GTO drives the Tata Curvv EV 55 kWh & shares his impressions

The three adjustable regen levels offer so much flexibility. You can adjust them via the paddle shifters.

GTO recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Tata Curvv EV 55 kWh

• Along with the Punch EV, the Curvv EV is the best EV that Tata has launched to date. However, unlike the Nexon EV which had a free run for the longest time, the Curvv EV is going to face tough market conditions. The primary reason being the formidable competition. Hyundai Creta EV is here and so are Mahindra’s electric twins, the BE 6 and XEV 9e and not to forget Maruti’s e Vitara. Tata is no longer the only game in EV town. People want something different and they’re getting it. Plus, the Curvv EV’s rear seat headroom and premium pricing don’t help things either. I have a feeling that the Curvv EV will continue to do well, but it’s not going to do crazy volumes.

• Unfortunately, in the rapidly evolving EV world, a first-mover advantage doesn’t really count for too much. People buy a car to keep for 5 years, 7 years, or 8 years and they will buy the best car that is available for them as of that date and not because of any manufacturer’s history of making them (Tata cars anyway aren’t known to be niggle free). The only exception is of course if you build a charging network like Teslas, that’s where the first mover advantage remains crucial to your success. Tesla has just done it beautifully because Elon Musk realized that was a key USP of the Tesla EVs when everyone was playing catch up. But we don’t see that in India.

• Tata has given the Curvv EV in a sexy grey colour that we first saw on BMWs, Porsches and Octavia VRS in India. It’s a sexy mud grey colour and it looks fantastic on the Curvv’s sexy design.

• This electric gear shifter is not flawless. In quick front-back parking manoeuvres, it would frequently be in reverse when I wanted to go forward. So in tight parking spots where you continuously go from ‘R’ and ‘D’ and you’re moving the car front and back, you need to be careful which mode is selected.

• Every time you start the Curvv EV, the music system starts at zero volume and you have to bring the volume up. User-friendliness would’ve meant that the volume starts off at the same level where you left off or at the most at some neutral level like 30-40% level. But why should the audio system always start on zero?

• Engage Sport mode and the Curvv EV becomes a properly quick car. I just floored the accelerator while driving at 60 km/h and the front wheels chirped and there was torque steer. This is just a beautifully tuned powertrain and it shows Tata’s years of learning in the EV space.

• Range anxiety is a thing of the past. It was a term coined when EVs had a 100-120 km range. Early EVs like the Nissan Leaf, Mahindra Reva, etc. Today’s EVs are just fantastic. Especially for city driving and going to close-by destinations. Especially in city driving there is no such thing as range anxiety. Even when you travel far in the city. To give you an example, I started the Curvv EV in the morning and the battery level was at 88% and the range displayed was 252 km. I drove all the way to Thane for Raymond’s supercar show and the battery level was 70%. Also, since the roads were empty, it was free flowing and there was good efficiency. Even after driving 40 km, it was showing a 248 km range. EVs truly rock for the city.

• The three adjustable regen levels offer so much flexibility. You can adjust them via the paddle shifters. My personal preference is to use aggressive level 3 for heavy traffic. Where there’s a lot of stop-and-go. I’d use it in heavy traffic where I’d get away with one-pedal driving for the most part. It’s very aggressive. I’d put it on level 2 for normal city traffic where it’s moving but not fast (the regular Bombay speed). I’d retain level 1 for the fun drives, the early mornings in Bombay for the highway drives and empty roads.

• Tata truly has an extremely competent and wide choice of powertrains on the Curvv. There’s the turbo petrol with the dual-clutch, turbo diesel with the dual-clutch and there’s an EV as well. All three are simply fantastic motors. You’re going to have to pick based on what you’re driving style is. For city use and if you have access to home charging, even slow charging, there’s no doubt that the EV is the most superior. On the other hand, if you’re frequently logging high miles on the highway, nothing touches that diesel automatic.

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