The soon to be launched Nexon looks striking in flesh and is Tata’s first foray into the compact SUV space. In this segment, Nexon would compete with the more established rivals like the Maruti Brezza, which is also the best seller, and the EcoSport which is holding the ground pretty well too. So would it be a hit or a miss? We do a specification comparison and find out.
Design and Exterior
The Nexon looks striking whichever way you look at it, and in comparison to the Ford EcoSport (which has a front end which looks somewhat bulky), it manages the proportions really well. The wide grille of the Nexon has a family signature and resembles other products from the Tata family.
The high-set lamps at the front and flared wheel arches give Nexon a lot of character. Other notable design features are the sloping roofline and plastic white highlights along the window line, at the back and around the fog lamps which make the car look quite distinct. The Brezza, by all means, look understated and extremely plain in comparison to the other two. Even EcoSport has an SUVish stance and manages to look quite butch with its tailgate-mounted spare wheel (which the other two do not offer).
| Dimensions and Capacities | Tata Nexon | Maruti Vitara Brezza | Ford EcoSport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 3994 mm | 3995 mm | 3999 mm |
| Width | 1811 mm | 1790 mm | 1765 mm |
| Height | 1607 mm | 1640 mm | 1708 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2498 mm | 2500 mm | 2520 mm |
| Ground clearance | 209 mm | 198 mm | 200 mm |
| Boot capacity | 350 litre (upto 690 litre) | 328 litre | 346 litre (upto 705 litre) |
All three cars offer projector headlamps, ORVMs with integrated turn indicators and a good amount of ground clearance (coveted by all in this segment). Nexon sits 209mm from the ground is most capable when it comes taking a bad tarmac, it’s further helped by the shortest wheelbase of 2498mm.
Nexon, however, is widest of them all at 1811mm and is heaviest too. EcoSport and Brezza too sit quite tall with the ground clearance close to 200mm. Since you don’t get a 4x4 option in any of these cars, you really can’t do serious off-roading in any of them.
Interiors and Features
The Nexon’s cabin comes equipped with a 6.5-inch touchscreen display, climate control system and rear AC vents. It offers an outstanding eight-speaker music system from Harman that takes the cake. Other segment first features include umbrella holder and driving modes that let you choose between Eco, City and Sport. Nexon’s cabin is also smartly designed and offers lots of places to keep your odds and ends, the boot, in particular, can accommodate 350 litres of luggage which is superior to Brezza as well as the EcoSport which can accommodate 328 litres and 346 litres of luggage respectively.
EcoSport offers six airbags with the top of the line variant and has an edge over the others in terms of safety. Common features like parking sensors with camera, Bluetooth connectivity, satellite navigation, steering mounted controls, start-stop button etc. are present in the case of all of these cars. While you get rain sensing wipers, cruise control and automatic headlamps in the case of the Brezza and EcoSport, the Nexon gives all of them a miss.
| Features | Tata Nexon | Maruti Vitara Brezza | Ford EcoSport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| ABS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| EBD | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Infotainment System | Touchscreen + Bluetooth + USB + Android Auto + AUX + Navigation | Touchscreen + Bluetooth + USB + AUX + Navigation + Android Auto + Apple CarPlay | Touchscreen + Bluetooth + USB + Navigation + AUX + CD/MP3/DVD |
| Brake Assist | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Projector lamps | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Sensing wipers | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Rear-AC vents | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
Brezza’s interiors look plain, the infotainment system, however, supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Nexon would offer support for Android Auto to start with and will add Apple CarPlay later on. In the case of the EcoSport, you get neither, however, the sound quality of the SYNC system from 4 speakers and two tweeters is impressive.
Engine and Transmission
Nexon uses a new 1.5 litre, four cylinder diesel motor that puts out a healthy 111PS of power and 260Nm or torque. Petrol motor in the Nexon uses a three cylinder construction and employs a turbo which lets it put out 111PS of power and 170Nm of torque despite the smaller 1.2-litre capacity. Still, the petrol isn’t as powerful as the EcoBoost motor that puts out an impressive 125PS of power and 170Nm of torque from a 1.0-litre unit.
EcoSport also has a 1.5-litre diesel motor and a 1.5-litre petrol motor on offer. The diesel pumps out 100PS of power and 205Nm or torque while petrol puts out 112PS of power and 140Nm of torque. While you don’t get an automatic in case of Nexon as yet, EcoSport would offer you a DSG with 1.5-litre petrol. Nexon employs a 6-speed MT for both the motors and has an edge when it comes to high-speed cruising.
| Engine and Gearbox | Tata Nexon | Maruti Vitara Brezza | Ford EcoSport |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine capacity | 1.5 L (D) / 1.2 (P) | 1.3 L (D) | 1.5 L (D) / 1.5 L (P) / 1.0 (P) |
| Gearbox | 6 MT / 6 MT | 5 MT | 5 MT / 5 MT & AT / 5 MT |
| Power | 111PS / 111PS | 90PS | 100PS / 112PS / 125PS |
| Torque | 260Nm / 170Nm | 200Nm | 205Nm / 140Nm / 170Nm |
| Mileage (Kmpl) | -- | 24.3kmpl | 22.27kmpl / 15.60kmpl / 18.88kmpl |
Vitara Brezza neither gets a petrol and nor does it offer an automatic at the moment. It gets a Fiat sourced 1.3 litre diesel motor that’s been tuned to put out 90PS of power and 200Nm of torque, it comes coupled with a five speed manual transmission, and since Brezza has a weight advantage, the motor performs well than what you would expect.
Verdict
Nexon comes across as a great overall package, it looks smashing, bold and there’s nothing like it out there. It should be able to position itself uniquely among competitors within no time based on styling alone. However, it’s the price that would be the key to its success.
Tata managed it with Tiago and we expect that Nexon would also undercut the competition by a good margin. It would give the competition a reason to worry if Tata manages to price the base variant around Rs 6 lakh.
