[manjunag]

Hi All,
Penning down the buying experience, ownership and maintenance log of my Blue Beast - Tata Nexon Diesel XZ+.
I am a member of this forum since 2007, but just been lurking around with no participation in the threads. But as I could not see many ownership threads on Nexon, planned to do this write-up.
All details here are my own observations/experience.

Below, I have compiled the likes & Dislikes of Nexon as the summary
Likes: (I agree with most points highlighted in our official review and rest are my viewpoint)
a. Very well-priced for what it offers. I don’t call VFM, its more than that!
b. Funky styling ensures that the Nexon stands out from the crowd
c. Solid built & construction, unlike many of its flimsy competitors
d. Nice, spacious cabin with comfortable seats. You get a practical 350-liter boot too
e. 1.5L Diesel offers good performance & very impressive – Turbo kick-in is linear & the lag as in Brezza is not felt.
f. NVH levels are best, that too for a diesel car.
g. Balanced road manners for such a tall car. Fine EPS & 209 mm of ground clearance!
h. Loaded with features: Driving modes, LED DRLs, reversing camera, 8-speaker ICE etc.
i. Breaking is superb.
j. The steering response at high speeds is perfect. Steering becomes hard during high speeds & hence controlling makes more confident. (You could see in the attached video link for above 2 points)
h. Best ORVM, perfect in size(its either the width or the convex aspect) enough to provide the best field of vision. (Highlighted by my friend who is a Mahindra fan & drives Xylo).

Dislikes:
a. Jiggly low-speed ride; bumps are felt (unlike other Tata cars). This forces me to check & maintain air pressure of tyres everytime I go for refueling as any increase in psi would make the low-speed rides bumpier. Still, this is mildly annoying & not uncomfortable. Up your speed & this disappears totally.
b. Concerns over long-term reliability, more so of the freshly developed engines.
c. Tata's inconsistent after-sales experience is far from that of Maruti & Hyundai. (Will elaborate later on how I have to TASS visit multiple times for the same minor issues)
d. Very less TASS network. I have to travel min 20kms to reach the nearest service center.
Design/driving experience related: (These are compiled after many raised concerns/complaints in our dedicated Nexon owners WhatsApp group)
e. In order to have a high profile tyre for effective cushioning, the sidewall of tyres is made taller, due to which we have seen many sidewall punctures in Nexon. Surely a safety concern.
f. A-pillar design is so thick (Most common in such cars) that it creates a blind spot. Many a time I have missed seeing vehicles coming from the opposite side while in crossroads & especially on uphill roads. Many others have experienced this too. Always a concern while driving in Ghat roads.
g. The light throw from stock headlamps is poor, especially pathetic low beam illumination.
h. Gear slotting issue (in few cases). No TASS till now were able to rectify this even after clutch part replacement.
i. Steering hard while reversing. Steering becomes hard while reversing & in extreme rotated position. Need to shift to 1st gear & move a bit in order to rotate the steering & then continue reversing.
j. Viewing MID is a problem if the seat is adjusted to the high position along with the steering adjustment.
k. Bluetooth connectivity is always a hit & miss.
l. Reverse camera quality is pathetic.
m. Mudflap design doesn’t avoid the muck/mud slash & whole of car's sides become dirty.

Have detailed as per below list
1. Background
2. Buying Experience
3. My experience and Observations
4. Modifications Done
5. Modifications Planned
6. Service History

1. Background:
(Please bear with me while I try to squeeze my 12yrs log in two paragraphs.)
(I am basically a Mechanical Engineer, working on Bumper systems, in a Trucks OEM. Hence knowledge of automobiles and any technical know-how should be at my fingertips right. BullSh*t! Team-Bhp is my Google/Wiki and any knowledge gained till now is because of Team-Bhp. I had my driving license at the age of 18, but learned driving after my BE.)

First Drive: Maruti 800 LX 1995 model – 2005 to 2010.
My first drive was a Maruti 800, bought from a second-hand dealer in Jayanagar, as my father had given token amount by just looking at the cleanly washed car!!
The car cost 75,000 including brokerage. I spent 50,000 extra for clutch assembly, Wheel bearing assy, alternator, battery, Tyres, AC, seat covers what not. Only seat cushion, steering, gearbox & engine was untouched!
We had a peculiar issue with this car. Whenever it rained, water used to enter the cabin in the front passenger side through wiper cowl, due to rust in the cowl area. It was box design with no access to repair and hence had to live with it. When this turned uglier, was forced to get rid of the car.

Second Drive: Maruti Esteem VXi 2002 model – 2010 to 2017.
Since childhood, I was a fan of Maruti Esteem. But as manufacturing had stopped by then, and also due to Vitamin M limitations, had to search for a Pre worshipped car. Had shared my mobile number with almost all second-hand showrooms in J.P.Nagar.
One fine day, received a call from Sai Auto World in J.P.Nagar telling that a very well maintained car is available. After reaching, was informed that this particular car was owned by a Brigadier for his wife's shopping needs and hence was used rarely with just 23000kms on Odo with 8yrs of usage. This was a 2002 model VXi, Silky Silver colored, limited edition version with seat upholstery & door cladding same colored. He was not willing to give the car for trials nor ready for negotiation either. Strict Officer, he was!
Paid 2,00,000 including brokerage and drove home my dream car, my best drive till then & will be forever. Had installed Sequential LPG kit from Mr. Pandian Sir, Peekayam works, HSR Layout. Was getting a mileage of around 12kmpl on both Petrol & gas with same performance too. Always the first vehicle to move/pierce when green is shown in signals! Superb pickup, handling, with very good drivability. Wifey always complained (complaints now too) that I love my cars more than her! Ha Haa!!
The only drawback was the low seating & hence difficult during night drives. It covered 78000kms on Odo with 8yrs of ownership. I had done many long trips in it with my family/friends and was enjoying the drives in it. Even now I feel, am not getting the confidence it instilled, even after driving the new cars with ESC, ABS, EBD with all high funda technologies.
Had done 2nd to 3rd gear synchronizer change, Clutch assembly replacement, complete AC overhaul, front windshield, new batteries, seat covers, headlight upgrade, tyres as I wanted to have cars in perfect running condition. All service was done at MASS & was costing not less than 25,000 for almost every service done every 6months.
Also, had to part with the car as its age crossed 15yrs. Did the first FC from Jayanagar RTO, costed 12000rs. Was not willing to sell this car, but due to lack of parking space, forced to sell. My friend was willing to buy it, as he planned to gift this to his sister family who lives in a village and aged cars were no headache there in terms of RTO. The car had a dent on driver door & Door sill (all due to no fault of mine) and few scratches as the gift, from the friendly neighborhood cleaning guy who used to clean it daily.

With all these maintenance bills, I had decided, enough of pre-owned cars & that my next drive should definitely be a showroom piece!
Search for a new car started in May-June last year with following requirements in mind.
a. Having driven a hatchback & sedan, I wanted SUV’ish car(Due to the seating position/large wheels)
b. Parking space was a concern – So definitely Compact-SUV!
c. The budget also became a concern as I planned to go for 85% loan due to other priorities.
Left with Brezza, TUV, WRV, EcoSport (ES) as options for my requirement.
TUV had no good reviews & WRV didn't appeal to my taste. Was afraid of going to Ford (ES) as I have seen in my friend's circle who owned ES (first batches though) repenting for their choice & somehow, Ford came as the last option.
The only option left out for my requirement was Brezza, the market leader. Planned to go for a Test Drive. Had a chance to drive a Brezza VDi+ of one of my colleagues & this was my first time, driving a turbo Diesel car.

Liked:
a. Market leader!
b. Road presence: It was the exterior looks alone that were appealing. Brezza has the boxy design & looked better with those wheel arches.
c. Strong service network.
d. Reliability of Maruti brand.

Disliked:
a. Interiors looked bland with cheap plastics.
b. Build quality.
c. Lack of rear seat comfort.
d. Turbo lag as it kicks in after 2000rpm. Was not comfortable with the sudden jerk.
e. Overly priced for what is offered.
Nothing was exciting with the car or maybe I was expecting more! Wasn't impressed and would be a forced marriage for sure!

"As per the Ramayana, before Lord Rama and Sita settled in the holy matrimony, in the illustrious Swayamvar, Ravana almost had defeated the prospective grooms present, by picking up the bow for a while, before dropping it. As no one until then, as per the condition was able to pull up bowstrings, Ravana had emerged as the winner until Lord Rama arrived at the Swayamvar."
Disclaimer: Resemblance to any person(read as Vehicle) or to any incident is purely coincidental.

By this time(around July), on friend’s suggestion, was closely following Nexon. Not many details were out until Tata Motors(TM) did a media drive in July in Kochi. Almost all initial internet reviews were good & that increased my inclination towards Nexon, But, waited for Team-bhp reviews before writing the cheque. As you guys are aware Team-bhp review was more delayed with no confirmation on the final date of review publication and I couldn’t wait till then.

