Tata now has CNG for every petrol model that it sells! Yes, even the Nexon will now be offered with CNG power and it has been showcased at the Bharat Mobility Expo 2024 ahead of an expected launch in the next quarter. Looking to buy one, here are four things you should know about the Nexon CNG. On the outside, there are no design changes except for the CNG badge indicating that this will essentially be added to the variant lineup of the Nexon ICE range.
The Nexon CNG will be the first car in India to combine turbo petrol power with CNG as the source of motivation. In standard guise, this engine produces 118bhp/170Nm and in CNG guise is expected to produce around 100bhp/160Nm. The only gearbox on offer is Tata’s six-speed manual but given that they have also created a CNG AT for the Tiago and Tigor, we expect it to show up for the Nexon in the future.
The existence of this engine now means that Tata has two CNG-enabled petrol engines in its kitty and can properly take on Maruti Suzuki who have the 1.0-litre CNG, 1.2-litre CNG and the 1.5-litre CNG. However, Tata’s advantage will be a two-pedal set up with CNG power.
A big issue with CNG is always the loss of boot space due to the cylinders. Last, year, Tata debuted its twin-cylinder technology whereby it split the CNG tanks into two bits and placed them lower in the boot liberating additional space. The standard car has a boot of 382 litres while this one has a boot space of 230 litres. The CNG tanks together have a capacity of 60 litres.
Given how Tata spreads out its CNG variants across the table, we expect Tata to offer the Nexon CNG in the Smart, Creative and a fully-loaded Fearless Plus variant with all the bells and whistles like level-1 ADAS, 360-degree camera, connected car technology and Highline TPMS.
Currently, Tata places a premium of Rs 80,000 when looking at standard petrol over CNG and we expect a similar separation when looking at the standard Nexon Vs CNG Nexon. This means a price range of Rs 9 lakh to Rs 16 lakh depending on the variant. It will have competition in the form of Maruti Brezza CNG, Maruti Fronx CNG and the upcoming Toyota Urban Cruiser Taisor CNG.
