Tata Nexon EV Review: Building on First Mover Advantage

Taking advantage of its first mover advantage in the affordable EV space, Tata Motors struck a goldmine with the Nexon EV. In a market that was still apprehensive about investing in EVs, the Nexon gave customers an accessible entry point to the world of electric vehicles. And with charging infrastructure slowly building, the Nexon, and other affordable products from Tata and other manufacturers, have driven up the sales volumes for EVs overall. In fact, only a couple of months ago, Tata celebrated the achievement of selling over a lakh four-wheeled electric vehicles in the country, a landmark that I’m sure will get doubled or trebled in a much shorter duration than the first lakh took. What drives customers to EVs, particularly affordable ones that don’t have a massive battery or massive range? Well, one of the biggest things that I get from EV users is that the running costs – especially if you charge at home – are ridiculously low. And a big percentage of them also feel good that they’re not contributing to the pollution in their everyday drive. So, when Tata is bringing out a refreshed version of the Nexon EV, it does have a lot on the table, and can’t afford to mess up their best-selling EV. 

Tata Nexon EV Review: Futuristic Looks

Even at a quick glance at the Nexon EV, you can tell that the design language of Tata’s vehicles is changing and moving towards a much more futuristic direction. What catches your eye first up is the large LED daytime running light bar that runs the width of the front end. With the stylized elements at both ends, the LED gives the front end of the Nexon a lot of character. Adding to this is the lower detailing in the front air dam, the metal finishing of which looks quite industrial and gives a nice design element to the front. In profile, you get new 16-inch alloy wheels with aerodynamic elements, and a design that ties into the metal strips on the front bumper and the body cladding that gives the Nexon its SUVish character.

Like the front, the rear end of the Nexon has also received major changes and like the front, the taillight is now also an LED light bar spread across the width of the tailgate giving the Nexon a unique look. You also get revised badging at the rear, as well as a revised bumper. Another aspect of the Nexon’s styling is its design, the dual-tone white and black theme of the car worked really well and suited the car. In fact, while it’s only a facelift, I would have to say that the design changes to the Nexon have made a major difference to how the car looks and actually made it look a lot more futuristic and cutting-edge, so kudos to the Tata design team for that effort.

Also Read: 2023 Tata Nexon Facelift First Drive Review, New Lease of Life

However, the bigger change to the Nexon is when you enter the car and have a look at the new dash layout.

The first thing you’ll notice inside the Nexon is the massive 12.3-inch touchscreen that now dominates the centre of the dash. This is paired with a digital instrument cluster and the new Tata dual-spoke steering that has an illuminated logo integrated into it. The interior has also been redone in a two-tone finish and now features a white and grey theme. But, the biggest change, for me at least, is the new UI and UX that Tata has designed for the Nexon. Right from the instrument cluster, which gives you a plethora of info – including giving the option to show the satellite maps guidance in the cluster itself via Apple CarPlay – to the centre screen, the graphics, the resolution of the screens to the integration is absolutely seamless and world-class. In fact, the whole ecosystem works so well and so intuitive that it barely takes you a few minutes to get used to it and start using it.

The Nexon also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard and is now also equipped with a wireless charging pad. Tata has also designed an ecosystem of apps that are now available to access through Nexon’s interface directly – such as YouTube, Gaana etc – which means that if you’re sitting in the car waiting for it to charge, you can access content directly on the large screen of the car instead of needing to use your phone. I did try some of this integration and found that it works quite well, and like the user interface and graphics of the multimedia system, has been integrated very well. 

Tata Nexon EV Review: On the Road

When it comes to the mechanicals, the Nexon EV facelift is offered in two versions now – a  30kWh battery pack in the Medium Range guise, producing 127bhp and 215Nm, with a claimed range of 325km. The model we tested was the Long-Range version with a 40.5kWh battery pack producing 143bhp and 215Nm, with a claimed range of 465km. While the battery packs of both models of the Nexon remain the same as before, the major change mechanically to it comes in the form of a new second-generation motor that has seen a host of improvements. As a result of the changes, the new motor is 20kgs lighter than the earlier version, is smaller in size and has reduced dependence on rare earth metals by 30%, making it smaller, lighter and easier to produce. The new motor also produces a flatter torque curve spread over a wider range enhancing drivability, while new algorithms in the load management have improved the thermal management of the battery pack.

Also Read: 2023 Tata Nexon Facelift vs Honda Elevate Spec Comparison, Which One You Should Buy?

In real life, the Nexon drives rather seamlessly. You do get a feeling that you’re sitting a bit too high, but other than that there’s not much to complain about. Acceleration, courtesy of the electric powertrain is quick, the performance is absolutely perfect for city and highway conditions and the car is really easy to drive, with the 0-100 marking coming up in 8.9 seconds. Another addition to the Nexon is now steering mounting paddles that allow you to change the brake recuperation modes, while level 1 is simple enough, in the higher levels you can easily drive the Nexon on a single pedal in traffic. The suspension of the Nexon is also quite well set providing excellent ride comfort and stability, but on really bad surfaces you can feel the extra weight of the battery pack catching out the suspension every now and then. Practicality-wise, the Nexon feels a bit cramped in the rear seat as far as legroom is concerned but has ample headroom and a decent size boot. I would think that for four adults it would be a very comfortable place to spend time in, but for five it will be a squeeze. As far as the question of real-world range goes, while Tata claims a range of 465kms on a single charge in the long-range version, I would expect 300-320kms to be a more realistic number in everyday use.

Honestly speaking, the refreshed Nexon EV is a massive upgrade to the original despite only being a facelift. Sure, the battery pack remains the same, but the new motor brings about minor improvements in the whole powertrain. But, for me, the bigger changes are in the design and the design of the UI and UX that customers will deal with in the Nexon. Simply put, the technology integration feels cutting-edge, well thought and works well, but it does have a few niggles here and there that need to be sorted out. On the range front, there are a few improvements, but nothing substantial. But, looking at the overall package, with its design, pricing, integration of technology and overall value, I think the Nexon is still the best EV in the affordable spectrum. So, if charging infrastructure or long-distance driving is not an issue for you, it does offer an exciting proposition to save on running costs and an attractive everyday car.