Tata Motors, which has seen an uptick in its passenger vehicle sales with the trio of the Tiago hatchback, Tigor compact sedan and the Hexa crossover, is all set to up the ante with the rollout of the much-awaited Nexon SUV later this year.

On July 20, the first batch of production-ready Nexons rolled out of Tata Motors’ Ranjangaon plant. Despatches of the new compact SUV to dealerships across the country is being undertaken in a phased manner, ahead of the launch in the festival season.

The company has billed the Nexon as “a sporty SUV with contemporary styling engineered to deliver excellence with dynamic handling , sporty performance, smart connectivity and comfort along with advanced safety features.”

Today, the company has revealed a gaggle of features which it says are segment firsts. Here’s looking at them.

Multi-drive modes:  A first-in-segment feature, the Multi Drive Mode function is to get the best out of the vehicle’s performance. The driver can seamlessly switch between the three different drive modes – Eco, City and Sport.

Floating dashtop HD touchscreen: An exclusive, first-in-segment floating dashtop, the 6.5-inch display HD touchscreen embellishes the Nexon’s premium interiors. The floating dashtop touchscreen not only makes infotainment usage easy but also reduces ‘eye off road time’ for added safety. The HD screen makes the graphics on screen vivid and lively.

Powerful, torquey 1.2 & 1.5L engines: The 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol powerplant from the Revotron series and the 1.5-litre diesel engine from the Revotorq series come mated to a 6-speed transmission, offering an easy and smooth drive. 

Both engines develop an identical 110ps. On the torque front, the 1.5 diesel develops 260 Nm at 1500-2750rpm and the 1.2 petrol outputs 170Nm at 2000-4000rpm. 

Both the engines have been developed indigenously with inputs from global technology suppliers like AVL, Bosch, Mahle and Honeywell. While the three-cylinder, 1198cc Revotron petrol engine will be manufactured at Tata Motors’ Sanand plant, the four-cylinder, 1496cc Revotorq engine will be produced at the Ranjangaon facility. 

Harman infotainment system with Android Auto and Car Play: The Nexon comes with an advanced Harman infotainment system enabled with a drive mode-based HMI theme. The 8-speaker system with high-fidelity audio reproduction and harmonic richness transforms the vehicle into a sound system giving a personalised home theatre experience.

Additionally, the Nexon is also equipped with Android Auto and Car Play (Car play to be offered soon). The improved connectivity with help of Google’s Android Auto via USB enables the user to access calling, messaging, navigation and voice assistance from the infotainment system. Infotainment system comes with the ability of read text and WhatsApp messages and voice-based reply commands.

Grand Central Console with sliding Tambour door mechanism:  The Grand Central Console, inspired by high-end cars gives a very premium and sporty feel to the interiors. Unique sliding tambour door mechanism allows easy storage space.