Took 2 expert opinions before going for Nexon
1. Mr.Sudarshan - My mechanic (Automobile engineer with 20yrs experience & owner of 2 MASS & also, the only Doctor for all my previous cars) was strictly against Tata cars and even after 1hr of discussion on the IMPACT design philosophy and all improvements TM had planned, he was not convinced & straight away dismissed my idea of buying Nexon. (But, as I already had made my mind for Nexon, tried contacting another expert as the second opinion- somehow I wanted more points for my decision!!)
2. Mr.Pandian – Auto LPG expert from Peekayam Gasworks, HSR layout. He was not against TATA but ridiculed on my decision of risking 12L on a TATA product without even looking/TD’ing the car. I told him, am going for a Diesel car & would never visit him again. He had challenged me that I would be his future customer as there were more complaints of clutch becoming hard over usage in all TATA cars & he would fit “Auto Clutch” in my car too. Had to explain the Auto-adjusting clutch feature in Nexon & about the extensive tests done by TM before launching & that all reviews were good. He was not convinced & wished me Best of luck!!

These both feedbacks & Nexon being a new car, also, with the famous after-sales service history of TM, was definitely a matter of concern and it was like a gamble, to invest 12L on Nexon. With all these, it was a decision to be made between heart & brain, with heart choosing TM & Nexon as I prefer/support 'Made in India' products. The only positive feedback or the push for Nexon was provided from one of my colleague who had bought a Tiago Diesel (& that was the first Tiago in our office too.) Had a difficult time convincing my wife especially & other family members for at least considering Nexon.

[manjunag]

2. Buying Experience
Was calling 2 dealerships - Concorde and Prerana motors almost daily inquiring Pre-booking date confirmation and had shared my mobile number. Prerana was the first to contact. Concorde contacted after 1 week of my booking!

Prebooking: Prebooked from Prerana motors, Lalbagh road for Blue DT XZ+ diesel on 27/07/2017, by paying Rs. 11,000 by Cheque. Mr. Sharath(Team Lead, SA) had come to my office to collect the cheque(Met him for the first time). No updates or details regarding Nexon was available with them either. In fact, I knew better about Nexon than them. Ha Haa, no offense though! The booking receipt showed Bolt XT as the booked car as Nexon was not yet updated in their system. So, my first showroom car was booked even without looking (forget driving).

Test Drive: There was only 1 XZ+ Diesel Blue DT car available with Prerana (luckily my choice, initially, & then our family's too after looking in the skin) & it was used by both Lalbagh & BTM branches for test drive purpose. Visited BTM branch, provided the booking details & my DL and TD was arranged in 15mins but allowed to take only for 2kms as TD list was more & it was on a Saturday.

Oh man! Such a power in sports mode. It was, in fact, difficult to control in Bumper to Bumper traffic. Jumped couple speed breakers and no much impact inside the cabin. (I guess TD cars are purposefully filled at low psi than recommended for smooth rides) Such a Joy to drive in sports mode! Requested the showroom guy for another couple km extension to check all modes. City mode was good with better control of the beast. I didn't like the ECO mode. It was like altogether a different vehicle under the skin. Loved the interiors & the features offered. Family gave full marks for comfort in the rear seat (Physically, we are a bit healthier built in our family). I could see all smiles on our family members face & confirmed that this is my next car!! (For the first time in my entire life, the whole family was approving of my choice, First Time Right)

Delivery Experience: Prerana started processing my loan process from SBI so that car could be invoiced & delivered immediately upon availability. Launched on Sept 21st, received an update from Sharath that delivery has started for Single tone colors and to keep money(Initial downpayment) ready as only one Blue DT XZ+ was dispatched & the first signature(Blue DT & Red DT as advertised by TM) colored car for Prerana motors too. Cash was picked up from home by Sharath on 25/09/2017 and I asked him to invoice it the same day. Sharath did the PDI himself for my car as per my list from Team-bhp. (I wanted to take delivery on Vijayadashami day & Nexon being hotcake, knew very well that if this vehicle is not invoiced, they would sell this to others with full cash payment instead of blocking this in our name).

Delivery Process: Confirmed the delivery time as after 3 pm on 29th Sept (auspicious time) to Sharath. Walked in with sweets and few ID proofs as requested. Documentation took 15-20 mins max. Our Nexy was parked in front of their Showroom fully covered & prepared to unveil. TM Executive had come from Pune to unveil the first car at this dealer. My father & the TM executive both lifted the cover to unleash the beast!
All details/features/information were explained & keys(2 remote keys + 1 manual key) handed over along with the Owner’s manual. The remote key has a manual key hidden inside, in case required.

Ex-Showroom breakup


Statement with the total amount paid


Pic taken during Delivery

Cool guy with blue jeans is me!
(Was so excited, didn't know which side to stand while accepting the keys!)

Likes:
a. Friendly & helpful Sales Advisors.
b. Doorstep service – Option of cash/cheque collection at home/office.
c. The whole process of loan processing/interaction and hence the headache with bank processes was taken care of by Prerana.
d. Timely info/updates regarding the delivery process.

Dislikes:(I understand few of the below points are during my buying time, as Nexon was also new for dealerships too).
a. Being a first-time buyer from the showroom, SA could explain about the EW, P2P & AMC that they offer(Nexon is a new car altogether from TM & hence these are very much valid). I had to buy these later & hence extra cash that I had not planned. (If informed earlier, was willing to include all these in the loan amount. Paying EMI is OK, not arranging beforehand).
b. My car had already run 76kms. (But after searching here in Team-bhp, came to know that up to 100kms is acceptable). But this is in Bangalore, not a remote village where the dealer has to drive to deliver.
c. All plastic covers from seats were removed prior to delivery & soiled in the rear seat due to this.
d. Handling and RTO charges. (Yes, the same dealer has not charged the handling chargers in few cases)
e. No free accessories. (Had taken everything including insurance from the dealer. (Paid Rs. 34,000 wherein my friends paid 19,000 outside).
I know am nitpicking!!

Do I recommend:Surely recommend Prerana Motors, Lalbagh Road if you want a hassle-free buying experience.
(When buying a new car from the showroom, it is always a memorable experience for us as buyers, but yet another car for the dealerships. Hence my opinion is to make this experience as good as possible instead of fighting for lame/simple reasons. I know this, as I have seen/heard people fight for very minor issues/points(In one case that Sharath explained, not willing to pay Rs. 210) for a 12L car).

(I agree, it is our money and even Re.1 is also important for some, but do so without hurting anybody/relationship !)

[manjunag]

3. My experience and Observations:
Brought up in a middle-class family, owning/driving a car (third hand!) came late only after I started earning at 25yrs. Earlier to this, the only time we used to travel in a 4 wheeler was when we booked for 7days trip (road trips that covered temples/tourist spots, hill stations, beaches to cater to all age groups in the family) during summer holidays with 8-9 family members traveling mostly by Qualis/Sumo (not exaggerating!). Only after TBHP addiction, I became aware of what to expect regarding the comfort, performance, ride & handling, safety features in a car. With all these Gyan, am putting my observations/review below (inspired by the reviews read, but in simple words without many technical details) after owning the Nexon for almost a year, that could help others.

About the car: My Blue Beast - Tata Nexon Diesel XZ+ (DT)

Looks:
TATA are the forerunners who started the trend of true SUVs by introducing Sierra & Safari in the 90s that were indigenously designed, developed & manufactured entirely in India. Sierra was far ahead of its time & the main USP of Safari was the space it offered on the inside with decent off-roading capability and a bold masculine stance. (Even the TV commercials they produced for Safari were so excellent that connected to the SUV character of cars). Though TATA markets Nexon as compact SUV, this is not the smaller version of Safari or any SUV. This is more crossover in design with the Coupe inspired aerodynamic shape (Curvy roofline) & doesn’t take the traditional Boxy SUV look ("Breaking the box" as TM advertises). Nexon looks amazingly distinct from traditional TATA vehicles (Hated the earlier design of all cars from TM with Indica’s fascia) and Kudos to Pratap Bose & Team for the excellent effort to make the car look as close to the futuristic-looking concept that was showcased in the Autoexpo 2014.

