Long Term Report 3

So the hardest part is here. After driving a car for over 90 days it pretty much becomes a part of your life and you get used to it. It’s the same case with the Tata Nexon which has been my long termer for the last three months. It’s seen plenty of shoots, leisure drives and not to mention my crazy 80 km commutes on a daily basis. In its time with me, the Nexon has piled on a whopping 6,000 odd km in just three months.

Since I want to end on a good note, let’s get the niggles out of the way first. So first up is the annoying software issue that keeps resetting the equalizer settings. So every time your jam comes on, it suddenly sounds different until you realise that the equalizer has reset itself. However, Tata has updated the infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and supposedly ironed out the glitches. It remains to be seen if the updated system has this issue resolved.

Moving on to the drive. The Nexon is the only car in its class to offer drive modes. Now that is good thing, however, it’s not all smooth sailing. Acceleration gets a little jerky in Eco and City modes that keep working to keep the power in check in a bid to better the efficiency. We think it’s a mapping issue that needs to be sorted for a glitch-free drive experience.

But kept in Sport mode, the Nexon will put a smile on your face. The 1.5-litre engine just changes the character and gets into beast mode. Acceleration feels terrific and there is performance all throughout the rev range. With 108bhp and 260Nm of torque, this is the most powerful compact SUV one can buy and it feels it. This along with the chunky tyres and the well set-up suspension means the Nexon can be used for having fun too.

And it’s not just fun, the Nexon belts out some brilliant mileage figures too. In fact, with its 44litre tank capacity, it will do over 700 km and even more if you are out on the highways driving economically. This results in fewer fuel stops during long drives. Just to give a figure, our Nexon consistently returned 18.4kmpl.

6000 km in 3 months is an indication that most of my time has been spent driving the Nexon. Through the lashing rains, the festivities and the ridiculously potholed roads, the Nexon took it all in its stride and now that it’s time to bid goodbye, it will leave a void.

Vehicle Log

Odo – 21,133

Km this month - 2431 km

Fuel - 90 litres

Fuel Efficiency – 18.4 kmpl

Photos: Kaustubh Gandhi