[Apex1815]

Dear BHPians,

Greetings !!

This is my First ever ownership review of a vehicle on Team Bhp. I am writing this review after my Four months of ownership of TATA Nexon XZ Petrol (Manual).

Previous Car Ownerships:
Before Nexon I have owned Maruti Alto K10 (pre-worshipped car which I used for 1 year) & New Hyundai Grand i10 1.2 Sportz (Petrol) used for 4 years .

The Need for a new car (replacement of Grand i10):
I had a wonderful 4 yrs experience with Hyundai & The Grand i10.
However during our holiday trips, we a family of Three (Me, My wife & Four years old son) often explored some remote places/village areas which had unpaved or broken roads, I started feeling the need of a vehicle having higher ground clearance. Additionally, the potholes (some times giving the impression of wells) in Bangalore city added fuel to my need to upgrade to a vehicle having higher ground clearance.

Initial Selection Criteria
Gradually I was quite clear, that the next Car has to be a Cross Over (Sub 4mtr)
While the thought to upgrade the car was there around, I started listing out the essential requirements in the our next car.
Budget : Around INR 12 Lacs
Safety : Has to be a safer car. (GNCAP ratings helped here).
Ground Clearance : Around 200 mm
Engine : The general running is around 800 Km per month and considering the reducing gap between Petrol & diesel Prices, I opted for Petrol Engine.
Transmission : Manual. I stay near Yehlanka (Bangalore) and rarely go towards the densely traffic areas in the city, so could manage with Manual Transmission.
Handling : Should feel planted on highway speeds during long ride.

Market Offerings in this segment:
There are already a lot of players in Sub 4 mtr Cross Over (Compact SUV segment), so selecting One out of Ten was going to be an exciting task.

The candidates which I shortlisted initially :
1) Mahindra XUV 300
2) Ford Figo
3) Hyundai Venue
4) Maruti Brezza

The candidates which I did not consider initially:
1) KIA Sonet: Poor safety rating of its cousin Seltos kept me away from this.
2) TATA Nexon: Sorry, It is a TATA.
3) Honda WRV: Is it still manufactured?
4) Urban Cruiser: Not interested in Re-Badged car.
5) Nissan Magnite: Nissan's prior performance in the market kept me away from Magnite.
6) Renault Kiger: Not from a very established manufacturer.

There may not be a perfect car, but you have to shortlist One , considering your likings & dislikings.

Test Drive & Initial Impressions:
My following personal opinion on these cars is subjective and is not intended to hurt any of fellow bhpians (The +ves are -ves are to shortlist the desired candidate ).

1) Maruti Suzuki Brezza : While it was an unplanned visit to Maruti Showroom. I was on the way to home and stuck in huge traffic. Just on the Left Hand side was a Maruti showroom so I steered my car towards the showroom so as to wait for traffic to reduce and meanwhile to have a look on Brezza. Had a discussion with the Sales person and had a detailed look on the car and interior. Spent around 15 minutes discussing about the car. The Test drive car had gone out for the drives and was not expected back to the showroom anytime soon.
Anyways I was quite clear, that I am not going for Brezza. So politely refused for the Test Drive in future.

Brezza (+ve):
- Reliability of Maruti.
- Fuel Efficiency
- Pretty safe (4 star rating)

Brezza (-ve):
- Interiors and overall looks felt way outdated.
- In terms of features, competitors offer much better.
- Feels quite pricey for what Maruti offers in this car.

Verdict : Rejected

2) Mahindra XUV 300 : Visited to showroom and liked the car. I was very skeptical about the Fuel efficiency of a Petrol XUV 300 so thought of stretching the budget to accommodate the Diesel one. The Test Drive of Diesel XUV 300 was immediately arranged and I was impressed with the driving dynamics. I felt like after an initial Trubo Lag, the Cheetah is roaring “ Give me the roads , I will conquer”.
I had W6 variant in my mind and discussed with the sales team about the same. The sales lady explained that recently some of the features have been omitted from W6 variant like ICE will be the basic one, Hand rest removed etc. Gradually, I realized that I may have to go for the W8 variant which was beyond my budget so I quit XUV 300. It appears that with the gradual reduction in features in mid variant the only feasible option is W8 variant.

XUV 300 (+ ve):
- 5 star GNCAP Rating
- Spacious. Rear Seat can accommodate 3 adults.
- Low end torque
- Solid Thud of the Doors reflects the build.

