Tata Nexon Petrol XZA+: Ownership Review

[msklilly]

Here is my ownership review for Nexon Petrol XZA+. I will have my review write up under the following sections:

1. A new car - Why ?
2. My search for a new car
3. Test drive and booking experience for Nexon
4. Car Insurance
5. Delivery experience
6. Post delivery dealer experience
7. First Impressions after ownership of Nexon

 

[msklilly]

A new car - Why ?

By Nov 2017 I owned a Honda City (2017) and an i10 (2013). While the Honda City was mostly used for my daily office commute and family trips, the i10 was mostly driven for short market trips, and by my wife for shorter runs round the city. Since the HC was by now nearing 11 years of ownership, I wanted to get a new car, although performance wise I was very happy and satisfied by its performance even at that time. I had maintained my HC quite well and even though it had run almost 1.25 lakh kms, it was giving me a very good mileage of 11 kms with AC within the city. Reason for wanting the change was that I wanted to experience some of the new features that the current cars offer, along with the thrill of driving a new car. Another important reason was that I wanted to own an SUV, as it was the dominant choice among the new car owners. So I started looking for new cars around November and shortlisted a few cars. To begin with I kept both sedans and SUVs in my list, as I still wanted a sedan as a replacement for my HC. However later I decided that I would go for an SUV because if I didn’t get an SUV now, it would be too late for me to own a new SUV. So I shortlisted the following cars:

1. Fortuner
2. Innova
3. Jeep Compass
4. Duster
5. Captur
6. Creta
7. Ecosport
8. Brezza
9. Honda BRV
10. Honda WRV

I also prepared a list of features that I wanted in my new car, and the list was like this:

1. Petrol variant
2. High ground clearance
3. Automatic drive
4. Five seater
5. Comfortable and spacious rear seats
6. Infotainment system with GPS navigation
7. Safety features like ABS, and preferably 4 airbags
8. Spacious boot (preferable for family trips)
9. Split rear seats (preferable)

It goes without saying good mileage was also part of this wish list (which driver doesn’t want it )

 

[msklilly]

My search for a new car

I started visiting dealerships in November 2017. I stay in Delhi, close to the Noida (UP) border, and luckliy for me, there is no dearth of car dealerships ranging from Jaguar, to Honda to Tata in Noida, all within a radius of 3 Kms from my home.

I started with WRV, since by virtue of owning the HC I trusted Honda with its quality and after sales service. 1st impressions - no automatic available, lower than preferred ground clearance at 188 mm seven BRV had a GC of 210 mm). Moreover the petrol variant was not available for a test drive at any of the other dealerships as well. However absence of automatic was the biggest factor and so WRV was struck off my list. In fact I kept on enquiring with the dealer till a few months later if an automatic in WRV was in the offing (I was willing to wait) - but sadly Honda is not planning for it.

Brezza had to be stuck off my list simply because it did not have a petrol variant, plus it did not have AMT at that time (Maruti has later brought AMT variant in Brezza).

Then I had a look at Renault Captur and was impressed by it. However that too did not have an AMT and at that time the waiting period for petrol was upto 3 months, plus no petrol variant was available for test drive. I resisted myself from making an impulse booking at that time and I am glad now that I did not make that booking. Captur has not taken off for Renault.

I had a look at Duster (this was in Dec 2017) but at that time I wanted to go for the newer Captur & later I decided against Captur also. Sometime later in April 2018, I had taken a test drive of Duster petrol AMT also but was unimpressed by its drive, especially the lag while changing gears in AMT. Thus both Renault SUVs were struck off my list.

Meanwhile I had a look at Creta, the segment leader. I was impressed by its overall feature list. However I did not like the choice of features being offered by Hyundai in the top end model (which is without AMT) and the just lower model (with AMT). Also I felt that the car was being priced too much on the higher side. Creta was still selling like hot cakes at that time and Hyundai was seemingly encashing on its popularity. Moreover there was no petrol variant available for test drive. I was put off by those salespersons who offer you to take a test drive in a diesel variant, knowing fully well that you want to buy a petrol model. And this happened not only with Hyundai but with other companies also. So Creta was also struck off my list (at least for the time being).

