Next One?

Tata Motors hopes that the Nexon will be the next big thing in the sub-4m compact SUV segment.

- Lijo Mathai

Tata Motors has tasted huge success in the last few years. They have forayed in clogged segments and still have managed to carve a niche for themselves. Case in point is the Tiago. The hatchback is now as much visible on the roads just like the way the Indica was when it was first launched. Ditto for the Hexa which now and then rears up its head in traffic. Enter the latest Tata to the scene - the new Nexon compact SUV. How is Tata’s latest passenger vehicle? Let’s find out.

LOOKS 

Smashing! The Tata Nexon is one car that has stayed true to its concept roots. Everything including the stance and overall design language can be related to the concept. In fact, a few people in and around Kochi asked us if this is a prototype car that we’re driving around. The Impact Design, as Tata likes to call it, has been working quite well with all of its recent launches like the Tiago, Tigor and Hexa. The black honeycomb grille is a nice element with a chrome outline to it, flanked by the tear drop projector headlamps. These lights have a LED strip that doubles up as a DRL. The air intake too is large and above it, pushed to the sides are eyebrow-shaped enclosures that house the fog lamps. The lower part of this nacelle is a white ceramic sash which does its job quite well in bringing your attention to the car.

The coupe-like roofline looks really cool. The ceramic sash used for the fog lamps too has been used here for the rising belt line. The wheel arches aren’t unusually flared but house 16-inch wheels as standard - machined alloys for the top trims. Tata Motors’ designers have used a bluish grey colour for the Elite i20-like floating roof. At the rear, the pinched lines create a harmonious effect to portray what will be one of the most attractive derrieres on any Indian car.