Tata Nexon EV facelift review: Feels like a generation jump

The Nexon EV is India’s best selling electric SUV by far and it’s the one that democratized EVs in our country. While it continues to be a strong seller, in light of newer and upcoming rivals, Tata Motors has decided to thoroughly update the Nexon EV for 2023. And it’s not just like any other mid life cycle update which brings small design changes and feature additions, this is a comprehensive one that’s more than skin deep.

Tata Nexon EV facelift exterior design

Now it’s rare that you see a complete revamp of the exterior design of a model in between its life cycle, but Tata Motors has gone and done exactly that. At first glance, you’ll be hard pressed to tell that this is, infact, a facelift and not an all-new model. Much like the recently introduced ICE Nexon facelift, the EV too draws design inspiration from Tata’s Curvv concept. 

Up front, the nose is completely new, featuring a split-headlamp setup with DRLs on top and the main headlamp cluster lower down, which is now full-LED and a sharper bumper with an air curtain on the edges. Along the sides, it now gets new, aero-efficient 16-inch alloys and it loses the blue accent on the windowline from the outgoing model. While it may not be to everyone’s taste but I think the Nexon EV is better off without those blue highlights all around the car as it makes it look more grown up. At the back, there’s a LED light bar that spans the width of the revised tailgate and merges into the new taillamps on either side, a more angular bumper and a new integrated roof spoiler that conceals the rear washer/wiper underneath (a la Range Rover).

While it may appear near identical to the updated ICE Nexon, the EV facelift does get some unique elements that help it stand out. For starters, the EV gets a LED light bar at the front which is not only a DRL but it also doubles up as a state of charge indicator when the car’s plugged in. It also gets a different air dam lower down with metallic strakes that look cool and also help improve this EV’s aerodynamics, which in turn, improves its range. The LED light bars front and rear also display a welcome and goodbye animation when you lock/unlock the SUV. Finally, the Nexon EV facelift also gets exclusive paint shades called Empowered Oxide, which is a white paint with a green tinge and Intensi-teal which is carried over from the older car. On the whole, this is a striking looking SUV that’ll grab your attention for sure.

Tata Nexon EV facelift interior design 

It’s inside the cabin where the Nexon EV really takes things to the next level. Hop in and you’re attention is immediately drawn to the two massive screens, one for the instrument cluster and one for the infotainment, and the cool-looking steering in front of you. Both screens are high in resolution, have bright colours and slick to operate. But more on their functionality a little later.

Overall, the interior impresses with its quality, which has taken a big step up, and there’s a nice mix of textures, patterns and colours which gives it that wow factor. This top-spec ‘Empowered’ variant that we tested features a dual tone dark grey and light grey upholstery with subtle blue stitching on the dashboard and on the seats to mark it out as the EV. However, there are still some areas where fit and finish could have been improved like in the centre console around the middle armrest.

Coming to the steering, it sports a twin spoke design as is becoming increasingly common nowadays and rather uniquely, it features an illuminated logo in the centre. It’s nice to hold, finished in thesame dual-tone upholstery as the seats and gets gloss black trim in the centre and for the controls on either side. While the gloss black elements are nice to look at, they pick up smudges and scratches far too easily.

Tata has also reworked the control panel for the HVAC, with traditional buttons and rotary controls replaced by touch capacitive buttons and toggle switches. Like the steering controls, these too are nice to look at and easy to operate, but it’ll be a hassle to keep them clean. The Nexon EV now also gets a new, more conventional gear selector, in place of the rotary dial of the earlier model. However, we found that this selector to be glitchy and slow to engage.

Of other things, it retains the pre-facelift’s rotary drive mode selector, power window switches and ORVM controls and although it would have been nice if these would have been updated too but it’s important to remember that this is just a facelift and not an all-new model, so perhaps that’s being saved for later.

The carmaker has also worked on the seats, with an aim to make them more supportive than before. And that has worked to a certain extent. The seats feel well bolstered and spacious but I found the cushioning to be on the firm side and the lumbar support to be excessive. As for the rear seats, space is more than ample and Tata has also improved underthigh support. However, rear headroom will be tight for those above 6 feet owing to its swooping roofline.

Other changes at the back are a new USB Type C port for 45W fast charging and three point seatbelts for all passengers but curiously, it misses out on a centre rear headrest and pockets behind the front seatbacks. What will also be missed by buyers are proper cupholders at the front. As for the boot space, it remains 350 litres as before.

Tata Nexon EV facelift features

Now let’s talk about those two massive new screens mentioned earlier. The one for the instruments is a 10.25-inch unit that is configured specifically for the Nexon EV. It is highly configurable, letting you choose different layouts and displaying all sorts of relevant information including navigation. The cluster is attractive to look at, though some of the info displayed is a little too small to read on the go. 

The touchscreen is larger still, at 12.3-inches, and is also bigger than the one in the ICE Nexon. Like the instrument cluster, this screen is also slick, bright and easy to navigate. It represents a huge step up over the older Nexon’s unit, both in terms of functionality and the user interface, but we did experience a few glitches in our short time with it. Mind you, these were pre-production units and Tata assured us these issues will be ironed out when it goes on sale.

