[condor]

Took a TD of the Nexon today @ Prerana Motors, and came back with a smile .

Very nice vehicle. Smooth, powerful, comfortable. Lots of features. Doesnt look big from outside, but lot of space inside, for this size of vehicles. Remember, I currently use a Storme, so space will look less for me. But apart from the relatively lesser space inside, I felt at home from the word go. The car is responsive, and the sport mode is fun. The Eco mode was good enough even for the city traffic. The TD route was - Lalbagh road - Lalbagh main gate - Minerva - JC road - Lalbagh road. In this traffic, was hardly able to touch 3rd, but made use of the short gaps to test the accleration. Went thru what ever pot holes I could find & reach.

The rear seat is also comfortable. Good recline too. NVH is very good. A/c - does one need to comment about the A/c in Tata cars ?

One point I also checked was the air-vents in the floor-mount a/c between the front seats: looks like some air is also pushed out through these side holes.

The dual-tone roof looks to be an option. The rear seat also looks to have two options - one where the back rest folds down, and another where the folding mechanism is different. Sales advisor wasnt clear about this.
Will I buy it ? if I were in the market for one, I would. But at the moment my Storme is not yet 4.5 yrs, and have done just 60k.

Only thing I would comment on is the steering - Felt smaller. Again, am comparing it to the 2013 Storme. And my good ol' Sumo Victa.
Looks like Pricing would be less than the Brezza.

[Latheesh]

@Condor - Thanks.
Query - Is rear seat shoulder room sufficient for 3 average sized adults?
I know there is enough legroom and under thigh support is average for middle passenger.

[aman9393]

Originally Posted by condor

Took a TD of the Nexon today @ Prerana Motors, and came back with a smile .

Very nice vehicle. Smooth, powerful, comfortable. Lots of features. Doesnt look big from outside, but lot of space inside, for this size of vehicles. Remember, I currently use a Storme, so space will look less for me. But apart from the relatively lesser space inside, I felt at home from the word go. The car is responsive, and the sport mode is fun. The Eco mode was good enough even for the city traffic. The TD route was - Lalbagh road - Lalbagh main gate - Minerva - JC road - Lalbagh road. In this traffic, was hardly able to touch 3rd, but made use of the short gaps to test the accleration. Went thru what ever pot holes I could find & reach.
.
.
.
Only thing I would comment on is the steering - Felt smaller. Again, am comparing it to the 2013 Storme. And my good ol' Sumo Victa.
Looks like Pricing would be less than the Brezza.

Your observations showed me a mirror of my own. You expressed them in much better words.

The steering size is one of the only con that will take some time getting some used to. Tata should have provided at least one size larger. It feels too tiny and contours around the 10:10 position cramps up the matter further.

This car is turning out to be great for Tata. Keeping fingers crossed for some good pricing to go with it.

[condor]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Query - Is rear seat shoulder room sufficient for 3 average sized adults?
I know there is enough legroom and under thigh support is average for middle passenger.

Width wise, yes. But the back-rest is scooped out for the two side sides, and the center portion has the arm rest. Hence the person sitting in the middle will feel a little discomfort.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by condor

One point I also checked was the air-vents in the floor-mount a/c between the front seats: looks like some air is also pushed out through these side holes.

Wonderful insights & pleasant to know from one more distinguished BHPian! Thanks.

These vents are present on absolutely all X1 platform based cars including mine. . And they are very effective to keep the foot-well & feet ventilated.

If a car with these specifications, this quality and that engine + gearbox undercuts a Brezza in pricing & still Brezza sells in the numbers that it makes now, others should simply stop investigating in R&D in cars for Indian market.

[Hickstead]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

If a car with these specifications, this quality and that engine + gearbox undercuts a Brezza in pricing & still Brezza sells in the numbers that it makes now, others should simply stop investigating in R&D in cars for Indian market.

I expect this is bound to happen. Even I do not expect Nexon to eat away more than 10% of Brezza sales. Launch of Ecosport 2017 will further heat up the game for Nexon .

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Hickstead

I expect this is bound to happen. Even I do not expect Nexon to eat away more than 10% of Brezza sales. Launch of Ecosport 2017 will further heat up the game for Nexon .

True about Brezza...
I have my reservations about the 2017 Ecosport being able to make a big difference. I think it will not change the EcoSport's market share that much. We have to remember that the EcoSport's current version is now pretty old & the facelift is primarily to keep its own place intact rather than climbing suddenly up the ladder in sales.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

I have my reservations about the 2017 Ecosport being able to make a big difference. I think it will not change the EcoSport's market share that much. We have to remember that the EcoSport's current version is now pretty old & the facelift is primarily to keep its own place intact rather than climbing suddenly up the ladder in sales.

