Tata Curvv Petrol and Diesel Review: First Drive

The Curvv’s design is tempting for sure, does it back that up with everyday sensibilities?

The Tata Curvv is a compact SUV that’s priced between Rs 11 lakh and Rs 19 lakh (ex-showroom). It borrows heavily from its sub-compact SUV cousin — the Nexon — while bringing a unique coupe SUV design to fight the competition. 

It will compete against the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Volkswagen Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, Honda Elevate and MG Astor. For a similar price, there are also options of larger SUVs such as the Tata Harrier, MG Hector and Mahindra XUV700. 

Should you consider buying the Curvv or give it a miss? 

Exterior

New Tata cars know how to grab attention and the Curvv is no different. The coupe-SUV design is striking and the Curvv has some seriously strong road presence especially in vibrant colors like gold and red. 

There’s a whole lot of resemblance with the Nexon, especially up front. Tata has tried to give the the Curvv its own identity with a connected LED daytime running lamp setup, accents for the grille, different air dam design and slightly reworked creases around the headlamp enclosure. But you might just miss it if you happen to glance at the Curvv in the rear view mirror. 

It’s the side and rear where the difference is abundantly obvious. The wheelbase has been stretched by 60mm and in the process the Curvv has become a large 4.3m long SUV. Executing a sloping roofline with such tight proportions is a task in itself. Dare we say Tata has managed to deliver here. 

Flush-fitting door handles (with nifty marker lights) are offered as standard across variants. Large 18-inch alloy wheels look size appropriate, although we’re not huge fans of the gloss black panel used for the wheel arch cladding. 

At the rear, the connected LED lighting looks swanky, and so does the cool animation it does on locking and unlocking. There are little details here that add to the overall design, such as the tiny spoiler on the windscreen, the shark fin antenna and vertical reflectors on the bumper. 

We think the Curvv stands out in its class by virtue of design. If turning heads ranks high on your ‘to-do’ list, this SUV should be on your radar. 

Interior

Getting in and out of the car is an easy affair. Elders in the family should have no issues with ingress and egress, both, at the front and rear. Once you’re seated in the front seat, you’d immediately draw parallels with the new Nexon. This copy-paste job robs the Curvv of a unique interior look. Thankfully, the updated Nexon’s dashboard isn’t a bad place to start. 

Quality of materials is acceptable for a vehicle in this class. Fit and finish seemed par for the course on our test car as well. Tata has opted for a soft-touch leatherette padding on the mid portion of the dashboard and the door cards as well which does its bit in making the cabin feel premium. 

Lower variants of the Curvv get the 2-spoke steering wheel from the Nexon, whereas higher variants get the 4-spoke steering wheel from the Harrier/Safari. As you’d expect, there are different interior themes based on the variant you pick — Black for the base-spec Smart, Grey for the Pure, Blue for the Creative and a rich Burgundy shade for the Accomplished. 

The Curvv also inherits all the annoyances of the Nexon. There’s no real storage space in the centre console except for the under the front armrest, the USB ports up front are super hard to reach and the seat ventilation buttons are placed out of sight on the side of the seat which isn’t convenient to use at the slightest. 

As far as space is concerned, front seat occupants should have no issues with width. Headroom might feel a little tight if you’re above 6ft tall. The driver gets a powered seat with ample travel. However, the steering wheel only adjusts for tilt, not reach. This is why you might find yourself sitting further back than you usually do, thereby eating away at rear kneeroom. 

For a six-footer seated behind another, there’s a fist’s worth of kneeroom to be had. The Curvv is far from being the most spacious vehicle in the segment. Footroom is acceptable. However, with that coupe roofline, headroom might feel tight for those above 6 feet in height. Seating three abreast in the rear seat is possible, but not ideal. We’d rather enjoy the central armrest. 

Rear seat occupants get their own AC vents, and a type-C charger. Tata does not offer seat back pockets for the front seats which seems rather unnecessary. 

Overall, on the space front, the Curvv is average at best and has a few avoidable storage issues up front. 

Boot Space

At a claimed 500-liters, there’s enough space in the Curvv’s boot to shift houses. The loading lip is higher than what you’d see in regular SUVs, however. In the top-spec variant, you also get a powered tailgate (with a gesture function) which makes accessing and closing the boot convenient. There's a 60:40 split in the rear seat too, adding versatility to the overall storage. 

