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2023 Tata Nexon Review: A Bold New Avatar
The year was 2017 when Tata Motors entered the compact SUV market with the curvy Nexon. Shunning the boxy shapes of its rivals, the Tata Nexon quickly made its way into the hearts and homes of the Indian public.
Since then, a facelift has arrived and the Nexon has revealed not one but two electric avatars to the world. Now though with the 2023 festive season fast approaching, Tata has taken the scalpel to the Nexon once again.
So is the new 2023 Tata Nexon more than just a nip-and-tuck job? Tata invited us to drive the refreshed 2023 Nexon in Jaipur, so we swooped into the Pink City to answer all your burning questions about the revised SUV.
2023 Tata Nexon Review: Design, Comfort & Tech - A Full Blown Makeover
Just a glance at the new 2023 Tata Nexon lets you know that this is not just a simple nip and tuck job - both on the outside and inside the cabin. First, let's walk you through the changes on the outside.
The exterior of the 2023 Tata nexon borrows heavily from the Tata Curvv concept and the firm's larger SUVs. The split grille and headlamps look rather well put together with the upper lighting consisting of sequential LED DRLs that also act as the turn signals.
The lower section of the front bumper sports the larger portion of the new grille. The actual headlamps sitting in C-shaped enclosures on either side of the bumper. Also seen is a faux bash plate in silver.
The sides of the Nexon remain mostly unchanged with the latest avatar of the SUV sporting some snazzy new 16-inch alloy wheels with aero inserts. The roof can be optioned in either white or black on the higher-spec versions of the 2023 Tata Nexon.
The rear is where you see more of the changes. The plastic elements that connected the taillights are gone and in place are Y-shaped LED taillights connected by a lightbar that stretches across the back of the SUV.
The new 2023 Tata nexon is offered in a total of six monotone exterior colour options - Fearless Purple, Creative Ocean, Pristine White, Pure Grey, Daytona Grey, and Flame Red. While the Flame Red and Daytona Grey are offered with both white and black roofs, the Pristine White and Fearless Purple are only offered with a black roof for the dual-tone colour option.
Step inside the cabin of the 2023 Tata Nexon and the changes are more visibly noticeable. The dash is now a three-layered, three-tone setup with the middle section sporting leatherette upholstery that matches the exterior colour of the car in the top-spec Nexon we drove.
Sitting atop the dash is a brand-new 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system with support for wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that looks to be borrowed from Tata's larger SUVs. The infotainment screen is paired with an 8-speaker JBL audio system that converts the new Nexon into an amphitheatre of audio symphony.
Lower down on the centre console is an array of touch-sensitive capacitive controls for the fully automatic air conditioning system along with other functions like opening the boot, accessing the 360-degree camera and the hazard lights among others.
The other major highlight on the dash is the new 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster that gives you all the info you need and can also give navigation details on the go by displaying a full-sized nav map.
Sitting in front of this screen is a brand new 2-spoke steering wheel previously seen on Tata's concept cars. The steering wheel features an illuminated Tata logo along with touch and scroll controls for the infotainment and instrumentation screens.
Other highlights on the interior include ventilated front seats, a cooled glove box, a fancy shifter for the new dual-clutch gearbox (which seems to be lifted from Tata's Land Rover division SUVs), rear AC vents, second-generation iRA connected car tech, an electric sunroof that can be opened or closed with voice commands, a wireless phone charger and a 382-litre boot (unchanged).
Overall, the new 2023 Tata Nexon's cabin seems to have taken the interior game to a whole new level. Comfort and space levels inside the cabin are still top-notch for the segment with even taller passengers getting more than adequate space no matter where they rest their rear ends.
The safety kit on the new 2023 Tata Nexon includes 6 airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), ABS, EBD, ISOFIX child seat anchoring points, parking sensors, emergency and breakdown call assistance, and more.
2023 Tata Nexon Review: Engines, Gearboxes & Dimensions - Added Double Clutch
The 2023 Tata Nexon remains mostly unchanged in terms of its size. The new 2023 Nexon is 3,995mm long, 1,804mm wide and 1,620mm tall with a 2,498mm long wheelbase. The 2023 Tata Nexon is 2mm longer, 7mm slimmer and 4mm taller than its predecessor while the wheelbase remains unchanged. The new Nexon continues to offer 208mm of ground clearance.
Under the bonnet, the facelifted 2023 Tata Nexon carries over the same 1.2-litre turbo petrol and 1.5-litre turbo diesel engines as its predecessor. The petrol pushes out 118.2bhp and 170Nm of torque while the diesel churns out 113.3bhp and 260Nm of torque.
The petrol engine of the new Nexon is offered with two manual transmissions - 5 and 6-speed manuals and two automatic gearboxes - 6-speed AMT and 7-speed dual-clutch. The diesel continues to be offered with either manual or AMT automatic gearboxes - both 6-speed.
2023 Tata Nexon Review: Driving Impressions - More Of The Same Please
During our time with the 2023 Tata Nexon in Jaipur and its surrounds, we managed to snag the turbo-petrol version with the new (for the Nexon) 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
On the go, the turbocharged 1.2-litre three-pot under the Nexon's reworked bonnet is as peppy as ever. Put your foot down and at first it's smooth (albeit not really fast) sailing before the turbo spools up and gives the full beans past the 2,000rpm mark before dropping off slightly past the 4,000rpm mark.
The Nexon's engine offers meaty mid-range power and a decent top end, good for excursions on the city streets and cruising with ease on the highway at higher speeds.
The new 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox is smooth but not as quick as some of the other boxes using twin clutches currently offered in the market when it comes to shifting up and down the gears.
For those enthu cutlets drooling at the sight of paddle shifters behind the new steering wheel, we'd encourage you to wipe your faces and control your enthusiasm. The Nexon's DCA box will still shift gears automatically when in manual mode to reduce the stress on the engine and the gearbox.
The new Nexon's suspension setup is as pliant as ever ironing out the crashes and bangs of the bumps and ruts that mar our Indian roads. This softer setup does mean that the 2023 Nexon does roll a bit when you are a bit enthusiastic with it in the corners.
NVH levels are more than decent but we found the noise starting to creep into the new Nexon's cabin once its turbo three-pot went past the 4,000rpm mark. As for mileage, Tata hasn't revealed any official figures and with the limited time we had behind the wheel, we're not sure we could have given you an accurate accounting of the same.
2023 Tata Nexon Review: Verdict & Final Thoughts - New Looks & Tech With The Same Old Brilliance
The 2023 Tata Nexon sees the compact SUV undergo a major cosmetic and tech transformation, that makes it an even more desirable car for those looking to switch to an SUV for the first time.
The new 2023 Nexon's exterior design turns heads wherever it goes, while the new tech inside keeps everyone entertained and enthralled on the go. With prices expected to rise slightly, the 2023 Tata Nexon continues to be perhaps the best choice for customers in the segment.
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