Tata Curvv EV Coupe-SUV Review: Curve Ball

Dominating the Indian EV scene with a range of electric vehicles, Tata Motors has everything in its portfolio – from the Tiago EV to the Tigor EV, the recently launched Punch EV and the highest-selling electric car in India – the Nexon EV. And now after a long wait, Tata has finally thrown a curve ball – the all-new Tata Curvv EV.

Based on the new Acti.ev platform, the Curvv is now Tata's flagship EV and adopts the coupe-SUV body style for the masses. Launched ahead of its ICE counterpart, the Curvv EV is priced between Rs 17.50 lakh to 22 lakh (introductory, ex-showroom), which isn’t a lot more expensive than the Nexon EV. So does the Curvv EV has enough up its sleeve to steer away the Nexon EV buyers with its sloping roofline? Let’s find out. 

Also Read: All-Electric Tata Curvv EV Coupe SUV Launched In India

Tata Curvv EV: Design & Styling

The sloping roofline might be the highlight of the Curvv but up front it is hard to differentiate the two at a casual glance. Comparatively, it has a bigger wheelbase, the overall length is longer, and despite the sloping roof line, it is taller than the Nexon EV. Being based on a newer architecture, the charging port has moved to the nose and has both manual and electric operation. 

In profile, the 18-inch gorgeous-looking alloy wheels are also aerodynamically optimised, and they go really well with the overall stance of the Curvv. The 55-profile tyres also fill up the wheel arch pretty nicely and it adds to the muscle of this coupe-SUV. 

You would also love the gloss finishes all around for the body cladding which is reminiscent of more premium cars, but it remains to be seen how it will fare when the scratches start to roll in. Talking about muscle the rear three-quarter is the best angle to look at the Curvv because of its sloping roofline, sleek LED tail lamps running across and the sharp cuts and creases.  I wish the sloping roofline was sharper and culminated at one point like it does in some coupes instead of flattening out at the end. But overall, the Curvv's appearance has people drawing parallels with an Italian SUV and that is a compliment in itself.

Also Read: Tata Curvv EV: Variants Explained

Tata Curvv EV: Interior and Features

On the inside, it is a familiar-looking cabin because the entire cabin is taken directly from the Nexon EV. One element is borrowed from the bigger siblings – the Harrier and the Safari – and it is the four-spoke steering. There's also one crucial change made here to make it stand out over the Nexon EV which is the metallic finish running across the dashboard. You also get ambient lighting all around. But apart from these changes, this is a really familiar cabin and I wish they could have done a little more to differentiate it from the Nexon EV. 

Also Read: Tata Curvv EV: Three Features That Are A First For A Tata Electric Vehicle

For instance, the center console down the dashboard where USB ports are placed is hard to reach. This has been an issue with older Nexons and this has been carried over here as well. Even the seat backrest could have been slightly taller to provide more support at the back. A dedicated EV architecture should have allowed for more space, a floating cabin and a modern dashboard layout but that doesn’t seem to be happening here in the Curvv’s cabin. You do get a 12.3-inch touchscreen and it has also been updated with the Arcade.ev app. However, what could have been changed is the interface for the digital driver's display. It does offer a lot of information but the crucial one – battery percentage remaining – is pushed into the corner with the smallest font. 

On to the back seat of this coupe-SUV because it is the crucial part. Getting inside, I found the ingress to be slightly narrower than I would have expected with a thick door sill. But once inside you would also notice that since the battery is placed underneath the floor you sit at an awkward position.  You do get recline adjustment for the backrest, but I wish the seats were slightly lowered where you sit sunk a bit with the legs getting the necessary support from the base bolsters. I also expected the space here would have felt more than you get in the Nexon EV but that's not the case. It should be treated as a four-seater in my opinion because sitting three people here would be a really tight fit you can fit in a kid in the centre but nothing more. 

Also Read: Tata Curvv EV: Top 10 Stats About Tata’s Latest All-Electric Coupe-SUV

On the practicality front you do get rear AC vents with a dedicated Type-C port. There's also a folding armrest with cup holders and three-point seat belts for all passengers at the back, but I wish the door pockets were slightly bigger and the door design could have been again improved over the Nexon EV but that's not the case. Lastly despite the coupe-SUV disposition, 500 litres of boot space is cavernous and you can carry a weekend luggage of four without worries. 

