Tata Motors has been on a product offensive all these years but it has missed an important segment which is the compact SUV. It clearly needed another SUV below the Harrier and above the Nexon. That product is the Curvv which is based on a new platform plus comes with an EV as well as a petrol plus diesel option. This review is about the petrol and diesel which begin with an aggressive Rs 10 lakh price. The Curvv competes with the Creta plus the Grand Vitara plus the Kia Seltos and Toyota Hyryder amongst others.
Looks
The Curvv is unlike any other compact SUV here with its coupe like design. Along with the Citroen Basalt the Curvv is the only coupe like SUV with a sedan like curved roofline. It looks fabulous and has road presence with the tall muscular proportions. At the front you have light signatures and a light bar while the grille is different from the EV obviously. At the side you can see how the roofline comes in while the top-end version with 18inch alloys again lifts the styling. The rear also the connected light setup while there is a roof spoiler too. Coming in colours the Curvv looks appealing. We also liked the paint finish on the two cars we drove.
Interiors
Open the wide doors and the Curvv has a familiar design with the Nexon especially the digital panel for the switches and the air con vents. The steering wheel though has a four spoke design with a digital logo like the Harrier. There is a digital instrument cluster which can be configured and you can put the maps view too. The main screen meanwhile is a 12.3 inch touchscreen with a high quality display and touch response. There are enough buttons too. Below that is a centre console with a wireless charging pad and a small storage cubby. That said the centre console has less storage while the glovebox is just big enough.
If we talk about quality, the Curvv gets soft touch materials but the lower half of the cabin could have been better.
There are a lot of features though as it gets segment necessities like a voice enabled panoramic sunroof despite the coupe roofline plus ventilated front seats, a powered drivers seat, air purifier, 360 degree camera, 9 speaker JBL audio system with modes, an electric parking brake, connected car feature, 6 airbags, Level 2 ADAS and more.
However we would have liked a dual zone climate control feature and dual powered seats.
The air conditioning cools down the cabin very fast and the large screen makes the 360 degree camera work well with a clear display.
Space at the front is ample and the seats offer good support but the rear seats fall short of space with headroom lacking for tall passengers plus legroom being average. A tunnel means three passengers would not be comfortable too and there is no middle headrest. The huge 500 litres boot is larger than rivals and comes with an electric gesture function too.
Performance
The Curvv comes with a Kryojet 1.5 litre diesel and a 1.2 litres new direct injection turbo petrol. Both engines have a DCT dual clutch automatic 7-speed gearbox with paddle shifters while you can buy it with a 6-speed manual gearbox. We drove the diesel automatic first and it is a new thing which makes the driving experience better. While the diesel is slightly on the noisier side the automatic DCT makes the driving experience better with faster gearshifts. It is quite fun and gets quieter at higher speeds. The paddle shifters are also a welcome addition which helps when you need sudden performance.
The petrol on the other hand is a big improvement with more refinement plus better power. It feels punchy and eager while the manual gearbox makes it better to drive. The torque of the petrol which is 225Nm plus the 125 bhp power makes for easy city driving which means you can drive it in 3rd gear at City speeds without needing to downshift. There is also less lag.
The Curvv suspension has been tweaked and it conquers our bad roads very well with its huge 205mm ground clearance plus the ability to tackle potholes. There is a low speed firm ride but the petrol rides better and feels less heavy than the diesel. With the diesel you will get 13-14 kmpl while the petrol will give about 10kmpl.
Verdict
The Curvv impresses with its style, performance and the suspension plus it has the features too. The petrol is very refined and a big change while the diesel is for those who do long distances. Where the Curvv falls behind is the rear seat space but that aside it is a stylish alternative to the current compact SUVs out there.
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