It's the features that's going to make a difference in the Ecosport facelift.

Nexon had a huge advantage of features over Ecosport earlier when Nexon previews came out, but Ford has taken the game forward again. Projector headlamps, 8 inch touchscreen floating infotainment, rumoured sunroof, cruise control coupled with earlier stuff like 6 airbags. It certainly has an upper hand in terms of features.

It was always capable enough to put up a fight in terms of design, build quality, engines etc. Should be an interesting fight indeed!

[prakash_ajp]

How come nobody is talking about impact on Creta's numbers? Theoretically (and generally, please don't pick me on this) speaking, Nexon can't impact any of the three big time. Ford customers (like Tata's), are bit more risk-taking than Maruti's. But they buy Ford cars for some particular reason and it will be difficult to steer them away. Besides the number is not that big nor will the facelift change it drastically.
I believe Creta customers buy it because it looks like a big car. No question there, apart from the Duster, Creta is the only one that looks like an SUV. It's a different matter how they compare in terms of SUV behavior. So, when it comes to looks, Nexon loses out here.
When it comes to Maruti, anything will sell. Most of their customers go with the question "why not?" and not "why?"
And it's hard to find any big visible flaws in Maruti products. So, unlikely that they will step into another showroom.
I think I mentioned this before, it will be a slow and steady battle for Tata. The more good/different looking Tata cars people see on road, better for them. Tiago numbers are good. Hopefully Nexon takes it further.

[PrasunBannerjee]

While passing by a Tata showroom, was surprised to see a Nexon on display (rare things for the city) before launch. Couldn't resist myself to take a look at it. They didn't have a TD vehicle though. The showroom guys were courteous to explain us well about the car. Though at few points I felt probably they might not have full info on finer details. Hence, I'd take a few info by them with a grain of salt.

Initial impressions (minus the test drive) :

To begin with my conclusion, I'm not in the market to look for a car as of now. But if I were to put upto 15 big ones on a vehicle, this would be it! And that too without taking a test drive. The Grey shade looks sexy. Even better than the red-black. Both the exterior and the interior look far better in person than in pictures.

Fit and finish was top notch. For me, it even topples the Ecosport in the 'solid' feel, fit and finish department. Being a Tata, I'm sure this one will have an excellent driveability. The doors shut solid. Dash and the interiors felt ultra premium, and something which can even rival the Altis and compete with the D segment. I though have sat in the driver's seat of fairly limited cars, but this one by far was one of the most ergonomic. Everything was in reach. The extreme ends of the steering rake adjustments can be used by the same person in different moods (driving-a-car-mood or driving-an-SUV-mood)

Tata is really getting back in the game and how! ICE sound was superb! To explain, it was playing 'Banke Tera Jogi' (bit older song) on Vividh Bharti (slight coarser quality than the private stations) and the beats were as thumping and sound was as awesome as Despacito on my not-so-high-end-yet-5.1 Home Theatre! One truly has to witness the sound quality instead of reading about it.

I'll let a few pictures do the talking. Kindly excuse for the poor picture quality due to the camera (mobile) and the lighting situations. Mods please feel free to delete if any picture is of poorer quality than expected.

The front is aggressive and definitely not Bolt 'in-person'. A Hexa and this Nexon were parked face to face, and the bonnet is pretty high. To put things into perspective, the grille of the Nexon is almost at an equal height as the Hexa (specially the blacked out top line on the grille for height reference)


Posing with the bronze lady (for height reference)


Tata's new generation three musketeers


Looks even better with those DRLs on


Those huge wheels and broad tires look swell! Had my reservations about the alloy design, but they look great in person. Pictures again, don't do justice. The brake in front had rust marks. Is it okay already? Also notice that the black insert in the headlamp completes the curve from the top of the humanity line grille to the base of the bonnet.


Rear LED tail lamp looks great! Must be a sight in the dark. Some easter egg on rear windshield


The high ground clearance is a good thing for the bad roads, but the elderly will find trouble getting in and out of it. My mom with an old fracture in her leg finds very difficult to 'lift her leg and then put it inside the car' which was the same with Creta. Somehow for people facing similar issues, its easier to get into a Scorpio (personal experience) than Creta/Nexon.


