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Old 24th September 2021, 18:49   #1
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A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

"All of us see the world in our own ways"

This quote sums up the underlying dilemma that forces one to go through a roller coaster ride while “buying one’s next car”. Ladies and gentlemen, please grant me the privilege of sharing the story of our new steed, a Tata Nexon 2021 XM (Petrol), lovingly christened as “the Vagabond”, or “Bhabaghure”, if you know a little Bengali.

Our Nexon on a summer drive through rural Bengal
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-nexonbadshahiroad.jpg

Nexon on a monsoon drive
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-dji_0341p5.png

The first Autumn for our Nexon
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-vid_20210905_0900151.png

Team-BHP already has a comprehensive review of Tata Nexon, as given here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...al-review.html (Tata Nexon : Official Review). So I would better not make any attempt to describe its technical details, power figures etc. Rather, I would try to pen down our personal experiences and perceptions about our new steed.

Last edited by gmhossain : 28th September 2021 at 14:37.
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Old 24th September 2021, 19:05   #2
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

The background:

Purchasing one’s first car is easy. Your soul is pure and your slate is clean. You know a little. You worry a little. Besides, you are supremely confident about your decision. Unfortunately, once you grow older things become a bit complicated! Specially, when the words like mid-range punch, unnerving cornering or the flat-spots in the power-curve start corrupting your soul then there is no escape. Taking a final call between two cars for a confused soul like me is a herculean task but deciding between more than two is a pure torture.

For our case, I was looking for a car in the crossover or compact SUV segment where currently there are too many competent choices. Consequently, the situation couldn’t be any worse.

Our first car : A pre-owned Subaru Legacy AWD
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-pict0127.jpg

The rationale:

After managing to survive in this world for last four decades, I have learnt a key lesson. Nothing is perfect in this world, be it a man or a machine. At every step in life, one must prioritize some aspects more than the others. Buying a new car is no different.

Our previous car, a 2011 Maruti Zen Estilo, was a nice car and we enjoyed every bit of it. You will find many travelogues here at Team-BHP with our beloved Estilo. Nevertheless, we also experienced its limitations. There were a couple of incidents where the car needed to be sent to the body shop. Thankfully, these incidents happened when the car was either stationary or in near stationary situations. However, it was rather unnerving to see the extent of damages to the car, given the minor impacts it had.

Our last car : A Maruti Suzuki 2011 Zen Estilo VXI
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_4643.jpg

Secondly, ten years ago when we bought the Zen Estilo, a visit to our family home at Malda would take around 9 to 10 hours. The distance was merely a 270 km. However the drive was along the dreaded Kolkata - Siliguri route ( https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route...d-nh-34-a.html (Kolkata - Siliguri route via Dumka, Bhagalpur or NH-12 (old NH-34)) ) with narrow roads and innumerable number of trucks. Fortunately, this highway has improved dramatically in the last few years. We now routinely make this trip in 6 hours. With expected completion of a few more under-construction sections in a year or two, this drive time would go down by an hour or so. The bottom line is that the average speed on the highway in which we drive regularly, has now doubled compared to what it used to be a decade ago. Thus, the urge for a safer car for our highway drives had become a necessity of late. So it was a unanimous decision between me, my better half and our daughter that our next car must be a safer car, with demonstrable data points.

Nexon along Kolkata - Siliguri (Darjeeling) highway : Once a dreaded highway, is now transforming!
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-dji_03053.png

The budget:

This has always been the hardest task for me to decide on the budget for our next car. The reason however, is simple. We reside in a campus where my office and residence are within walking distances of each other! Frankly, you can ask me, "do you really need a car?". "Well no, yes or maybe!"

However, we do hit the highways, and that too regularly. We are troubled souls who are bitten by the travel bug with no cure in sight! Basically, a car for me is an asset written off from my book on the day of its purchase. So this time, for some random reasons, I decided to write off Rs. 9 lakh for our next car.

