Tata Nexon

With its radical looks and impressive specs, Tata’s compact SUV promises much. But is this the game changer we’ve been waiting for?

- Shapur Kotwal

Tata Motors may have missed the boat when it comes SUVs, and inexplicably, never focused on the SUV segment since it launched the Safari nearly 20 years ago. Now, finally, the Indian auto giant is training its sights on the segment. One look at the Nexon is all you need to know that Tata Motors is deadly serious about putting a competitive compact SUV or crossover into our market. This was clear from the moment I set eyes on the Nexon at the 2016 Delhi Auto Expo, where we were all wowed by the concept.

Looking at it under the arc lights at a motor show is all very well, but seeing the production car in the flesh on Indian roads, with its radical lines so faithfully reproduced, really does up the ante. It brings home the ‘motor-show to showroom floor’ design ethos the company has been striving for; there’s no doubt that this interpretation of Tata’s Impact design truly does stand out, especially when weaving through traffic. The form is new, there are new shapes and details to take in, and the fact that it looks more like a show car than a production car isn’t lost on the traffic around us. The biggest surprise for them, however, is the Tata badge; and then most motorists just can’t contain their curiosity.

RADICAL FORCE

A first-hand appraisal and customer clinic takes place within minutes of us setting off. Several cars follow close, but refuse to overtake, all eyes locked on the Nexon. Thumbs ups follow, and we are asked when it is likely to be launched and at what price, while many just pull up to us and stare and smile. Clearly this is a much-awaited and muchappreciated car.