2023 New Tata Nexon EV Road-Test Review – Electric Dreams gets better?
We have said this a number of times and saying it again – Tata Motors have their tail up with mostly all their products being received very well by buyers and all being in high demand. In 2017 Tata Motors had launched the Nexon Mini SUV which also becomes India’s safest SUV getting a 5-star Global NCAP safety rating. Since then the Nexon has been selling in real good numbers and has been one of the largest seller in its class where it competes mainly with the Maruti Suzuki Brezza, Hyundai Venue and the Kia Sonet. Tata Motors has given the Nexon minor updates over the years and also with regular special editions. Now in 2023 the SUV got its biggest facelift, infact this is much more than a facelift as the updates make it as good as an all new model. We drove the 2023 Tata Nexon in Petrol and Diesel in Jaipur but now we head to Pune to check out the 3rd model of the Nexon the Nexon Electric in its latest avatar. We tell you all on the 2023 Tata Nexon EV which has been always a benchmark in its EV space, read on to know all.
Exteriors
The ICE options of the New Nexon are available in four trims namely Smart, Pure, Creative and Fearless. While the Electric Nexon comes in Creative, Fearless and the top of the line Empowered personas. We drove the Long Range version of the fully loaded Empowered Nexon EV trim for our test review finished in a special Metallic Pearl White shade called the Empowered White.
In terms of looks just like the New Nexon in its ICE form the basic shape and silhouette of the Nexon EV for which it is known for has been retained. What changes is the looks. Upfront the face is styled of what makes it look like a concept model with a closed face made up of a thick horizontal strip finished in glossy black with a large Tata logo in the middle. This face is further defined with a sharp bright slim DRL strip that fuses into the face, on this the EV version you get an additional LED strip that connects the two headlamps giving it a differentiating look. The outside corners of the LED DRL get multiple lines that also glow giving that progressive digital look. The front bumper gets sharp style lines in digital pattern that are finished in body color along with unpainted black and also gets a faux skid plate finished in silver. Placed into them are the projector head lamps and ice cube style fog lamps both with white glow on the edge. Large air-dam cleverly hidden with the digital lines giving the face a unique stylish look which is different from the ICE Nexon.
The side profile retains the sport back like styling with the sloping roofline along with the rising character line on the waistline area. Wheel arches get fiber cladding while the alloys are all new design R16 sized multi spoke design which are EV specific tyres and alloys with low resistance. The doors also get fiber cladding which work as protectors and also add to the style element. Roof gets silver roof-rails along with an voice controlled electric sun-roof and a shark-fin radio antenna. Wing mirrors get LED turn lights and side cameras mounted in them and are housed in black housing.
The rear profile is totally new and different in terms of looks and styling which is identical to the ICE version. The key styling elements here are the X design LED tail lights that connect to each other. When you lock or unlock the car, both the DRL in the front and the connected tail lights run a unique sequence which is unseen on any other car. The rear glass has a clean look as the rear wiper is neatly and cleverly hidden inside the rear spoiler which is large in size. The rear profile is finished with the NEXON.ev badge boldly placed in chrome on the boot-lid and the stop reflectors infused into the sharp design rear bumper that also shows you a wide big faux skid plate finished in silver.
Interiors
New Nexon EV in its Empowered trim which we drove gets body colored upholstery for the seats and its interiors are also finished in the pearl white shade. When you step inside you instantly realize that this is not the Nexon EV that you knew. Everything inside here feels fresh, trendy and techy. The dashboard is an all new design that is finished in black, the crash-pad area gets a textured insert and the AC vents also gets fresh rectangular shape now. The white insert that finishes the dash is in faux leather with hand stitching along with the faux metal strip that runs across the dash makes it look extra premium and cool. The instrument cluster is a 10.25 inch color display screen which is customizable and also doubles up for displaying the Navigation map uniquely reading out all the tell tale vitals of the EV including its range, battery charge, trip meters, temperature, power output, re-gen steps etc. The steering here is taken from the Tata Currv Concept which looks futuristic and from space age. It comes with a two spoke design with leather wrapping and gets leather touch buttons for the MFD controls on it. The most unique thing on the steering is the back-lit glowing Tata Logo that’s placed on a faux glass area that also doubles up for the boss-pad. This flat bottom Steering gets height adjust but misses out on the adjust for reach. We also get paddle shifters used for toggling between the re-gen levels which are meaty to use.
