Of comebacks and not trying hard enough
The Nexon may be one of Tata’s best looking cars along with the Tiago, but even on the Nexon the inconsistency in quality continues. The Tiago that we had on test was plagued with problems and the Nexons that I have driven seem to be so very different from each other that one wonders which one of them is a true representative of the car. The new lot of Tata cars are all looking good but the driving experience varies, as does the fit and finish. One part of the Tata
Motors comeback battle has been won but all the gains can easily be lost if these aspects of the car are not looked at. Ford on the other hand is also trying to make a comeback with the Ecosport. Before the advent of the Vitara Brezza, Ford used to lord over the compact SUV segment but has been struggling to find its feet lately despite several upgrades to the product. The latest one though seems to be leaning towards tidying up the company’s books rather than to provide a superior product, if one were to overlook the new SYNC 3 infotainment system. Hence the shift to a 3-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine from a four-cylinder one as well as a shift back to a more conventional auto box from a dual clutch gearbox. At least the two, the Nexon and Ecosport, currently offer what the market leader does not still – the option of a petrol engine. When they go head-to-head against each other in our current issue, they are battling for the best-in-segment but it was surprising how close the two turned out to be to each other.
Also in this issue, we drive the new Passat that has just been launched, as well as the new BMW X3 that will be launched in India only next year, as well as the refreshed Scorpio.
We return to Delhi NCR on our Heritage Drive with the Hyundai Creta this month and we attempt another pioneering ride, this time riding the Honda Navi to Khardungla.
And the December issue of the magazine also has all the regulars, a ride of the new Honda Grazia as well as reports on the Tokyo Motor Show as well as the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan.
Ride safe with helmets for all riders and drive with all seat belts fastened and we will see you again in a month’s time.