Tata Nexon EV Test Drive Review

Performance – The Tata Nexon EV comes with a 3-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor along with a 30.2 kWh battery which is placed below the floor. The motor and battery are IP67 rated. The Nexon EV produces 129 PS and 245 Nm and 0-100 km/hr comes up in a claimed 9.9 seconds. With EVs, you get instantaneous torque delivery and there is no lag whatsoever. The Nexon too feels very responsive to drive and it actually packs in a decent amount of punch. The car comes with Drive and Sport modes and the difference between both the modes is humongous. The Drive mode feels better suited for day to day usage because power delivery feels relaxed and linear while Sport mode is quite aggressive and results in a lot of wheel spin too.

The electric motor is very responsive and offers instant power delivery, especially in Sport mode

Overtaking other vehicles on the highway is a breeze and Sport mode does offer a lot of fun too. Obviously, the range drops when you drive the car hard. The Nexon has a claimed range of 312 kms but I feel the real-world range will hover between 240-260 kms. A lot depends on the driving style and traffic conditions. The vehicle has regenerative braking and you definitely need to tweak your driving style a bit if you’re coming from ICE cars to EVs. A regular charger comes bundled with the car and it can charge the battery from 20% to 100% in about 8 hours from any 15 Amp socket while a DC fast charger can take the battery from 0% to 80% in roughly 60 mins. Tata Motors has also tied up with Tata Power to set up EV charging stations across major metros. Around 28-29 units of electricity are consumed to charge the battery and hence a full charge would cost somewhere between Rs. 260-300/-.

Driving Dynamics – The regular Nexon is known for its quality and steering feel and the EV isn’t too different. It still offers a very good steering feel. The steering is light enough to drive in the city and starts weighing up nicely as you go higher up on the speedometer. The steering also offers a fair amount of feedback. In terms of ride quality, the suspension feels very tough for our roads and can take a good amount of abuse. The ride is exceptionally good but kind of feels a tad bit stiffer than the regular Nexon. The suspension does a brilliant job of soaking up the potholes and the car does feel very composed all the time. High-speed stability is also brilliant and while there is some amount of body roll, it is well-controlled. Tata engineers have also reduced the centre of gravity by 40 mm in this version. The brakes do their job nicely too offering good stopping power.