Tata CURVV Electric Road Test Review – Best in Class Drive Range, Features, Safety and more?

We have said this number of times before, Tata Motors has gone into Hyper Aggressive mode lately and we saying this again. One of the most anticipated models of theirs is the CURVV. Now finally the Indian car mega brand has launched the Curvv in the Electric for and unveiled the ICE versions too. With so much riding on this model we head to enchanting Aravalli hills of Udaipur to experience the Tata Curvv Electric and to find out if this is the best Electric car model in India?.

Food for Thought

Tata Motors unveiled the Curvv in its concept form in 2022. The SUV Coupe concept looked very futuristic even then. The Curvv is built on the brand new ATLAS architecture (Adaptive Tech Forward Lifestyle Architecture) that supports multiple body styles and powertrain options EV and ICE both. In terms of safety too the ATLAS architecture will boost the vehicles crashworthiness big time. The Tata Curvv EV also becomes the car model from the Tata Motors line up to come with the largest battery pack that of 45kWh and 55kWh out beating the Nexon EV that comes with upto 40.5kWh. This also becomes the longest drive range EV on the Tata Motors line up offering upto 585kms of claimed range out beating the Nexon EV which claims 465kms. Not only that, the Curvv also becomes the largest in dimension EV model from Tata Motors so a many firsts for the brand with this model.

Exteriors

First thing that is noticed on the Tata Curvv EV is its road presence and the way it attracts attention. The Curvv looks extra stylish and sporty with its SUV Coupe body styling that is still rare in India. It stands at 4310mm in length, 1810mm in width, 1637mm tall and has a overall wheelbase of 2560mm. The ground clearance stands at a good 190mm. The front comes with the family Tata EV styling that includes a closed EV face, animated connected strip DRL that run across the face, EV specific bumper with vertical faux metal lines, faux skid plate and LED projector headlamps . The Curvv also gets a unique auto opening and closing charge port lid that also closes on its own if left open and the car is powered On. The bonnet gets soft character lines while the turn lights come with sweeping animation and are placed in the LED DRL’s itself.

If the face of the Curvv reminds you of the Nexon then it has to be the side profile on the EV that makes it totally different from its sibling. The SUV Coupe styling is highly evident here with the sloping roofline that mates with the rear profile in style. The sides also get a thick insert finished in glossy black around the wheel arches and the running board. The doors get unique flush styling and also get illumination in them.

The roof comes with blacked out finish on the top end Empowered +A trim along with a panoramic sun roof and a shark fin antenna. Wing mirrors get black finish with LED turn indicators and a camera that’s the part of the 360degree setup. The Curvv drives on 18 inch wheels mounted on EV specific progressive design alloys. The glass area is large while the rear window going with the Coupe sloping roofline gets its design language.

The rear profile probably would be the most striking and catchy angle liked by most including us. It is here that you fully understand and relate to what the Curvv actually is. The sharp angled rear glass gets a glossy black spoiler while the glass gets the defogger feature with no rear wash wipe to keep the styling clean. The boot area gets yet another spoiler placed at the waist area that is defined with the infused LED Animated Connected stop lamp that runs across. The boot lid also gets the CURVV.EV badging in black and the large rear bumper finishes the rear profile styling with glossy black inserts and a large faux skid plate. There are a pair of stop reflectors placed vertically on the outer edges of the bumper that kind of enhance the rear design language.

Speaking of the boot, the Curvv gets an electrically opening and closing boot lid that opens in typical Coupe style with the entire rear glass going up with boot lid. You can also open the boot with gesture using your leg when your hands are occupied provided you have the key fob on you. You get 500 liters of boot space which is extra spacious and can accommodate loads of stuff in here with ease not forgetting the Frunk that can store upto 11.6L under the bonnet.

Interiors – Cabin Comfort

Step into the Tata Curvv and you instantly notice the spacious cabin space. The dashboard gets a multi layered design with the top finished in black while a faux metal trip runs across the width followed by a different looking textured design faux metal insert on the crash-pad area, the lowest part of the dash gets ivory colored leather wrapping. Key highlight of the dash is the 12.3 inch touchscreen AVN system that comes with slim bezel and is very crisp to view. This unit is compatible with all the connectivity features which include wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, voice commands and also gets the updated Arcade.EV suite that gets a host of apps which include YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Gaana, Hotstar and lots more. Powered by this unit is the 9-speaker JBL sound system that also gets a subwoofer.