Getting into rear seat may be even more tough task due to the smaller aperture of door


Once inside the car, its really well insulated. Engine vibrates fairly on starting up and there's no vibration inside on idling, not even on the gear lever.
Seats were super comfy. Soft materials on the seats and both the armrests. I have back pain issues, and I found the rear bench one of the best and most comfortable. It was a sofa! Recline angle was spot on. Front seats were equally good. It has a good commanding view of the road (yet to test drive). Rear seats are best fit for two. Both front and rear armrests are ergonomically placed WRT height and cushioning, and are wide enough to be used by both occupants. Though the car looks slightly small if you ignore the ground clearance on the outside, Tata has magically created great headroom and legroom on the inside.



The steering is good to hold, adjustable for rake, not reach. Rake adjustment felt harder than other cars. Engine Start-Stop button has a pretty white light ring around it. PRess it with clutch to start the vehicle, but for accessory mode, press it twice without the clutch depressed.


The sliding lid feels premium. The lid is recessed and is a perfect fit for my LeEco Le2 (5.5 inch smartphone) if put over the lid.


A few folks around have said that the console is straight lift from Tiago, it clearly isnt. MID and the meters may be, as at the price of a Hexa, you can buy a Nexon and then maybe a Tigor! There'll be difference. But the meter housings are in smoked chrome just like Hexa, and it looks classy! Other elements in the front and rear have tasteful usage of smoked chrome and the silver/satin finish plastics. Looks well put together. Center console adds a premium feel to the interior, putting the car in league of higher segments. Steering has inserts in the same satin plastic as in the dashboard


H-U-G-E glove box with the removable tray that makes it even larger. Opens with the damping action like the Tiago. Has a tiger designed on it along with the cup and notes/wallet holder.


The car has voice feedback for low fuel indication, drive mode change. ICE touch is bit laggy, but the buttons just below the screen to control it are a superb thought, and much needed in many situations. Knobs have a nice chrome knurling which adds to the premiumness. Its a good thing that the car has drive mode change indication via voice, that driver doesn't need to take off the eyes to check the knob position. And the knob has the drive modes progressively. Meaning if you rotate another clockwise after the rightmost option, the knob does rotate and you reach the leftmost drive mode option.

Another neat touch (a-la-Jaguar-dashboards) is that the ICE changes color scheme according to the drive mode selected. See the image below for the reference. Majorly take a look at the selected option name which is in yellow circle, and the hexagons below the options. It remains all blue theme for city mode, red for the sport mode, and blue+green theme for eco (the central hexagon of selected option and the name of the option (in yellow circle) turns green whereas rest of the things are blue)


Other observations:

• Mirrors are electronically foldable, not auto folding.
• Boot space is boxy/well shaped and generous. Good for boxy items (washing machines?)
• Boot also have 4 hooks for hanging shopping bags up to 3 kg each.
• Sat in a Hexa to verify, and found front seats and armrest harder/firmer than Nexon!
• The key looks good, but bit larger in size.
• The showroom representatives said that the activity key is an extra accessory and not a part of standard XZ+ package.
• MID gives exact door open warnings.
• Gear lever is nice to hold. But the lever on Tiago/Tigor looked better. You have to lift a notch on the lever to engage the reverse, just like Hyundais.
• Maybe an issue with a demo car, but engaging reverse didn't start the rear view camera. Tried it with both the engine on and the ACC mode.
• The separate button to engage the reverse parking camera in any gear or situation on the console is a very welcome thought, never seen anywhere else. However, referring to the above point, if one has to switch it on everytime apart from engaging reverse, then its a bad touch.
• Reverse camera has dynamic guide lines based on steering inputs.
• Fog lamps perform cornering actions as well in the XZ+ variant.
• I was curious about the hidden key inside the smartkey for emergency purposes, they weren't able to pull anything out of the key, however they said (and I saw for myself) that there's a physical key provided extra, apart from the two smartkeys to open the doors (the key was brass color and was just the solid metal block of key, cuboid in shape. No handle to hold the key as such. Don't have a supporting picture, but if this is true that the smartkey doesn't house a physical key inside and a physical key block is the third key which is provided separately, may prove to be a nightmare in certain situations. Not immediately, but after a few years.
• Outside door handles in the front had some plasticky texture on the inner edge. Rear doors didn't. Not sure why.
• Inside door opening handles/switches were done better which are the only 'cheap' points in Tiago/Tigor
• No popup door locking lever like the Tiago/Tigor/Hexa. This one looks and feels better.
• Rear is bit overdone, yet isn't as aggressive as the front.
• Interior lights are cool white LEDs
• Sunglass holder may not hold all type of sunglasses.

