Tata Nexon

The engine in question for this review is Tata’s 1.2-litre turbo-petrol, which in CNG guise produces 99bhp/170Nm and can only be had with a six-speed MT. We expect that Tata will at some point bring in an AT option for this car and that is expected to be the six-speed AMT. In its standard petrol guise, this engine with the same gearbox offers a claimed mileage of 17.44kmpl. Officially, Tata has not revealed a mileage figure but we subjected the car to a real-world mileage test and we got 11.65km/kg in the city and 17.5km/kg out on the highway, giving us a combined average of 13km/kg.

As a car to drive, the Nexon CNG is surprisingly fast. Usually, when you buy a CNG-powered car, you have to make a compromise on performance and driving experience in favour of mileage and efficiency. However, thanks to the turbocharged engine and the fact that you are getting 170Nm of torque, which is the highest now on offer for a CNG-powered vehicle, you don’t feel the lack of punch. In fact, you can easily do good three-digit highway speeds without much of a struggle.

The only thing that has increased is the vibrations on the steering wheel and gear lever when switching to CNG mode, which by the way can be done on the fly. All in all, you don’t feel like you have lost any noticeable performance. That’s an important thing when you consider that this 1.2-litre turbo turbocharged petrol is a fun engine to use and allows you to drive in an engaging manner. Thanks to the decently high torque figure, you don’t feel the extra weight of the CNG tanks. I mean yes, they do add extra weight to the vehicle and that’s something you will only notice if you are driving dynamically. For day-to-day city driving and on flat highways, you are not really going to have an issue.

The ride quality of the Nexon has always been on the firmer side and they have had to do a little extra to account for the weight of the tanks but that has not really affected the ride quality. It has always been one of the selling points of the Nexon, the ability to crunch everything in its path without much of a struggle and let you keep your pace constant. The steering feels overly assisted but that helps in masking the weight and size of the car and allows you to manoeuvre it easily. However, the rear visibility and the view out the left and right rear due to the massive C-pillars are still an issue. However, this top-spec model that we are reviewing gets a 360-degree camera and that does help quite a bit.

There are no changes to the outside of this Tata Nexon CNG and it picks up all the design cues of the updated car that was launched in September 2023. Up front, you get the new low-set headlamps and LED DRLs that do a fancy dance when you turn on/off the car.

In the profile, you can see the coupe SUV roofline, new design for the 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, and the body-colour door handles. Finally, at the rear, you get the interconnected taillamps and an i-CNG badge at the right rear and in fact, that’s the only external indication that this is a CNG-powered Nexon.

The first row of this CNG-powered Tata Nexon is a decent space to be in. There is enough shoulder room and knee room but the headroom feels compromised due to the curved roofline. The highlights of the front are the two customisable digital displays. Both look very high quality and are quite nice to use. Another highlight is the futuristic climate control interface, which looks nice but does not offer haptic feedback. It also has a gloss black surface which looks premium but is a dust and fingerprint magnet. Space in the second row is good for two occupants, but put a third one in and they have to contend with the AC vents and reduced space. Features here include AC vents, USB C and USB A charging ports, and a centre armrest with cup holders.

The biggest victim of any car wanting to go with CNG power is the bootspace, I mean you have to store the CNG tank somewhere and since it is too bulky and heavy to be built into the body, it’s always the largest open space available that takes the hit.

But last year, Tata introduced its twin-cylinder technology where it split the 60-litre tank into two parts, placed it lower down and voila, more boot space! The regular Nexon gets a boot capacity of 382 litres, while this one offers a maximum of 321 litres. That’s 81 per cent of the full capacity, which is not a bad deal. This has of course come at the cost of the spare wheel that’s now been tethered to the bottom of the car.

The fully-loaded Fearless+S Nexon CNG, which is in our pictures has features like dual digital screens, 360-degree camera, ventilated front seats, climate control with rear AC vents, connected car technology, leatherette upholstery, power mirrors, power windows, and an auto-dimming IRVM. All versions of the Nexon get six airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control, three-point seatbelts, and headrests for all occupants.

We have spent some time with the Tata Nexon CNG and let us sum up our experiences by looking at the pros and cons. On the side of pros, you don’t have to go for a lower-spec variant just because you have chosen a CNG-powered model. The car that you see in our review is a fully loaded model with all the bells and whistles that Tata has for the Nexon family. If you are willing to spend, then Tata has the means to provide for your needs. Tata has not compromised on performance and that’s something that should help this Nexon CNG sell well. You don’t feel like you have to take a step down just because you chose CNG power. The difference in performance between CNG and petrol power is very small and you don’t feel the lack of punch.

The next pro is that you don’t have to compromise on bootspace. Thanks to its twin-cylinder technology, Tata is able to liberate a sizeable amount of space in the back. 382 litres is what the standard cars get and this one with the CNG tanks has a capacity of 321 litres and that’s not a bad number at all. It has come at the cost of the spare tyre having to be mounted underneath like how you would on a body-on-frame vehicle. It does come with additional ground clearance to account for the tyre being mounted underneath.

On the side of cons, the fit and finish in some places leave a lot to be desired. The touchscreen system has a tendency to hang occasionally. Also, since this is essentially a variant of the Nexon, it comes with the design oddities that the car has like the roofline, bottle holders in the doors, and the hard-to-use cubby hole in front of the gear lever. At the time of writing this review, the prices ranged from Rs. 8.99 lakh to Rs. 14.59 lakh (ex-showroom). It has competition in the form of the Maruti Brezza CNG, Maruti Fronx CNG, and Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor CNG.

Photography: Kaustubh Gandhi