Then I went to the Tata dealer in December 2017 and had a look at Nexon, about which there was a lot of buzz in print and online media. I had earlier owned an Indica diesel for nine years till 2013, and that not so good experience of the quality of that car as well as the after sales service was in my mind. I was impressed by the looks, but AMT was not available in any variant at that time. Upon my enquiry the sales executive told me that Tata is no longer planning for AMT in Nexon. The sales executive who showed the car and explained its features to me was a trainee (he told me himself) and was unable to explain the features to me properly. This fact, plus my earlier experience of Indica, put me off, and Nexon also went off my shortlist at that time.

I have always been impressed by the ride and comfort quality of Innova - whenever I have taken a ride in it (although I have never driven it). I went to the Toyota showroom to have a look. Upon enquiry was told that the petrol variant gives a mileage of only 5-6 km/l. I was shocked to hear about such a low mileage figure. Of course the diesel variant gives a better mileage. Also when I thought about making my daily commutes in such a big vehicle, it did not appeal to me. The cost was also on the higher side so I had to strike Innova also from my list.

I have also always admired Fortuner for its dominating presence on the road and its bulky, almost overpowering stance. For reasons similar to that of Innova, Fortuner was also taken off my list.

By this time it was January 2018, and I was not making any headway in coming to like a car that I wanted to buy. So I put a halt to my search for the time being. Then came auto expo 2018 in Delhi (Actually in Noida). A few days after that I read a news article about Tata planning to introduce AMT for Nexon. I immediately enquired from the Tata dealer and he told me that it will not be coming till March end. I decided to wait further.

In the meanwhile in March I took a test drive of Jeep compass as well. I was thoroughly impressed by its solid build quality and drive. The steep pricing of the car prevented me from keeping it in my shortlist.

 

[msklilly]

Test drive and and booking experience for Nexon

By March end/ April beginning I had already made a couple of queries with Tata dealer about the availability of Nexon AMT model in petrol for test drive. One day, me and my wife happened to be in a shop close to the Tata dealership for some purpose. After finishing our work there, I took my wife to the Tata dealer to show Nexon to her. At the showroom I specifically requested them for a knowledgeable/ expert salesperson who could explain the car and its features to me in detail. The sales lady who came was very knowledgeable and diligently explained the car features to us. I actually appreciated the features of Nexon this time much more than last time, particularly the good quality of its interiors, drive modes, Harman Kardon music system, rear split seats and the like. I luckily chanced upon a Nexon owner, who owned a manual Nexon who was there in the showroom and had come there to see the AMT version of Nexon. He spoke very highly about the car and how Tatas had really outdone themselves with this car. He had traveled extensively in his Nexon to Pune and to Spiti from Delhi. After talking to him I felt that in choosing Nexon I was not on a wrong track. But AMT in petrol was still unavailable for a test drive, and we came back, with me yearning to take a test drive of this more than ever. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a call from the dealership a few days later informing me that the petrol model is available for a test drive. I immediately fixed an appointment for a test drive.

The test drive went off well. I was impressed by the quality of its drive. The lag at the time of shifting gears in the automatic mode was there, but much less than what I felt in Duster. The pickup and power in sport mode was fantastic. The braking, even at high speeds felt reassuring. I came back satisfied after the test drive and took all relevant information from the saleslady including price list, delivery period, availability of colours etc. However I did not make a booking just yet.

I had read a review somewhere that Diesel is more zippy to drive in Nexon and wanted to experience it. A few days later I called up another Tata dealer and booked a test drive for diesel Nexon. The test drive went well, although when I suddenly pressed hard on the brake to test, a "thuk" sound was heard after the car came to a stop (not once - but this happened thrice, as I wanted to see if it was something with just this car in or in general in Nexon. The salesperson noted and agreed to get the car serviced. I did not notice any appreciable difference in pickup or power of diesel variant over petrol. Moreover this test drive just reinforced my own personal dislike about diesel engines - the engine was too noisy for me (from the outside). Mind you, the engine noise or vibration inside the cabin is much less. By this time it was certain that Nexon (in petrol variant) was the car I wanted to buy. However one last but important hitch was there.