The Nexon flaunts an appealing exterior design with a dual tone exterior that has a contrasting color scheme (Mine is a dual tone car with Moroccan Blue & Sonic silver). The front fascia is dominated by the wide black grille and the Chrome humanity line is seamlessly integrated into the projector headlamps with Feline-eye shaped daytime running lights. The signature looks of Nexon is provided by the Ivory white ceramic accents around the fog lamps & it runs across the shoulder line merging onto the X-factor at the rear. The rear of Nexon seems overdone, with bit busy on design & could be a hit or miss with few for their liking. The roof rails & the shark fin antenna gels well with the exteriors of the car. Overall, Nexon is surely a head turner being fully distinctive and an attention magnet both inside & out! (I always observe these oil marks (applied to head) & fingerprints on the cleaned window glasses due to the peeping toms in parking lots.) The theme of hexagonal design pattern in the grille is carried through in the etching pattern of the black wiper cowl plastic cover, inside tail lamps, rear bumper plastic. Such is the level of design detailing done on Nexon. It does look like an SUV with the upright & confident stance with those big muscular wheel arches, housing machine-cut 16-inch alloy wheels that add to the vehicle's presence. The build quality is excellent & feels solid. The grey plastic bumper design in front & rear is well thought of, that takes much of the minor abuses in the city traffic & is a big plus in a city like Bangalore that has these notorious 2 wheelers trying to squeeze in any space available.

What could be better:
Mudflap design could be better as it doesn’t avoid the mud splashes on the side body & difficult to maintain in the rainy season. Ingress/egress for the elderly at the rear is a bit of a concern due to the high ground clearance (but could be avoided by installing sidesteps from official accessories). Cleaning the hexagonal grille cut-outs is definitely a challenge in the daily cleaning routine, that too for people like me, who have this OCD for a clean looking car!

Interiors:
The stylish exteriors are well complemented with plush & premium interiors featuring 3 tone dashboard that gets the silver & chrome treatments & first-in-segment grand central console with a sliding tambour door. TM was the first to offer a 6.5inch dashtop infotainment in Nexon that supports Android-Auto (AA) & Apple Carplay (in the latest infotainment update) & its position is relatively easy to refer. Physical shortcut buttons for the infotainment system’s menus are provided for drivers not entirely comfortable with using a touch screen. A separate button will activate the rear camera while driving (in case we need to look out, the proximity of rear vehicle, while moving on an incline). Nexon comes with thoughtfully designed 31 utility spaces. There’s an umbrella holder (with channels to drain out water, built into the front doors), the massive (and cooled) glove box is thoughtfully designed too, with a removable tablet tray to keep your tablet/laptop on, and a lid with recesses for cups. The collapsible hooks on front passenger side of console, hooks on the B pillars & in the roof handles (that can hold covers/bags upto 2kgs) & also in the rear trunk (that can hold covers/bags upto 3kgs) are practical additions for we Indians, who love to carry all our jhadibhuti, in separate bags, wherever we go! The quality of the interior plastics & not just the dashboard are premium & top-notch.

The front bucket seats are large & comfortable that are perfect (neither too soft nor too firm) & comes with the side bolstering & provides the best lumbar support too, hence doesn't get uneasy even during long drives. They come with the height adjusting option along with the seatbelt height adjuster. Steering (comes with controls for infotainment) & the gear lever are carry-over design & packaged well to offer good driving comfort. Armrest in the center of front seats provides good elbow support. Automatic climate control helps in automatically maintaining the temperature inside the cabin & the air conditioning freezes the cabin in no time. Aircon vents for blowing the legs are provided in the central console as against the normal (below dash) to provide for large legroom in front.

Rear seats are comfortable to seat 3 medium built persons (75-85kgs) with good thigh support (5.6 to 6ft). Even though Nexon has the sloping roofline towards rear side, the headroom & shoulder room too are sufficient to accommodate 6 feet guys. There is good knee room too, due to the scooping out of the front seats. The space below font seats is good enough for the rear passengers to rest/stretch their feet. It’s very relaxing during long drives & feels totally comfortable without getting tired. Rear passengers get the drop-down center armrest with two cup holders, a 12V charging socket and first-in-segment rear air vents with blower control between the front seats. Nexon has the class-leading 350-liter boot, rear seats could be split 60:40 and fold them forward too. Expandable storage space upto 690L with the full flat-fold option should you need more space. Rear boot comes with a decent boot lamp. Loading and unloading of luggage are fairly easy.

What could be better:
The thick A-pillars create a blind spot at crossroads. The handbrake is to the left of the console (& not in the middle as in other cars) & can result in awkward contact with the front passenger. The front slot that houses the USB/Aux inputs at the bottom of the center console is hard to access. The small rear windscreen due to thick C pillars limits the view. No under-seat tray storage & no cupholders inside Tambour door storage as showcased in media drive vehicles.

Ride & Handling:
With its best-in-class ground clearance of 209 mm, 16” machine-cut alloy wheels & the R16 tyres (as TM advertises "Makes obstacles irrelevant"), perfectly tuned dual path suspension setup & the sculpted bucket seats for superior ride comfort, the Nexon is made to tackle the worst of Indian roads. There is some road shock that makes its way to the steering wheel at times but, on the whole, the suspension feels absorbent and rounds off the bumps really well, despite a hint of firmness in the setup compared to most cars from TM. The ride is firm but not hard. The powerful & torquey Revotorq, 1.5L turbocharged Diesel engine gives the car an edge over the competition with best-in-class performance delivering a class-leading power of 110PS and 260Nm of max torque. The engine noise levels are relatively low, making the Nexon diesel all the more likable. Mated to these powerful engines is an advanced 6-speed transmission ensuring better power transfer across 6 gears and quick take-off characteristics. Gearbox is very smooth and a pleasure to have the gears displayed with the shift indication assistance. The Nexon pulls forward effortlessly from as little as 1,000rpm.

Nexon gets an edge over the competition due to it's first-in-class three drive modes Eco, City and Sport for versatile driving performance, ranging from efficiently cruising on highways to managing traffic in the city and when the adrenaline pumps switch to Sport for taking-off as TM aptly advertises "A mode for every mood”. The characters of these modes are so different that, it's like driving 3 different cars & stays true to the Tata Motors philosophy of more car per car!

What could be better:
Nil

Brakes & steering:
Nexon comes with lowest turning circle radius, thanks to EPAS (Electric Power assisted steering). Steering is light and offers a decent feedback, effortless to twirl at low speeds yet gives you a great feeling of connection when you are going faster. Overtaking is quite effortless and it’s possible to hold a brisk pace & is a real fun on curvy roads, thanks to the good body control and the inherent grip of the Bridgestone tyres. The Nexon also feels stable at triple-digit speeds & is more sure-footed when the going is fast. It helps that the brakes offer good feel at the pedal and the strong stopping power.

What could be better:
Nil

Safety:
Nexon's fortified cabin design with energy-absorbing body structure comes loaded with advanced safety features like ISOFIX Child restraint system for rear seats, adjustable front & rear headrests for impact protection, ultrasonic sensors with rear camera feed including the adaptive dynamic guideways for hassle-free reverse and park. The dual front airbags and antilock braking system with brake assist feature (for shorter stopping distance in case of emergency braking) along with the corner stability control, as standard across all variants is enough, that shows Tata Motors consideration of safety as paramount.
Nexon has height adjustable seatbelts with Pre-tensioner, Load-limiter & Crash-locking tongue that prevents the uncontrolled forward movement of the occupant and hence avoids injuries during the impact. The driver footwell area is also reinforced with pedal blockers to prevent the feet injuries in the event of an unfortunate crash. Child-safety door locks, Voice-based alerts and Front fog lamps with cornering assistance (Better illumination on the turning side) which ensure an all-around safety while driving (all these not offered in many higher priced, higher segment cars). Nexon was able to achieve a 4star rating for safest sub-compact SUV in Global NCAP crash test.

What could be better:
Cornering function basically highlights the blind spots during turns. In Nexon, this is just switching-on of fog lamps (that particular side of turn) while taking turns & not the actual swiveling light that is activated to turn in the direction of the car. (Higher-priced technology for the product pricing of Nexon)

Infotainment:
The Connectnext Infotainment system by Harman comes with a 6.5” Dashtop touch screen and an exclusively tuned 8-speaker system for surround sound effect(Definitely, Best in class!). Next-gen connectivity, with Android Auto/Carplay and a host of smartphone apps to ensure an easy & intuitive vocal interaction with the Infotainment for navigation, music, making calls, reading & replying to text & Whatsapp messages. Add to this voice alerts for warning functions like Parking brake release alert, Door open warning, Seat belt reminder, Low fuel warning, Service reminder and many more that truly define the technologically advanced DNA of the Nexon.

What could be better:
The touch responses on the display screen aren’t slick and the system also operates with a bit of lag. Voice commands for dialing are not accurate at times. The wearable key that was showcased in media drives became a marketing gimmick for us, poor manual owners (Provided as STD for only automatic variants).

