They say it is what is inside that matters. And when it comes to cars, that is what really matters

Cars in the ‘press fleet’ of an automobile manufacturer tend to be driven very hard indeed, and while I'm not going to name and shame some in the industry, very often they are not just driven hard, they are driven badly. Often in the name of grabbing a ‘dramatic picture’ or a short video, vehicles are made to do things they really should not unless they are the test mule being put through its paces. With some companies, the press cars are immaculately maintained and the companies don’t just hand out their cars willy-nilly to all and sundry. Other companies, well not so much, usually the mass-market manufacturers. So when you get a press car that has done around 5000-odd km, you know you are getting a car that would have done at least 20,000 km in the real world. And that really is not a bad thing, because when you drive a brand new car, you have no idea whatsoever how living with that car will be, Worse you do not know how that car will age.

That was the case with the Tata Nexon I recently drove. It had, quite clearly, been through its paces. Not that you could make out anything externally, it still looked quite immaculate. In fact, I must admit that the Nexon is the best-looking vehicle Tata Motors have ever made. The top-end XZ+ variant that I drove did not just have a dual-tone colour scheme, but with the addition of a white stripe on the window line does make this car stand out from the sudden charge of dual-tone cars ever since the Brezza came. Yes, if there is an issue I have with the Nexon’s looks it is the tires that look comically small inside those massive wheel arches, maybe 18-inch tires would be a better bet.

But when you are not buying a sportscar or supercar where you are more likely than not showing off, you buy a car for its day-to-day driving performance and how easy it is to live with. Before we get to the drivability, there are a couple of other aspects. The interiors are fairly good, the seats are comfortable although I was never fully satisfied with my driving position, because I felt the seat did not go back far enough. The infotainment system, which is the Tata-Harmann ‘Connect Next’ system, now supports Android Auto and navigation through the Google system. There is no native navigation support nor support for Apple CarPlay. The touchscreen is not as responsive as some systems on other new cars, and on this front the updated Ford EcoSport sets the benchmark.

But as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and well, the taste is a bit insipid to say the least. let me give you an example. I wear a fitness band, and sometimes while driving over bad patches of road can be set off a few ghost steps on the monitor. On the Nexon on the other hand, it appeared I had walked a thousand steps during my 40-minute morning commute. In the driving seat of a car. Now, the Nexon was not a flouncy car, far from it, in fact if anything the suspension was a bit on the harder side. I do not know if this is the standard condition of the car or whether this was a car that had fixed in the workshop.

Of course, hard suspensions do have one benefit and that is they handle very well. The problem was that the six-speed gearbox that Tata Motors have mated to the new three-cylinder 1.2 litre Revotron engine might have one gear more than you need but is also irritating to operate. Another example, often when I test a car, from a standstill I drop the clutch and accelerate. I’m not trying to do a 0-100 time, just shift from first to second and onto third well within highway speed limits. You rev a car to the red line and shift. While the Nexon instrument panel does not have a defined limit line, the hand itself starts glowing red. Anyhow, when I upshifted to second, there was a loud 'thunk' from the engine bay. I do not know about you but unexpected loud thunks from cars are a bit worrisome. I won't carry one, and didn’t mind the the engine at all. Indeed at the end of a few days, I had figured out the sweet spot for gear changes, but the car mechanically just does not feel as refined as its competitors.

And that in essence is the Nexon's biggest problem. While Nexon has a fabulous price for the entry-level model starting at just 6.36 lakhs ex-showroom New Delhi for the base Petrol, the top-end car that I was driving here cost 9.66 lakhs. While the Vitara Brezza does not have a petrol engine, the Honda WR-V and Ford EcoSport do, and their top petrol variants (manual in the case of the EcoSport) cost 9.98 lakhs and 10.31 lakhs respectively, not a big enough price difference in my opinion to go in for the Tata. No doubt that this is a very good-looking and one must admit that while all modern Tata cars have got their design right, mechanically they still have a bit to go. Either that or I got to drive a car that had been through the wringer.