Tata Motors’ much awaited compact SUV Nexon is all set to go on sale this September. The new offering from Tata will go up against some formidable rivals like Maruti Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport. It was showcased in almost production-ready form at the 2016 Auto Expo. The Tata Nexon launch will take place before the festive season. Expect competitive pricing from Tata with the base petrol variant likely to start at around Rs. 6.50 lakh (ex-showroom).
Also Read - Tata Nexon Test Drive Review
The Nexon started out life as a concept that made its debut at the 2014 Auto Expo. It made an appearance at the 2014 Geneva Auto Show as well. In 2016, Tata unveiled an almost production ready Nexon at the Auto Expo followed by an appearance at the Geneva Auto Show in the form of Tata Nexon Geneva Edition. However, this won’t be Tata’s first small SUV for India. That title belongs to the Tata Sierra that was sold from 1991 until production ended in 2000.
| Model Name | Launch Date |
| Tata Nexon | September 2017 |
First spy shots of the upcoming small SUV from Tata came up in December 2015, following which it was on display at the 2016 Auto Expo. This will be Tata’s third major launch in 2017 after the Hexa crossover and Tigor compact sedan. Bookings for the Tata Nexon are already underway.
| Variant | Ex-Showroom Price (Estimated) |
| Base Model | Rs. 6.50 lakh |
| Top Model | Rs. 9.50 lakh |
Tata Nexon will enter a segment dominated by the Maruti Vitara Brezza which has sold more than a lakh units within a year of its launch in March 2016. To compete with the Brezza, Tata will have to price the Nexon very aggressively. We are expecting a starting price of around Rs. 6.50 lakh for the base petrol variant. Diesel range of the Nexon could start at around Rs. 7.50 lakh.
Competition Check
Rivals of the new Tata Nexon will include –
| New Tata Nexon Petrol Specifications | |
| Engine | 1.2 L Turbocharged Petrol |
| Power | 110 PS @ 5,000 rpm |
| Torque | 170 Nm @ 1,750-4,000 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed Manual |
| Estimated Mileage | 18-19 KMPL |
For the Nexon, Tata will employ new engines. Petrol variants of the Nexon will receive a 1.2 L turbo petrol that will produce 110 PS of peak power. Diesel variants will get a 1.5 L Revotorq unit as Tata has decided to ditch the Fiat sourced 1.3 L Multijet engine. Transmission options will include a 6-speed TA6300 Manual at the time of launch. F-Tronic AMT gearboxes will be added later. A recent report said the Tata Nexon diesel will be the only variant at the launch, but that will not be the case.
| New Tata Nexon Diesel Specifications | |
| Engine | 1.5 L Revotorq Diesel |
| Power | 110 PS @ 3,750 rpm |
| Torque | 260 Nm @ 1,500-2,750 rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed Manual |
| Estimated Mileage | 22-23 KMPL |
| Variant | Estimated Overall Fuel Efficiency |
| Petrol | 18-19 KMPL |
| Diesel | 22-23 KMPL |
Claimed fuel efficiency figures for the diesel variants could easily touch the 23 KMPL mark. Automatic variants will be just as fuel efficient as the manual variants thanks to the use of AMTs.
The company wanted design and styling to be the biggest talking point of the Nexon. Based on the Impact design language that has already spawned the good looking Tiago and Tigor, the Nexon sure looks like a head turner. It has sloping roofline giving it an SUV-coupe form. In a first for any car in the world, the Nexon features ‘ceramic’ finish around the fog lamp enclosures, boot lid and waist-trail. The exterior bears three key design elements of modern Tata products – The humanity line, Diamond DLO and the slingshot line. Styling of the Nexon stays true to the concept that made its debut back in 2014.
Tata has also given the small SUV chunky 16-inch alloys. The Geneva Edition showcased back in March sported 17-inch rims, but they will not make it to production. The Tata Nexon will be available in dual tone paint schemes. Headlamps feature projector units with LED DRLs while the clear lens tail lamps also get LED detailing. At the Auto Expo, Tata gave visitors a chance to customize the Nexon via their Personalization Studio Feature. These options could be offered to customers at the time of purchase.
The interior of the Nexon might not be as flashy as the exterior, but it scores high on style and practicality. There’s a HARMAN infotainment system with a dash-top touchscreen that sits right above the AC vents in line with Tata’s ‘Human Machine Interface’ or ‘HMI’ philosophy. Bits like the steering wheel, aircon controls, etc are shared with existing Tata products. Commenting on the interior, Tata's head of design Pratap Bose says it follows the ‘Three INs’ philosophy – INviting, INtuitive and INtelligent.
Despite the sloping roofline, rear seat space (read headroom) has not been compromised. Most passengers will not be complaining about the lack of headroom in the back. There’s a chunky rotary selector right behind the gear lever. While usually, this selector would control the Terrain Management System like in the Hexa, the one in the Nexon is a drive mode selector as the compact SUV does without AWD. Like other Tata products, there are three modes to choose from – City, Eco and Sport.
Exterior
Interior
Safety
| Length x Width x Height | 3995 x 1811.4 x 1607 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2498 mm |
| Kerb Weight | 1,237-1,305 kg |
| Wheel Type and Size | 215/60 R16 (16 inch alloys) |
| Boot Space | 350 L |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 44 litres |
The Nexon is based on the same X1 platform as the Zest and Bolt, which enables greater part sharing among models thereby bringing down costs.
The upcoming SUV has so far been spotted testing in Striker Blue, Pearlescent White, Berry Red and Sunburst Orange paint shades. Also, Tata will offer the Nexon in dual tone paint schemes too. A video depicting Nexon in multiple colours was released at the Geneva Auto Show, which showed the SUV finished in Red, Blue, Orange, White and Grey shades.
It is confirmed the Nexon will be powered by 1.2 L petrol and 1.5 L diesel engines. The diesel variants will get a 6-speed manual transmission at launch.