Nexon is definitely more than a VFM car for the pricing it is offered with most first-in-class features with Best-in-class performance. The design of Nexon is well-thought-of for the urban usage as the sub 4m helps in tight parking spaces along with the parking sensors & the reverse camera with the dynamic guides, 16inch wheels with best ground clearance help in offroading(!) through the city roads with potholes & also without scraping the bottom at the speed breakers. The suspension system along with the creature comforts inside the cabin provides for a very good comfort both for driver & passengers with best in class boot space availability. To top it all, Nexon stands as the safest car in the segment.

Many features that the competition offers like rain sensing wipers (windshield may not be always clean to operate), cruise control (With the sad condition of traffic & the roads, will have to drive outside Bangalore to use this feature, that too with the road manners our people on the roads have, I doubt using this) & the sunroof (Not practical here in Bangalore as I rollup my windows all the time due to the dust and pollution & also our weather changes every half hour or 2kms whichever comes earlier) & hence their absence doesn’t matter at all. Who cares for these, if the box you are sitting inside is not able to save you when required! Most of the practical features offered in Nexon are not available in the higher segment cars (with the higher price point). Even though there are few minor negative points about the car, the positives outweigh the negatives & the feelings it provides is unmatched. The more you drive, the more you love this car & I do not find any solid reason to not consider Nexon as best buy!

I have explained below my driving style/habit & have compiled the likes & dislikes as summary based on that.
At the time of writing this, Odo was reading 9300+ kms with almost 11 months of ownership. I carpool to the office with a colleague & hence get a chance to drive my beast every alternate week with few weekend city drives. Also, we go on weekend long trips once a month, frequenting more to Mysore, Madikeri & Sullia. Hence, can put this as 50:50 city & Highway driving. Mileage on MID shows 19kmpl but T2T calculates to 16kmpl with my style of driving (Heavy footer) in the city drives & usually get +3kmpl in highways. I drive with my windows rolled-up with AC always ON, set to 23deg with the automatic setting.
Only I drive my Nexon. Coming from Esteem experience, I find the 1st & 2nd gear are very short & found difficult to adjust. (Forced to allow others to pass & take-on later, after chasing them down! he hee.) 3rd & 4th gears are now my sweet spots. AutoFolding ORVM, as an update, done during the second service was icing on the cake! Having tasted the power that sports mode offers, I personally never tried CITY & ECO modes.
Am willing to trade the other modes for good LED lights & Electrically operated Sunroof, if TM is listening

“My friend who bought a Creta 1.6 SX Diesel on the same day as mine was really impressed by the Nexon’s braking (Sudden braking while on a trip along KA-TN highway & good control it offered). He always repents of his decision after he saw many features like Driving modes, Reverse cam, ICE, speed sensing auto door lock, voice-assisted door ajar warnings, shark fin antenna & many another small small addons that are not available in his car.”

Am really happy to have chosen the Safest Car in the segment. Most of the niggles/complains that are posted on social platforms are from 'Legends' who trusted TATA (Maybe they had to prove themselves/car in order to convince their family members for a TATA product) who are either First-time drivers or it's their first new car and with people's mindset of looking at a TATA product, any small niggles would instill a fear (or doubt in mind) on Nexon's ability. Please take time & go through the owners manual & most of your doubts/concerns will be cleared.
I feel, the feedback function on TMSC app is very effective & TM has improved leaps & bounds on customer relationships. There is always a solution to a problem & we need to give TM a chance to improve. TM, being considered the underdogs, are trying harder & going the extra mile, just to get noticed. It's our brand and a pakka local brand giving a fight to Jap/American is not easy & we need to support.

But with all the above concerns/observations, My car had always been a head turner & feels good when people come to you for enquiring on your prized possession. Also, Mr. Krishna from Feynlab, HSR layout(where I had my Nexon ceramic coated), is always in full praise for the paint quality of Nexon & compares it to be better than few BMW cars. (No offense meant, his personal experience though).

As per the latest update from few owners(As on 25th Aug), TM is continually improving with recent updates on -
Updating ECU that is improving on the engine responsiveness, turbo response starting from 1000rpm (more peppy with wheelspin in 2nd gear!!) & less turbo lag, Better steering response(EPAS).
Updating BCM to 12.5version that includes Carplay, Better rear cam clarity, Reverse cam display is now full screen, Touchscreen response is better.
Link rod torque adjustment - This is done as there were complaints from owners of hitting sound (like tak tak) on potholes/speed breakers.
This is not yet done on mine. Am happy, as is, with my car's performance & shall wait for the call from the service center.

Finally, few pics of my Blue Beast. (Taken recently during monthly washing routine, after 10 months of Ceramic treatment)












Bought EW & P2P from Aadya (Now Adishakti), Hebbal on 29/05/2018. A representative was sent to my office, to deliver the hard-copies of both. They are updated in TMSC app as well.

Extended Warranty:


P2P:


Parking:
This is my parking position at home, with half of the car under shelter, with box type gate, specially made to accommodate the Nexon. The gate closes to the same width of the compound when Nexon is taken out.


My earlier cars used to be parked in this space outside the compound, now being used for 2 wheeler parking.


Whenever in office, my Nexon rests in the shelter as we have basement parking at the office.

Cleaning routine:
I have done Ceramic coating for my Nexon & hence daily maintenance is easy.
I always cover(Bought as TATA accessory) the car at home, as ours is not covered parking. Whenever it's my turn to the office, the cover is removed on Monday mornings just before taking out. I dust the car with Jopasu duster, daily after reaching home in the evening. (Avoiding using Jopasu in the morning due to dew on the surface). This continues for that week. Usually, Sunday is my cleaning day. Earlier it was 2 bucket method but, now after buying ProKlear waterless wash, am now using only 1L water(Cleaning two 2 wheelers also, along with Nexon) & the 2 bucket water for washing MF cloths . I use the Meguiar's Quik detailer after cleaning & put the car cover that will be taken out only after a week.

Cleaning utilities available anytime in my car's boot.







This is my daily cleaning routine & compulsorily visit Feynlab in HSR layout for foam wash, every month to maintain the shine. Never have I ever visited the friendly neighborhood washing center till now for my Nexon.

Bought in Jan, this is the remaining quantity after weekly washing.



Below is my detailing arsenal. I am now learning the spelling of Detailing & most of the product recommendations are from Prabhagar Bro & he is the main culprit of my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for detailing. He is the owner of Sunburst Orange Tiago & the pics of his detailed Tiago is the main inspiration for me to add those best products in my arsenal. But as I have done the Ceramic treatment, haven't got an opportunity to use those spray sealants nor the 845 as the car gets same finish by just the rinseless followed by one round of Meguiar's Quik Detailer.



Below are random pics taken during the Dashcam & Horn installation that shows the dampeners used to control the NVH levels inside the cabin.








Horror on Highway: Here is a link to my dashcam video that shows the steering, handling & braking ability of Nexon on the highway. This is the video of a near miss accident, on 5th August, on Bengaluru - Chikkaballapura highway. We were doing around 100-120 kmph speed & Nexon behaved really well in the Nik of time. Phew!
(You can directly seek to 1:30 mins as the action starts around that time. )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PIDF3UJGZU

Transformers scene snapshot


Sorry for the blue'ish video as I forgot to remove the blue sticker on the camera lens


The sticker is now removed after Sebring Bro highlighted!!


Could not close this topic without mention of below experience.
First day at Office: Nexon used to be the hot topic during our tea breaks at the office. This was the first car in our office & campus too. Can you guys imagine what happens, when a high heeled model enters the Mechanical engineering branch class! My Nexon generated a similar interest. I then understood the actual meaning of the Tagline “Neighbours Envy, Owners Pride”.
My colleagues work daily on the automobile parts involving BIW, DIW, Interiors, Exteriors be it Plastic or Sheetmetal parts, architecture, gap & flush Whatnot. These fellow buggers have tried each & every engineering knowledge of theirs, to test with my Nexon. I was lucky I could stop them from stripping the parts apart. Not a single person had a negative point to highlight. Almost close to 20 colleagues drove the beast and were really impressed by the NVH levels (that too for a Diesel car), ICE, Comfortable ride it offers & well-behaved road dynamics, Quality & quantity of features that even higher segment cars were not providing for 5L more than my car cost on road!
All were surprised, whether this is the same TM that produced cars, all that had the same face of Indica.
Universal opinion is that this feature-rich car, with its premium interiors & the product pricing, is The Best Bet for Tata Motors, to challenge its competitors in compact SUV segment.