My earlier experience of driving Tata Indica had impressions of not so good quality of the car - and I had generalized this impression to all Tata cars. Also the service quality at the*ASS*was not very pleasing. These were the factors that were preventing me from going ahead with another Tata car. If I had to buy a new car, I had to go this way, or the other. I went to the Tata dealer and openly discussed my concerns with the saleslady and told her that I want to discuss a few things with the service manager and the GM of the dealership. She agreed readily to take me to them. When I met the service manager I openly discussed about my Indica experience with him and told him that I am scared to buy another Tata car. He explained to me that since then the quality of Tata cars has been increasing steadily. He talked about Tiago and Tigor. He also explained to me that the customer profile of Tata car owners from Indica to now has changed. At the time of Indica it was predominantly cab drivers/ owners versus individual private buyers of newer cars now. Accordingly Tata dealerships have also improved their service quality now. I asked him specifically about any issues with Nexon. He told me there was none that was a major or nagging issue with Nexon in general - minor issues are always there with individual cars which are rectified satisfactorily at the service centre. He explained how mangers from the plant regularly visit dealerships to take feedback on product issues and take that feedback to the plant for further improvements. I felt quite re-assured after talking to him. Some of what he spoke about, I already knew, but I wanted to hear this from a Tata dealer representative. Also this meeting with the service manager gave me an opportunity to build an early rapport with him and others at the dealership. Similarly my meeting with the GM (sales) was re-assuring. And thus came the time for me to make a booking for Nexon .

Among the variants in petrol, I wanted to go for the top model as I was awed by its unique features (not available in lower variants) like the machine cut alloy wheels, wider tyres than lower variants (215/60, R16), front and rear fog lamps with cornering assistance, rear defogger, central console with front arm rest and sliding tambour door, rear seat armrest, 60-40 split rear seat, push button start, wearable PEPS key. There were other features as well (which were available in some lower variants) which I liked a lot e.g. Floating touch screen Infotainment system, Harman Kardon 8 speaker music system, voice command and voice reminders, height adjustable driver seat, automatic climate control etc. Thus I finalized petrol XZA+ variant for booking and it also was within my budget. Aa for the colours I liked all the colours especially blue and orange, both of which look quite sporty. However I decided against them as these wee too catchy for me, and settled for Seattle silver colour - Nexon comes in only single tone colour in silver.

It was 20th June. I approached the saleslady and asked for a detailed price breakup and final price before I made the booking. There was an offer of free insurance and 3K corporate discount. I negotiated and got basic accessory kit for free. Thus I made my booking for Nexon Petrol XZA+ by paying the booking amount. I was told it would take 3-4 weeks for delivery. I was not in a hurry (though like everyone I wanted to drive away the new car tomorrow ). I was given a copy of the 'commitment sheet' by the saleslady - which was an agreement on the final negotiated price. The remaining price was to be made on delivery.

 

[msklilly]

Car Insurance

In the meanwhile, I had made up my mind to go for additional covers for insurance. This was based on the advice of my brother in law who had purchased an Audi last year and had taken these covers. These make sense for any new car, especially for the first few years. I took the following additional covers from Tata AIG - engine protect, consumables, nil depreciation, key replacement, personal belongings, road side assistance, emergency transport & hotel expense, and return to invoice. I wanted NCB protect also but that was not offered by Tata AIG.

 

[msklilly]

Delivery experience

The first enquiry I made regarding delivery was after two weeks of making the booking and I was told that there is no update from the plant. A few days later when I enquired I was told that the car is on the way on the trailer and it will take 3-4 days for it to reach the showroom. Two days later it had reached Gurgaon and next day it was delivered in the stockyard. I enquired about the formal delivery and I was told that it will be delivered the next day or day after that. I requested the saleslady to arrange it for next day, as incidentally it happened to be my wife’s birthday, and the saleslady agreed to arrange the delivery next day.