The center dash houses the brand new 12.3 Â inch AVN touch-screen unit which gets a unique edge to edge design and is placed in floating style. Running on the latest generation IRA software this AVN system is customizable and compatible to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto along with Bluetooth telephony, FM-AM radio, USB etc. This display is bigger than the 10.25 inch unit seen on the New Nexon ICE. The display is very crisp and bright which also doubles up as the display for the 360 degree cameras. This unit also gets a unique Arena.ev feature on it where you can view Online content from Disney Hotstar, Youtube, Netflix, or any other OTT apps, apart from this you can also install Spotify, Gaana etc.
For your safety you can view the video content while the car is in motion. You can also install games to the Arena.ev app which you can play maybe when you are waiting for your wife while she has gone shopping. Nexon EV also gets a air filter which purifies the cabin air and also displays the Air Quality Index reading (AQI) on this display. The sound system on the New Nexon EV is powered by 8 JBL speakers and one sub-woofer placed in the boot. Sound quality is more than impressive and even the FM radio plays very nicely on them.
Like the Nexon ICE versions the Nexon EV too adorns a cluster free center dash area as the buttons or dials for the climate control, lock unlock, hazard, fog lamp etc are all now feather touch type which is very trendy to see, use and feel giving it that techy, clean and futuristic look. You get wireless mobile charging dock along with 12V power out, USB and USB C ports to charge your mobiles. The center console comes with the drive mode shifter rotary dial and the drive shifter for the automatic is also very uniquely styled with a flat wide design and leather cladding on it. On this the Nexon EV you get a electro mechanical hand brake and also a auto hold feature which are not there on the ICE versions. You get a arm rest for the driver which has storage bin under its closable lid.
Seats get the unique pearl white faux leather upholstery with height adjust for both front seats. The seats get a unique design which remind you of the seats from the Volvo especially the headrests. Seat cooling feature with three steps of speed is on the front seats with the control buttons placed on the bottom just below your thigh area which is a tad bit difficult to find at times. Never the less the cooling and efficiency on them is more than good. Rear seats get two adjustable head rests and a folding arm rest. Rear seats have excellent knee, leg and shoulder room and offer very good support and comfort. Rear passengers get AC vents and also get a USB and USB C charge ports. Door pads gave lots of storage bins but we missed the map pockets behind the front seats. Overall the cabin feels large, roomy and very well equipped. In terms of boot space the Nexon comes with 350 liters which is wide, deep and can hold a lot of luggage.
Battery –Motor – Drive
The Tata Nexon EV is now available in two options LR (long range) and MR (medium range) in terms of electric motor and battery/range. Tata Motors also says they have studied the algorithms of the previous Nexon EV’s and fine tuned the newer version much better. The LR version of the Nexon EV comes powered with a 106.4KW motor powered with a 40.5kWh battery pack that makes 145PS of power and 215Nm of torque. The MR option of the EV is powered with a 95KW motor that gets power from 30kWh battery pack making 129PS of power and the same 215Nm of torque. The claimed range on the LR is 465kms while the MR it is 325kms as per their internal test. In terms of charge time the LR Nexon EV takes 15 hours to charge using the 15 amps portable charger while if you use the 7.2 kW home charger it takes around 6 hours or use the super fast DC charger for charging the EV in just 56 mins at any Tata Motors charging location.
Nexon EV gets two new features on this update which includes the Vehicle to Vehicle charging (V2V) where you can charge another EV using yours and Vehicle to Load (V2L)
We drove the Nexon EV LR , shift to the drive mode and you realize the power the EV can unleash. The overall feels very positive and highly refined. Power delivery is abundant and the Nexon  EV drives in a very mature, dignified style. The steering feels well balanced and always has connected feedback to it at all speeds. You can choose between the 4-levels of regeneration using the paddle shifter which also is super quick. The ride quality is good and the R16 wheels do their job mighty nicely. In-cabin feel is premium and the Nexon EV felt very nimble to handle during traffic conditions that we encountered.
Overall ground clearance stands at 208mm which is much more than enough to help the Nexon EV glide over bad roads and speed breakers without touching them.
Safety
Even if you buy the base trim of the New Nexon EV rest assured you will get 6-airbags, ABS and EBD which is now standard across all the trims and variants. Apart from this you get a very user friendly animated 360 degree camera, ESC, hill start assist, ISOFIX, seat belt height adjust, traction control, auto dimming rear view mirror, tyre pressure monitor to name a few.
Verdict
Tata Motors Nexon EV has always been the benchmark for the Electric SUV segment and now in its latest avatar gets a overall new look, more safety even for the base trims, better ride and handling and tons of new features making this the New Tata Nexon EV a very good option in its segment. Bottom line here is the Safest Electric SUV in its class now gets even better.
Words – Ritesh Madhok
Photography, Video & Edits – Bhushan Joshi