[manjunag]

4. Modifications/Accessorising/Pampering Done:

Mine is an XZ+ Nexon, by itself is a feature-rich car, but the pampering for your car or the itch for further improvement never dies down for a car lover like me!
Here is the list of all pampering done on my Blue beast.

a. Ceramic coating
The new car delivered from showroom had swirl marks on them while delivery. Also, (as shown earlier) my old parking space was outside the compound & also car cover from TATA as an official accessory for Nexon was not available yet (Was available after 2 months of ownership). Accumulation of slight dust looked ugly on the car due to the dark shade, removing dust & the routine maintenance was very difficult as I didn't allow the car washing guy to touch the new car. Had around 40k from the amount reserved for the downpayment. Planned to get my beast a ceramic coating. Had been following many threads here on TBHP & other sites regarding Ceramic coating. Read many good reviews about Mr.Mohsin from Ultimate Detailerz. Also, UD was in Indiranagar, close to my office. Called him to inquire but did not receive good response from him but he requested for my mail ID so that all details could be mailed for me to understand his packages & its cost. Somehow didn't like his attitude & thought of trying for any other alternative. By that time, saw few positive reviews in TBHP's Bangalore directory, done by Feynlab, HSR layout. Called Mr. Krishna for the details. He took time to explain about the process & asked me to visit his studio for a better understanding of Ceramic coating & what could be expected. Visited his place the same weekend (Before going to Prerana, Kudlu gate for handbrake adjustment). Mr. Krishna demonstrated few tests to prove, how investing in ceramic treatment now, could help maintain the sheen for long.
I opted for Ceramic treatment, that covers all exterior parts both plastic & sheetmetal along with wheels & callipers, with 3yrs warranty(Feynlab gives 5yrs warranty in the US, but reduced to 3yrs for Indian conditions) & as per his suggestion went for ceramic plus (1-year warranty) treatment on top of the ceramic coating as it gives deep shine for the dark color of the car. Cost 38,000 including GST & had to leave the car with them for minimum 2 days. Fixed appointment with them for Monday morning & dropped the car while going to office by 8 am.

Likes:
Quality of work - excellent.
Communication - excellent.
Dedication of the team & their attention to detail is Ultimate, with the whole team sharing the same passion as Mr.Krishna.
Handsfree(No Touch) washing/drying so that scratches are not induced on the car.
Premium products used in the process.
Spacious studio.

Dislikes:
Bit costlier compared to competitors.
They have to concentrate on the interiors too as all attention is given to exteriors only. (Many instances where I highlighted & requested for cleaning of dirt marks/minor scratches)
Have to drive so far from J.P.Nagar to HSR layout for washing. (At least once a month)

Would surely recommend Feynlab for any detailing needs.

Below snaps were taken after ceramic treatment on a 10-day old car!









Would I recommend Ceramic treatment on a new car?
Ceramic treatment is not a magic coating that can avoid scratches/dents on the car's paint surface. It is like a thin protective coat on top of the OEM paint surface with high hydrophobic properties (Water beading & cleaning is easy) & to avoid the dullness due to UV radiation when parked under the Sun. Swirl marks & scratches appear even on the ceramic coated surface but are easier to remove without damaging the original paint.
As per my calculation, I was paying Rs.1000 for the car washing guy who used to wash my earlier car daily. For 3 years, it amounts to Rs. 36000. Hence going for ceramic treatment was a better idea & the amount paid would be worthful if ceramic holds for 3years. With my maintenance routine, Mr. Krishna confirms that this coating sustains for more than that!
If at all you plan for ceramic coating, please go to an authorized detailer for the quality of work that they deliver. Have seen many ceramic coated cars losing their sheen after a few months of treatment done by local guys using cheap products.

b. PPF application
Ceramic coating is more like an ornament/ jewelry(that offers ease of maintenance along with beauty) as compared to the Paint Protection Film(PPF) that provides real protection to the car and acts as shield against the bruises that happen in everyday driving. PPF is like applying lamination on the Car, similar to that we used to do for low-end mobiles during their initial days.
Below snap shows the level of elasticity offered by the film & hence do not allow the part beneath to get affected.



Mohit had done PPF from 3M for his bumpers on his MiniLandie & used to update on how this film protected his bumper from the deep scratches. Wanted to try that in the door sill area & the bumper sides as these are more prone to scratches from 2 wheelers in traffic. This rainy season provided such opportunity as I saw scratches on the door-sill while cleaning, caused due to people sitting in the rear, stamping on sill while alighting from car.



Contacted Saddam from JC Road who had done PPF film on my 2 wheeler, TVS NTorq125. Fixed an appointment for Sunday, 15th July. He came to my home & started his work around 4 pm, is a perfectionist & also intermittent rain on that day slowed the film application and was able to finish by 11 pm! I had the PPF applied on Bumper sides (Wheel arch/Fender protrudes), Doorsill, Door edges, Door lever pockets, Mirror sides, Interior silver glossy portion on the dash and all door insides.






















PPF Peel off:
The exterior surface of my Nexon is very smooth due to the Ceramic coating & did not hold the film. I could see that the film peeled off in some areas of curvature after a week of application. The car was covered(& parked) & not driven during this period.
PPF peeling as below.

























Visited Saddam again on Monday, 20th July at JC Road and showed him the peeling.
He corrected by heating/replaced whichever had caught dirt on the gum surface without charging extra. It is holding till now, (except for the film on door edges) & hope not to visit again in case this peels off, as I have seen how much labor is involved & now I understand that it's difficult to stick PPF on the ceramic treated smooth surface. Lesson learned hard way!
Areas of doorsill, bumper sides & the interior was important for me & they have been holding well.

[manjunag]

c. Dashcam Installation - Front & Rear

I still have the strong itch to buy & experiment with gadgets (even after 6years of marriage) & it continues with accessorizing my car too. Always had an eye on the dashcams but somehow did not want to install on my previous old car. Waited to have it done on the new car. Good dashcam with the display would cost more & hence planned to experiment with budget models before going for a better dashcam. Had ordered Junsun S30, (cost around Rs. 2000) a basic dashcam without display & that works on Wifi, from Aliexpress as a trial before investing on a good model. Took around a month to deliver. Liked it very much, hence ordered Viofo A119S(Cost around Rs. 8000) from Amazon US through a colleague who was traveling back to India. Connected it to the cigarette charger in front as I didn't want to hardwire.

Installation pics.



IRVM is removed to mark the centerline. Dashcam is placed such that the blackout area on the windshield is avoided.




















Ordered 128GB micro SD card from Amazon.in that cost Rs. 3325. (Have seen many videos & reviews that do not recommend Sand disk cards for Dashcam recording, but I haven't faced any issue till now.)

Had ordered CPL filter for the dashcam from Aliexpress costing around Rs. 1000 & it took 20days to arrive. This is to avoid the glare of the dashboard in the recorded video. Yet to install this.



Didn't know what to do with the removed Junsun Dashcam, Syed Bhai(From Car Dezire, VV Puram) who did the installation of dashcam & horn proposed to have that as rear cam & we installed on the rear windshield & connected to the rear charger. I am using a 32gb SD card (Sandisk) in this cam.

Installation pics.








Have secured the charger in the slot using double-sided tape so that it doesn't come out while running.


Viofo had provided a thread & spare 3nos of 3M double sided tape as an accessory(well thought of by Viofo). Used the thread to remove the 3M sticker of already stuck Junsun-cam & the spare 3M sticker to stick it on the rear windshield.





d. Horn Upgrade
Felt the stock horn of Nexon was very low & insufficient in the city to shoo the 2 wheelers. Hence checked for a better replacement while visiting for dashcam installation. Syed Bhai had Hella Red Grille, Bosch & Roots horn in stock with him. Tried all 3 by connecting & testing. Hella was more impressive. Costed Rs. 1900 for the pair of horns, +500rs for installation of 2 dashcams & horn replacement.

Installation pics.












It's not too loud as I expected(or wanted), but better than the stock horns and is successful in atleast irritating the jerks on road!



e. Rat repeller
It was during the second service at Aadya that the SA highlighted rat entry in the bonnet area & showed several bite marks in wire & plastics.

Pics showing rat chew.









This gave sleepless nights as rats had chewed on my rear seat in my old 800. Also, my cousin's i10 caught fire just after starting due to this devil's menace. I knew (as I had experimented) that no naphthalene, tobacco nor pepper powder would keep these rats away. Killing them was not an option as there are many due to the chat shop exact opposite of my home & how many would I kill. Hence repelling them was the only option. After a search in TBHP, there were good reviews for an ultrasonic rat repeller by name Verna Suraksha, their office situated in Hebbal, Bangalore. Called them & fixed an appointment. Cost 3200 for the rat repeller and extra 300rs for installation at home. Its been 3-4 months since its installation & now the rat smell is gone. The smell was more prominent when AC was switched on in the morning. Hence, assuming that the product is working fine. I have recommended it to my sister's Swift & my carpool partner's Swift, whose car wires related to Airbags & the washer fluid pipe were chewed by rats.

Pic of the product fitted.

