Tata Nexon EV Max Dark gets new 10.25-inch touchscreen

The long-range Tata Nexon EV Max, which was launched a year ago, has now received the Dark treatment, and with it, gets the new 10.25-inch touchscreen. The Nexon EV Max Dark is priced at Rs 19.04 lakh (ex-showroom) for the XZ+ Lux and Rs 19.54 lakh (ex-showroom) for the XZ+ Lux with the 7.2kW charger.

While all previous editions of the Nexon – Dark, Red Dark, Kaziranga and Jet – have included cosmetic updates, the Dark edition of the Nexon EV Max gets a few feature additions.

Tata Nexon EV Max Dark interior and features

The highlight of the Nexon EV Max Dark edition is the new touchscreen, which is leaps and bounds ahead of the one found on the regular Nexon EV Max. It is sleek with fluid transitions and gestures, but it’s still not up there with the best of the best. However, it is more fluid than the one on the Kia Sonet.

Tata’s new touchscreen is now among the biggest in the segment at 10.25 inches – at par with the Sonet's. Features include an integrated voice assistant, an upgraded reverse camera, a special EV display theme as well as wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Tata has also integrated voice commands that recognise six languages, including English, Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Marathi.

Notably, this touchscreen is the same unit that was introduced in the Red Dark editions of the Harrier and Safari SUVs that launched in February, but it was not introduced in the Nexon Red Dark edition. And while the Harrier and Safari gained ADAS features with the new touchscreen, the Nexon EV Max Dark doesn't get ADAS features with this new touchscreen. The facelifted Tata Nexon is expected to go on sale by August, and with this Dark edition, Tata is previewing the new infotainment system for future Nexons.

Now, let’s talk about the placement of the new system. In all the other Nexon models, the touchscreen is mounted on top of the dashboard, like a tablet sticking out. However, in the Nexon EV Max Dark edition, the infotainment system is a freestanding unit housed similar to the Harrier and Safari. It is placed right above the AC vents, bringing it closer to the driver and passenger. This is ergonomically better as, with the older system, some drivers had to stretch their arms to reach it.

Apart from the new touchscreen, the interior receives the same treatment as other Dark edition models. It gets an all-black interior accentuated by the .EV’s tri-arrow pattern and blue highlights around the AC vents. Even the seats are finished in black with blue stitching, and get "#Dark" stitching on the head restraints.

Key features in the Nexon EV Max Dark include a sunroof, an air purifier with AQI display, cruise control, a wireless smartphone charger, a cooled glove box, rear air conditioning vents and more. All other features are the same as the regular Nexon EV Max’s XZ+ Lux variants. It also gets the same semi-digital instrument cluster with a 7-inch MID and the knurled drive selector in the centre with its own nifty display. 

Safety equipment on the Nexon EV Max Dark edition includes two airbags, disc brakes on all four wheels, ABS and more. While the Nexon EV Max hasn't been tested by Global NCAP yet, the ICE-powered Nexon secured a 5-star rating under the previous testing protocols. 

Tata Nexon EV Max Dark exterior

The exterior is the same as other Dark edition models by Tata: you get the Midnight Black colour with Satin Grey accents under the windows and the grille. While the exterior accents are finished in blue in the standard Nexon EV Max, on the Dark edition, only the front and rear fog lamp surrounds – along with the EV badges – are finished in blue. Additionally, where the regular model gets 16-inch diamond cut alloys, this one has a Charcoal Grey finish.

Tata Nexon EV Max Dark powertrain

Not much has changed under the hood as well. You still get the 40.5kWh battery feeding power to the electric motor. It churns out 143hp and 250Nm of torque, which drives the front wheels. The Nexon EV Max Dark has an ARAI-claimed range of 453km, but our real-world range test showed it could average around 266km.

You still get the same drive modes – City, Eco and Sport. In the first two, however, power is restricted to 97hp and 170Nm.

The Nexon EV Max Dark gets two chargers as standard – a 3.3kW and a 7.2kW charger. Using the former, the battery can be charged from 10-100 percent in a claimed 15 hours, while with the latter, it takes 6.5 hours (claimed) to charge from 0-100 percent. The Nexon EV Max Dark is also capable of supporting up to 50kW DC fast charging, which, according to Tata, fills the battery from 0-80 percent in 56 minutes.

Tata Nexon EV Max Dark price, warranty and rivals

While most Dark edition models are priced at a premium of Rs 20,000, this comes at a premium of Rs 55,000 over the standard Nexon EV Max since it gets the new touchscreen. The regular XZ+ Lux and the XZ+ Lux with the 7.2kW charger trims are priced at Rs 18.49 lakh and Rs 18.99 lakh (ex-showroom), respectively.

Tata is providing an 8-year/1,00,000km warranty on the Nexon EV Max Dark edition’s battery. It will directly rival the newly launched Mahindra XUV400, which is priced between Rs 15.99 lakh-18.99 lakh (ex-showroom).

Also see:

Tata Nexon EV Max Dark walkaround video