XUV 300 (-ve):
- Many features removed in the Mid variants.
- Less Boot Space (But compensated by a good leg space at Rear).
- Ground clearance

Verdict : Had to reject

3) Hyundai Venue: After test driving XUV 300, I went to nearby Hyundai showroom and Test Drove Hyundai Venue 1.0 Turbo petrol. Since I was already a Hyundai customer, the sales people promised to offer me good price for my outgoing Grand i10 as well. Venue drove well but since half an hour before I had driven an XUV 300 (which was very spacious. Thanks to the white interior and white seat covers of XUV which I drove), I felt like claustrophobic with all black interior of Venue. (Actually my Grand i10 was giving more spacious feel owing to beige interiors).

Venue (+ve):
- Hyundai Reliability (My past good experience with Grand i10)
- Front Looks
- Refined Engine
- Smooth Gearshifts

Venue (-ve)
- Claustrophobic with all black interiors.
- Rear Leg Space
- Boot door looks (Kwid vibes)
- Steering (Feels too light at high speed like Grand i10).
- Not sure of crash test ratings (Have not read anywhere)
- Suspension : I found it to be on stiffer side. Car shakes even on small undulations.

Verdict : Rejected

4) Ford Figo (Honourable Mention in the List) :
Besides knowing the pros & cons of this gem, I did not go to showroom for Test drive as the rumours of Ford exiting India was already around.

Verdict : Rejected

Until this time I could not finalize any of the cars.

Entry of TATA & the TATA Dilemma:
TATA Nexon was never in my consideration list because of the Truck image associated with TATA. Additionally, aged TATA sumos, Indigos, Indicas always kept me away from this brand.
But as I could not zero on one car, I started to explore for more options in the segment starting with Nexon. Also, I noticed that overall sales of Nexon is quite impressive, I could notice lot of Nexons within the city.
Since, nobody in my friend circle or peer group had Nexon, so I started exploring about it online and went through dozens of expert & ownerships reviews on Youtube & Team bhp. Within few days I had fairy understood the Nexon and decided to move one step further towards this car i.e The Test Drive.
So one fine weekend, we walked into the nearby TATA showroom without any prior appointment. The Sales person was allotted within 10 minutes of waiting and immediately we could get a Nexon for Test Drive. I requested the Sales person that I wanted to see the performance of Nexon on broken roads so took the car on a 5 km stretch of pot holes.
I appreciate that the sales person completely wanted to demonstrate the capability of Nexon so insisted me to drive fast on pot holes, undulations etc.
It was like he was pointing a bad patch and directing me to drive fast over them. Anyways a total (To and fro) of 10 km test drive on almost no-road and I was sold for this car. I liked the way Nexon behaved on the broken roads. After the Test drive, we thanked the Sales person and told him that we need some time to finalize and left the showroom.

Overall we like Nexon and it appeared to fulfil all our requirements.

Variant Shortlisting : Nexon XZ 1.2 Petrol (Manual):
I was inclined towards XM variant initially but my wife pointed that XM variant does not have a Rear AC vent (Our Grand i10 used to have one) and therefore insisted to go for the XZ variant which comes with Rear AC vent. So, finally we decided XZ variant.

Color Shortlisting:
The previous cars (Alto & Grand i10) we owned were of Silver color so we wanted a different color this time.
Red Color : Nexon Red Gives Tomato ketchup color impressions. Hope it could be Altroz Red.
Blue Color : Strict No. The way it looked on Nexon.
Green Color : Looks nice. But dark colors need more maintenance.
White Color : Looks pale yellow over a period of time.
Silver Color : Here we go. Our Third car again Silver. (According to my experience Silver color ages slowly and needs less maintenance).

To me, The white Strips across TATA nexon are a big eye sore. Both of us actually hated those ceramic color stripes. Therefore, we decided that immediately after taking the delivery of our Nexon we will do Black wraps on the ceramic strips.
The very next day I came from office early, we (Me, my wife and my son) went to TATA showroom and booked the car.

Booking experience : The booking was done with initial advance of INR 21000 and The booking formalities were finished within half an hour and we were given around 2~3 months waiting period.
I asked Sales person that I will arrange the Car Insurance by myself to which he happily agreed. I could save around Rs 20,000 on the Insurance. (Showroom Quoted INR 50,000 whereas I could get a good deal on insurance in INR 30,000).

Waiting Period & Selling Grand i10:
We got the call from showroom within 20 Days of booking that Vehicle VIN Number has been allocated and the car will reach showroom in the next 10 days and we were asked to settle the payment.
After getting call from the showroom I contacted the Car selling portals and could sell my Grand i10 to one of those portal at a good price (within 2~3 Days). The next few Days, we were without car and had to manage by our Motorcycle.
Meanwhile, I settled the payment for the new car with Showroom by Sep 12, we were asked to take the delivery of the car on Sep 15 ,2021.

