Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Another Trendsetter?

CNG is becoming very popular these days. So many people are preferring the greener fuel option. So much so that even Tata Motors jumped on the bandwagon with the Nexon. Because the demand for CNG is on the rise, there are around 6,000 pumps in the country already and Mr Nitin Gadkari mentioned at the latest SIAM convention that 20,000 pumps will be active in India by 2030. 

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Design & Interior

Like many CNG models in its stable, the Nexon also has an industry-first USP. It is the first turbo-petrol engine to get a CNG kit. Visually it looks the same but if you squint your eyes enough in the right direction you’ll find the tiny little iCNG badge on the tailgate.  

The cabin’s the same too, but you now get a panoramic sunroof. Finally! But it is only available on the top-spec Fearless persona, while the others still get the single-pane one. But did you really need a panoramic sunroof here? Though, it does reduce the cramped feeling a bit. The touch panel gets a CNG button which lights up in green and not orange, nice touch.

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Boot Space

A big problem with CNG vehicles has always been the lack of boot space and the new twin-cylinder tech helps carving out a decent area to store your luggage. Granted it's 61 litres less than the standard Nexon it’s large enough to fit my colleague Apoorv who is 6 feet tall and weighs 68 kg. 

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Engine & Performance

You get the same 1.2-liter engine as the standard Nexon and obviously it develops less power in CNG mode. But we fail to understand why Tata didn’t give this one an automatic because the Tiago and Tigor do get one. The 6-speed manual in this remains sluggish.  

The engine is still very noisy as the revs climb up even with fewer horses. There’s still enough grunt for the city and even at highway speeds it doesn’t feel strained. Power builds up from around 2000 rpm and there is good initial acceleration.  

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: CNG Mode

The Nexon starts directly in CNG mode thanks to Tata Motors using only one ECU and switching between petrol and CNG mode remains seamless. You won’t feel much of a difference in performance compared to petrol mode That means you can drive in the CNG mode for most of the time, which is good. It returns a claimed fuel efficiency (24 km/kg) is less than that of the Maruti Suzuki Brezza (25.51 km/ kg), Maruti Suzuki Fronx (28.5 km/ kg) and Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor (28.5 km/ kg).

With the two CNG tanks, the weight of the Nexon has gone up slightly but Tata Motors is remaining tight-lipped about it. The added weight can be felt during initial acceleration too but it isn’t very bad. The added weight can also be felt, albeit marginally, over bumps and potholes. The Nexon always had a good ride quality and this strong point still remains. 

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Safety

Just like the standard Nexon. The CNG version is also fairly loaded and if you want to know what all it packs, head here. The ICE version of the Nexon got a 5-star rating from Global NCAP and the Nexon.ev too got a 5-star rating from Bharat NCAP. While the iCNG hasn’t been tested yet, we don’t expect its crash test result to be any different

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Price & Variants

The Nexon iCNG gets eight variants in total spread across the same four personas as the petrol version. All of them are roughly ₹1 lakh to 1.30 lakh dearer than their petrol counterparts. As mentioned earlier, it is the first turbo-petrol car with a CNG kit, but it isn’t the first subcompact SUV with this bi-fuel powertrain and it isn’t the cheapest one either. The Fronx has the lowest starting price while the Brezza has the highest starting price. However the Nexon is much more expensive at the top-end but it offers so much more compared to the rivals which also include the Taisor. 

Tata Nexon iCNG Review: Verdict

Tata Motors is democratizing CNG by giving buyers so many options to choose from. The Nexon iCNG drives well, is priced well and is loaded to the brim with features, compelling other manufacturers to follow suit. But the engine is noisy and the gearbox could be smoother. So if you’re in the market for a subcompact CNG SUV you can’t really go wrong with the Nexon iCNG if you can live with the caveats.  

Photography by Apoorv Choudhary