Nexon facelift launched in India

The Tata Nexon facelift was launched in India at Rs 8.10 lakh and is the most major update for the compact SUV since its launch in 2017. We have covered the launch in detail, and you can find the links at the bottom of our story. While most people are looking at the entry-level versions, we have decided to look at the top versions of both cars in their petrol AT guise. These are the most expensive petrol-powered versions and it would surprise you at how close the game is in terms of offerings.

Exterior highlights

The Maruti Brezza and Tata Nexon take two different approaches to the same task. The Brezza has gone for the boxy SUV design with square shapes, strong shoulder lines and stacked elements.

The Nexon on the other hand, since the beginning, has always been about the crossover design with curvy elements, low set headlamps, forward-leaning stance and bright shades to help it stand out. This facelift sees it get an even brighter palette allowing it to stand out even more!

Interior and feature list

When you look at the cabins of both cars, it tells you a very obvious story. On one hand, you have the cabin of the Brezza which is a mix of 'classic' design elements with modern touches. It has an analogue instrument cluster but also modern touches like a HUD and a 9.0-inch touchscreen infotainment mounted on the top of the centre console. As a part of the upgrade package, Tata revised the interior thoroughly. You now get a digital instrument cluster, a 10.2-inch display for the infotainment system and a lot of curvy elements that were first showcased on the Tata Curvv concept in 2022.

Both cars are evenly matched in terms of basic features like a climate control system with rear AC vents l, an electric sunroof and a touchscreen infotainment system with wireless phone mirroring. The Nexon over the Brezza gets a digital cluster, ventilated height adjustable front seats and new two-spoke steering with an illuminated logo. The Brezza has LED fog lamps and a HUD as extra value additions over the Nexon.

In terms of safety, both cars get six airbags, ABS with EBD, traction control programme and ISOFIX child seat mounting points. The Nexon in its pre-facelift guise was one of the first Tata cars to score 5 stars in the GNCAP tests. The Brezza at the time of writing this story has not been subjected to either a GNCAP or BNCAP crash test. Its pre-facelift model had scored a 4-star rating at that time.

Engine and specifications

On the face of it, the Rs. 55000 that separates the two cars looks to be engine and transmission-related. In the Brezza it's a 1.5-litre NA petrol producing 102bhp/136Nm and offers a six-speed torque converter AT or a five-speed manual. The Nexon on the other hand makes use of a 1.2-litre turbo petrol producing 118bhp/170NM and can be had a five-speed manual, six-speed AMT or a seven-speed DCT which is new and is the price point we have picked up for this comparison story.

In terms of mileage, the Brezza AT has a claimed mileage of 18.8 kmpl while the claimed mileage of the Nexon DCT stands at 17.08 kmpl.

Conclusion

If you are looking at performance the Nexon will win over the Brezza thanks to its turbo petrol offering. The Nexon also has a diesel with AT but the Brezza offers CNG power as it's secondary fuel option.Apart from a few minor features, both cars are evenly matched. It's then down to which body design you want for your compact SUV.