So overall we got the vehicle exactly after One month waiting period.

The D-Day and the Funny Incidence:
Anyways, the Car delivery date came Sep 15, Wednesday. We were given the Time slot of 3 PM for car delivery. I took half day from the office, wife reminded to bring sweets box while coming from office. On the way, I parked my bike near sweet shop but entered the Liquor shop which is very next to the Sweet shop. Since it is the usual liquor shop where I buy liquor from, I suddenly realized that in excitement I have entered the wrong shop. Anyways, went to the adjacent Sweet shop bought sweets and directly went to home.

The Nexon Delivery:
Everything was kept ready by the Sales Person. When we reached the showroom, the car was already there in the Delivery area. We went into the Showroom, the handover formalities were quickly done followed by Cake cutting ceremony and a brief introduction to the car and its features. The Car was delivered well witihin the promised time.
Overall Car buying experience was very nice and as par with my previous experience with Hyundai.


My son doing some Quality Check

The TATA Sales staff was very informative about the vehicle, cooperative enough to ensure that the entire sales process goes smooth.
Overall the Car costed me around INR 11 .20 Lacs (Insurance bought by myself).

Accessories Added :
From TATA Showroom:
- Mudflap
- Door Visor
- Chrome Garnish on the Door (After first service)
- Basic Mats (Later replaed by 7D mats from outside car accessory shop).
Outside Showroom:
- Black wrap on the ceramic Strips
- 7D Mats (I donot know why it is called 7D), anyways found it is useful.
- NEXON Mascot on the Bonnet (Ordered from Boodmo)
- Door Sill guards

My experience with Nexon:
So far I have driven this Car for around 4500 Kms and here is my understanding of this vehicle.
Aesthetics:
Front: looks minimal and beefy. This adds MACHO stance to the vehicle.


Rear : The ugly white strips spoil the rear look. Anyways I did Black wrapping. This was a tedious task for the “ Wrapper ” especially on the contour where TATA logo sits. Anyways he did the clean job and has fix this rear black wrap in a single piece. Now the Rear look has enhanced.



Side : The curvy roof near C pillar gives a different look than the typical boxy looks of other cars in this segment. I think this is done to reduce the mass to balance the Higher Centre of Gravity.
Ceramic Strips black wrapped at side too:


Build Quality: Definitely, this vehicle feels sturdy and heavy as compared to its competitor cars which I had driven. The doors close with a Thud and reminds you that TATA Steel is the cousin of TATA Motors.
Fit & Finish : Fit & Finish has some scope of improvement. There are certain points where fit & finish are not consistent.


Workmanship: The workmanship is something the neatness in the job done. Here TATAs lag and already pointed out by many owners before.
The ugly unfinished points near the engine are an eye sore. The paint quality is just average.



Engine :
The Engine is a Gem, In Sport Mode it Roars and gives a Thrilling experience.
If you are an enthusiast you will fall in love the way Nexon delivers the Power.
Drive Modes: The various modes provided (ECO, CITY , SPORT) allows user to select the Power & Torque distribution as per the terrain/road conditions. I liked this feature.
Noise Vibration and Harshness :
Noise : I love the way Nexon makes the sound (Grrrrrrrr………) especially while picking up in Sport model.

Vibrations: Vibrations can be easily felt when you start the vehicle especially first start in the morning

Transmission: The Gear throws are long and are not smooth. You need extra effort/tactics to engage reverse gear. The clutch pedal travel is longer due to which vehicle loses momentum when you change from first gear to second, especially at slow to medium speeds. So, this is not a Traffic Friendly car. Perspective buyers may note.

Steering: The Steering feels Light at slow speeds and heavy at faster speeds which makes it Fun to Drive on Highway rides.
The horn pad on the steering is to my liking. The right hand portion is dedicated for honking.


Ride Quality: The vehicle feels firm on the road at high speeds and inspires confidence while on highway duty. But needs to be careful (slow down) on curves as there is prominent body roll due to the height of the car.

Comfort : Seats being on the softer feel comfortable. (But expect back pain on longer drives due to soft cushioning). I have not travelled on its Rear seat. But the family and friends have appreciated the rear seat comfort.

Suspension: The suspension eats away all the undulations at hight speeds as desired. At slow speeds the mountain type speed brakers in the streets do bother and a spring effect (like vehicle diving in & out) is prominent on such speed breakers.
The Ground clearance & Suspension setup of Nexon is a big advantage on broken /unpaved roads. You just glide across the broken roads, the feeling is awesome.