Tata Curvv EV: Powertrain and Performance

Behind the wheel of the Tata Curvv EV, the first thing that I must talk about is visibility. For any coupe-SUVs, the rear visibility is a big challenge and that's the same case with the Curvv EV. Not just the rear windscreen, it’s the fact that the C-pillar is also prominently thick. So the rear visibility is a bit of a hindrance, especially for newer drivers and may take some time getting used to. Now as for the specification, the Curvv EV is available with two battery pack options. What we are driving here is the bigger one with its newer 55 kWh battery pack and it has an output of close to 167 bhp, and the 215 Nm is standard across both the battery packs. The smaller battery pack has a capacity of 45 kWh and its electric motor makes close to 150bhp. 

When you get going, the acceleration as you would expect from an EV, is smooth, refined and has that linear acceleration that we have come to appreciate with the Nexon EV. There's barely any delay or lag and vibrations that are experienced be it at city speed or holding triple-digit speeds on the highway. There are three modes – Eco, City and Sport. In the Eco, it does feel subdued and the City mode is the one most of the drivers would be driving it. But if you want some eagerness, you want the throttle response to be sharper and precise, the Sport mode is really good for it. Tata claims a 0 to 100kmph time of around 9 seconds and the way the power is put down when you go hard on the throttle it's not hard to believe that 9 seconds is achievable. 

Also Read: Tata Curvv ICE Version To Be Launched In India On September 2

Part of the new addition here in the Curvv is a new feature that bigger and more expensive EVs usually come with. It's known as acoustic vehicle alert system (AVAS) and what it basically does is create an artificial sound for the pedestrian’s safety. Luckily this sound is a good-sounding one and it doesn't sound like a nuisance at first and it also switches off when you cross 20 kmph.

Tata Curvv EV: Ride and handling

You also get this bigger steering wheel which compared to the Nexon feels hefty to hold. This chunky steering wheel does add to the overall driving dynamics as it feels large. But the steering in itself feels overly assisted. It goes three turns almost lock-to-lock which means it isn't the quickest out there and needs more inputs when tackling tight corners. At city speed it's light and comfortable and pretty easy to get used to and a good amount of weight is added to it once you hit highway speeds.

One of the strongest suits of the Curvv EV has to be its ride quality. At slow speed, the ride is absorbent, and you do feel that all bumps and greases are taken in flat. It absorbed most of the harshness that we had encountered and when the road really starts to disappear it’s where the ride shines the most. At higher speeds, some amount of those are transferred inside the cabin, but they are still pretty well damped out. There might be some vertical moments on the undulations (especially at the back) but it never gets to a point of being uncomfortable.

So overall the Curvv EV is really a nice car to drive. It's comfortable and very well adapted to your every driving condition. For a one-car garage, its 400 km of realistic range is good enough. The certified range stands at 585 km for this battery pack, but expect a real-world range of anything between 350-400 km. You also get 70 kW of fast charging support, good enough for a 10-80 per cent charge in 40 minutes. 

Tata Curvv EV: Verdict

The Tata Curvv EV is everything that we expected it to be, and slightly more. Its coupe-SUV body style might be the biggest highlight, but it won't be its biggest selling point. Because what works in its favour are – first, its good looks; secondly, it's the overall packaging helped by Tata's expertise in EVs, and it is also good to drive coupled with a fantastic ride quality. But it's not without fault either. 

The newer platform could have liberated more cabin space compared to the Nexon EV. It could have improved on the Nexon EV’s shortcomings as well. Instead, it just focused on the sloping roofline, which is aesthetically pleasing but ergonomically could have been improved as well. Also, the exterior design shared across the Tata lineup might be a put-off for some buyers. And the small glitches that the Tata cars are well known for – those small electronic glitches which aren’t huge but unpredictable and annoying it's also persistent with the Curvv EV. 

But the biggest selling point for the Curvv EV has to be its aggressive pricing. At its introductory prices, the Curvv EV will not only attract buyers who would have otherwise gone for the MG ZS EV or the Mahindra XUV400 or even its own sibling the Nexon EV, but it would also give the C-SUV segment buyers would have otherwise gone for the petrol automatic or the diesel automatic something to consider.