2023 Tata Nexon.EV : Our observations after a day of driving

The Nexon.EV’s straight-line stability is very good and the car doesn’t feel nervous even when the speedometer crosses 100 km/h. Undulations on the road and bumps do not affect its composure.

Driving the Tata Nexon.EV Long Range

The Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor puts out 143 BHP:

The Nexon.EV is powered by a Gen II electric motor that claims to be lighter than its predecessor by 20+ kg. It has 30% lesser magnets. The new motor delivers 106.4 kW (143 BHP) which is 2 BHP more than the Nexon EV Max. The 40.5 kWh battery pack is carried over from the Max.

Driving an EV is quite a unique experience and recent EVs have all been impressive. Push the engine start button with your foot on the brake pedal and you’ll hear nothing, although the car is “alive” now. There are four transmission modes to choose from: P, D, R and N. Engage D, lift your foot off the brake pedal and the car crawls forward. This will be highly appreciated in heavy traffic conditions where you can drive with just the brake pedal.

Driving in the city is a pleasant experience. The accelerator pedal’s response is linear and not snappy (especially in ‘Eco’ mode). Passengers will appreciate how smooth the drive feels, without any jerks caused by gearshifts or any engine sounds. It is an incredibly refined experience.

Floor the accelerator pedal and you’ll be greeted with instant power / acceleration. This is the beauty of powerful electric motors. The car is quick and has abundant torque right from the get-go. Tata claims a 0-100 km/h time of 8.9 seconds and a top speed of 150 km/h, which are believable figures.

Out on the highway, the Nexon.EV is fantastic. An advantage of a powerful electric motor is that if you need to perform a quick overtake, there’s no need to wait for a downshift or be in the engine’s powerband. Just bury the accelerator pedal and you’re off! You’ll hit silly speeds with ease and not even realise it due to the lack of drama (engine noise etc.). That being said, single-gear EVs don’t have that higher-end punch that geared turbo-petrol cars do. Keep in mind that if you drive hard, the range drops drastically. This is also why you will see EVs that are driving long distances, stick to the middle lane and cruise at 80-100 km/h (which is the best cruising speed for the current lot of EVs). We already told you that the Nexon.EV Long Range variant has a realistic range of ~270 km. Get aggressive with the A-pedal and you’ll see the range drop significantly. This sensitivity to driving style is more like turbo-petrols rather than turbo-diesels which are so forgiving.

Getting up to cruising speeds is an easy affair and the absence of any sound means you will reach triple-digit speeds without realising it (it’s only when the speed warning chimes sound that you know you’re doing 80 km/h and 120 km/h).

There are 3 driving modes to choose from. They’re mapped specifically for different driving styles.

• City Mode: The default mode. The car always restarts in this mode, no matter what mode you last drove in. It’s great for driving in the city as well as on the highway. Strikes a good balance between power and economy.
• Eco Mode: The mode to engage when you want the maximum range. The throttle response is dumbed down, which actually results in a smoother drive in the city (less of that “torque-pull” effect). Power comes in more gradually when you ask for it. While there’s enough grunt for day-to-day driving or cruising on the expressway, when you need to pull off a quick overtaking manoeuvre, you will want to engage one of the other modes.
• Sport Mode: The mode when you really want to have fun. Floor the A-pedal in Sport mode and watch the traction control warning light flash in the instrument cluster. In this mode, throttle response is sharper and the car just feels more eager to get a move on. However, it can feel too peaky for city driving and also eats up the battery faster. Use “Sport” when you’re looking for fun on expressway runs.

Regenerative Braking

There are 4 levels of regenerative braking which can be adjusted using the paddles placed behind the steering wheel. We absolutely love adjustable regen settings as we can tune them to suit our mood. At level 0, there is no regeneration. On levels 1 and 2, there’s obviously lesser resistance when you lift off the accelerator pedal. Driving on level 3 enables maximum regeneration. Engine-braking lovers will appreciate driving with regen at the maximum level. You can also do one-pedal driving in many situations. However, do keep in mind that the car will never come to a complete halt. It will keep crawling without any throttle input.

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

There is no engine noise at all. The only sound coming is a faint whine from the electric motor at high revs. With no gearshifts & minimal mechanical parts, there are no jerks or vibrations. On the highway, tyre noise starts creeping into the cabin at 80 km/h. You’ll hear it more because there is no engine sound to drown some of it out. Around 90 km/h, we could hear some wind noise as well. Again, more noticeable because there is no engine sound.

Range

Tata claims a range of 465 km with the new 40.5 kWh battery pack. However, these numbers are very subjective and the real-life range solely depends on how you drive the car. ~270 km should be doable IMHO. Can go lower, depending on how you use the accelerator. We await real-life reports from BHPian owners of this car.

Charging

The Nexon EV Max gets the industry-standard CCS 2 charging port. A 7.2 kW home charger which can be installed at your home or office, can charge the 40.5 kWh battery pack from 10-100% in 6 hours. If you’re travelling somewhere, you can use the portable charger in the boot to charge the car from any 15 Amp socket (the larger 3-pin sockets used for ACs and fridges), which would take about 15 hours to charge from 10-100%. In comparison, the 30 kWh battery of the Nexon.EV Medium Range takes 10.5 hours to charge with a 3.3 kW AC charger. Do note that in all EVs, the initial 0 – 80% charging happens quicker… the final 81 – 100% takes more time. The last option is the 50 kW DC fast chargers that you will find at some of the charging stations. This would fill up your car’s battery from 0-80% in 56 minutes. GTO thinks a 15A charger is all that 99% of owners will need – his article on the same.

Suspension

Ride Comfort

The car gets a MacPherson strut suspension at the front and a twist-beam with dual-path strut suspension at the rear. It rides on 16″ alloy wheels that are shod with 215/60 section tyres. The recommended tyre pressure is 34 PSI. Like most fossil-fuel cars converted to electric, the Nexon.EV’s suspension has been stiffened up to cope with the extra weight due to the heavy battery pack and other equipment.

At low speeds, the ride is firm, but not harsh. Smaller bumps are not felt, but the larger ones and deeper potholes do make their presence felt in the cabin. As speeds increase, the ride improves significantly. Overall, we will say that the ride of the Nexon.EV is compliant, but not plush.

Handling & Dynamics

The Nexon.EV’s straight-line stability is very good and the car doesn’t feel nervous even when the speedometer crosses 100 km/h. Undulations on the road and bumps do not affect its composure. The stiffer suspension and 50:50 weight distribution have endowed the car with good handling characteristics. Its center of gravity is low and its body roll is well controlled. The grip from the MRF Wanderers is adequate for most drivers. However, push the car hard through a series of fast corners and they start losing grip. Enthusiasts will want to upgrade to stickier rubber. 

Steering

The electric power steering is one of the nicer units around. It is light at city speeds and weighs up sufficiently as the speed increases. The EPS isn’t lifeless and does give you some feel of what the front wheels are up to. At higher speeds, it inspires confidence.

Braking

While the Nexon EV MR (medium range) comes with disc brakes at the front and drums at the rear, the Nexon EV LR (long range) gets an all-wheel disc brake setup. This provides excellent stopping power. Emergency braking situations are handled well and the car is brought to a halt from high speeds effectively. Besides, the car is equipped with ABS + EBD, corner stability control, disc brake wiping, hydraulic fading compensation, panic brake alert and after-impact braking.

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