Car Interiors:
- The Doors close with a Thud & the Plastic build quality is solid.
- The beige (white color interiors) & Black Piano finish add some glamour to the interior. The Black piano finish may catch scratch easily.


- The door upholstery is white so need to be maintained carefully.


- The Speedometer console is the Digital one which looks more like a kind of Video Game (Not to my taste). I like the Mechanical one with Speedometer and Tachometer of the same size (like that in Swift).


- HARMAN ICE has sufficient features to my requirement (Music, Navigation, Rear Camera). Rear Camera resolution just OK.
- The storage slots in the centre console are good for nothing. The USB slot area could have been designed better. The USB point should be on the wall of the slot rather than on the floor.

- The Umbrella holder is something many firends appreciated who sat in the car.


Lock / Unlock Mechanism : This is very thoughtfully executed in TATA Nexon. Nexon does not sound (Horn) while Locking & Unlocking. Nexon will make sound while Locking only if any of the Door is not fully closed. (Half a second Honk, only to remind you to close the partially closed door).

Ergonomics: I have noticed one ergonomic issue in Nexon. It may not be a concern for others since it bothered me, I am sharing it here. (For reference : I am a person with average build Ht : 5’7”)
I feel, The Foot Rest/Dead pedal of TATA Nexon is too close to the Clutch pedal. Initially I was feeling like it is hindering my foot, as my foot was hitting the Foot rest while pressing the clutch. I contacted the TATA showroom and checked other Nexons including the Test Drive car in the show room. The foot rest position was same in all Nexons. The showroom staff told me that I need to keep my foot straight while pressing clutch. (Since my earlier cars were not having foot rest, I was habitual of keeping left foot slightly inclined).



Initially I explored the following possibilities for this Foot rest Problem :
1) Getting it removed from the vehicle body. As per the showroom people, Foot rest is welded to the vehicle chasis therefore it is not advisable to be removed. After reaching home I explored it (though could not see it) by putting hand under the floor mat. I could feel it is bolted not welded to the body. Anyways just thought of living with it.
2) Thought of wearing shoe with lesser width to have lesser interference by operating clutch. (This was the most ridiculous solution).
Solutions :
1) Cut the 7 D mat which is over the hump, this has reduced the interference by about 5 mm.
2) Started clutch operation with foot pointing straight. (Gradually I have mastered this, now I donot see this Foot rest position as a concern). But still I feet the position of this foot rest/dead pedal is not ergonomically correct.
(While reading this many of the bhpians would have done Left foot movement to see how they move their left foot while operating clutch &#128522

Consumption of “Iraq ka Paani” :
So how much Iraq ka Paani (Petrol) does it consume ?
I have driven this Vehicle mostly in City & Sport Mode.
City Mode : 13.5 in city & 14 on highways
Sport Mode : 12 ~ 13.5 Km on highways
The Fuel Efficiency shown by the Instrument console is correct (+/- 0.3 Km). I have cross verified by Tank to tank method.

Service Experience:
First Service : As usual, First service was just a Medical check up and zero bill. Car was delivered as per the promised time. (No drama of Anti rust coating sale etc by Service advisor). I liked this.

Final Verdict :
This car is fun to drive for the Highway runs, rural roads, broken patches and the Solid build quality assures you of the Safe ride and will definitely give you the feeling of a Battle TANK.
From my experience this is not a traffic friendly car, Will take you out of your comfort zone in heavy traffic.
Overall I am delighted with the Sales & Service experience of TATA.
More on Technical Details have already been well covered by Experts in the official review by Team bhp.
Thank you for your valuable time for reading my Ownership review.
Posting a pic, Nexon near Nandi Hills (Posing with my friend's Brezza).

[condor]

Congrats on the getting the Nexon, one of the few cars I have taken a TD of (though I am glad I decided against giving my up my Storme).

The black wrap of the ceramic strip had given the Nexon a very different look. Cool idea.

Wishing you a long happy ownership !

[achyutaghosh]

Congratulations on the Nexon- perhaps the most VFM car in its segment. The tank like built, ample space, and excellent ride will keep you happy for years.

I too feel the ceramic strips are an eyesore. What a great idea it is to wrap those in black. I will recommend this to my friends who own Nexon.

I feel the Nexon also deserves snazzy alloys. When are you putting them on?

[Aditya]

Congratulations on the car. Good choice in the segment. The facelift improved the look of the car infinitely. The black wraps you have applied have sorted out whatever remaining faults there were with the look. Now it looks just perfect!

The Nexon is spacious on the inside and drives and handles well too. I was not too happy with its low speed ride when I reviewed it many years ago though.

Wishing you a many years and miles of happy motoring!

