Tata Motors is testing its upcoming compact SUV, the Nexon currently. It will unveil the production-ready model at the 2016 Auto Expo this week.
The compact SUV segment is very popular in India. Customers love the SUV styling and appreciate the high ground clearance such cars offer to tackle bad roads. While many manufacturers already have a presence in this segment, Tata will enter it soon with the launch of the Nexon. The production version will be unveiled at the 2016 Auto Expo this week.
Caught testing yet again by our reader Avdhoot, the Nexon will get a new diesel engine which Tata has developed and it will also get some differentiating features. The silhouette closely resembles that of the concept model which was shown at the 2014 Auto Expo. The camouflage doesn’t reveal too many details of the compact SUV.
From the front, the Tata Nexon gets a Tata Safari like look with the grille design borrowed from the Zica. From the side, it looks like a hatchback but gets a few character lines flowing to lend it a more masculine appeal. The base variant will come with steel wheels and the wheel well looks adequately filled by the tyres. Wider tyres on the higher variants will fill the remaining gap.
At the rear, the Tata Nexon gets a slightly protruding boot which just about manages to cross the namesake bumper. In case of a slight bump, the tailgate will bear the brunt. What is interesting is the cargo carrier which has been added above the tailgate instead of the roof. It will be offered as an optional accessory and might be useful for the ones needing luggage space.
Powering the Tata Nexon will be one petrol and one diesel engine. While the petrol unit will be the 1.2-litre Revotron motor seen on the Bolt and Zest, the 1.5-litre diesel unit is new and will debut with this SUV. The petrol engine produces 90 PS of power and 140 Nm of torque whereas the diesel engine is likely to produce 100 PS of power and 200 Nm of torque.