Features

Here’s a quick run through of the highlight features of the Tata Curvv, and our notes: 

Other features on the Tata Curvv include: 

On the whole, Tata Motors has done well to equip the Curvv with all the features you’d want at the price point. There are no glaring omissions here. 

Drive

Tata Motors is offering the Curvv with a total of three engine options. 

On the brief first drive, we sampled the new direct-injection turbo-petrol with a manual transmission, and the diesel with the dual-clutch automatic transmission. Here are our impressions: 

Curvv Petrol (Hyperion): 

This engine makes a modest 5PS and 55Nm more compared to the other motor. No surprise then that the experience isn’t drastically different. However, what it's gained is this sense of precision and finesse that seemed missing from all Tata petrol motors earlier. 

It is a three-cylinder engine, meaning you cannot escape the noise or the vibrations on the floorboard. Tata could’ve done a little more in terms of insulation to isolate the cabin better. 

With the manual, the clutch is light and the bite point is easy to get used to. The gear also is light, but has long throws. On the whole, we wouldn’t really be stressing about driving this in city traffic either. 

Power comes in smoothly and predictably, making the Curvv very easy to get used to. Making overtakes whether at low speeds or on the highway is an easy affair. You get to choose between Eco, City and Sport mode which provide different throttle and engine responses. It’s not the most exciting engine in the segment, but shouldn’t really give you a reason to complain either. 

Curvv Diesel: 

Much like the petrol, the primary concern with the diesel is of refinement. The diesel clatter and vibrations could’ve been controlled better inside the cabin. 

This is only the third diesel engine option in the segment after the Creta and the Seltos. The engine is a bit of an all-rounder in terms of power and efficiency. Pick this engine if you foresee substantially high usage (upwards of 1500km/month), and you’d be saving quite a lot on fuel expenses. 

This motor too isn’t explosive in the way it makes power. It delivers a strong surge of torque slowly but surely as you push it past 2000rpm. Its natural home is the highway where it’d be more than happy cruising at triple digit speeds. 

DCT

Tata Motors is using a 7-speed DCT with all engine options. It’s been fairly reliable with the Nexon too. 

That said, we did face some issues with one of our test cars — the car would jerk violently and shift between D1 and D2. It also shifted from Drive to Neutral on a slope on its own. This isn’t just unacceptable, but outright dangerous as well. If you’re considering a DCT-equipped Curvv, it might be wise to wait a while. Tata Motors promptly replaced our vehicle with another test car, on which the experience was flawless. 

We noticed the gearbox to be quicker and smoother than the torque converter setups we’ve experienced in Hyundai-Kia vehicles. However, the difference isn’t drastic. It is generally quick to respond and chooses the right gear based on speed. It does not hesitate to drop a few gears quickly either when you press the accelerator completely. 

If Tata could calm our nerves on the gearbox functioning reliably without hiccups, this is what we’d recommend. 

Ride and Handling

A highlight of the Curvv experience has to be the ride quality. The suspension is tuned well and it has almost a European car-like quality to it. There’s firmness that controls body movement well, especially at low speeds. It does not toss or throw occupants around over bad surfaces. 

At triple digit speeds, the body composure is appreciable. You can do long distance trips in the Curvv in relative comfort. 208mm of ground clearance means you can be slightly adventurous too. 

On the handling front, nothing exceptional to report. The steering is quick and predictable, even if not particularly sporty. Through twisty mountain roads, you will feel some body roll but never to the point of discomfort. 

Safety

Standard safety kit on the Tata Curvv includes: 

The top-spec trim of the Curvv features Level 2 ADAS which has a host of functions including adaptive cruise control, auto emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alert. As we’ve experienced with the Harrier and Safari, this system is tuned well to function in Indian conditions. That said, we’d recommend relying on this only on well marked highways. 

The Tata Curvv has not been crash tested yet. However, we expect it to score well given Tata’s perfect track record with recent products. 

Verdict

The fact that the cabin experience is nearly identical to the Nexon might just be a dealbreaker for some. The lack of storage spaces, while not critical, is an annoying problem to have. Tata could do well to reassure buyers of better quality control and lesser glitches too.

That said, Tata’s Curvv gets the basics just right. It’s got acceptable space, a large boot, a comfortable ride and a huge list of features. Powertrains on offer are not super fun, but simply get the job done for everyday commutes and highway trips. The swanky styling simply becomes a bonus in the Curvv’s case. 

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