[manjunag]

f. SensAiry TPMS
Was following the details/threads on TPMS on TBHP & the net for long, but waited for a discount to buy for my Nexon. Prashant(admin from Nexon owner's whatsapp group) informed that there was a discount running on Aug 15th for SensAiry sensors from Tymtix. We were offered a special discount (for Nexon owners) & I ordered this for 5 sensors immediately!
Tymtix office is in Indiranagar & very close to my office. Seeing my billing address, Ajay (From Tymtix) called me & suggested SLD tyres (who had installed on almost 25cars) for installation in Indiranagar & informed that he would hand-carry on the installation day. Fixed an appointment & we reached as per plan. Bhaskar at SLD knows the installation & the whole process was easy as Ajay was also present till the end. There was a problem with the configuration on my Oneplus mobile. Hence installed the sensors through Ajay's phone & then he transferred the settings to my login with their backend support before I left. Working perfectly.

Few pics of installation:









Snapshot of the sensor readings on my mobile.



g. The First shopping at JC Road
During the first week with Nexon, my father accidentally spilled water & found it difficult to dry the fabric on the floor. Earlier, when I used to travel by our office shuttle, had seen the flooring of Tempo Traveller (TT) being done with PVC flooring. When enquired, most of the drivers recommended this as it would be easier in maintaining the floor and also cleaning was easy with just a brush and a cloth.
Hence decided to have the PVC flooring done on my Nexon. Visited JC Road for this alone. But as they usually do for any new car that enters JC Road, I was lured into installing PVC flooring, Noodles mat, Sunfilm, Door edge protectors & the Ganesha idol.

Pic of the Flooring done. (I do not have pics taken during installation)

Cost me Rs. 2200. They removed the seats while installing the PVC sheets. The sheets were cut and joined at corners/intricate areas. They are nicely tucked under the plastic parts & the seats and are not glued to the floor. Hence it is easy to remove, incase, I decide to have the original fabric anytime later.
The only issue I find due to this installation is, the floormats do not stay in place due to this slippery flooring whenever we try to ingress/egress from the car. Its a habit now to adjust the mats in place, every time after parking.

Pic of the noodles mat.


This is not a made-for-Nexon mat, but a usual noodles mat available as a set of 5 pieces, that are cut as per standard template & matches to most of the cars. Earlier, I had planned a DIY mat by preparing a template to suit my car, that is cut from large rolls. But, the only advantage I noticed from the DIY ones is the hard plastic surface that comes in the driver side mat. This is really helpful while we rest our heels while pressing ABC pedals.

Installed Sunfilm with 70% visibility on all windows except the front windshield. Cost Rs. 1300. Sun film brand is Suntek that comes with 2years warranty. (Don't know how the warranty works nor how can it be claimed. No warranty card was given.) Door protectors are from Ipop brand. Cost Rs. 450. Chose black colored to suit my Blue Nexon. Choosing the right position for its installation is always a debatable topic though. I installed it in this present location after experimenting in my parking location.

While googling on how to hold these mats in place, came across these Rug grippers that are used to hold carpets in place on smooth floorings. Have ordered these Ruggies from Amazon.in, but received from China that took almost 2 months to reach. Am yet to install it. Cost Rs. 500.


Product link:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


h. Accessories from TM
Nexon being a new car, official accessories were not yet available until almost 2months of taking delivery. I wanted the car cover badly as my car used to be parked outside (without covered parking). Was constantly in touch with Sharath for the cover & received a call that only one piece was available at Prerana. Asked him to block it for me & visited Prerana, Lalbagh on the next Saturday. Also, had to collect the pending accessories that included Ganesha idol, Air freshener, mudflaps & Floormats as part of compulsory accessories list (Cost Rs. 2290) from the dealer. They took 5mins for installation but more than half hour for finding my invoice copy (that says the pending list of accessories). While waiting, found the door visor installed on a Tiago, liked the quality. Hence ordered door visors too. It has a chrome strip that gives a premium look. I found the Bumper corner protectors (BCP) as a necessity as I had already rubbed my bumper edges against the compound wall while reverse parking.
Car cover cost Rs. 3300.
Door Visor cost Rs. 2700.
BCP cost Rs. 780.

Idol & air freshener was already purchased & did not install the ones from the dealer. The only good/worthful accessory from the dealer was the floor mat with Nexon branding on it. But am using it below the noodles mat as noodles mat is more practical.


i. Below is the list of utilities bought online

1. Cover/bag holders - Ordered these from Amazon. Cost Rs. 333 for a pair. Worth for the money spent & not Rs. 999 as advertised on the product page.

As installed:


Below is the product link
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


2. Seat Gap hider - Ordered these from Aliexpress as coins/tickets would slip in the gap between the seat & center console.
Cost Rs. 280 per pair. Took 25days to arrive. VFM product as the PU leather used is of good quality. Have been using only one on the driver's side as the gap on the passenger side in Nexon is less. As a result, would press against the console next to brake lever & hence, engaging the handbrakes was difficult.

As installed:


Nil gap on the Passenger side


Product link:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free...e3c14c4dfhLw9o


3. Coin holder - The coins kept in the utility pockets used to sound whenever there's a vibration. To avoid this, ordered the coin holder from aliexpress. Cost Rs. 250 for a pair. Took 40 days to arrive. This is not designed as per Indian coins and hence one slot that has the smallest dia cannot be used.


Product link:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Car-...e3c14c4dfhLw9o


4. Charging adaptors/extension - Am using the cigarette charger provided in the slot for powering Dashcam & my mobile. Have plans for installing ambient lighting for the cabin that requires another cigarette lighter port & hence needs additional charger slot. As the area around the slot is already congested & looks cluttered, planned to have this extension charger that has 3 cigarette charger slots with individual on/off switches & 2 USB charging slots & had several good reviews. Cost Rs.400 & took 35 days to arrive.


Product link:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Univ...e3c14c4dfhLw9o


5. Wooden beads for the Seat cushion - Am yet to install the seat covers on my Nexon. I had leather seat covers on both my earlier cars and am afraid that the OEM fabric seats would get stained & stink due to sweat. Hence bought the wooden beaded cover for front seats from Chennapatna. They are painted with natural colors & do not fade away(Atleast for 2 years of usage as told by the seller) nor the paints stick to our dress. Cost Rs. 1400 for a pair. They provide good ventilation too & avoid getting wet due to sweat. I was under the impression that the beads should fully cover the seats for better ventilation hence, bought the biggest size. The problem with this is it keeps moving out of seat whenever we sit on/off it. (The main problem with this is it's difficult to access handbrake as the passenger side beads would slide in the handbrake area whenever people sit.) It's a habit now to adjust it in position after people get out of the car! Best is to buy the size which covers the central flat area of the seats (& not covering the bolsters).

As installed:



6. Magnetic Sunshade - Most of my long drives would be to Sullia, Mangalore or the temple in Thiruvannamalai (TN) where the temperatures put my Sunfilm/wooden beads to actual testing. For the comfort of the rear passengers, I had to install the Sunshade for windows. As always, team-bhp was my initial search engine. One thing I like about Team-bhp is, even though its difficult to follow each & every thread on TBHP, if you plan to have any modifications/changes/DIY on your car, a simple search on the forum would provide you with many instances/procedures of the mod already done by other owners. Also, many Nexon owners(From WhatsApp owners group) had given positive review on the below product & confirmed that it suits perfectly for Nexon. I didn't want the zipper one as the quality of zip on these items would not be good & would not last long. hence bought this that has cutouts in front shades for easy viewing through the mirror. The fabric is also see-thru translucent type & is not a hindrance for viewing inside of cabin for traffic police.

Product link:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


7. Trash bin - As Swachh Bharat, I follow Swachh Nexon abhiyan too. Hence do not allow family members to litter inside the cabin. (This is to avoid the unnecessary love of rodents too). Bought trash bin from Amazon. Cost Rs. 400 for a pair. This is the exact size of Standard cup holders in the car. Am now using it in the bottle holders of both front doors. Fits perfectly!

As installed:



Product link:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


8. Clip-on for goggles - Bought this multipurpose Sunglass clip (to be fixed on sun visor) from Aliexpress. Cost Rs. 200 & took 60days to reach. The quality of the product is very good. It has 2 clips that can hold 2 goggles or a google & tickets. Am using it on the driver side sun visor. The same item is available for Rs. 1334 in Amazon!



Product link: (Providing a similar product link as the original link is missing now)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Mult...ceBeautifyAB=0


9. Tissue holder - I like to keep the dash area clean & hence had to find an alternative place for tissues. Keeping tissues in the rear tray was not at all an option as my car usually has max 2 people traveling & cannot access tissues when required. Hence bought the below item from Amazon. Made of PU leather, it is clipped to the passenger side sun visor. Cost Rs. 275.