Nexon looking towards its parking lot
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210801_100928.jpg

Last edited by gmhossain : 27th September 2021 at 15:02.
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Old 24th September 2021, 20:46   #3
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Which car?

A natural question then was: why not look for the safest possible options within our given budget? So having the privilege of a BHPian, I posted this question on this very forum. What should be our next car, GNCAP 5-star rated, Altroz XT or Nexon XM (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/what-...troz-xt-3.html (Advice needed: Tata Nexon XM vs Altroz XT) )? The opinions from the experts poured in and the Nexon was voted for overwhelmingly. At home, my better half and daughter too had pitched for Nexon very strongly. Their arguments were based on its look, segment leading ground clearance and almost sofa like comforts at the rear seats where they would spend a considerable amount of time.

Being smitten by the looks, my second thought for bringing the Altroz into consideration, was dumped in the dustbin. This way the peace at home was ensured (in case you are married, you need no explanation!) . To be honest, Nexon also was in my cross-hair for a while.

Nexon's back-seats : among the best in the segment
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210807_113811.jpg

Nexon's front-seats : comfy that holds you tight!
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210807_113907.jpg

We and our Nexon
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210406_101330.jpg

Pandemic -- what is that?

In the meantime, something crazy was happening around the world. Apparently, a global pandemic -- we had read about the term “pandemic” only in our text books -- was raging in many countries. Soon, India joined the league and declared a total lockdown in March to arrest the spread of novel Coronavirus. When the very existence of life is in the cross-hair, everything else gets the least priority. So our car purchase plan was put on hold indefinitely.

Come November, India seems to have managed the initial onslaught of the Coronavirus well. Or so it seemed at that time. Life had started slowly moving towards “normalcy” (alas, how more wrong could we be!). We decided to resume the process of buying our next car, a Tata Nexon.

The government, in the meanwhile, had made an attractive announcement for utilizing the unspent LTC benefits in the form of cash vouchers. Suddenly, it looked like we could get a Nexon XZ variant within our earmarked budget for the XM variant. However, I let my head take the call and we decided to stick to our original plan. After all, for me a car is an asset which is written off on the day of purchase. So if here we have a lucky opportunity to significantly reduce the outgo from our book then why not use it for good!

Maiden drive of our new Nexon -- in the era of global pandemic
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210206_130736.jpg

Booking Experience:

After we were ready to move ahead, I got in touch with BHPian arjab. He suggested me to get in touch with the Sales Head of Dulichand Motors in Kolkata. I spoke to the dealership over the phone in the evening and on the very next day a BS6 Nexon was at our doorstep for a test drive. Maybe I should mention that the distance between our residence and the dealership was more than 65 km! Both me and my better half test drove the car and after experiencing the drive we decided to book the Nexon XM variant with Dulichand Motors in Kolkata. The dealership offered us a package deal for Rs. 8.55 lakh all inclusive. I guess, here too the reference of BHPian arjab helped me to get a deal which was much lower than my other quote and that too without even asking (Thanks arjab ). Additionally, they promised to give us 3 minor freebies: a set of foot-mats, mud-flaps and a perfume.

The formal booking was done on Nov 9, 2020 by paying Rs. 51k. After waiting for more than 2 months, we were informed about our allotment. Subsequently, by following Team BHP checklist, we completed the PDI of our Nexon XM(P) at the stockyard of Dulichand Motors, Kolkata on January 20, 2021. Their stockyard was quite far from the showroom and the car was covered in a layer of dust. Apart from that, the car appeared alright to us. The odometer reading was at 11 km. During PDI, we played FM through the Harman music system and we were truly impressed. Truth be told, the Nexon has the best OEM music system in its segment.

We asked our dealer for two additional fittings at the time of delivery: fog lamp and parcel tray of similar specification as in XZ variant. For these two fittings, they quoted a price of around ~6K including installation charges. After seeking some suggestions from BHPians, I asked them to connect the trigger of the fog lamp relay with the low beam. This would serve my purpose and we did not need to put any extra switch in the cabin.

