Boy, it has been fun driving this all this time. Most of my colleagues absolutely love the car, and everyone’s face after switching on the ventilated seats is second to none.
BHPian RPRIME95 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
5000km update – Second Service done and dusted
Six months have passed since I brought Ellie home, and over 5000 km have been driven, 5135km to be exact. Boy, it has been fun driving this all this time. Most of my colleagues absolutely love the car, and everyone’s face after switching on the ventilated seats is second to none. Overall FE stands at roughly 11kmpl, although I have stopped keeping track since about a month back. A full tank usually lasts around 400-450 km depending on the traffic and length of commute, so calculating the exact average is not worth the effort. Aside from that no major issues but plenty of small niggles and some weird experiences.
Odometer as of now
Niggles and Surprises
I had a long trip planned to my home and relatives so this was a true test of the car in the rain. Mechanically nothing happened at all, but software/electricals was another story. While returning from the trip, the ORVM Autofold stopped working. No idea why, tried manual fold too but no luck there. Came back from my lunch break and voila, manual plus autofold started working. I think it was moisture related since the mirror assembly is a moving component and the weather sealing could have a tiny hole somewhere that is not easily visible.
Coming to the fun stuff now. One fine afternoon I was out for some work and had parked the car below a tree in the rain. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. Came back, started the car and the parking sensors beeped, but with a different sound. Now it so happened that I had been a passenger in a colleague’s 2021 Nexon and immediately made the connection. And when the display booted seconds later, my suspicion was confirmed. Somehow my car had loaded the old software with only the backup camera and nothing else. Thankfully it did not last and went back to its old self the next time the car was put in reverse. This is also where I realized why we only have 4 parking sensors total, 2 front and 2 rear. 4 front and 4 rear sensors require their own each, which means Tata would have had to accommodate 2 controllers and code them into their software. What these geniuses have done instead is use 1 controller for both front and rear sensors. Sure the sensors are wide-field now but this is just cheap behaviour. This is also why I could here beeps from the front sensors but there was no display as the old software was coded to show rear sensors only.
Aside from this I got Transmission Warnings a couple times when I used Hill Hold quite frequently and was shifting to Neutral often in traffic. I had encountered a similar clutch warning on our Tiago AMT previously, so at least the behaviour tracks.
Second Free Service – The Tata Experience
Given the fact that my first service was pretty smooth, I expected the same affair this time around. Boy was I wrong. Since the car had just been back from a trip, it was filthy. The SA probably had a moment of joy seeing this, since he was very insistent on AC Cleaning, Brake Cleaning, and Deep Wash for the car. Some of the places I visited were dusty so I opted for the AC Cleaning but nothing else. When the technician started to work on the car, he was quite fiddly about parking the vehicle. I did not pay much attention to that. Soon the SA called me in the garage, and promptly said I needed to replace the wiper blades. Naturally, I was surprised and asked to show the issue. To my horror, the passenger side blade had become loose and was slipping off the arm. I never had this problem come up, so was naturally unhappy about it. The retaining part of the arm looked bent so I asked to try and bend it back with a plier and the wiper fit into place. Coincidence, I think not!!. Did not say anything then, since my car was still in their hands but I had a feeling my third service would have to be done somewhere else.
Then came my own blunder. Usually I disconnect Android Auto before handing over the car anywhere like valets and ASCs. This time I did not. The car software was getting updated. I am restless person so I started to wander around the service lot. Saw my car standing and locked, which is unusual so went to check up on it, completely oblivious to the fact that a software update was ongoing. My phone connected and I was quite surprised to see the screen on, but the car locked. Called the tech, and asked him to check. This fellow never mentioned once that he was updating the software. And curious me opened the driver door, which shut down the infotainment . Realising what I had done, shut the door and just walked away from the car. The tech was basically panicking as an interrupted software install usually means bricked car. Thankfully nothing happened and the software did update successfully, although I lost all my trip data. Small trade for a working car, I guess. Lesson learned, we move on.
Karma coming back
Post the service, we had a work trip to Lonavla. I offered to drive and wanted to take the car to Lonavla anyway that weekend. We were running a little late and there was rain forecast. Which we encountered on the expressway and the wipers kicked into action. Now there was an incident at my 2nd service where the SA asked me to change the wiper blades and I suspected foul play so did not do it. Well karma wanted to say hello, so midway during a sweep, the passenger blade broke off the arm and flew off. It was an immediate facepalm moment and I quickly turned off the wipers and pulled over. Thankfully my windshield was spared and I had a small microfiber cloth with me so used it as a makeshift windshield protector from the wiper arm and made it to Lonavla. Immediately went to a garage and had new blades put in. Also ordered a replacement set online as a spare. Lesson #2 learned.
Boot space test
I am in the process of shifting homes, so it was about time I tested the boot space of the car. I had a complete random set of items so it actually turned out to be pretty good test and I now know what needs to be done.
Boot space almost filled
As you can see, I managed to fit in a large suitcase, two refrigerator/washing machine stands, one disassembled bookshelf, car cover, bike cover and car vacuum. Still some space left for knick knacks although it is pretty hard to reach and use. Atleast this means all my bags will fit and the seats can take the rest easily. I plan to do it in batches so not going for the title of ‘Most loaded Nexon in India’.
Verdict
It definitely has not been the smoothest experience with Ellie, but nothing has been bad to the point where I regret buying this car. Unfortunately, the perfect car in this segment does not exist, so Ellie fits my needs better than any other car and that is good enough for now. And maybe for the future as well. All I can say is that I have had a hoot with this beauty and wish for many more years of hooting (I hope that conveys my feelings without being too vulgar).
Tiger Point Lonavla
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.
