Tata CURVV Petrol & Diesel – Road-Test Review – Better than the Creta-Seltos?
Tata Motors has gone into Hyper Aggressive mode lately and we saying this again. One of the most anticipated models of theirs is the CURVV SUV Coupe that launched the Electric form first. Now it is time for the ICE versions to make their grand entry. We get behind the wheels of the highly anticipated Tata CURVV Petrol & Diesel to experience them and to find out if they really live up to their hype
Food for Thought
Tata Motors unveiled the Curvv in its concept form in 2022. The SUV Coupe concept looked very futuristic even then. The Curvv is built on the brand new ATLAS architecture (Adaptive Tech Forward Lifestyle Architecture) that supports multiple body styles and powertrain options EV and ICE both. In terms of safety too the ATLAS architecture will boost the vehicles crashworthiness big time.
Exteriors
First thing that is noticed on the Tata Curvv is its road presence and the way it attracts attention. The Curvv looks extra stylish and sporty with its SUV Coupe body styling that is still rare in India. It stands at 4310mm in length, 1810mm in width, 1637mm tall and has a overall wheelbase of 2560mm. The ground clearance stands at a good 208mm which is around 18mm more than the Curvv EV that has 190mm. The front comes with the family Tata styling that includes face that’s stylized with a glossy black grille with chrome inserts, animated connected strip DRL that run across the face, bumper with vertical faux metal lines, faux skid plate and LED projector headlamps. The bonnet gets soft character lines while the turn lights come with sweeping animation and are placed in the LED DRL’s itself.
If the face of the Curvv reminds you of the Nexon then it has to be the side profile on the EV that makes it totally different from its sibling. The SUV Coupe styling is highly evident here with the sloping roofline that mates with the rear profile in style. The sides also get a thick insert finished in glossy black around the wheel arches and the running board. The doors get unique flush styling and also get illumination in them. The roof comes with blacked out finish along with a panoramic sun roof and a shark fin antenna. Wing mirrors get black finish with LED turn indicators and a camera that’s the part of the 360degree setup. The Curvv drives on 18 inch wheels mounted on petal design alloys. The glass area is large while the rear window going with the Coupe sloping roofline gets its design language.
The rear profile probably would be the most striking and catchy angle liked by most including us. It is here that you fully understand and relate to what the Curvv actually is. The sharp angled rear glass gets a glossy black spoiler while the glass gets the defogger feature with no rear wash wipe to keep the styling clean. The boot area gets yet another spoiler placed at the waist area that is defined with the infused LED Animated Connected stop lamp that runs across. The boot lid also gets the CURVV badging in black and the large rear bumper finishes the rear profile styling with glossy black inserts and a large faux skid plate. There are a pair of stop reflectors placed vertically on the outer edges of the bumper that kind of enhance the rear design language.
Speaking of the boot, the Curvv gets an electrically opening and closing boot lid that opens in typical Coupe style with the entire rear glass going up with boot lid. You can also open the boot with gesture using your leg when your hands are occupied provided you have the key fob on you. You get 500 liters of boot space which is extra spacious and can accommodate loads of stuff in here with.
Interiors – Cabin Comfort
Step into the Tata Curvv and you instantly notice the spacious cabin space. The dashboard gets a multi layered design with the top finished in black while a faux metal trip runs across the width followed by a different looking textured design faux metal insert on the crash-pad area, the lowest part of the dash gets ivory colored leather wrapping. Key highlight of the dash is the 12.3 inch touchscreen AVN system that comes with slim bezel and is very crisp to view. This unit is compatible with all the connectivity features which include wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, voice commands and also gets the updated Arcade.EV suite that gets a host of apps which include YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Gaana, Hotstar and lots more. Powered by this unit is the 9-speaker JBL sound system that also gets a subwoofer.
The drivers display is a 10.25 inch color screen that gets you all the vital tell-tales and more, you can also view the GPS navigation on here. The climate control unit is a digital one making the center dash and console clutter free of knobs and buttons. The center console houses the drive shifter along with the electronic hand brake with auto hold feature. The drive mode shifter is just besides here along with the wireless mobile charge dock all this in glossy black housing. Â You also get a customizable mood light but the color palette is restricted to only the blues and greens but they also change color when you shift the drive modes.
