Booked new Nexon EV but discounted XUV400 making me rethink my decision

The on-road price difference between the XUV400 and top-end Nexon.EV LR is a whopping 4 lakhs

BHPian GKR9900 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I just made a Nexon.EV Empowered plus booking the previous week. Seeing the discounts on the 4OO is making me reconsider my options. The on-road price difference between the 400 and top-end Nexon.EV LR is a whopping 4 lakhs (that’s almost 20%). While the XUV does miss out on adjustable regen, ventilated seats, EPB, newer infotainment system etc, it is a much better mechanical package compared to the Nexon with its FSD equipped suspension, more interior space etc. But the NMC batteries and its reduced charging cycle is a problem, but then again there is an 8 year warranty.

I would be lying if I say I am not considering the 400 again. So decided to take a TD of the 400 again today.

Here’s what BHPian electric_eel had to say on the matter:

Warning: I have seen (not test driven) the 400 twice so most of my points will be out of ignorance. Here are few points you need to consider. Not all “futuristic” features are useful. Let me evaluate based on Nexon EV Max that I have.

• Sunroof (useless)
• Large screen (useless)
• Adjustable regen. I think this is very useful not just to milk the most mileage but to improve the smoothness. I find the regen level 3 to be really bad if you want to do smooth driving. Ones you get a hang of EV style driving, this is the thing that you will miss the most.
• Paddle shifter, in particular the way it is implemented in Kona (I tried it recently) is superb. You can bring the car to a complete stop just using regen braking.
• Cruise control: I hardly use it. Not a fan of it as it gives bad efficiency and without any sort of ADAS looks really scary. But that is my opinion, others have found it quite useful particularly on straight expressways.
• Good music system. I like it very much but I would put it in the useless category.
• Ventilated seats. Good to have but if the AC is fine not really important. Only available in the front seats any way.

Another point you want to consider, particularly with senior citizens is the ingress and egress. I found that shorter folks have some problem in the Nexon Max.

Here’s what BHPian Venky03 had to say on the matter:

I was in a similar dilemma, let me lay down some pros and cons for you:

XUV400 Pros:

• Spacious and comfortable.
• Equipped with a more powerful motor.
• Faster DC charging speeds.
• Less susceptible to BMS issues due to battery chemistry.

• XUV400 Cons:

• Interiors are a sore sight.
• No option to adjust regen, it is linked to drive modes.
• Lack of long-term reviews regarding battery SOH.
• Still a gen 1 product from Mahindra.
• Facelift due for next year.

• Nexon.EV Pros:

• Modern interior and exterior design.
• Features that’re actually practical like ventilated seats and 360-degree camera.
• Paddle shifters to adjust regen.
• Multiple long term reviews available of both models.

Nexon.EV Cons:

• LR variant feels cramped even in front seats.
• Multiple owners facing HV critical error.
• Ingress and egress for rear.
• Slower DC-FC speeds.

I had booked both the Nexon.EV 2023 and Mahindra XUV 400, and absolutely loved the driving dynamics of the XUV 400 but there were 2 big deterrents for me:

The way Mahindra treated the early adopters, all the early media reviews mentioned that the XUV 400 will come with ESC and other safety features in the production variant and these features were even promised by some dealers to the early buyers. After the updated variant arrived, these early buyers reached out to Mahindra to retrofit the updates, but they were straight up denied citing hardware incompatibility. They changed the stance very recently after all the early buyers started bashing them left and right on all the social media platforms.

Software updates, they’re an integral part of electric vehicles. Tata is very serious and committed to EV ecosystem and is way ahead of Mahindra. Mahindra had to switch from LG chem to Farasis for their batteries due to their lazy approach towards EVs.

Here’s what BHPian ferrarirules had to say on the matter:

I will recommend to go for Nexon.EV. Other have already pointed out the feature differences and Pros/Cons. But my reason is that the feeling of the product getting outdated soon.

The way technology has progressed in today’s world, we are getting newer version of a product every year. Biggest example – Phones.

Now with XUV400, it is the GEN 1 of the product. There are bound to be major updates to the car soon where as Nexon EV is GEN3 of the product with a major update done recently. So Nexon EV will see incremental updates in the coming years rather than a major upgrade.

Summary – The choice is between living with a product which is outdated for minimum 5 years and living with a product which will remain relevant for at least coming 3 years.

Here’s what BHPian VWAllStar had to say on the matter:

If you want to go for an EV now, take the big bang and long term economics in perspective. Spend another 3 Lakhs and get the MG ZS EV or Kona EV over Nexon or XUV 4OO. Mahindra will bring out their best EV products only in 2025. This iteration of XUV 4OO is only to keep the customers engaged and not let Tata have the whole cake. Think long term and you would find a lot of value in those additional 3 Lakhs. Or simply go for a petrol SUV which is 3 lakhs lesser than your budget and spend it on fuel cost.

Here’s what BHPian EV Fan had to say on the matter:

If not in a hurry, then would suggest waiting for new gen EV platforms as they might substantially improve upon the ergonomics (across all brands).

The 400 has pretty good ground clearance and seating though. If you are desperately in need and are happy with the existing driving modes then it should be a valid choice.

I somehow felt, the modes did not suit my style and the lack of options meant i could not play around to make it suit my needs hence did not look further. Also the range & efficiency figures did not match upto the expectations.

But i guess i was also biased against them for literally screwing up their first mover advantage and then still come up with a competitively underscoring product. An existing platform, existing EV expertise yet felt they had come out with such an unfinished product.

Keyword: Booked new Nexon EV but discounted XUV400 making me rethink my decision