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by Aditya

I was not too happy with its low speed ride when I reviewed it many years ago though.

Presumably that is why Apex1815 feels it is not great in bumper to bumper traffic?
Is it a hard clutch problem?

[Nari01]

Hi Apex1815,
Great review!
Where did you get the wrap done? I also have a Nexon and my wife hates the ceramic strips. When I checked with 3M, they said it would cost 8k and take a full day.

[DevSunit]

Congratulations on the new ride. Nexon is the most VFM choice in the segment IMO. I too have Nexon in the same shade but a Petrol Auto . Wishing you millions of miles with the beast

[vasanthn21]

Congratulations on owning the Nexon. Nexon is the new Swift! Owning a TATA car myself, completely relate with all the points you have mentioned, as your are very unbiased in your post.

The paint, fit and finish and storage options in the cockpit - all need improvement. But, build, reliability, and performance has been top-notch so far.

The black wraps on the ceramic stripes is a very good mod.

Wishing you many years of happy ownership!

I am in the same boat as you in terms of vehicle color! All my rides have been silver in color, and yes, it is very easy to maintain compared to other colors.

Originally Posted by DevSunit

Congratulations on the new ride. Nexon is the most VFM choice in the segment IMO. I too have Nexon in the same shade but a Petrol Auto . Wishing you millions of miles with the beast

Not to digress - what is your feedback on the autobox?

[Apex1815]

Originally Posted by Nari01

Hi Apex1815,
Great review!
Where did you get the wrap done? I also have a Nexon and my wife hates the ceramic strips. When I checked with 3M, they said it would cost 8k and take a full day.

I got it done from a Local "Number Plate" shop. He did this side and rear wrap in INR 1600 and took around 2.5 hrs to complete the job. ( I think 3M Prices are just too high).

[DevSunit]

Originally Posted by vasanthn21

Not to digress - what is your feedback on the autobox?

Well It has been almost 12k kms and I am well satisfied with the performance. This is my Mom's Daily Drive and it's good in city. Whenever we need a moderate performance hike we switch it to Sports mode and it makes a good difference. But for the most time, the car runs in Manual mode and the way it pulls after the turbo lag is great. And if we need mileage, just put it in Eco mode. I have got about 20 kmpl Tank to Tank and also 8 kmpl (Manual Mode - Pedal to Metal)
I think it is more engaging than the 4 speed TC of Maruti and many CVTs. Yes there is a minor lag in 1-2 gears but that too is seen mainly in pedal to metal type drives.

[arjab]

Originally Posted by Apex1815

Ergonomics: I have noticed one ergonomic issue in Nexon.
I feel, The Foot Rest/Dead pedal of TATA Nexon is too close to the Clutch pedal. Initially I was feeling like it is hindering my foot, as my foot was hitting the Foot rest while pressing the clutch.

You are correct. The NEXON is underpinned by the X-1 or Vista platform and this lack of footwell room is an inherent problem of the Tata X-1 platform.
In fact in the Nexon the situation is much improved as TML has reworked the mounting points of the HVAC units and moved it "up" and a little "behind".
In the Vista/Manza/Zest/Bolt there is simply no space to rest your left foot be it with or without the dead pedal.

[400notout]

Congratulations Apex!

Welcome to the Nexon club.

The petrol Nexons fuel efficiency is not for the faint hearted. But it is also a fact that it still outsells the diesel by a huge margin. If the sales are anything to go by has the "kitna deti hai" argument been eclipsed by wanting a safer car? I think Tata has lured quite a few prospective Ford customers. But then, why no love for the XUV300?

Anyway, have fun. The car is addictive and may you enjoy many many miles on it

Do keep this thread updated.

[dsuman]

Good Choice. I am sure you will enjoy every moment with your Nexon. May I suggest a Driver Armrest from Aftermarket. It will go a long way in enhancing the Drive Experience. Give it a Try.

[sukhbirST]

Your inertial selection criteria pointed to your final selection though you had not shortlisted. Sales experience and even service have shown marked improvement and if this goes up, there will many, who will get attracted to Tata showrooms. Nice way to cover the ceramic stripes and should give an idea to Tata. Congratulations and thanks for giving simple and positive feedback. Also the dealer allowed you outside insurance and this brought good amount of savings, apart from earning goodwill.

[Ghibli]

I could be mistaken when I say this but sincerely, a person who had this truck image of Tata (and for reasons too) and owned a Hyundai (Grand i10) previously, has now switched to Tata. I think this shows the amazing progress this home grown brand has managed to pull off in a short amount of time. Many around me had the same thoughts but even among them, I can see some favorable impressions coming up gradually and that means a lot. Kudos!