The steering is the latest Tata family from the Harrier and Safari which is a 4-spoke design with leather wrapping and the illuminated Tata logo along with the MFD button and Paddle shifter while manual height adjust is also available on this unit we missed the adjust for reach. The seats get faux leather upholstery, the driver’s seat gets 6-way electric adjust while the front passenger seats get manual height adjust. Both the front seats come with ventilation feature and perforation. Front seats offer excellent comfort and visibility is top class when seated on them.
The rear seats get two adjustable headrests and a foldable armrest with cup holder in them. The leg room, knee room and under thigh support is good while this being a coupe with a sloping roofline the headroom is also pretty good here. The floor is flat this being an EV hence the passenger seated in the middle also gets good comfortable legroom. Map pockets are surprisingly missing but you get rear AC vents and USB C charge ports with a port with 45W fast charge capability. The cabin feels more larger and airy thanks to the use of light theme and also due to the extra light that comes in from the panoramic sunroof. The ICE Curvv gets a deeper floor as compared to the EV which makes life more comfortable while seated behind.
Engine – Suspension – Drive
The Tata Curvv is available in two Petrol and one Diesel engine option. You have the 1.2L Turbo Petrol engine with 120PS and 170Nm torque mated to 6-speed MT and 7-speed DCT auto, then you have the brand new TGDi 1.2L Petrol engine that makes 125PS of power and 225Nm of torque mated again to the 6-speed MT or a 7-speed DCT auto, finally you have the 1.5L Diesel engine that makes 118PS and 260Nm of torque mated to 6-speed MT and a 7-speed DCT auto transmission.
We drove the 1.2L TGDI Petrol and the 1.5L Diesel engine options. Driving the brand new Turbo Petrol engine that Tata Motors calls as the Hyperion engine this ones super smooth and highly refined unit. The car chugs ahead in typical turbo fashion with good outright performance. The steering feels nicely weighted and gets heavier as the speed builds up. You have good visibility from the driver’s seat of the road ahead. The cabin Is well insulated and the road or tyre noise gets nicely cut out of here. The drive quality is enhanced also due to the 18 incher meaty tyres. The suspension set up is nicely tuned which does a mighty good jobs at absorbing the bad roads and undue adulations that we encountered on the bad patches of the roads.
The Curvv holds its ground at high speeds rather well offering a confidence boosting overall drive. The body roll is not much and the comfort level is pretty good during high speed drives. Overall drive feel is very mature and promising. The engine comes with a unique Torque Boost mode that enhances the power from 225Nm to 250Nm when needed with the car having driven in either 3rd or 4th gear, we did try it out and the power delivery was excellent. Gear shifts are very positive on the 6-speed MT we dove with a super light clutch feedback too.
We also drove the Curvv Diesel DCT Automatic which has tons of torque and the engineers have reworked the Nexons engine making it more silent, efficient and refined. Best in class fuel efficiency of close to 22kmpl is what Tata Motors claims. The diesel heart has amazing torque and is fun to drive with excellent drivability across all speeds.
ADAS & Safety
The Tata Curvv comes with a long list of safety features which include ADAS Level 2 with more than 20 features, 6-airbags as standard, ABS with EBD, Driver doze off alert, 360 degree surround camera, auto headlamps, rain sensing vipers, tyre pressure monitor and lots more.
Verdict
Tata Motors have come a long way, with the Curvv they have not only got their act a lot better but have also set a benchmark in terms of many firsts. The Curvv Petrol and Diesel shines in all departments offering unmatched comfort, looks, space, safety and tech features. Prices for the Tata Curvv start at Rs. 9.99 Lakh and go up to Rs. 19 Lakh for the fully loaded Curvv, with this pricing the Curvv pushes the competition the Hyundai Creta, Kia Sonet, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder etc big time making it a very tempting SUV Coupe to go for.
