[xtremeshock]

Hey Guys,

Have an EV purchase dilemma (Mods please direct to this to the correct thread if found inappropriate). The EV purchase is for Driver+Self use - School Pick-up drop and by my aged parents + by me for any in-town work. Current car which will be replaced is with our Skoda Rapid. For the weekends I have the Thar + VRS.

Have tested the 3 commercial EV's available in the market: TATA Nexon EV MAX + Hyundai Kona + MG ZSEV.

TATA is overall a good car with better features, especially the seat coolers, not a big fan of the miniscule Sun roof though, seems to be put just to tick of all the boxes. Just a couple of issues is that the rear is slightly cramped and not a big fan of the looks. Getting this within 1 month as assured by the dealer at 20.30Lakhs on road. If not for the rear being cramped compared to the MG would buy this hands down.

Hyundai Kona looks amazing on road, really feels like a proper EV, but even though it has most of the features the interiors seem outdated. The test drive car which came was really dirty inside and out with 20k kms done it felt more like 60k kms, so definitely not aged well. I am getting this at 25.50 Lakhs on road. It also has a cramped rear seat. This is the only car which is giving discount as there is 1 readily available with them, any reason why these don't sell well? My wife likes this from the lot because of the exterior looks and is a little niche on the roads.

MG ZSEV, have booked this car, but at 27 lakhs on road is the most expensive one of the lot, the looks on the outside I am not a big fan of, but the interiors seem to much better than the above two, definitely has a more premium touch to this. The back seat I feel is the best of the lot. Just not ready to spend 27 Lakhs on something which seems to be still in the initial stages.

Currently I am thinking to wait for the Excite variant to be launched of the MG ZS EV, i think I can do without the Sun roof and small feature misses as long as the battery range is not affected.

So guys can you help me which car I should get? I would be comfortable with 20 lakhs on the road but with the cramped rear space of the TATA I guess the Excite variant of the MG would be the best bet.

TIA

[prasanna_indaje]

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Hey Guys,


TATA is overall a good car with better features, especially the seat coolers, not a big fan of the miniscule Sun roof though, seems to be put just to tick of all the boxes. Just a couple of issues is that the rear is slightly cramped and not a big fan of the looks. Getting this within 1 month as assured by the dealer at 20.30Lakhs on road. If not for the rear being cramped compared to the MG would buy this hands down.

If you are ok with a realistic range of ~180 kms and do not mind absence of cruise control, electronic parking brake, ventilated seats and traction control, along with some other smaller bits, please check Nexon EV XZ+ ( NOT the MAX variant). It reportedly has better back seat comfort compared to MAX due to smaller battery pack.

May be a couple of lakhs cheaper too.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by prasanna_indaje

If you are ok with a realistic range of ~180 kms and do not mind absence of cruise control, electronic parking brake, ventilated seats and traction control, along with some other smaller bits, please check Nexon EV XZ+

+1 to that. If the use case involves city driving only, the regular Nexon EV is a better proposition IMO, especially given better rear seating.

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Have an EV purchase dilemma

[qaqa]

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Hey Guys,
The EV purchase is for Driver+Self use - School Pick-up drop and by my aged parents + by me for any in-town work. ....

TATA is overall a good car .... Just a couple of issues is that the rear is slightly cramped
MG ZSEV...... The back seat I feel is the best of the lot.

TIA

Please do a back to back comparison of backseat comfort between ZSEV, MAX and Nexon. In my opinion, the Nexon has much better comfort in the rear compared to the other two.

Since you at are looking at City use, the range shouldn't be much of an issue even with the Nexon. However it does lose out on auto hold which I think makes a huge difference to driving comfort in the city.

Also the MAX is effectively the ver2.0 of Nexon, and so hopefully has fewer bugs.

[wa_salmon]

I find myself in a similar dilemma.


I have booked the MG ZS EV 2022 in Feb 2022 - still awaiting the date by when I will get it - originally was told June and now it is more likely Aug/Sep. We took a test drive of the MG Astor and then booked the ZS EV as that was on the same platform and ride and other characteristics would be similar if not better with a lower center of gravity. I find the ZS to be a more sorted and stable platform with some accessories which I have got used to (fitted as after market options) in my Honda City 2013 CNG model like heads-up display, TPMS and ventilated seats.

Having said that we also went to the Tata showroom and took a test drive of the Nexon EV Max. The family loved the car and we went ahead and booked this as well. I guess now it is more of a waiting game to see who will deliver first.

Either way I am glad to become a part of the EV revolution (#endICEage) and already have an Ola S1 Pro as my runabout and waiting for this to come to replace my Mahindra MM540 which is now an antique officially. Will hold on to the Honda City CNG manual until it dies on me - which will be a while more.

Pros and cons for the ZS EV in no particular order:
+ves:

• Higher range
• Better interiors
• Better equipment (digital dash, provision of 360 degrees, ADAS, etc)
• More interior space
• Better ingress and egress (important when I have a 91 year old father)
• Bigger boot
• Torque is amazing and full on from zero
• Panoramic sun/moon roof - the shade cover is flimsy and does let a lot of light in but can be remedied by a darker film on the sun roof
• feature rich and laden with tech but missing very obvious ones like auto dimming rear view mirror and ventilated seats
• KERS level 3 is more suited for one pedal driving

-ves:

• No ventilated seats - after market can be fitted and does a decent job
• Sound system is basic not as good as in Nexon EV
• service could be an issue - not as wide spread a network as Tata even though have heard a lot of good things about their service
• All ADAS features of Astor not operational but there is talk of a subscription model (all the hardware is there in place only needs activation)
• quality of 360 degree camera is pathetic - should be possible to upgrade this
• standard slow charger supplied seems to take forever to charge up - after market option is being teased but not yet launched
• Pricer option of the two (2 seperate segments but in the mix due to the range they deliver

