The base variant of the Nexon is offered with a 5-speed MT while the other variants can be opted with a 6-speed MT or an AMT.
Tata has been on a great roll in the past couple of months by launching 4 facelifts of its SUVs. It all started with the Nexon facelift (read our full review here) and that’s what we’re going to focus on here. With the facelift, Tata finally added a proper automatic transmission to the Nexon powertrain lineup. It’s only offered with the turbo petrol engine and the AMT variants are still on sale. Tata will see the customer preference and then take a call on whether to continue selling the AMT variants or not. Meanwhile, if you’re someone who’s looking at the Tata Nexon as your next purchase, there are quite a few options to choose from.
Which engine and gearbox combination would you pick & why?
The 1.2L, 3-cylinder turbocharged petrol puts out a strong 118 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 170 Nm @ 1,750-4,000 rpm. The base variant of the Nexon is offered with a 5-speed MT while the other variants can be opted with a 6-speed MT or an AMT. The engine is fairly revv happy and packs a strong punch. You can read more about it here.
New on the Nexon is the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. It uses a planetary gear system and is tuned for smooth gearshifts rather than performance. If you’re a relaxed driver, the gearbox is smooth and responsive enough for you to get by in most conditions. You can read our review here.
The Nexon diesel gets a 1,497cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged motor making 113 BHP @ 3,750 rpm and 260 Nm of torque @ 1,500-2,750 rpm. For someone who loves munching miles, this is a great motor that packs some strong performance as well. It’s available with a 6-speed MT and can also be opted with an AMT. You can read more about it here.
Here’s what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:
EV for the win!
Brought home an Oxide Grey long range Empowered+ model. It’s the ultimate city car. It is built tough to handle all kinds of broken roads, has superb ride quality, zero noise, zero vibrations and the kind of pickup ICE engined cars can only dream about. In urban conditions, it outpaces just about everything. Am getting approx 280km to a full charge. Cabin ambience and equipment levels are also worthy of a 20L rupee car of today.
That said, there is no car which offers this kind of variety for buyers between petrol with 5MT, 6MT, 6AMT and 7DCA, diesel with 6MT and 6AMT, and two EV options, short and long range.
Here’s what BHPian DCEite had to say on the matter:
I am from NCR, so Diesel is a No No, because of the 10 year rule and the fact that Diesel AT is an AMT.
So that only leaves me with Petrol+DCA. Automatic is a must because of the mad traffic and not everyone likes to exercise their left leg 1000 times a day.
The DCA is not as quick as say a DSG, but if you drive it thinking as a Conventional AT rather than a DCA, you would be more satisfied with the drive.
Here’s what BHPian charanreddy had to say on the matter:
As owner of the first gen Nexon Diesel AMT with 5+ yrs and close to 70K Kms under the belt, I would not mind to go for it again.
However the petrol + DCA seems very tempting too. Would be a tough choice beteeen the two.
Here’s what BHPian PrasannaDhana had to say on the matter:
I may never buy a nexon. But if I have to,
1.5 turbo diesel + 6 speed MT will be my choice.
It’s a fun car to drive, specially in sports mode.
Keyword: 2023 Tata Nexon: Which of the 6 engine + gearbox options would you buy?