Product link:
https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


10. Cabin LED light - The cabin light provided in Nexon is not sufficient to illuminate the rear side & hence was on a lookout for a rear cabin light. There is a reading light provided by Tata as an original accessory but I didn't like the design. Also, didn't want to disturb the wiring & was searching for a battery operated led lamp. Bought the below lamp from Aliexpress. Cost Rs. 700 & took 30 days to reach.
Product pic:



Product link:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/USB-...27424c4dzsNei0

11. Air freshener - I like my car smelling good & also choosy as I do not like those strong floral fragrances like Jasmine, Lavender & the usual gel types like Aqua, spring types. I had perfume spray from Hugo Boss for my Esteem & wanted to try a different one for my Nexon. As always Team-bhp showed me many threads with different recommendations. Ordered Aeron Ken Black crystal from eBay that cost Rs. 300 for a 35g box( This is not the gel type). This lasted for nearly 8months.
Reviews on the White leaf was also good, but waited for the Aeron ones to last. Ordered from their website, cost Rs. 450.
These are the activated carbon that mainly absorbs the toxic fumes, due to emission from the synthetic inside.
In addition, removes the odor of cigarette smoke, pet, food spills, sweat and damp. Using it for 2 months & works great.



But after getting addicted to Black crystal, have ordered again for Rs. 350 from Amazon this time that arrived last week. Planning to place in the Tambour space.

[manjunag]

5. Modifications/Accessorising/Pampering Planned:

This is the random list of planned upgrades.
a. Sidesteps - Have seen sidesteps fitted from the dealer (On Sebring's car) costing around Rs. 15,500 including fitting & the other from Mtek brand, fitted in JC Road cost Rs. 8200. Sebring's OEM ones were more robust & strong. Infact, the local brand was more thicker & wider than OEM to look at but, OEM is much stronger/robust as it didn't budge when I stood(83kgs) on it to do a strength test. Also, as complained by owners, using Jack would be a problem (as the gap is less in that area) with other brands. Planning to have similar installed from the dealer. This helps in ingress/egress of short people & the elderly. Also, hope it avoids the splatter of muddy water on the door sides.

b. Steering, gear knob & Seat Cover - Have seen good reviews of Devraj from JC Road. Am planning to meet him for this upgrade. Black cover with the blue thread is my planned theme. Elegant covers are also good & have seen many owners who installed from JC Road.

c. Headlight Upgrade (at least for low beam). (DIY) - Few owners have upgraded all lights to LED type from Philips, costing around Rs. 13000 (for a pair of Xtreme Ultinons H7) if bought from the US. They claim that the illumination is best after upgrading.
I drive mostly in Bangalore & hence upgrading fogs (H16 type) at this price is not a worthy buy. Cost is more if I plan to upgrade for both low beam & high beam and hence planning for atleast low beams. Also, saw many threads here that do not strongly recommend LEDs. Hence this project is currently in research mode.

d. Chrome (bling) updates - I do not like much of Chrome on the car. But have shortlisted few chrome inserts that would look good on my blue Nexon like the chrome on door rubber cladding, front bumper lower garnish, door handles & rear trunk lid.

e. Mud flaps (DIY) - The OEM mudflaps provided does not cover the tyres in Nexon & hence creates a 'Muddy Mayhem' on the sides.



Have a few DIY ideas in mind but unable to find the time.

f. Dampeners for utility pockets. (DIY) - Am in the lookout for rubber cutouts for Nexon to be used in utility pockets as put by Samaspire in below thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...ml#post4054823

Have bought the antislip sheet from Metro Cash & carry & also a sheet of felt material to experiment.

g. Ambient mood lighting - Have this mod in mind. We get many plug & play types available online. Waiting for my wife's approval as she thinks that the car may look gaudy with lights (blinking) inside the cabin. She is happy with the attention Nexon grabs by just its exterior appearance!

h. Puddle Lamps. (DIY) - Am planning a DIY for this mod as the one supplied by the dealers are just for name sake & do not do what they are supposed to.

i. White/Yellow lettering on tyres. (DIY) - Have ordered waterproof marker pens that can write on rubber with below mod in mind.

[manjunag]

6. Service History:

First Visit:
Date: 07/10/2017
Kms: 125 as in TMSC app (Actual ~80kms, but did not know the actual figure to enter in job sheet as car was taken to washing immediately.)
Service Type: Campaign (as entered in TMSC app)

I stay in JP Nagar & nearest Prerana service center is in Kudlu Gate! (It is 10kms from my home & have to cross the famous Silk Board Signal to reach there). My first visit was in the first week of my ownership!! My practice is to engage handbrake while on incline & release while moving simultaneously pushing on the accelerator & releasing the clutch. (Am not practiced to the half-clutch/half brake control with the single leg). The bite of the handbrake of Nexon is not enough & even after engaging full, car would move back on inclines. Was finding it very difficult with this handbrake behavior. Visited Kudlu gate branch as a walk-in on a Saturday without an appointment. My car was attended within 15mins of entering the center. Umesh was the Customer relationship executive, also responsible for front office.

Mr. Mohan Ramesh(Service Head) came down to welcome & inquired about the car's performance as this was the first car that visited this center, shared his business card & asked to contact for any issues.
They took almost 2hrs for the job as they did not know how to access the handbrake for adjustment. Showed them fogging on headlamps & Umesh(SA) confirmed he would escalate to TM & rectify it. (Didn't know until then that it is normal & fog subsides after 30-40 mins by itself). No update till now! Umesh shared his number & requested me to contact him for any concerns as his boss would be busy. When asked for any concerns, highlighted the 3rd gear slotting issue & low pickup for which a senior technician was arranged. He drove the car & certified as normal behaviour. Didn't bother much & drove home my beast.

After reaching home, was shocked to see the Chrome insert around the gear lever cracked, scratches on the silver part in the dash(On passenger side) & few grease marks on the headliner upholstery. This confirmed that service centers were still in Indica mode.

Shared the pic with Umesh on Whatsapp. Called him & gave a mouthful. His reply was just "Sorry for the inconvenience caused. Will take care next time". Was really pissed off and my temper raised whenever I looked at those crack/scratches. Decided not to contact anybody from Kudlu gate center. Took to Twitter & posted my experience tagging all Twitter handles of Nexon & TM (Nothing worked though!! TM was still in sleeping mode then). Posted pics & the SA responses in our Nexon-Owners-Whatsapp group. Luckily Roa'garu, also in the same group (Don't know about him & haven't met him too) directed me to Mr.Bettaswamy Gowda from Prerana, Peenya center. Mr.Betta apologized & promised to rectify everything. The ordering of part took almost 1 week. He coordinated & sent a Technician from Peenya center along with Mr. Mohan Ramesh to my Office at CV Raman Nagar to replace the part. (He also arranged for buffing & scratch removal from some detailer available at their service centers, but I didn't have confidence in them. Also, had plans of visiting Feynlab for the routine wash, so gave a pass as I requested them to remove the scratches). Finally, the part was replaced after almost 2 months of whining/fighting. (By this time the first service was also done). Thanks to Mohit Bro Aka Sebring for his support. Mr. Mohan Ramesh apologized for this experience & promised to offer better service next time & to contact him directly for anything related to Nexon.

The first service came in mid-November. Received a reminder call from Prerana & booked for the first service on 18th Nov.

First Service:
Center: Prerana, Kudlu Gate.
Date: 18/11/2017
Kms: 1561
Service Type: First Free Service

Visited the Kudlu gate center, but decided to be there at the center till servicing is done.
List of concerns highlighted during the First service:
1. Hot air from AC vents
2. Steering getting hard while reversing
3. 2-3-4 gears are not engaging properly
4. Music system hangs when connected(One instance while Android Auto was connected through my Oneplus 2 phone)
5. The vehicle didn't crank once, with all error signals blinking.
6. Left side door request sensor issue.
7. Cornering function check
8. Rattling sound near the dash, near driver side right AC vent. (sometimes)
9. Infotainment settings resetting every time.
10. Bluetooth connection.
Below was the list I prepared while waiting for my car in the center & shared with Umesh as Job card was already written
11. Stinks when AC is switched on in morning
12. Sound in front bumper when moves over speed breakers.
13. Air filter cleaning as I thought that could be a reason for low pickup.
14. Washer fluid top up.

Even though it was just checking of highlighted concerns, service center took full 5hrs to deliver my car. Most of the concerns brushed off as normal.

Jobcard copy:



Even the Invoice copy doesn't have the list of issues highlighted. That means the issues were not logged into their system. Then how can we expect TM to be aware of customers issues & plan for improvement/design change that could be implemented as updations during consequent service visits/facelift without a robust feedback system.

Invoice copy:


Highlighted all these points to Mr. Mohan Ramesh when he visited my office to replace the chrome part. Showed him how the issues highlighted later to Umesh were not taken care of (Torque marks were intact in Air filter area, washer fluid level, etc) Decided never to visit Kudlu Gate.

