TAIger's Tata Nexon Diesel: A Journey!

[Akash1886]

Today as I begin to write about my journey with my 2018 Diesel TATA Nexon let me first mention the reason for writing the review, Its only for my Dad's constant push to write about this car and my utmost respect for my beloved TAI Forum. To be honest, buying this car wasn't as much of excitement for me as much as I missed my Ivtec Honda CITY 1.5 (2011). Going against the norm, the first image(s) of this review won't be of my Nexon, instead it will be of my trusty CITY. A car that never threw any tantrums what so ever. I almost ruined my CITY with over modification spending time and money but that car always made me smile. The last string of emotions attached to the CITY broke the day Nexon came home in 2018 October. I admit the selling of CITY could have been postponed well by 2-3 years since at the time of sale it was just 70K Kms. Even though it was a base model CITY yet my fondness, memories and ownership with it will always be worth remembering. That car etched itself right into my heart and letting her go was the toughest decision. I even made an attempt to buy it back from dealer but by that time the car had been ruined by him and most of wrap job were torn and some accessories were removed. In short, it was in a condition that I couldn't bear to see it in. That day I actually understood that owning a car is one thing and maintaining it is totally different and not everyone has the finesse of keeping a car well maintained. Till this date, the deep sorrow of selling this particular car pinches me a lot. Even though I am at present driving a C-SUV with a higher variant yet I am unable to get over my CITY IVtec so a small tribute to my CITY Ivtec (2011-March 2018).

 

[Akash1886]

My journey with the Nexon Diesel began in October 2018. During the Festive Season we decided to go for Nexon as a replacement to my CITY. At that time the 2017 Tigor Petrol with me was serving us fine without issues so we decided to go for a new gen TATA car again as we were among the Happy TATA Customers. Petrol Nexon was not considered as we had Tigor 1.2L Petrol and buying another petrol with 1.2L engine and 3 cylinder would have been a outright demotion from the jewel of a petrol engine i.e 1.5L Ivtec. I decided not to go below 1.5L engine and so we decided on the diesel engine. I wasn't at all fussy of the type of transmission so we decided to go for the manual transmission. As of the color, we decided and chose the single tone Glasgow Gray. We completed formalities and then did the PDI. I took the VIN and got it decoded and found it was May-2018 made model. One of few XZ variant that were manufactured post the variant launch somewhere around April 2018. I was not at all happy with the deletion of some essential features like the Fog Lamps and Rear defogger so got the Fog Lamps fixed from dealer. Sharing some pics from stockyard and PDI.

 

[Akash1886]

This review even by my own standard will not be highly comprehensive since I deleted the comprehensive photo-shoot from my laptop after my dad's severe heart condition and the fact that very early in the ownership of the Nexon I faced issues of Clutch cylinder failure, rust spots, hanging of the ICE unit to name some. I lost interest in this car due to my priorities and mind getting diverted to family commitments. Being the start of new year, me and dad were sitting in morning today enjoying the cool weather and the sunshine and were discussing this car's future in our home and that is when he suggested me to write this review so that whenever this car is sold off atleast there won't be any hard feelings and we shall have memoir of sorts to read but let me be very honest, this car hasn't been as lucky for us as I wished (I know this sentence might sound stupid). So moving ahead, we got the car in October 2018 just couple of days before Dusherra. Sharing some pics of the delivery day and post delivery. The customary blessings and prayer being performed at the local temple by the priest.

 

[Akash1886]

Likes & Dislikes about this car (Personally)

Likes

* Tough Built. Officially the Safest Car that is made in India and sold in our Market too with 5 star safety.
* Value for money
* Interior Layout
* Nicely Tuned Diesel Engine
* Good Ride and Suspension
* Drive Modes
* Good Highway manners.
* Refreshing C-SUV design
* Good Air-conditioning
* Provision of Rear Air Blowers
* Among the last few VINs to be sold without feature deletions in XZ Trim
* Alloy like Wheel Cap designs with 2-tone color.

Dislikes

* Niggles in early ownership phase
* Deletion of features like front fog lamps
* No Rear Defogger
* Poor Low Beam
* Slight hindrance from the A-pillar while driving. Creates blindspots specially during turning.
* Not a full 5 seater. 3 Pax in the rear feel cramped. Experienced it during the 1st highway trip to Bareilly in 2018 November.
* Reverse Gear not engaging in one go.
* Earlier the boot door did not close in one go later got the same rectified.
* During PDI in-cabin ORVM adjuster of driver side was loose so had to get it rectified before delivery.
* No solution from the TML dealer here about the rusting except to get the panel repainted thereby loosing on the re-sale.
* After switching off the engine that foul smell of the fumes from the rear is terrible. Though Diesel engines have their merits but that smell is unbearable.