PDI at the stockyard -- armed with the Team-BHP checklist
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-nexonpdi.jpg

Dashboard of our Nexon XM
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210807_113532.jpg

The final cost break-up (in INR):
  • Ex-showroom price: 784500
  • Registration including misc service charges: 49328
  • Zero-dep insurance (1+3): 24629
  • Fog lamp & Parcel tray: 5980
  • Discount: 3457
  • The total cost on the road: 855000
Luckily, we received cash vouchers worth of 121269, in lieu of unspent LTC benefits, for the purchase of Nexon. Secondly, from the sell of Zen Estilo, we got another 110000. Therefore, for us, on the purchase of new Nexon the net outgo turned out to be INR 623731, a figure considerably lower than our planned budget!

Last edited by gmhossain : 27th September 2021 at 16:06.
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Old 24th September 2021, 22:27   #4
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Home delivery:

After the PDI, we made full payment to the dealer through online transfer. The long wait finally ended and we were informed that our Nexon along with the HSRP plate was ready for delivery. In the meanwhile, the Corona pandemic had begun its second innings across the world with an unimaginable ferocity. The statistics for our country were getting ominous every day. The very thought of going to Kolkata to take the delivery sounded a bit unnerving to us!

So we asked our dealership to deliver the car at our home and they agreed to it. Nevertheless, I managed to ship a pair of gift boxes from Amazon to our sales advisor and sales head. These chocolate boxes were delivered to them just before our Nexon left their premises.

After a 70 km ride from Kolkata on its Day 1, the Nexon was delivered at our home on Feb 4, 2021. The odometer reading stood at 92 km. I also paid a generous honorarium to the driver who drove it to our home with care!

Nexon at home
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-nexon1.jpg

The first few mods:

Few days later, we decided to carry out the first DIY mod on our Nexon: a simple yet highly satisfying task -- spray painting the wheel caps. The result was way beyond our own expectations!

With the help of a skilled assistant -- any job is easier!
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-vid_20210207_1525501.png

Spray painted wheelcaps
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-nexon3.jpg

We then transferred the dashcam from the Zen Estilo to Nexon. Following the instructions of BHPian Reinhard, I did a proper routing of power cable by opening up the plastic cover of the A-pillar. Frankly, it was a bit scary to open up the A-pillar cover of a brand new car! At the end, it was all good. The next thing was to put up the Team-BHP sticker.

Power cable routing for the dashcam
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210213_160800.jpg

Papa, this is the right place for the Team-BHP sticker -- so be it
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210228_113429.jpg

Then I wanted to find a proper solution for mounting my phone for GPS navigation. I somehow do not like the suction-cup mount on the windshield. After several round of experimentation, I finally managed to come up with a solution using the mounting brackets of the action camera. This is sturdiest phone mounting set-up that I have ever used.

3-axis movable phone mount, along with cold-shoe mounting slot, for our Nexon
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210807_114056.jpg

A Rs. 30 fix for a major design flaw:

Personally I find Nexon's segment-leading ground clearance to be a boon for us. On top of it, the Nexon also has a flared wheel well. While both of these features have their own positives but together they create a major headache for the owner, to maintain it clean! Let the picture speak for itself.

A cleanly washed car after a 1.5 km ride over a mildly wet road:
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-mudguardflaw.jpg

This was really bothering me a lot, given I try to keep our car maintained impeccably. Subsequently, I made a few attempts to address this issue but without much success. After a few trial-n-error approach, I finally managed to nail it down. I procured a part of a old tube of a vehicle tyre from a neighborhood garage by paying him Rs. 20! Then I paid Rs. 10 for a pair of Fevikwik superglue sachets.

Two rectangular pieces of dimension 5'' X 6'' were cut out from the tube. The superglue was then applied to a part measuring 2'' X 5'' on these pieces as well as on the existing mud-flaps of Nexon. These pieces were then attached to the existing mud-flaps! I needed to turn the steering wheel to access the full mud-flaps easily. Again, let the pictures speak for themselves!