By this time, had a chance to meet Mohit(Aka Sebring) for breakfast. I drove his MiniLandie & He drove mine. Only then he highlighted the lack of grunt in my beast. Could easily make out the difference while driving his car.
He recommended Aadya motors, Hebbal, for next service as he had done servicing there. I didn't know that the car could be taken to service center(That too my dealer was Prerana) in-between scheduled services. Waited for the second service to arrive.

Second Service:
Center: Aadya motors, Hebbal (Ebony automobiles Pvt Ltd)
Date: 23/03/2018
Kms: 4294
Service Type: Second Free Service

This time I wanted to try Aadya which is 22kms from my home but was ready to drive for better service. Was well prepared with the list of concerns & booked at Aadya well before Prerana called for fixing an appointment with them. Suresh was the SA. I highlighted the points noted by me & made sure he entered in the system while invoicing.

List highlighted during the second service:
1. Handbrake adjustment..(Doesn't stop at an incline)
2. Stinks when AC is switched on. Every time.
3. Sound near the front side of the bumper when small speed breakers are crossed with speed.. 3rd gear.(bolt loose sound)
4. Air filter cleaning
5. Washer fluid, oil top up if any?
6. Check battery as Horn sound subsides when continuously pressed
7. Steering hard when turned to the extreme in reverse gear.
8. 2-3-4 gears do not slot sometimes.
9. Left front door doesn't open when request sensor is pressed
10. Bluetooth connection is a problem. Both iPhone & Android
11. Volume automatically reduces (speed dependant volume setting is off)
12. Equalizer resets often.
13. Pickup / turbo function. Observed lacking power while overtaking. Many times.
14. More smoke.
15. Left front seat doesn't lock. Kat Kat sound from seat railing.
16. Fuel shows tank full, even when the tank is half while filling. Happened twice.
17. The camera doesn't switch on when reverse is engaged.
18. Shark fin radio reception issue

Was hearing more of below updates, done as a campaign, from fellow Nexon owners. But, I never received any call nor update requests from TM hence, wrote a mail to customer-care at TM. Was directed to regional head Mr.Khan who never responded to my emails. Mohit shared the contact of Mr.Dhanasekar who helped me fix an appointment with Aadya and also below updates during my visit for the second service.
1. BCM update for mirror autoclose feature.
2. Headlamp & keyfob update.

Went to the service center by 9:45 am, stayed there till servicing was done. I received my car after servicing by 7 pm. Hence could not go for a test drive. Except for the scheduled updates, most of the concerns that I highlighted were still present even after servicing but remedy successfully logged in their system! In the whole of 9hrs at the service center, my car was attended for max 1hr with remaining time waiting for either technician/idle. I insisted on only exterior body wash as Aadya had the Semi-auto touchless washing. Stood there with the car & saw to it that the polish(White watery spray) is not put on interior dash & the tyres. BCM & Infotainment updates were done. Had to wait for another hour for the Job card to be closed & the invoicing. I like the confidence, these SA guys show & the way they convince you that either the issue is rectified or try proving that issue doesn't exist.

Invoice:


As you can see from the list, most of the concerns highlighted are just checkups & few issues with infotainment that gets ironed out with software updates. Even those were not attended to by the service guys. Decided not to have a long list & just have 4 important issues highlighted in TMSC app. Did not want those small issues lead to the bigger ones. Nothing is perfect & I could live with the rest.
Second visit to Aadya motors(Now Adishakti):
Date: 03/05/2018
Kms: 5638
Service Type: Campaign

I could observe no improvement in the pickup (Most important for me as I was not getting the real power that I was supposed to be getting) while driving back home. Hence decided to log a complaint in TMSC app. Received a call from Naveen, from Aadya (who is still in Indica mode). He insisted me to drop the car myself on weekdays which is not possible (I login at the office by 7.30 am & reach home in the evening by 6 pm) & I was not free for the rest 2 weekends. He sent me a template mail stating my car would be serviced when I have the time & when I drop off the vehicle at Aadya. The complaint was raised due to their inefficiency & I didn't want to waste my time again. Escalated his mail response to customer care & then Sushanth, (Customer Relationship executive) from Aadya called me. He arranged for pickup of my car from my office. The driver didn't arrive that day as there was some miscommunication due to system updates, as Aadya was changing to Adishakti. Called them back & fixed an appointment again on 3rd May.

Below list was highlighted with most important ones as I didn't want these service guys to work on very minor issues & result in some major part replacements!

1. Handbrake adjustment..(Doesn't stop at an incline)
8. 2-3-4 gears do not slot sometimes.
9. The left front door doesn't open when request sensor is pressed
13. Pickup / turbo function. observed lacking power while overtaking. Many times.
15. Left front seat doesn't lock. Kat Kat sound from seat railing.
17. The camera doesn't switch on when reverse is engaged.
Added new point on wiper as I could see that the wiper was leaving a line of dirt while wiping.

Suresh was the SA assigned as he had attended during the previous visit. Explained to him(Over phone) that 1, 8 13, 17 are most important & he can deliver my car only after these are resolved. He promised me to deliver by 4 pm at my office as these were all minor issues that can be fixed at the earliest. Strict instruction not to wash the car was given.
Received a call from Sushanth that the issue in line no. 9 & 15 cannot be done that day as the bodyshop guy was absent & he requested to leave the car till next day for rectifying it. These 2 issues were not major for me & it could wait till next service. Hence asked them to drop off the car if all other major issues are rectified. Received my car by 4.30 pm & I could see that the gears were slotting smoothly & the car had more power & now was behaving as a real beast. I had missed this grunt till now! SA didn't give me the details of what was done but the car was real smooth now & I didn't bother with what was done. All other issues are still pending but they are not major & that might affect the performance in the long run. Hence these will wait for the third service!

Job Card:


Invoice:



As you guys can see, I had to have repetitive visits to the separate service centers within just 6months of ownership with 5000kms of running & those minor issues that were highlighted during the first month is still there. I don't see any difference in both the TASC centers way of working & they both lag behind in their service quality, for customer satisfaction, forget customer delight.


TM has wowed the market with Nexon and is effortlessly snatching away customers from its competitors owing to innovative design and quality. Nexon is robust, safe, feature rich and more bang for the buck too.
But the quality of service offered at TASS leaves a lot to be desired. They appear to be lagging behind on the technical expertise, attention to the problems raised, commitment to resolve the issues and also customer interface. TM should appreciate that they are no more attending to just the commercial/yellow board vehicle owners. Now they are catering to individual buyers who treat the car as their own family member and expect a lot more from the manufacturer. It’s high time for TM to improve their after-sales service department too. I am sure if TM succeeds in doing so and gain customer trust, not just the car even TM will be a proud part of every buyer’s family.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[roadrunner_nv]

Man! That’s one detailed write up. But then, such a write up can only be expected from someone who’s in love with his car. Wish you many more miles in this fantastic car!

Just one question though, while TDing the Nexon, I had concerns over the entry and exit from the rear seat. Do you find this as a concern with your car?

[paragsachania]

Congratulations and here's wishing many happy miles behind the wheel of your beast.

Having seen the Nexon in person while we went car hunting for a friend, I have loved the compact dimensions and the color options available which one can truly call cool.

I seriously didn't want to mention this on the ownership thread but since you have mentioned about the near miss in your review, I only have one advise : Please, Please...As much as possible, when the path is clear, remain on the left or center lane and avoid driving next to the median. It could be a truck like this or a cattle or even a pedestrian who would suddenly jump out that bush and the experience can be really nasty and life threatening.

There can be a lot of debates and arguments about miscellaneous traffic that often blocks one's seamless speeds but this will be limited to urban or semi-urban areas where speeds are also on the lower side.

All the best and am sure you will have a delightful ownership experience with the Nexon.

[Nitish.arnold]

How would you rate the rear headroom, which is less due to the slope in roof-line, as compared to the competition.

Fantastic thread though, rated 5 star.

[Sebring]

Excellent review of an otherwise exceptional car! Detail out the amazing space inside, a bit, then that should cover it. Rated a well deserved 5 Star! Good luck with your car, Bro!

[ShivrajG]

Wow! that is a very detailed write-up. First of all Congratulations on you car and wishing you best. Nexon is a gem of a car and your review gives it a exceptional edge over others. Man you are in love with this Mean Machine. Thanks for sharing the details about the accessories and this will definitely help people looking for upgrade.
That near miss is frightening and I agree with @paragsachania that one should be around middle or left lanes when cruising.

[Enobarbus]

Outstanding review Manjunag. Your love for the car comes through so well. Wish you all the very best with the beast.
Since you have mentioned, I too feel that there is a shortage of power, especially after the ECU update. My car falls due for third service this month. Will get it checked.