly mentioned. Happy motoring!

[Reinhard]

Congratulations 400notout & welcome to the Nexon gang after almost joining the EcoSport team . Even I had been torn between the EcoSport and Nexon for a long while when I got mine. Wishing you unlimited safe & enjoyable miles with the car. Its got its quirks and poorly finished sealant rubbers alright - but get behind the wheel and all of it just vanishes. I hope you enjoy a lot of long road-trips with it. Thats where this car shines its most. I have driven it many times for 10 hour journeys and come out as if I drove just for 10 minutes. The high speed stability on our poor roads does ensure we are fatigue free after a long journey.

Niggles or not (hopefully not) - the one thing I love about the Nexon diesel is it's bullet proof power-train. Somehow always have the assured feeling that come what may - this one will safely take you to the destination. You'll never be stranded in the middle of nowhere because the power-train had some issue. This was something we used to take for granted in the previous decade or two, but with modern regulations and modern engine technologies, its not so obvious. Cars tend to develop interesting engine issues once in a while. This is where the rather conservative diesel engine of Nexon, does well. Just keep it well "tuned" with DPF cleaning routines on highways once in a while and all will be fine.

Very sensible choice of accessories there. Do get that dashcam soon, its one of the vital things to have on our roads. Thinking of an Android HU perhaps? The navigation and entertainment do help alright.

Very detailed review there. Rating it 5 stars. Do keep the thread updated.

[400notout]

Originally Posted by GOTTI

Lovely write-up. Straight from the heart and sprinkled with some much needed emotion.
All the very best for your journey with her, may there be many (kms)miles together.

Welcome to Tbhp mate! Glad to find your first ever post on my first ever review. Thanks for the wishes.

Originally Posted by Vinod_nair

You can open the boot, with a long press on the centre of the remote (the headlight sign).

I've a 2018 Nexon D XMA, with not a squeak or rattle.

Enjoy your ride.

Thanks Vinod! The button works I have another question for you if you dont mind. How is the AMT on the diesel?

Originally Posted by gmhossain

First of all, congratulations on your new machine! Frankly, it's a wonderful initial ownership review of a superb and equally capable vehicle in its segment. Wish you thousands happy miles ahead.

Initially, I had also faced this issue in our XM (P). The trick here is to keep the gear lever pressed slightly toward the driver as you slide it out of the reverse.

Actually, Nexon's gears have lot of overlaps with each others. For example, above 65 kmph, you can actually slot into the 6th gear and it doesn't ask you to downshift (at least not in our Petrol Nexon). By looking at the downshift recommendation, you can actually figure out the recommended minimum speed in a gear. In any case, congratulations once again.

With best wishes,

Thanks hossain, the reverse trick is same for me as of now. And you are right I can engage 6th on 65 however the car lugs at that speed and doesn't feel "in its zone" even the 5th feels livelier after 80 kmph. Hence I prefer using the shorter gear till the power is adequate for the higher one. My fuel economy is still good so I'm not bothered much.

Originally Posted by rideon74

Belated congrats for the white knight. The review was quite engaging to read. Nice clicks and clear details of the pros and cons. A mid-variant write-up was definitely required, as you'd rightly mentioned. Happy motoring!

Thanks a lot for your kind words and wishes.

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Its got its quirks and poorly finished sealant rubbers alright - but get behind the wheel and all of it just vanishes.

Oh yes it does. There's no doubt. I just highlighted the issues so that prospective customers who read the review don't get a shock of their life when they see such irregularities in their car. And Tata needs to look into their fit and finish if they aspire to be the best. Where there's scope of improvement they must!

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Very sensible choice of accessories there. Do get that dashcam soon, its one of the vital things to have on our roads. Thinking of an Android HU perhaps? The navigation and entertainment do help alright.

Very detailed review there. Rating it 5 stars. Do keep the thread updated.

Thanks Reinhard. Your words mean a lot. As of now I have bought a child seat. I dont miss a touch screen as of now. So that's not in the must have list currently. The first next spend will definitely be the dashcam. I was thinking of purchasing this model.. It would also help as the IRVM has no day night adjustment.

Next would be seat covers, mats and leather wrap on the steering. Right now I'm using the company provided tyre inflator. Might switch to a better one later. And maybe a piano black covers for the door handles and ORVMs.

But more or less I plan to keep it pretty much as it is.

[Vinod_nair]

Originally Posted by 400notout

How is the AMT on the diesel?

The AMT on my Nexon D works like a charm, no drama, well I've a baby Tata Nano also an AMT.