Key ingredients and tools
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-mgtools.jpg

Nexon with a newly made Mudflap extension
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210717_113503.jpg

Nexon with the newly made Mudflap extension, another angle
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210717_113508.jpg

Nexon after a 250 km monsoon drive with the mud-flap extension!
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210723_101704.jpg

Another monsoon drive
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-vid_20210829_1342461.png

It was a major satisfaction for me to see the solution worked so beautifully. It required only an inexpensive mud-flap extension, without compromising its effective ground-clearance.

Last edited by gmhossain : 25th September 2021 at 18:17.
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Old 24th September 2021, 23:11   #5
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

After-sales service:

We never owned a Tata earlier. So TASS is a completely new experience for us. We bought our Nexon from Dulichand Motors Kolkata. However, we got the last two services (first and second free service) done from Rudra Tata Motors Naihati, as this workshop is much closer to our home. The first service was so so. Except for the EMS firmware update, there wasn't much to do anyway!. However, during the second service I did report a couple of issues to the service advisor. One of them was related to the rear seat folding locks. Out of the two locks, one was not engaging fully. He listened to me diligently. I am happy that the issues were addressed and resolved during the second service.

During the ten years of ownership, our previous car, the Maruti Zen Estilo, was serviced at 4 different workshops. In the first 3 years, I tried 3 different authorized workshops and I wasn't fully satisfied with either of them. However, for the last 7 years I got all services done from a single MASS where I managed to have a good rapport with a very attentive service advisor.

I had similar plans also for the Tata service centers. Had the second service of our Nexon been not done to my satisfaction, I would have taken it to a different workshop during the next service. Luckily, my interaction with the Service Advisor at Rudra Tata was quite good. I plan to stick to this service center for Nexon's 3rd service at the least.

I should share this anecdote as well. After the first service, I had received a call from the Tata Motors for the service feedback. I had casually mentioned to them that the customer sitting area did not have AC. It's a small workshop and I did not have any expectations. However, during the second service, I found that a new AC has been put up in the lounge!

EMS firmware update during first service
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-nexonemsupdate.png

General inspection during the second service
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-vid_20210709_113844_exported_5621.jpg

A few of my personal observations:
  • Thick A-pillar:
    During my first attempt for a driving license in USA, I had failed the test. The reason was simple. Apparently, I did not move my head enough while approaching a junction with a green signal. The lesson was learnt, move your head enough to avoid the surprises from car's blind spots. So although I had read a lot about the issue of visibility due to Nexon's thick A-pillar. Personally, I never find it to be an issue, thanks to the lesson from the lady evaluator who gave me a straight -6 (negative six) point but wished me best of luck for the next attempt!

    Thick A-pillar
    A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210406_101345.jpg

  • 6-month service interval:
    Another aspect which personally I find rather useful but is listed as a negative in the Team-BHP review, is the 6-month service interval. Frankly, I had taken our Maruti Zen Estilo to the service center almost twice a year, although it had 1 year service interval. These extra visits were for one reason or the other. Sometime, it was to get its lousy brakes tighten up a bit before hitting the Himalayas. Considering the kind of roads that we drive on, I would be rather happy to take our Nexon to the service center for the service/checkup twice a year. At the minimum, it will ensure that the Nexon's under-body is washed at least twice a year!
  • Kitna deti hai?
    I guess, for us, no car review is complete without talking about the mileage of the car. Or to put it otherwise, "kitna deti hai?". It seems the mileage in a petrol Nexon depends a lot on the driver! Nevertheless, the mileage seems to have improved a bit over the time for us. Using the tankful-to-tankful method, the highest mileage that I have achieved with full AC in Sports mode is 16.9 kmpl. The lowest mileage was 8.3 kmpl but it was during the peak of second waves when I was down and the car was mostly stationary.

