Tata Nexon XZ+ (P) Review

Unexpected moments lead to memories. And if you're lucky enough, then good memories. My friends and I had planned a drive in the bare-bones Alto, so I brought along my Bluetooth speaker, power bank and whatnot. When I waited at the junction for the pick-up, I realised it wasn't the Alto after all, but the latest Tata Nexon.

Backstory

Yes, we had a Tata way back in 2002. The Indigo LS Diesel - A workhorse that clocked 1,20,000 on the odometer. The car was VFM and comfortable, but quality issues were inherent. Tata Motors was just four years into the passenger vehicle business then, and leaking rooflines and breakdowns were customary those days. The overall impression wasn't too great.

Present-day

Love the headlamp design. No count to the times I've heard baby Evoque :)

Fast forward to 2021, and I'm once again in a Tata. The AC was on full blast, and initial impressions were great. The black fabric seats felt soft and lovely, and you sat pretty high up from the road. Innovas and Fortuners were almost neck-to-neck on height. Read 'almost'. The car was spacious enough, and clearly, it wasn't just a jacked-up hatchback. Space on offer was comparable to sedans, including the Honda City.

The Kaloor-Kadavanthra bypass had a lot of potholes of late, so it was the perfect recipe to test out the Nexon's ride quality. And it impressed me yet again. Having driven the XUV500 with a stiff suspension many times through the same road, the Nexon's smooth ride surprised me. Potholes barely intruded into the cabin. Tata had prioritised passenger comfort just like in the olden days.

Well laid-out, easy-to-use cabin

The trim-line we were in was the XZ+. You got everything else except the sunroof (which, by the way, isn't too valuable for rainy Kerala) and the AMT gearbox. I connected my phone to the Bluetooth audio. The Harman system was slick to operate (contrary to many reviews online) throughout the journey. The speaker quality is what you would expect at the price point. Just don't fall for the hype of JBL-Harman. Sitting in the front passenger side, I noticed a gap between the door and the dashboard. Tata needs to work on the aesthetics a bit more, and a fantastic cabin will result.

After the first leg of our journey, it was time to return home. I decided to get behind the wheel this time. Getting the proper driving position was a bit of a chore. The seat adjustment lever was stiff to operate, and so was the recline adjustment. The side-view mirror was huge, so that didn't need any fine-tuning. And once I set the rear-view mirror, we were ready to get moving.

The large side-view mirror, just like big brother Harrier on the left. The Malayalam Tata dealership on the left is coincidentally this Nexon's as well.

The drive modes on the Nexon isn't just a showpiece. The City mode, which we were in initially, made the car lunge forward eagerly, even in the first and second gears. It also made the car hardly wanting to upshift. 40 Kmph in second gear didn't feel strained. For a petrol car, the throttle response was incredible. It's got something to do with the turbo-charged Revotron petrol engine. Being a regular driver of the naturally aspirated Honda City, this turbo-petrol thing was unchartered waters.

If only there were something to nitpick about the drive, then it would be the rubbery feel to the gearshifts. Don't get me wrong- it's still much better to shift than the XUV500's 2nd to 3rd. But it's still a could-have-been-better. The throws are long yet so much better than the decade-old Mahindra. Out of all the manual cars I've driven, I felt the Ritz Diesel has one slick-shifting gearbox.

Drive through the busy highway was a breeze. The overtakes never required early planning. Even the Eco mode offered enough thrust to zoom past slow traffic. I missed out on checking out the sport mode (crowded roads pretty much all the time). The funny thing is you forget that it is a petrol car. There are unwanted vibrations while in half-clutch and the instant response you associate with diesel cars.

(Nex)-On a short break to enjoy the river

It was night by the time we reached Kochi and on the agenda was dinner. The Nexon's lights could have done better with white projectors or LEDs (read Hyundai, Kia) - the standard halogens offered average lighting. Parking at the restaurant was easy- reverse camera with guidelines to the rescue (Honda, take note).

After dinner, it was time to say goodbye to my friends and the Nexon. It was indeed an excellent drive for me- driving a Tata and turbo petrol for the first time. I love how Tata made that massive leap from its Indica days to dish out a 5-star safety product, the Nexon. For all those who still think Tata makes below par cars, it's time you try driving one of these.

What I feel:

The Nexon is a genuine family car. It's got the space, performance and tech. Most importantly, it's excellent value-for-money. At ten lakhs something on the road for this near-top-of-the-line variant, you won't get too many top trims of the competition. Plus, the performance of the petrol is underrated, so much so that you won't need a diesel (unless you're clocking ridiculous numbers on the odometer). The Nexon's just a bit rough around the edges for now, and Tata would sort things out in the years to come.