On the day of the delivery I called the saleslady to enquire about the time I should come to take the delivery. She told we that the overall process (paperwork and all) would take 3-4 hours. She told me that I will have to come and make the payment and after that I can leave and she would complete all the formalities and inform me half an hour prior to delivery time, which was fine with me. So I made the payment in the morning itself and agreed to come back after 3 hours. I did take a look at my car which was parked in the front of the showroom and was been cleaned and polished by one of the workers, but I did not do any detailed inspection of the car, except for just having a casual look from inside and around outside. I was interested in onely one accessory at the time of delivery, about which I enquired from the shop inside - the gear lock, but I was told that for AMT variants gear lock cannot be fixed. When the GM sales came to know that it was my wife’s birthday he was adamant that she would also have to come for the delivery ‘ceremony’ and they would have a small birthday cake cut for her. It was so nice of him to arrange that. So after I went home I asked my wife and two daughters also to be ready to accompany me to the showroom to take the delivery.

All for of us went to the showroom in the afternoon. We were asked to come to the conference room where many of their office staff had gathered. A small cake with candles was arranged and it was cut by my wife. A few pictures were clicked. The GM service presented a bouqet and a box of chocolates to us. As a small token of my appreciation for the sales lady I gifted her a small present and appreciated her for helping me choose the right car and answering all my queries. After this some paper work and formalities requiring my signatures was done. I was handed over a booklet with papers including invoice, insurance papers and explained some basic things. I was told the temporary registration number will come within 2-3 days and the final registration number will take 3-4 weeks. I was also taken around the service workshop and introduced to the service advisor and explained about the service schedule of the car and the procedure to book service appointments.Then we all came outside the showroom building for the customary delivery ceremony was done and the pictures were clicked. We all sat inside the car and I drove the car back home, after getting petrol filled from a fuel station on the way.

Overall my delivery process was quite smooth at the dealership.

 

[msklilly]

Post delivery dealer experience

Three days after delivery I got a call from the dealer to get my temporary registration number fixed which was done promptly when I took my car there. I also enquired about the extended warranty and I was told I can get in anytime before the standard warranty expires at the cost prevailing at that time. I could also purchase it at the current price within 90 days of delivery. I havent purchased the extended warranty as yet, but do intend to, for complete peace of mind. About 3 weeks after the delivery the RC of my car was delivered by courier at my home. I called the saleslady and informed me about the same. She enquired about the registration number which I shared with her. She told me that I could come and get the number plate fixed anytime next day. I could not go there next day so went there the following day and got the HSRP fixed. I had requested the saleslady not to fix any stickers including that of the dealer on the plates and this was complied with. Post delivery experience with the dealer was also very good.

 

[msklilly]

First impressions after ownership of my Nexon

The car is indeed a piece of good work by Tata motors. While I admire its exterior styling, I am in love with the interiors as well.

With its high ground clearance, the Nexon’s side profile is the most appealing and attractive. XZA+ comes with front cornering fog lamps and LED DRLs. From the rear it has the looks of a hatchback. The tail lights are attractively styled. The build of the car feels heavy and solid. (All four doors, the boot and the bonnet feel heavy while opening).

Posting a few pics of the exterior.

 

[msklilly]

Interiors of XZA+

The interiors feel luxurious. I am not a fan of the black coloured upholstery, which I feel kills the feeling of spaciousness inside the car, but I found that all SUVs these days come with black or dark upholstery - I had no choice there. But slowly it has been growing upon me and I have started liking it now. There is ample leg space for the driver and front passenger. The driver seat is height adjustable. Thigh support is adequate both in the front and rear seats. The grand central console with the armrest and sliding tambour door (with storage space underneath both) looks great.

Posting a few pics of the interior including driver information cluster, steering wheel switches, infotainment system, fascia switches etc.