    A screenshot of Nexon's fuel log
    A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-mileage.jpg

  • Engine Performance:
    The petrol engine of our Nexon is certainly a noisy one, specially, if you are standing outside. However, once you are inside the cabin engine noise is well controlled, thanks to a very good noise insulation of the cabin. I am a sedate driver, be it in the city or on the highway. Nevertheless, I find Nexon's engine to be the most responsive in the Sports mode. On the highway, I always drive in the Sports mode and I also get the best mileage in this mode. It may sound counter-intuitive but if you prefer to cruise between 80 to 95 kmph on the 6th gear using the Sports mode, as I do, then you would hardly ever cross 2000 rpm. Moreover, in this sweet spot, the turbo-power remains accessible with just a little tap of the pedal.
  • Air Conditioner:
    The Nexon's air conditioner undoubtedly is a powerful one. It can literally chill the cabin and that too very quickly. Our XM variant doesn't have a separate blower at the rear. However, during our summer drive, with the fan speed set to level one, a frequent complaint that I heard from my daughter seating at the back seats, is, "Papa, AC bondho koro" (Papa, shut off the AC, please)! The blower fan becomes a bit noisy at the speed level 2 or higher.
  • Music System:
    I enjoy listening to a good music during our drives be it short one or a longer one. I must say that the Harman music system that comes in the XM variant is a superb one. I guess, another advantage of having a good music system in Nexon is that it effectively masks the remnant road or engine noise that gets inside the cabin.
  • Driving ergonomics and ride quality:
    It took me sometime to get used to the Nexon's wider body and the taller bonnet while driving. I am 5' 10'' whereas my better half is 5' 3'' who also drives the car occasionally. After the initial struggles, both of us have now figured out our own comfortable driver-seat positions. Overall, the ride quality in the Nexon is very good. Nevertheless, a low-speed ride over a badly broken road can surely be felt inside the cabin.
  • Braking:
    Considering its heavier body, Nexon's braking performance is excellent. The braking is sure-footed and precise. After having dealt with Zen Estilo's lousy braking system for a decade, it feels so re-assuring.
  • Hill-hold assist:
    This is a feature, I have started appreciating only after using it in our Nexon. Earlier, I used to engage the hand-brake for resuming the car on an uphill drive. Basically, Nexon's hill-hold assist system gives you 2-3 second of on-hold period during which you can move your foot from B to A pedal, without the car rolling backward. Our parking lot is located on a raised platform that needs to be accessed using a ramp. So this hill-hold assist feature of the Nexon comes really handy sometimes.
  • Anti-stall system:
    I found another hidden but useful feature in our Nexon, is its engine anti-stall system. So while driving up to our parking lot, we simply slot it in the first gear and then take off the foot from the A-pedal. The car will nicely crawl up the ramp in a smooth manner, by self-adjusting the fuel-supply to the engine!

Finally, the summary of initial ownership experiences:

I plan to keep this thread updated with my experiences as they come. However, it's a good idea now to summarize our initial ownership experiences. Our Tata Nexon has been with us for the last eight months and it has clocked around 3200 km in the odometer amidst the pandemic.

The Ugly:
  • What is that?

The Bad:
  • Gear shifting: Gear shifting is sometimes a bit notchy, especially slotting into 3rd gear sometimes needs a second attempt. Also, taking the gear lever out from reverse requires a particular sequence. Otherwise, it could get tricky sometimes.

  • Headlight: The light output from the low beam is underwhelming. The high beam appears just adequate to me.

  • Inconsistent fit and finish: A pair of observant eyes will notice a few inconsistencies, especially in plastic fitments. I would certainly rank the Altroz having better plastic fittings. Having said that, our BS6 Nexon has better fit and finish compared to the BS4 Nexon that I had test driven in 2019.

  • A mysterious rattle: Once in a blue moon I hear a mild ‘krr krr’ rattling noise coming out from somewhere near the C pillar. It is faint but irritating in an otherwise quiet cabin. What makes it frustrating is that I could not reproduce it in front of the Service Advisor even once. Although we had taken a long drive through the worst possible interior road, during the second service.