Pros and cons for the Nexon EV Max in no particular order:
+ves:

• Ventilated seats (the test drive vehicle did not have the driver side seat working so tried it on the passenger side) - so this could give trouble down the line
• Higher ground clearance - but with this you need to have the side board for better ingress and egress - 15K approx additional cost
• colour options look better than the ZS (we booked the white one and the deeper teal blue variant for the Nexon EV Max)
• Dealership and service network is huge though service depends on dealer to dealer
• the rear seats have a flip and fold action which makes for a flat floor bed - better than the ZS
• Finally has cruise control but not after a couple of aftermarket options at cheaper prices with more features are available
• Higher seating and more road visibility than the ZS

-ves:

• Not a big fan of the beige interiors - a cleaning nightmare
• Felt a lot more cramped than the ZS
• Torgue is more linear and progressive more like a regular ICE - felt a bit dull in City or Eco - one cannot always drive in Sport mode
• Service is kind of hit or miss but with an EV less of an issue as maintenance is minimal
• No ADAS features esp lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, etc
• No 360 degree camera option (after market can be done and integrated with stock head unit)
• no LED headlights or LED fog lights - major miss in my opinion, halogens and projectors are old school and use more juice than LEDs
• sunroof seems to be an after thought - also it protrudes into the cabin space so there is a scooped out section in the headlining to accommodate for rear passengers
• 50K extra for a 7 odd kwh charger seems to be excessive but a necessary evil for the larger battery
• Regen settings are a lot more improved than the earlier version but still not truly one pedal driving

Common features, issues and concerns:

• Being an early adopter has it's +ves and -ves
• Prices are higher than regular ICE
• Rear seating on both is 2 adults + 1 child at max - definitely not 3 healthy adults
• tax benefits depends on state to state and currently only income tax deduction on interest paid is allowed upto 1,50,000/- pa which is good
• Charging infrastructure - though improving rapidly still a long way to go
• Longer time to recharge then a regular ICE - Tata quotes a 50kwh charger timing for the Nexon but where are these chargers?
• Both are capable of accepting charging from upto 50 kwh chargers
• No gear to change
• Once you drive and EV there is simply no going back to ICE vehicles

The BYD E6 had the better battery chemistry and more Tesla like - not needing slow charging etc but it is too huge and massive for my needs. Not to mention more pricer than both of these options. The BYD is more an Innova replacement than a mid size car/suv option.

Hope this list helps to some extent. My mind is more leaning towards the ZS EV even though it comes at a premium - which seems more worth it in the long run. The Nexon EV is playing a catch up game but in my opinion it still as some way to go.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by xtremeshock

Currently I am thinking to wait for the Excite variant to be launched of the MG ZS EV, i think I can do without the Sun roof and small feature misses as long as the battery range is not affected.

So guys can you help me which car I should get? I would be comfortable with 20 lakhs on the road but with the cramped rear space of the TATA I guess the Excite variant of the MG would be the best bet.

TIA

I suggest waiting for the Excite variant. at 22L its the right price for the kind of features and build it offers. Sunroof is the most useless feature for Indian dusty and hot climate (99% of time is used only for letting light into the cabin than anything else).

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by Durango Dude

I think we will pollute more by using EV's in India as 75% of the electricity production in India is Thermal or Coal Based go figure how polluting that can be!! In Germany you need to use a clean source of electricity supplier like solar or hyrdolectric to charge your car or the subsidy given is taken back with a penalty...

Nothing against the comment, but I think it is all about perspective. What are the chances that people will choose the fan given in the below video vs a quiet and silent one that we are used to today even if both run on fossil fuels one directly and another indirectly?

I feel we are not adapting to the new tech due to the cost difference, no argument stands water once the cost is equal or less due to advances in battery tech and this discussion won't even exist when 99% on what is most cost effective (remember the Diesel vehicles used for city commute just because they give few kms more than Petrol while Diesel was heavily subsidised?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L0PJb0tl9k

[UD17]

I have written in another thread as well:

3 points are very crucial in getting the sales conversion from ICE customers.

Safety
Range Anxiety
Affordability

4th could be desirability, which would force customers to even ignore one of above 3 criteria. Tesla did it very well in terms of desirability.

I think people don't buy Tesla because its an EV rather people buy EV because its a Tesla.

BYD on the other hand had done better in terms of affordability.

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by wa_salmon

Pros and cons for the Nexon EV Max in no particular order:
-ves:

• Service is kind of hit or miss but with an EV less of an issue as maintenance is minimal

As WRXXX suggested, +1 for ZS excite.
Only because of this service scenario. EV's are still new to the arena and if the Service team is not upto the task then in the rare event of a "Lemon" it can be miserable nightmare.
If you are planning to go with Tata, it would be prudent to check the service centers credentials/capability with existing EV owners. Honestly, it is the fellow EV members who are more helpful than the dealers.

[nidhikapoor]

Originally Posted by UD17

I think people don't buy Tesla because its an EV rather people buy EV because its a Tesla.

This is from the podcast 'Watts under the bonnet' right? Just heard it a few days ago.

[UD17]

Originally Posted by nidhikapoor

This is from the podcast 'Watts under the bonnet' right? Just heard it a few days ago.

Well I have no idea about that podcast. But in our circle we discuss these topics a lot and a question popped up, that if any one of us will buy an ICE car by Tesla ? Most of the answers were in negative.

An EV (and the tech around, that Tesla has innovated since years) makes a Tesla so desirable.