 

[msklilly]

Infotainment System

1. The infotainment system is quite good and visibility is quite good in bright sunlight also I have not yet fully explored all the features of the infotainment system including that of video playback on the screen.
2. The display screen is positioned high up on the dashboard, which TML calls a 'floating display'. The high position is helpful as it doesnt require the driver to look down into the dashboard, thus keeping the eyes closer to the road in front.
3. The 8 speaker Harman Kardon music system delivers crisp and good quality sound inside the cabin.
4. Upon downloading the "ConnectNext" android app from playstore, I found that a few useful apps can be installed for your choice of Tata car. I have not yet fully explored/ experienced these apps
5. GPS navigation can only be used by connecting your smartphone with a data cable.
6. The colour scheme changes corresponding to drive mode selected - this is a thoughtful feature
7. The space provided to access to the charging port, Aux port and USB port is very narrow and even normal sized hands will find it difficult to fix the cables/ pen drive etc. This definitely needs to be fixed by TML
8. When the reverse gear engages the rear camera displays automatically starts on the infotainment screen. The yellow colour guidelines are helpful in estimating the path of the car in the reverse gear. These guidelines curve to the left or right on the screen if you turn the steering wheel while reversing
9. I feel the quality of the camera is not very good and should have been better. In low light and at night particularly the display image is very grainy.
10. With the press of a button the reverse camera display can be seen the on the screen even when the car is moving forward. This may be a useful feature to see anything which is very close to the rear bumper or otherwise.

 

[msklilly]

Rear seating and Space

1. The rear leg space is quite good and three normal adults can comfortably sit for a long drive
2. The central hump is raised a little on the floor but not too much
3. The XZA+ comes with a folding central armrest in the rear seat equipped with two cup holders
4. XZA+ also has 60-40 split folding rear seats
5. The parcel tray in the rear of the seats is quite spacious to store your knick knacks
6. The rear AC vents are placed lower on the floor side and have a airflow speed and direction control. Nore that this is a blower which just ‘sucks’ air and throws it to wards the rear passengers.
7. The rear charging port has been discontinued by TML in this model and this is a huge disappointment for me, as the car spec sheet brochure mentions it and even the car which I test drove had it. These days everyone from kids to adults has a tablet or a mobile phone while traveling and at least two charging ports for the rear passengers is a necessity. I have sent an email to TML about this

Boot Space

1. The boot size is sufficient to accommodate luggage for a small family for a trip of few days.
2. Spare tyre does not have alloys and the tools come nicely arranged in a styrofoam cutout.
3. Boot is equipped with a light and two hooks on both left and right side to hang your shopping bags if required.
4. The rear seats can be folded in 60-40 mode to accomodate more luggae if required, and they can be folded completely and the seat cushions removed and arranged so that the floor becomes almost flat to give you a huge storage space if required (see pic below)

 

[msklilly]

Some other features

1. Apart from the usual storage pockets for water bottles and knick knacks, there are small thoughtful features inside the car like cooled and illuminated glove box, coin pocket and wallet/ sunglasses pocket for the driver, luggage hooks on the front passenger centre console side, rear windows, and in the boot,and umbrellas in the doors, illuminated boot, tool organizer in the boot, etc.
2. The steering wheel has a textured surface, but still feels slippery. A cover is must which I need to get soon
3. The dead pedal is on extreme left corner of the foot side in the cabin and the leg touches the centre console wall while placing the foot there
4. There is no one-touch automatic window roll up/ down function for the driver window (which was there even in my 11 year old honda city). I feel this is a must in the top variant of any car and I have provided this feedback to TML
5. The voice reminders for seat belt, open door, open boot door, low fuel etc are useful
6. Voice commands are also useful. With this for example you can set the speed of AC fan, change source of music between radio, USB etc. But the range of possible control-able functions are limited.

