The iCNG Runabout: Tata Nexon iCNG to Dholavira
Road trips have a useful way of exposing compromises. A car can feel perfectly adequate around town, but add two people, luggage and a boot full of camera equipment, then point it towards a destination over 350km away, and you soon find out where the corners have been cut. This was particularly interesting because we weren’t doing it in an ordinary petrol SUV. We were taking the Tata Nexon iCNG from Ahmedabad to Dholavira and back – more than 770km in total – with everything we needed for an overnight stay and a full shoot. CNG cars traditionally come with a familiar list of compromises. Performance is one. Boot space is another. There is also the assumption that choosing CNG means giving up some of the equipment and driving appeal you would expect from a modern SUV. The Nexon iCNG takes a different approach. Start with the engine. Its 1.2-litre turbocharged CNG powertrain makes it India’s only Turbo CNG offering, and the difference is noticeable on the open road. The point isn’...