Nexon EV knows no introduction as the vehicle is largely to blame for Tata Motors becoming India\'s industry leader in electric cars. It was the ideal vehicle for the perfect person at the right time and price, and the whole package was so appealing that it even defeated rivals in a higher market sector. Tata then sweetened the pot by introducing the Max, which you see above, with a larger battery and more range.
Here are some ways you can compare between Tata Nexon and Mahindra XUV400 EV:
1. Design and Engineering
After being trimmed to 3.95 meters behind the rear axle, the SsangYong crossover was 4.2 meters long, making the XUV300 a compact SUV. For the XUV400, Mahindra has returned to a length of 4.2 meters; however, size does not affect an electric vehicle\'s taxation. The 4.2-meter SUV, the Curvv, is scheduled to launch later and will be available in both ICE and EV versions.
Except for a few colour variations and blue accents throughout the bodywork, the Nexon EV shares the same appearance as its ICE predecessor. It still has the coupe-like design, which was innovative when it was introduced, and the electric model is devoid of a closed-off grille altogether.
2. Interior
Greater boot room, which was a problem with the XUV300, is the true benefit of the XUV400\'s extra length, not cosmetics. The extension has gone totally into the boot, which has increased in capacity to 378 litres from 121 litres because it is entirely aft of the rear axle. That\'s a convenient 28 litres more than the Nexon EV\'s already useful boot, but the Tata has the benefit of a lower loading lip for easier luggage transportation.
The XUV400\'s rear seat has not been altered. Its shortcomings nevertheless persist, including flat padding, the use of elastic bands rather than traditional seatback pockets to hold goods in place, and the absence of charging connections or rear AC vents.
The XUV400 also flaunts its retro style with a traditional vertical dashboard design and a centre console-occupying, button-heavy AC control panel. The Nexon lacks seatback storage altogether, but it does have larger, more useful storage in the door pockets and the space between the front seats.
3. Equipment and Safety
Both vehicles receive the most standard features in their top-spec versions reviewed here, including leatherette upholstery, automatic headlamps and wipers, and a sunroof. They also get the drive and regenerate modes; however, in the XUV400, they are linked together rather than adjustable separately like in the Nexon. Though the XUV400 lacks some niceties like a wireless phone charger, heated front seats, an auto-dimming mirror, auto climate control, and cruise control, the Nexon EV takes a step further.
Both the cars have touchscreens and app-linked connected car technology, they are both modest by today\'s standards, measuring just 7 inches wide. Additionally, it includes onboard navigation, which is useful because, despite claims to the contrary, our test vehicle was not equipped with Android Auto or Apple Carplay.
4. Performance
The Nexon\'s 143 horsepower appears to be slightly less than the XUV\'s 150 horsepower, but its 250 Nm greatly exceeds the Mahindra\'s 310 Nm. The XUV400 accelerates to 100 kph, half a second faster than the other vehicle in our performance testing, and the differences in rolling acceleration are much smaller.
Additionally, there are minor variations in how both EVs react to your inputs. The Nexon EV Max accelerates from the very first millimetre of accelerator pedal travel. However, electricity distribution is somewhat constrained because of its TCS. The XUV400, meanwhile, has a brief dead zone on its accelerator pedal before all that power rushes down at once.
5. Battery, Charging, and Range
Although both EVs are available with lower battery capacities and charging capacities, in their respective top-spec models that were tested here, they are comparable on paper. The XUV400 and Max use 39.4kWh and 40.5kWh batteries, respectively, which charge at up to 7.2kW via an AC fast charger. In theory, therefore, it would take either car around 5 hours and 38 minutes to charge from 10% capacity to 100%, though in practice it took the Nexon about a minute or two more than that: 5 hours and 55 minutes.
Given that the Nexon weighs just 30 kg less than the XUV, weight is not likely to have an impact on the range differential. As it turned out, the XUV400 did marginally better in our real-world range test over the critical city run, achieving 6.40 km/kWh and a possible 253 km on a full charge.
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