 

[msklilly]

Driving Modes

1. The drive mode can be selected to ECO (economy), CITY or SPORT by rotating the dial on the central console.
2. Every time you start the car, CITY mode is selected by default. Wish it could remember the last mode used and start in that mode.
3. Before starting you need to ensure the car is in neutral and hand brake is engaged. Press the brake pedal and press the start button simultaneously to start the engine. Then shift the stick downwards towars automatic mode (A) and release the hand brake. The moment you release the brake pedal the car will start to move forward on its own (creep function). Thereafter to increase speed you have to press the accelerator and depending on the speed the gears change automatically in the AMT mode.
4. The drive in sport mode is quite zippy and the nexon surges forward powerfully.
5. In the ECO mode you only get what you commanded the car for - “fuel economy”, and not power or speed.The drive in this mode is dull and pickup is slow. There is a noticeable lag before the next gear engages and the car speeds ahead only then. Other than keeping the fuel consumption to the minimum, ECO mode doesn’t do anything else to appreciate, but that by itself may mean a lot to the 'mileage enthusiasts'.
6. City mode is a balance between ECO and SPORT modes as it offers the best balance between power and fuel consumption for city drives. I found is adequate for city driving
7. The creep feature is a very useful feature and is a boon for driving in bumper to bumper city traffic (e.g. in Delhi). You just need to press and release the brake pedal (without doing anythingh to the accelerator) to stop and move ahead at low speed (creep) in bumper to bumper traffic
8. There is no hill assist feature in Nexon. Its a gimmick if anyone says that, because it is just the creep function working against the incline which is being ‘marketed’ as such and is not a true hill assist. Hand brake must be used while starting to drive after stopping up or down an incline
9. While in AMT mode if you press the accelerator suddenly, the car detects it and the gear downshifts automatically for more power and then shifts to higher gear on its own
10. The car can also be driven in manual gear mode by shifting the gear stick to the left side. Then shifting up will engage the higher gear and shifting down will engage the lower gear. While declerating the gears shift down automatically, but the higher gears have to be selected manually.

 

[msklilly]

Car Keys

With XZA+ you get one Smart key and one PEPS key (which is passed off as the duplicate key). The smart key is a remote control that has four buttons and a key blade that is hidden inside the remote case. There is a button each for locking doors, unlocking doors, unlocking boot door and approach lights (headlights). The key needs to be just inside the passenger compartment to start the car. The blade key can be taken out with the press of a button on the side and can be used to unlock the car in case the remote fails to operate the doors.

The PEPS key (Passive entry Passive Start) comes in the form of a wearable band that can be worn on the wrist like a watch or a fitness band. It has "NEXON" branding on the faux screen (which looks like a screen but is not, so there is nothing to display). When the PEPS key is worn on the wrist, you just need to press on the door handle sensor to unlock the doors. While locking you need to just press the sensor after closing the door. The car will start on the push of the start button once the driver is inside with the PEPS key on the wrist. PEPS key is certainly a WOW feature offered with this variant of Nexon. I believe is also available as an accessory if anyone wants to buy it with another variant of Nexon.

One issue that I have observed with PEPS key is that the strap locking mechanism is not very secure and it tends to unlock on its own without you realizing it. It has happened twice with me with the band dropping off and I never realized it at that time. Luckily it happened inside the car both times and the band was recovered. If this happens outside the band may be lost forever. I have given a feedback to Tata Motors on email and I hope they will do something about it.

 

[msklilly]

It has been six weeks since I owned my XZA+ and I have driven approx 900 kms. So far I am fully satisfied with my choice. The car is good in all respects and has not let me down. I agree I have not yet driven it on a highway or long drive and not done any off-roading on it. But going by the experience of other owner drivers I am sure it will perform well there as well. Ever since I owned this car I have been getting scores of queries from prospective buyers of a new car, who want my feedback on Nexon. Almost all of them are impressed by the car and cant ignore it, but are scared of buying a Tata brand car because of the reputation of the brand's passenger cars of the past (just like me). But for me, Nexon has beat down all those niggling fears hands down, and not only that my experience at the Tata dealership has also been very good.

The car will be due for its first service in another 2 weeks time. Will keep this thread updated with my further experience with the car, dealership and Tata Motors.

My dream is to take my Nexon on a looong hilly drive and Leh-Ladakh is the ultimate destination for that. Hope to realize my dream soon