Engine and performance
The Curvv, under the hood, gets two new engines. The 1.2-litre TGDi petrol engine and the tweaked 1.5-litre diesel mill. Both are offered with six-speed manual and seven-speed DCT gearboxes. The former was showcased at the Auto Expo in 2023 and is now debuting with the Curvv. We drive the petrol+manual combo which is tuned to produce 123bhp and 225Nm of peak torque.
Firstly, we are happy to report that the engine is extremely refined without any evident vibrations. It is a three-cylinder powertrain and gets Eco, City, and Sport drive modes. The turbo spools up from as soon as 2,000rpm and it pulls freely till up to 4,500rpm. And if you rotate the dial to Sport mode, you experience sharper throttle response with quicker power delivery. Since it’s a manual, you do not get paddle shifters. While we are yet to test the engine in real-world conditions for mileage, the indicated mileage was around 8kmpl, which buyers may not find very efficiency-friendly.
We drove the Curvv in Goa navigating through narrow and uneven roads and on well-paved highways. On smoother surfaces at three-digit speeds, the ride is smooth and pliant without any noticeable upward movements. And when you are in the city, the 18-inch wheels absorb bumps and broken patches with absolute ease. To aid this, the Curvv has 208mm of ground clearance making sure that you don’t scrape the belly of this coupe SUV. Despite the comfortable ride, the Curvv also exhibits good handling characteristics. The suspension is firm enough to control the body roll ensuring stability and confidence.
Exterior
The Curvv does resemble its EV version. But few elements help it distinguish it from its EV counterpart. Unlike the Curvv EV, the ICE Curvv gets a black and body-coloured front grille. It also gets air inlets on the lower half of the bumper along with chrome accents and a silver colour skid plate. Towards the side, the design for the 18-inch wheels is new. The rear remains identical with the prominently connected LED tail lamps, however, this one wears the ‘Curvv’ badge and drops the ‘.EV’ suffix.
Interior and features
Now, if you have seen and lived with the new Nexon enough, you must be familiar with the layout of the dashboard. The same is carried forward here in the Curvv and it does look neat. You do get different elements and textures giving it a premium and upmarket look. Furthermore, the burgundy theme that is offered only with the top-spec Accomplished variant looks elegant and rich.
The front seats of the Curvv are comfortable, have good forward visibility and can be electrically operated but do not provide enough shoulder support for tall passengers. The 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system sits atop the dashboard and is equipped with controls for air purifier, aircon system, sound modes, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
The 10.25-inch instrument cluster is coloured, crisp, and gets customisable displays but is housed deep inside the cluster making it appear smaller than its actual size. Besides this, the Curvv comes loaded with a wireless charging pad, auto-dimming IRVM, cooled front seats, and height-adjustable co-passenger seat.
But then, certain things could have been improved in Curvv’s cabin. Firstly, the coupe body style results in tight rear visibility. Secondly, the centre console does get a wireless charger but misses out on cup holders. Also, the front USB ports are awkwardly placed making it difficult to access them with a cable.
As for the second-row space, we will give you two perspectives. One with my height, I am 5’6”. First of all, the ingress and egress for me is easy and there is decent legroom, good headroom and ample shoulder space. Also, for the rear occupants you get rear AC vents, two USB ports, and a foldable armrest with two cupholders. However, if you are six feet or taller, the headroom is limited and you might end up brushing your head to the roof that also houses the sunroof mechanism. The legroom too, for taller passengers is limited.
We might not be very impressed with the space in the second row but this coupe body style gives one major USP. And that is the 500-litre boot space that can be operated electrically with gesture control. It can easily gobble up to three medium-sized suitcases. You also get four hooks and a 16-inch spare wheel.
All Tata cars have been successful in getting a full five-star safety rating. The most recent ones are the Safari and Harrier. While we still await the crash test results of the Curvv, the extensive safety feature list looks quite promising. You can auto headlamps, rain-sensing wipers, front parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitor, 360-degree camera, and six airbags. To top it all up, it also gets level 2 ADAS, some of which include lane departure warning with keep assist, forward collision warning with avoidance, blind sport monitor with camera, and adaptive cruise control. We tried the latter and the display of the camera on the infotainment screen and instrument cluster was clear and helped while battling city traffic.
Conclusion
The Tata Curvv is a stylish and feature-packed SUV that offers a comfortable ride and decent performance. Its coupe-inspired design sets it apart from traditional SUVs, giving it a visual appeal. The interior is well-appointed, with a modern dashboard and a range of features. However, there are some shortcomings too. The infotainment is still a bit glitchy and you have a few ergonomic issues in the front row. While the rear seating might be a limitation for taller passengers, the Curvv offers a practical boot.
While many will see this as an upgrade from the Nexon, there are many aspects like the front exterior design and the interior layout that this one shares with the Nexon.But the Curvv also gets a new set of powertrains and an extensive feature list. The prices range from Rs. 9.99 lakh to Rs. 19 lakh (ex-showroom) putting the Curvv exactly in the mid-size SUV segment.
Photography: Kaustubh Gandhi
