Upgraded from Zest to Nexon DCA: Why I chose to stick with Tata Motors

Test drove all the competition, but for me the Nexon facelift had everything.

BHPian Visvesvaran recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Chapter #1: Background

After a very satisfying relationship with Zest QDJ 90BHP diesel for 8.5 years, the time had come to part. The reason to part was not the car. However, the process in Chennai to get the NOC for relocating from Chennai to Mumbai. With a heavy heart sold off through Spinny (the car got back almost 50% of the invoice value after 8.5 years and 89,000kms in the odo.)

Zest was the largest car in sub 4m compact, dependable, tank-like composure on bad roads, minimal in maintenance and it was a delight on the highways. (22kmpl was a regular affair).

Chapter #2: The Hunt for the new car

While I had a positive ownership experience with Tata, I wanted to explore what was in the market.

I was reading reviews of all new/old car user experiences over countless hours in Team-BHP, and I will say that the Team BHP reviews had a significant impact on the purchase decisions.

Evaluated the following cars based on my needs (no sunroof, CSUV/SUV form factor, automatic transmission, min. 4-star safety rating (highways are getting faster and faster. Survivability is critical), petrol-fueled, city mileage of at least 10kmpl. Budget under Rs.20 lakh on-road price)

1. Skoda Kushaq – I liked the car. Wifey rejected it as the car had a low-frequency rumbling noise (I could not hear though) that was coming through creating irritation for her. The features were also conservative and looked a bit dated. All high-end features were available only in the 1.5-litre engine version. (what an engine it was to drive!). The highest end was 23 lakhs + and beyond budget.
2. Maruti Grand Vitara – I liked the strong hybrid car – hybrid technology and CVT refinement. But the body was a tin can and everything in the car was built and optimized for mileage only. All the creature comforts were available only at the highest end. The full hybrid was beyond budget.
3. Toyota Hyryder – Rejected for longer delivery periods. 6 months plus!
4. Elevate –Reminded of old Tata trucks with engine semi-forward design. Did not like it.
5. Hyundai Creta and Kia Sonet – did not qualify, thanks to their safety ratings. Did not like the soft suspension too.
6. Mahindra is was not evaluated.

Most of the cars were compared with Nexon facelift (some were in the next class too) and rejected by way of elimination. Nexon facelift had far too many features and had an advanced cockpit. Great VFM.

I was not very happy with the ingress/egress from the rear seats though – One needs to climb up to enter through the door (tall ground clearance) and the floor was a few inches deeper from the door. An awkward entry/exit position. Windows were small and claustrophobic. However, it felt safe inside the shell of the car.

Chapter #3: Nexon – which Nexon?

I took test drives – Diesel AMT, and Petrol DCA from different dealerships.

DCA was butter smooth. The experience was almost on par with the Germans. The engine was silent and refined. This is great progress compared to the Xeta s of the previous generations.

AMT experience was sad. The gear shifting was coarse and noticeable.

Btw, sales experience at Tata showrooms is below par (the best was Skoda) and the sales guys do not sell. They are at best coordinators for TD and paperwork. If the customer is knowledgeable, they just keep quiet.

The purchase experience was smooth. The leasing experience with Orix was great.

Chapter #4: You said spousal experience. Tell me more...

After purchase the car was not without niggles. Nothing of Severity1 issues. But mild irritants. Keeping the expectation low and needs adjustment to the new spouse. Be ready for surprises, thrown once in a while. overall great experience. Great car. So the bugs are pardoned for the other greater experience. Compromise? You can say so too!

Chapter #5: List of software, and interface bugs

• Indicator clucks are not in sync
• One touch up and down is not intuitive.
• No means of turning off the media player - except by pressing the Mute button
• The media player does not advance to the next folder once the content is played. The path of the song playing is not displayed (USB media-based songs )
• Had to force restart the instrument cluster a few times - The indicator stopped flashing (only the clicks were heard and the camera displayed contents. The orange flasher stopped working. After the engine was stopped and restarted the bug disappeared. One time all the readings in the dashboard were showing zero. Had to stop, and force reset the instrument cluster. It started to work normally. media player, Apple car play sync issues.
• Trip computer, DTE mileage figures and tank to method computation have a significant variance. (the attached pictures give a good impression. practically, the mileage never exceeded 11-12kmpl) with a mix of urban and highway driving.
• DCA Gearbox bugs - (RESOLVED in the first service, after software upgrade)
• While the upshifts are butter smooth, the downshifts are perceptible. During rapid deceleration (unprinted speed breakers inspired by the Great Chinese wall ) the gearbox struggles to slot in the right gear. We need to understand the mind of the gearbox to get the best out.

Summary: Overall the post-purchase experience in the last 1500kms was great. A modern CSUV with features loaded to the gills. Smoother driving experience, greater suspension, and stability on bad roads and the family is in love with it. Tata should work on the software niggles to give an overall great experience.

Thanks to Team-BHPians for their views, reviews and guidance. Big thanks to all. Thanks for reading.

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