If one were to buy a compact crossover on looks alone, the Tata Nexon would make a rather strong case for itself. With sportscar-like swoopy lines, big wheels and flared fenders, the concept on which it is based had wowed visitors at Auto Expos. The final version remains true to it and manages to “un-box”, so to speak, the compact SUV.

There’s a lot riding on the Nexon. The utility vehicles segment is growing faster than the overall market and now accounts for about a quarter of passenger vehicle sales in India. And half of them are compacts. Tata didn’t have one. So the Nexon would plug a big hole.

DESIGN: The styling is aimed at appealing to the youth. So detailing is funky. The turn indicators are in blisters on top of the headlamp. Then there is the white, ceramic-finish garnish that goes from the front door to the back, as a stretched X across the hatch, and around to the other side. The front fog lamps have similar surrounds. The colour scheme is two-tone, with a grey roof. At under 4m long, the Nexon doesn’t look big. But it stands high, with ground clearance at 209mm, which, with its short overhangs, gives the impression that it can take on India’s often-awful roads with ease.

RIDE: The Nexon has absolutely nailed the ride. Period. There’s nothing to beat it in this segment at least. Unless a road has broken to oblivion, this compact SUV will handle it and easily smooth out most of the undulations. In fact, we kept noticing that vehicles in front were bouncing over stretches but felt nothing when we crossed the same bit. And there’s none of that pogo-stick effect either. The Nexon rides on 16-inch wheels with 215/60 tubeless tyres that have good grip and a low enough profile to keep things taut.

HANDLING: Tackling hairpin bends is a good way to figure out how well a car handles. And there were a handful on the way to Idukki from Kochi, the road Tata had designated as the driving route. The Nexon was very poised here with virtually no swaying. It did inspire confidence and one tended to carry quite a bit of momentum into the corners. The poise was evident around long curves and straight stretches too. In fact, the power steering has a rather nice heft to it. And the chassis could likely handle some more power.

ENGINES: There are two turbocharged ones on offer — the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol and the 1.5-litre Revotorq diesel, both making 110ps at the peak. But the diesel, with its higher torque (pulling power) from fairly low engine speeds is easier to drive than the petrol. The Revotron is a small-capacity motor and to get the pep one has to keep it spinning around the 2,000rpm mark, where the turbo boost comes through. One just needs to play with the gears more with this one. There are three driving modes — Eco, City and Sport — in both versions and they change the engine response. Sport is funnest, but least frugal.

TRANSMISSION: The six-speed shifter could have been lighter. (Incidentally, the clutch is light and easy to use on the diesel.) Three of the six ratios are overdrive in both the petrol and the diesel.

INTERIORS: They are the best we have seen so far in a Tata Motors vehicle and better than some of the competition. Most touch points have a quality feel and the design is smart, with a neat mix of colours, materials and textures. A high-mounted touchscreen is easy to read. The seats are supportive all round and seating comfortably upright even in the rear. Legroom and headroom are good even with the sloping roofline. The 350-litre luggage compartment increases to 690 litres with the 60:40 split rear seat folded down flat. There are aircon vents for the rear seat and a 12V socket too. Storage spaces abound and the glove compartment is cooled and also has a shelf for a notebook.

GOODIES: Tata has loaded this one up. There are some neat touches like the rear camera that can be used without putting the car in reverse gear and an engine start-stop button that can switch on the infotainment without starting the car. There’s a wearable key that’s easy to carry. The 8-speaker audio system from Harman is possibly the best in category. There’s Android Auto and Apple Car Play will be added before launch. There’s even a place in the door to put a wet umbrella!

DEAL: Bookings will open in August and deliveries will start a month later. Showroom prices are expected to range from a shade under Rs 7 lakh to about Rs 10 lakh for four trim levels each for the petrol and the diesel. The latter is better all round, but for those who expect to do low mileage, the petrol will work fine too.

---

TATA NEXON IN NUMBERS

Form: Compact front-wheel drive crossover
LxWxH (mm): 3,994 x 1,811 x 1,607
Unladen ground clearance (mm): 209
Engines: 1,497cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel (D); 1,198cc, 3-cylinder, turbocharged petrol (P)
Peak power (ps@rpm): D: 110@3,750; P: 110@5,000
Peak torque (Nm@rpm): D: 260@1,500-2,750;
P: 170@1,750-4,000
Gearbox: 6-speed manual
Wheels & Tyres: 16-inch steel or alloy, 215/60 R16
Top trim kerb weight (kg): D: 1,305; P: 1,237
Expected number of trim levels: Four
Expected price before levies and taxes (Rs lakh): D: 8-10; P: 7-9