The drivers display is a 10.25 inch color screen that gets you all the vital tell-tales of the EV and more, you can also view the GPS navigation on here. The climate control unit is a digital one making the center dash and console clutter free of knobs and buttons. The center console houses the drive shifter along with the electronic hand brake with auto hold feature. The drive mode toggle knob is just besides here along with the wireless mobile charge dock all this in glossy black housing.  You also get a customizable mood light but the color palette is restricted to only the blues and greens.

The steering is the latest Tata family 4-spoke design with leather wrapping and the illuminated Tata logo along with the MFD buttons. Paddle shifter is on the feature list but work as brake regeneration on the EV while manual height adjust is also available on this unit. The seats get a mix of faux leather and fabric upholstery, the driver’s seat gets 6-way electric adjust while the front passenger seats get manual height adjust. Both the front seats come with ventilation feature and perforation. Front seats offer excellent comfort and visibility is top class when seated on them.

The rear seats get two adjustable headrests and a foldable armrest with cup holder in them. The leg room, knee room and under thigh support is good while this being a coupe with a sloping roofline the headroom is also pretty good here. The floor is flat this being an EV hence the passenger seated in the middle also gets good comfortable legroom. Map pockets are surprisingly missing but you get rear AC vents and USB C charge ports with a port with 45W fast charge capability. The cabin feels more larger and airy thanks to the use of light theme and also due to the extra light that comes in from the panoramic sunroof.

Drive – Suspension – Battery

The Tata Curvv is available in two battery pack options, a 45kWh and a 55kWh pack. The 55kWh Curvv makes 167PS of power and 215Nm of torque and does a 0 to 100kmph sprint in 8.6 seconds. Speaking of charge time you can charge from 10% to 80% using a DC fast charger in 40 minutes flat while using a 7.2kW home charger will take 7.9 hours for a full charge of the Curvv 55. The basic 15A portable charger takes around 21 hours for a full charge.

In terms of drive the Curvv 55 EV chugs ahead in typical EV fashion with good outright performance. The steering feels nicely weighted and gets heavier as the speed builds up. You have good visibility from the driver’s seat of the road ahead. The cabin Is well insulated and the road or tyre noise gets nicely cut out of here. The drive quality is enhanced also due to the 18 incher meaty tyres. The suspension set up is nicely tuned which does a mighty good jobs at absorbing the bad roads and undue adulations that we encountered on the bad patches of the roads.

The Curvv holds its ground at high speeds rather well offering a confidence boosting overall drive. The body roll is not much and the comfort level is pretty good during high speed drives. Overall drive feel is very mature and promising while the EV is fun to drive, well not like an ICE for sure but yes it is a lot better than what EV’s were a few years back when they started off.

Range Anxiety?

Well Tata Motors promise a drive range of 585kms on the Curvv 55 and 502kms on the Curvv 45. In real world expect a range of close to 350kms on the Curvv 55 and 225kms on the Curvv 45 which should get you into the comfort zone with very less range anxiety for sure. And yes you also have the Vehicle to Vehicle charging feature along with Vehicle to Load (V2V) which can power your electrical gadgets when needed.

ADAS & Safety

The Tata Curvv EV comes with a long list of safety features which include ADAS Level 2 with more than 20 features, 6-airbags as standard, ABS with EBD, Driver doze off alert, 360 degree surround camera, auto headlamps, rain sensing vipers, tyre pressure monitor and lots more.

Verdict

Tata Motors have come a long way, with the Curvv EV they have not only got their act a lot better but have also set a benchmark in terms of many firsts. The Curvv EV shines in all departments offering unmatched comfort, looks, space, safety and tech features. Prices for the Tata Curvv EV start at Rs. 17.49 Lakh and go up to Rs. 22 Lakh for the fully loaded Curvv 55 Empowered+ A55, with this pricing the Curvv pushes the ICE models like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Sonet, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder etc big time making it a very tempting Electric SUV Coupe to go for.