A true Tata fanboy.

[Naztone]

Will written review, rating it 5 stars

Am on the fence for a new car myself, needs to be a automatic - for the wife. And my list is pretty much like yours was - Nexon Diesel vs Kia Sonet is the final shortlist.
Nexon offers safety but with an amt
Sonet offers the best Diesel Auto(TC) combo with all the features u can dream of but is cramped & safety is question mark.

Let's see which way I jump, in the meantime wish you many (s)miles with your beauty

[furyrider]

Congratulations on your new steed!

Your thread just sealed the deal for me. I will book a new car in a month or two and have almost finalised the Nexon diesel. Thanks to Reinhard’s eye opening thread, Nexon became a strong contender in my list. However, lack of Nexon BS6 diesel threads on Team-bhp made me look elsewhere. I have considered Sonet HTX+ and even Seltos HTX/Creta SX(exe). Somehow, none of the cars struck a chord with me. The Nexon on the other hand brings a smile every time I see one. It was a daunting task to find a Diesel TD vehicle, but managed to get a poorly maintained vehicle in the end. Yet, the vehicle performed brilliantly.

This is a vehicle that gets the basics right. Sure, there are ergonomic disasters in the interiors like lack of cubby hole for phone (as you pointed out), ACC controls with temperature settings integrated into the HU instead of a small screen near the controls, parking brake lever on the wrong side, etc. However, once you start moving, none of this really matters anymore. Just like you, my usage does not warrant a diesel, but we may not get to enjoy the power and torque of this workhorse of an engine once stricter emissions kick in.

Sorry to hijack your ownership thread. I can relate to every word you have written. People may say these are just lifeless vehicles, yet, there are some vehicles that infuse new life into its owner. I was in the same boat as you 7 years ago when I purchased my first bike, an Apache 180. Everyone I know was against my decision. It is unrefined and has a harsh engine when compared to its peers, yet when I twisted the throttle all my worries in life took a back seat. No other bike connected to me as much as the Apache. I used to talk to it on long rides, I shared my deepest secrets with it. I know I sound stupid, but this is the bike that got me out of depression, heart breaks and has seen the lowest points in my life. Even today, every time I take the Apache out for a spin, I cannot stop grinning. The Nexon diesel is the only car that has connected to me on the same level, if not more. The engine may be unrefined just like the Apache, but it does sing along with you, makes it’s presence felt with every throttle input. There are much better options out there for sure, but for some reason I keep going back to the Nexon even if Tata sales persons are least interested in selling me one. I cannot thank Reinhard enough for putting the Nexon on my radar, and you for your brilliant thread that sealed the deal.

[JReacher13]

Congratulations and a very well-written experience here. I can relate to many instances and now I can copy from here for my 1-year write-up I am planning to write from forever . It seems Nexon has become like a defacto choice for replacing ecosport. I was in the same boat and seems the club is not exclusive.

Originally Posted by 400notout

Thanks Reinhard. Your words mean a lot. As of now I have bought a child seat. I dont miss a touch screen as of now. So that's not in the must have list currently. The first next spend will definitely be the dashcam. I was thinking of purchasing this model.. It would also help as the IRVM has no day night adjustment.

Sorry for B2B posts. Missed this earlier. I am using the same model in nexon xza plus depsite having the HU and rear camera. When I purchased the imports are hampered and good quality dash cams are stocked out everywhere. The G sensor is very sensitive in this one and the screen is very reflective. I usually switch it off, but on the first rumble strip/ uneven roads it wakes up again despite being set at the lowest sensitivity. At night it is even more problematic with screen running and reflections from behind, but not sure about this model with night vision cam as mine is with normal cam. But the build and operational quality are top-notch. My suggestion is to go with it if you plan to use it for both reversing and as a dashcam. If not other 70mai dash cams can be better.

[vasanthn21]

Wonderful ownership review 400notout!

I relate to most of the experiences you have with the vehicle as I own a Zest diesel - 1lakh kms + on the odo and no squeaks or rattles. Trust your experience with Nexon would also be the same.

Surprisingly, I learn something new about each vehicle with each review! Really surprising to know that the boot opens with long press of the headlight button on the keyfob! Would this work on my 6 year old Zest!? (highly suspect this)

[stormcatcher83]

Excellent Ownership Review straight from the heart!

Only thing is that in Mumbai you dont get to test drive the diesel Nexon, I tried in multiple dealerships across Thane. I dont know if it is the same across cities.

Anyways good to read your review and experience.

Keep crunching the miles!