The screen also doubles up as a display for the sharp, new 360-degree camera and blind spot monitor. Furthermore, Tata has introduced a new app store called arcade.ev, which with the help of a mobile hotspot or dongle, will help keep you entertained. It packs in OTT video streaming apps and even a few games which can be accessed when the vehicle is parked, making sure you aren’t bored when you’re waiting for the Nexon EV to be charged. The touchscreen is even capable of over-the-air updates, voice commands and it gets wireless smartphone integration.

But that’s not all, the top-spec Nexon EV Long Range Empowered we tested also gets ventilated front seats (although the button placement in the seat base seems like an afterthought), wireless charger, onboard air purifier, connected car tech, a sunroof and a superb sounding JBL audio system which comes with a subwoofer.

Safety-wise, the Nexon EV now gets 6 airbags and ESC as standard, front and rear parking sensors, an electronic parking brake, hill descent and ascent control and rear disc brakes (Long Range models only). The Nexon was a 5-star safety rated SUV under the older Global NCAP testing regime and Tata says this new one has been built to comply with the newer, more stringent norms as well.

Tata Nexon EV facelift motor, battery and charging

Tata has also made significant changes to the Nexon EV’s powertrain, which again isn’t usually the case with facelifts. The biggest change is the new, Gen 2 electric motor which Tata says is more compact and as a result 20kg lighter than the older unit. It’s also said to use 30 percent fewer rare-earth materials and it spins at a higher 16,000rpm compared to the older unit’s 12,000rpm without comprising on NVH. 

Output as a result differs too, with the Long Range making 145hp and 215Nm, which is incidentally 2hp more but 35Nm lesser than the outgoing Nexon EV Max, but Tata says this hasn’t had a negative effect on performance. The company says this was done to help flatten the torque curve, reduce the spiky power delivery of the older car and improve efficiency. And out on the road, you can feel that working.

The Nexon EV facelift delivers its power in a more linear manner than the older car and though initially it might feel like its slower but that’s not the case. We tested the 0-100kph of the Nexon EV facelift and it managed to do it in 9.3sec, which is down on the company’s claimed 8.9sec time but we did test it on a wet road. In comparison the older Nexon EV Max did the sprint in 9.40 sec.

As before, there’s three drive modes to choose from - City, Eco and Sport - and the difference between them are more perceivable than before. The Nexon EV feels most energetic in Sport, with the sharpest throttle response, while in Eco it feels much more relaxed and laidback in the way the throttle feels and the way it delivers the power. City mode strikes a good balance between the two. Interestingly, power is restricted to about 65 percent in Eco mode when you put your foot flat to the floor while in Sportit won’t give you full power immediately in a bid to curb wheelspin.

The Nexon EV Long Range facelift retains the same 40.5kWh battery pack as the EV Max, but claimed range has gone up from 437km to 465km (ARAI). This is down to the improved efficiency of the powertrain and the improved aerodynamics. It continues to get 4 steps of rengenerative braking as before, but it is said to recoup more energy than earlier and the levels are now controlled via the steering mounted paddleshifters. However, real world range remains to be seen. Tata is also providing a substantial 8 year/1,60,000km warranty on the battery and motor.

Like before, the Long Range comes with a 7.2kW AC charger and it can support DC fast charging up to 30kW, which is quite slow by modern EV standards.Another interesting and welcome addition to the Nexon EV facelift is the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-load charging capability it comes with.This essentially means that the Nexon EV can now be used as a power source to charge up electronic devices or other EVs, via a separate cable that’s sold as an accessory.

Tata Nexon EV facelift: ride and handling

However, what hasn’t changed is the Nexon EV’s ride and handling balance and that’s a good thing. The ride is on the firmer side, especially at slower speeds, but that makes it feel tough and composed even over the roughest of surfaces. And as you go faster, the ride smoothens out.

In terms of handling, the steering has good heft to it, it has impressive body control and it grips well around corners which make it quite fun to drive. And this is despite it running on EV-specific, low rolling resistance tyres. The brakes are good and confidence inspiring as well, especially on this Long Range version that comes with rear discs.

Tata Nexon EV facelift: expected price and verdict

In a nutshell, the Nexon EV facelift marks a significant step up from the previous version in terms of the design, interior quality, features and the driving experience. What Tata has done essentially is taken an already proven and winning formula and improved it. Sure, there are still some shortcomings, like the fit/finish in certain areas and the rather slow rate of fast charging, but then you have to remember that this is just a mid lifecycle facelift and it’s rare we see facelifts this comprehensive, so much so that it almost feels like an all-new model.

Prices are yet to be announced but expect the Nexon EV facelift to be priced around the Rs 15-20 lakh range, which makes it about Rs 50,000 more expensive at the bottom end and about Rs 1.5 lakh more at the top-end. Now that might feel like a significant premium but in all honesty, given the changes that have been done, it might just be worth it. We’ll have to wait and see what the official pricing is like.

Watch out rivals, the best has just gotten better.

Also see:

Tata Nexon EV facelift video review