 

[Akash1886]

Looks of the Nexon

Well, the looks of any car is a subjective topic. To some the looks might appeal and to some the looks may not make a cut. To me, I felt overall it is a decent looking C-SUV. Something which is not a boxed up design. I find the looks of the car acceptable. The front grill with the humanity line running across from edge to edge lend a very matured character to the car. The side profile also looks good with bulged out wheel arcs that lend it a SUV character. The rear also appears neat without any unwanted curves. Designing a car isn't an easy job so keeping in mind the tastes of the buyers, I feel the 1st gen Nexon has impressed my family and me alike. The best part is that the TML design team doesn't alter much their concept car when launching it as a final product and that perhaps according to me is the reason that most of their new age car designs are getting praised.

 

[Akash1886]

Interiors

I'll Write in bullet points about interiors:

* Well laid out interiors
* Driver seat height adjustment is helpful for chauffeurs like mine.
* Under thigh support of front seats is nice too.
* Front seat's travel range i.e when pushed back to the T is good too provided only 2 pax are traveling.
* Fixed headrests in rear are a bummer
* No rear armrest is another miss which would have been useful during inter-city trips on highways.
* Umbrella holders are a nice move in the front doors.
* Rear seat isn't as comfortable atleast for my dad. He often complained of back pain post long distance travel. Perhaps spoiled by the rear seat of the CITY.
* Rear seat can't seat 3 heavy built adults. But 3 medium built adults can be accommodated with decent legroom for them.
* A Pillar blind spots terrible for night drives and even during day time.
*Small features like coat hooks is a nice move.
* Plastic Quality much better than previous gen TML cars.
* The Dual tone dashboard lends a premium look to the cabin.
* Headroom is also fine but not great in the rear due to the slopping roof-line.
* Missing of rear cabin lamp in XZ trim is pure cost cutting.
* Good amount of storage places in the glove box and gear lever console.
* Black Finish door grips inside the cabin further add to the beauty of the cabin.
* No real ergonomic issues faced so far in 1 year+ ownership.

 

[Ambylovers]

Hi,
Congratulations on your new TATA Nexon. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.
New Generation TATA Cars are very good in build quality. Service is still a very big question mark which is letting them down.

 

[Akash1886]

Hi,
Congratulations on your new TATA Nexon. Wishes to clock many more miles without issues.
New Generation TATA Cars are very good in build quality. Service is still a very big question mark which is letting them down.

Thanks a ton for your wishes. Though the review isn't complete yet and neither it is as detailed as you all are accustomed to from my end since I had been keeping busy due to personal commitments. This review will be completed in parts and as I get time. I agree that TML has been on the forefront of making safe cars for India. I am glad I owned 2 of their safe cars. It was heartening to note TIgor getting a 4 star rating post my car's sale last year. With the Nexon, its a sense of comfort while driving that I have a 5 star safety rated car with me. I feel, TML in the long run does need to fine tune their ASC channel for a smooth ownership. I feel, most buyers might compromise on certain aesthetic features but they all definitely look for a reliable product complemented by a smooth aftersales experience.

Regards
Akash

 

[Tornado]

Eager to know how did you dealt with the issues of Clutch cylinder failure, rust spots, hanging of the ICE unit etc?

 

[Akash1886]

Eager to know how did you dealt with the issues of Clutch cylinder failure, rust spots, hanging of the ICE unit etc?

Clutch cylinder replaced under warranty. For rust spots Dealer suggested minor repaint but I denied as it will further deteriorate the resale. ICE software was updated post which the hanging issue got resolved.

Apart from this reverse gear slotting from day1 has been an issue. No perfect resolution to it so far. Recently, CEL blinked but it turned out as a false alarm.

The ownership of this car has not been 100% smooth in comparison to my earlier City Ivtec.

Regards
Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Friends,

Update

Got the front left door molding and wheel arch molding changed today. The parts aren't expensive to be honest. Had asked my SA to arrange for them a week back and got them fixed today. Total expense including labor & taxes was just 1800/- Total time taken was about 1 hour+ because of a nut not opening. The plastics of left side (front) had got scratched due to rubbing with the garden's wall while parking. So, just to keep the car in clean look got them changed.