Conclusion: Go to the beginning of this post. I began with the conclusion Shall post TD impressions as soon as I get it. And Eagerly waiting for the TBHP official review.

Thanks for bearing such long posts. I appreciate the efforts

[simplyself]

I wonder what would be the warranty and AMC package for the Nexon. Tata should offer the one they offered at the launch of Zest ( 3 yrs/ 45K km maintenance by Tata) atleast. That package gave prospective buyers confidence to go buy the Zest. Also, the default 3 yr/ 1 lakh km warranty extendable up to 4 yr/ 1.5 lakh km was confidence inspiring.

Tata should better that or atleast offer the same for the Nexon.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by simplyself

I wonder what would be the warranty and AMC package for the Nexon. Tata should offer the one they offered at the launch of Zest ( 3 yrs/ 45K km maintenance by Tata) atleast. That package gave prospective buyers confidence to go buy the Zest. Also, the default 3 yr/ 1 lakh km warranty extendable up to 4 yr/ 1.5 lakh km was confidence inspiring.

Tata should better that or atleast offer the same for the Nexon.

I'm sure the warranty will be standard Tata level. Always plenty cover & option for extended. Not a thing to doubt about in case of Tata cars.

To the ladies & gentlemen who have already test driven the Nexon -
How are the gear ratios? Are the 1st & 2nd long enough for fast getaways? A lot of previous generation Tata cars have ultra short 1st (OK) and 2nd (Disaster) gear ratios. Obviously improves city driveability & FE but its a huge let down in incline conditions where the power delivery required is exactly somewhere between the 2nd & 3rd gear & I end up either lugging terribly in 3rd or over revving in 2nd.

A suddenly stopping truck, blindly entering farm tractor makes us stop on ghat like roads & we get overtaken by literally everything by the time the real acceleration gears are reached.
The transmission delay in the 2nd & 3rd ratio always takes out the momentum (MOSUM in trucker's terminologies ) in case of most previous Tata diesel cars.

I hope the Nexon doesn't have this trouble? Should obviously be better anyway than the smaller cars as it gets a 1.5L TD.

[akhil994]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

To the ladies & gentlemen who have already test driven the Nexon -
How are the gear ratios? Are the 1st & 2nd long enough for fast getaways? A lot of previous generation Tata cars have ultra short 1st (OK) and 2nd (Disaster) gear ratios. Obviously improves city driveability & FE but its a huge let down in incline conditions where the power delivery required is exactly somewhere between the 2nd & 3rd gear & I end up either lugging terribly in 3rd or over revving in 2nd.

A suddenly stopping truck, blindly entering farm tractor makes us stop on ghat like roads & we get overtaken by literally everything by the time the real acceleration gears are reached.
The transmission delay in the 2nd & 3rd ratio always takes out the momentum (MOSUM in trucker's terminologies ) in case of most previous Tata diesel cars.

I hope the Nexon doesn't have this trouble? Should obviously be better anyway than the smaller cars as it gets a 1.5L TD.

The 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears are the ones you will be using the most while driving. No issues with regaining speed as well, the 2nd and 3rd gears are not that short. Even the 1st has a longer ratio than generally is with tata cars, but then you won't need to go down to 1st gear all the time due to the torque available from lower down the rev range.

Hope that helps!

[condor]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

If a car with these specifications, this quality and that engine + gearbox undercuts a Brezza in pricing & still Brezza sells in the numbers that it makes now, others should simply stop investigating in R&D in cars for Indian market.

Seriously !! Thought I would take a TD of the Brezza. The dealer promised a TD at 12.30. I reached there on time, but he kept me waiting with excuses. After 25 minutes, I walked out.

Though I am yet to drive it, the car felt quite pedestrian from the brief look I had. The seats are simple, with average under-thigh support too. The interiors made of hard plastics. After driving the Nexon, I was not having high expectations from the 1.3 DDiS engine. And the Sales advisor helped with his interest in the prospective sale.

But coming back to the point by Reinhard, well, all I can say is people get the car they deserve. If a buyer still wants to stick to the Maruti, well, so be it.

About the price: the SA said 10.56 for the ZDi and 11.95 for the ZDi+. That's 12 L !!! ..

Will be interesting to see how Tata tackles this point. Hope they have a winner on their hands on all aspects, including the pricing.

[spindoc]

Here's a bunch of videos from Tata Motors about the Nexon's exteriors, interiors and infotainment system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vdh74O2OE8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOgx6NwHlbo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97d-fgf99gQ