Nexon's headlight -- My better half behind the wheel with daughter on-board
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-vid_20210623_1832081.png

The Good:
  • Solid thud. The front doors close with solid thud. Frankly, this sound is sweet! Maybe I should mention here that the facelift BS6 Nexon which has slightly redesigned bonnet, has not been crash tested again. However, as per the RC of the car, our facelift BS6 Nexon XM (P) has an unladen weight of 1191 kg. In contrast, the BS4 Nexon which scored GNCAP 5 star, had an unladen weight of 1188 kg. In other words, BS6 Nexon is in fact slightly heavier, thus, ruling out any significant structural changes in the facelift Nexon.

  • Seats: The OEM fabric seats are fabulous. Initially, we thought of buying a set of seat covers. Lucky us, we did not do so! It would require a bit of more maintenance but they are worth the efforts.

  • Back-seat comforts: My better half and daughter had strongly pitched for the Nexon. Their reasoning was simple: rear seats have sofa-like comfort which makes those long drives much more comfortable. Three long drives that we have taken so far, my girls have only praised the backseat comfort.

  • Ground Clearance: While driving to our ancestral home, I used to curse the contractor who made those humongous concrete speed bumps on both sides of a railway underpass. In the Nexon, those scary underbelly scraps are things of the past.

  • 6th gear: I am a sedate driver and I find the 6th gear extremely useful for cruising.

  • Look: You may like it or hate it. However, there is no denying that with its unique design, the Nexon stands out among the crowds of other cars. The Nexon is a looker and after parking I turned around to see it at least twice!

See the world through my wanderer eyes -- The Vagabond, aka "Bhabaghure"
A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up-img_20210206_162544.jpg

Last edited by gmhossain : 28th September 2021 at 15:01.
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Old 29th September 2021, 05:10   #6
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!
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Old 29th September 2021, 09:57   #7
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Very nice ownership review and a very calm, honest, and direct writing style. Greatly appreciated!

Congratulations on your Nexon, and for your logical thinking. A Nexon XM at the price of a base Altroz is a very sweet deal (incentives included). I would have been very sorely tempted to go for the diesel XM for the price of a petrol, I must be honest.

Whenever you go for a trip next, a short video from your dash cam of the type of roads you typically encounter would be great. My experience of roads is WB is limited to the wonderful roads in Kolkata city.

Would also like to know why you did not consider the SCross. It is one of the best built Marutis, and the official TBHP review speaks of this paricularly.
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Old 29th September 2021, 10:11   #8
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Loved reading the ownership thread! Given how you often you travel on WB's highways, I think the Nexon is an excellent choice and will serve you well for quite a few years to come. The idea of spray painting the wheelcaps is absolutely brilliant!

Ps: I keep watching your vlogs to get updates on the state of WB highways and your video on route for Kolkata to Siliguri was my go to video for my honeymoon trip in December! So a big thank you for that!
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Old 29th September 2021, 12:01   #9
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Congratulations!! on getting Nexon. Wonderful ownership thread, I want to ask why you did not consider XM(S) variant as it had a sunroof, steering mounted buttons.

"Gear shifting: Gear shifting is sometimes a bit notchy, especially slotting into 3rd gear sometimes needs a second attempt. Also, taking the gear lever out from reverse requires a particular sequence. Otherwise, it could get tricky sometimes."
Sir this issue I also faced in my Nexon XZ+ (P) 2019 initially, but after crossing the 10,000 km mark and after 3rd service, the gear shifts have improved a lot and got smoother.
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Old 29th September 2021, 12:08   #10
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

What an amazing ownership review Dada. Just loved reading it. The spray painting of wheel caps to give them that alloy wheel looks is just brilliant creativity. Hope to meet you in our future Team-bhp meets in Kolkata.
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Old 29th September 2021, 12:20   #11
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Darun likhecchen bhai!

Your threads and travelogues never cease to amaze me and my wife. Being away from Bengal, we often live our "roadtrips" through yours, by reading them here! Wish you many thousands of miles on your new bahon. It is a great choice and a perfect companion for a true Bhpian like you!