Regards
Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Late Update friends,

Got the Wipers of the car changed at ASC and got the tail light bulb changed again as it wasn't working. I am really surprised as to why in every 3-4 months only one side tail light bulb gets fused and has to be replaced. Though it doesn't cost much in price but still my time is involved in it and unnecessary trip to ASC is there and most importantly this is a quality issue and needs to be addressed.

In other news, the front left part of wheel arc cladding again got scratched in same way as earlier and the plastic rivets used for the boot door cladding have also come out from 3-4 places. Need to get them fixed post the opening of lockdown after 31st.

Regards
Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

Got the paid service done for the Nexon today. ODO @ service was 23,445Kms. I must say, this time the service was very good. I got the car's last paid service done in September 2019 and post that entire 2020 and half of 2021 i.e 21 months, this car served me without a single issue. If I give a rough idea, in 1 year atleast 2 services would be done and approx value per service would be 5500-6000/- so in 21 months I saved a good 15 Thousand approx. Nexon has been flawless in 21 months without a single major expense except for fuel and Tyre Air. In these 21 months, as this car served without any mechanical / technical issue, I would say, for me, it has passed the reliability test.

Details of Today's Service:

1) Engine Oil Changed
2) Oil filter Changed.
3) Fuel filter Changed
4) Air Filter Cleaned
5) AC filter Cleaned
6) Brakes Cleaned
7) Coolant & other Lubricants Topped up
8) Proper lubrication of door hinges and handles, ORVM joints, Boot latch & Driver Seat Levers.

Some pics of underbody and engine bay.

Engine bay post servicing

Total Expense of the paid service today was Rs. 6223/-
Service Rating: 9/10

1 point cut as the cleaners killed a mosquito on the roof liner that left a stain and they didn't clean that and secondly the washing bay incharge did not make an attempt to clean up a spot on front passenger door stating that the stain can't be cleaned where as his team of guys cleaned the very same stain with just water. This chap is not worth to be working there.

Regards
Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Buddies,

Carried out a DIY on the wheelcaps of my Nexon. Two of them were scratched so first approached the dealer to paint them but even after 5 days they did not complete the job. So, took it upon myself to do the needful. I have retained the dual tone finish and these are the results of the 1st coat of paint. One more coat is pending to get the full finish. The material cost was less than 500/- whereas the dealer guys had quoted 650/- per cover so for 2 it was 1300/= and btw the cost of 1 new wheelcap for 2018 model Nexon is 2115/- i.e approx 8500/- for set of 4.

Material Needed

1) 2 Aerosol Cans of Black Paint : Price 200x2 = Rs 400/-

2) 2 Masking Tapes : Price 35x2 = Rs. 70/-

3) Bottle of Thinner to remove excess spray.

So Total Cost Involved = Rs. 470/-

Preparation

1) Cleaned all the 4 wheel caps and wiped with clean cloth to remove mud, dust and other minor stains.

2) Masked off the necessary part (the 5 spokes) to retain the dual tone look and the clean Tata Logo.

3) Sprayed one coat. The coverage was really good and left them to dry in sunlight for about 1 hour 30 minutes

4) Checked on them and re-prayed the left over edges and corners. Again left them to dry for approx 20 minutes.

5) Masking takes 10-15 minutes per cover.

6) Painting takes 10 minutes per cover.

The outcome post single coat of paint

Regards
Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Friends,

Did yet another DIY. Painted the X-Design Element at rear in Black. Earlier it was wrapped in Black. The reason for doing so was the rust spots on the edges on both sides below the rear windshield.

Material Needed:

1) Black Aerosol Can

2) Sand paper (the most smooth one)

3) Bottle of Thinner to remove excess spray

4) Masking Tape & Newspaper

5) Primer (Brown Color)

6) 2 Paint brushes. 5 Number. wale.

Process
Removed the wrap. This was a job of patience since it was in place for more than 2 years. It was time taking exercise. Post removal, the residue was removed by using thinner.

Post residual removal, sanded the surface and then applied the primer on the rusted area and left it to dry in sunlight for about 30 minutes.

Upon the drying of primer, sanded off the excess primer and began to mask off the car.

After masking off the car, applied one coat of black paint and then left it to dry for about 30-35 minutes. Then again applied second coat to cover the spray pattern and make color look evenly done. Here's the result of the 2 coats after Gloss Black Paint.

Post the 2nd coat, left it to dry for another 15-20 minutes and then sanded off the excess paint. After that polishing and buffing is needed which I'll have to get it done as not having a buffing machine.

Regards
Akash