All the best to you and your family.
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Old 29th September 2021, 13:20   #12
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Wonderful scribble Golam!
Succinct, incisive and to the point. The Foliage Green looks very elegant on the Nexon. Couple that to your eagle - eyed maintenance and care and you have one really shiny piece of metal!

By the way, how are you finding the stock Goodyear Assurance's? After 10k+ odd kms on my BS-4 Nexon, the Goodyear's are proving to be below average. While air retention and puncture resistance is ok, am finding traction out of corners, [read that as uphill Pankhabari types ], and on slightly gravelly routes to be very poor. Am looking at AT tyre options but none are available in the 195/60 size. The closest is 215/65-16's. That's quite a tall profile and am not sure whether it'll foul the wheel-arches when the car is loaded, going downhill and under full lock.
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Old 29th September 2021, 15:24   #13
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Such a nice ownership review! Thanks for sharing all the details.

It is really nice to see the effective mods on the wheel cap and mud flaps. Really neat and effective.
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Old 29th September 2021, 16:36   #14
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

Quote:
Originally Posted by vasanthn21 View Post
It is really nice to see the effective mods on the wheel cap and mud flaps. Really neat and effective.
Thank you so much vasanthn21. Indeed, the mud-flap extension is very effective.

Quote:
Originally Posted by arjab View Post
By the way, how are you finding the stock Goodyear Assurance's? .. [read that as uphill Pankhabari types]
Thanks a lot arjab! I am yet to put those tyres on a tough track such as Pankhabari. Let me see, if thing goes as planned, these tyres could taste their first Himalayan run in the weekend (no, not Pankhabari type terrain )!

Quote:
Originally Posted by lapis_lazuli View Post
Your threads and travelogues never cease to amaze me and my wife. Being away from Bengal, we often live our "roadtrips" through yours, by reading them here!
Thank you so much for your kind words, lapis_lazuli, truly appreciated!

Quote:
Originally Posted by swiftvxi06 View Post
What an amazing ownership review Dada... Hope to meet you in our future Team-bhp meets in Kolkata.
Thanks a ton swiftvxi06. Sure, let's hope, we meet in the next Team-BHP Kolkata meet. Actually, I have missed last few meets and looking forward positively.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ADFreak8322 View Post
Congratulations!! on getting Nexon. Wonderful ownership thread, I want to ask why you did not consider XM(S) variant as it had a sunroof, steering mounted buttons.
Thank you very much ADFreak8322. I too hope that gear shift becomes bit more smooth over time. We had looked at XM(S) variant too. Somehow, none of us was bothered much about the sunroof as a feature.

Quote:
Originally Posted by scuderiamania View Post
Loved reading the ownership thread! ... your video on route for Kolkata to Siliguri was my go to video for my honeymoon trip in December! So a big thank you for that!
I am glad, it helped you a bit on your special drive! Thank you scuderiamania and with best wishes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VeluM View Post
Would also like to know why you did not consider the SCross. It is one of the best built Marutis, and the official TBHP review speaks of this paricularly.
Thank you so much VeluM! Actually, a mid-variant SCross was way beyond our budget.

Quote:
Originally Posted by VeluM View Post
Whenever you go for a trip next, a short video from your dash cam of the type of roads you typically encounter would be great. My experience of roads is WB is limited to the wonderful roads in Kolkata city.
Here is a recent one, and with the Nexon. You would see both good (pretty!) as well as bad (under-construction, in last 3 minutes in the video) stretches of Kolkata - Siliguri highway. I hope, you enjoy it.
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Old 29th September 2021, 20:16   #15
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re: A Vagabond’s chronicle | Ownership review of our 2021 Tata Nexon XM Petrol | EDIT: 22,000 km up

From a Subaru to a Tata Nexon, that’s quite an eventful journey. A fantastic read of a vehicle that is turning heads by a loadful these days. Going by the looks of it, I am already expecting some scintillating travelogues real soon. Wishing you and your family many miles with your Nexon, it was lovely going through the ownership report. Special mention of the nifty DIY works, must say, they have actually added another dimension to the already loaded car.

Regards.
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