Tata Curvv EV review

The Tata Curvv EV is marketed as an ‘SUV coupe’, and you can see what that means with a quick look at the car. The body of the car looks quite like a sedan, but some elements such as the big wheels, high ground clearance, and sport-back boot door obviously point to the SUV and coupe side of things. Whatever it is, the Curvv EV is a rather good-looking car, helped along by its distinct Tata EV style front grille, door handles which sit flush with the body, and non-boxy shape.

The charging port is at the front right under the Tata logo, which opens and closes mechanically with the press of a button, although I was able to just push this open from outside as well. Like many other coupes, there’s no rear washer and wiper, although to be honest there’s not much to be seen out the back either.

If you’re sitting in the front, the Curvv EV is a modern masterpiece, thanks to its comfortable seats, high seating position, and tech-filled instrument cluster and infotainment system. However, as good as the Tata Curvv EV looks, its shape and dimensions mean that it isn’t quite as spacious and comfortable at the back. 

There is leg room, but the high floor means that there isn’t quite as much under-thigh support. The sloping roof also means that it might be a bit of a squeeze for tall passengers. You do, however, get a spacious and deep 500L boot, and even an 11.6L frunk to store the charging cables safely. 

The 12.3-inch infotainment touch screen and 10.25-inch fully digital instrument cluster pretty much take over the entire front, and it looks impressive and tech-forward. There are USB Type-A and Type-C ports for connectivity and charging at the front and rear, touch buttons for the air conditioning and other core features below the infotainment panel, and controls for the sunroof right above.

There’s a fair amount of tech on offer in the Tata Curvv EV, so lets talk about the noteworthy ones here. Leading the charge is the ADAS Level 2 set, and I had a chance to try out some of these. Lane keep assist felt a bit aggressive in telling me what to do, but largely worked well, as did the adaptive cruise control. Other ADAS features include the camera blindspot views when using the indicators, and the soft chimes to let you know there’s an oncoming vehicle when changing lanes, both of which worked well.

All of the ADAS features are backed up by a 360-degree camera system, equipped with multiple cameras all around the car to provide visual aids to the system and driver. You can even manually activate the system and look all around the Tata Curvv EV - useful for safe driving in tight spots or when merging onto the highway from a smaller road. Of course, the correct camera activates within the ADAS system as needed.

 

 

 

 

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Electric vehicles tend to run quite silent, and this is particularly relevant at low speeds where you may not even hear the wheels rolling on the road surface. For this, Tata has AVAS (acoustic vehicle alerting system) which deliberates generates sound to be heard outside the vehicle up to a speed of 20km/h. It sounds rather interesting, with a musical idling sound, and a rather sci-fi like change of tone and pitch based on your throttle. It’s designed to help pedestrians hear your car, thus making things safer on the road.

The core of the tech suite on the Tata Curvv EV is, of course, the excellent infotainment system. With a big 12.3-inch touch screen, the infotainment system provides clear, detailed views of just about everything you need, from car controls to navigation and music playback. It’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ready (with support for wireless connectivity), and also supports the voice assistants on both platforms. Apart from this, you can use the built-in voice assistant for car controls such as turning on or off the AC, opening the windows or sunroof, and more.

Sound is piped through an excellent nine-speaker JBL audio system (eight speakers and a subwoofer) which comes with customisable equaliser and tuning controls. A rather useful inclusion here is the ability to shut off the rear speakers, in case you have kids sleeping in the back seat. You can also control the in-car lighting, and get info on air quality, car diagnostics, and more, all though the system. Usefully, there’s also a built-in air purifier with a PM2.5 filter in the Tata Curvv EV, as well as wireless charging for compatible devices.

 

 

 

 

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The Tata Curvv EV is compatible with the newest and most improved version of the Tata IRA app. You can view the car’s location on a map, odometer, vehicle status, charge level, health and trip history through the app, apart from being able to unlock the car or activate the hazard lights remotely. It’s also now integrated with multiple charging aggregators, so you can get directions and status reports on various public charging stations near your location.

The Tata Curvv EV comes in two battery configurations - a 45kWh unit with 110kW of motor power and 215NM of torque, and a 55kWh unit with 123kW of motor power and 215NM of torque. Both come with three drive modes, liquid-cooled thermal management, and a 7.2kW fast charger. During the media drive, I had a chance to test the 55kWh variant, which is slightly more powerful and has better range per charge.

There are three driving modes on offer, and an automatic transmission which is standard across all variants. Eco is the most conservative, Sport sets up the Curvv EV for more power and performance, and City tries to strike a balance between the two. On slower country roads, the eco mode was just fine, and naturally extended battery life as well, while highways needed either the city or sport modes to make the most of the drive.

The mode calibration and setup is excellent, and there’s a considerable difference in the way the three modes work. Switching to Sport from Eco while driving caused the car to noticeably surge forward, and it was quickly set up to deliver more power and operate more responsively to throttle changes. Of course, this also drains the battery faster, so it’s best used only in short bursts when needed; the rest of the time, the City and Eco modes are just fine.

Like most EVs, the Tata Curvv EV gives you plenty of fun in the driving experience, thanks to the instant torque delivery and generous supply of power. It’s at ease whether driving in a leisurely way or even if you push it a bit, and delivers a smooth ride all through. The big wheels, power, and ground clearance also mean that you can do a bit of gentle off-roading, if you like.

Regenerative braking is offered in three levels on the Tata Curvv EV, which can be switched on the go using the paddle shifters just behind the steering wheel. Switching it off or keeping it on Level 1 doesn’t feel like much, and also limits the Regen levels, while Level 3 is arguably too much and can be a bit jarring for drivers when the car forcibly slows down on its own. Level 2 Regen strikes the right balance, and can help increase your driving range a bit without affecting the drive quality too much.

With Level 2 Regen active, mixed use of the air conditioning, and frequently switching between driving modes for different roads and conditions, I was able to drive the Tata Curvv EV for around 150km with the charge level dropping to 50 percent, suggesting a real-world figure of around 300km per charge with mixed use. More use of the Eco mode and less use of the Sport mode, as well as wiser use of the regenerative braking, could extend this even further.

The Tata Curvv EV is the best and most well-equipped EV from the brand right now by some margin. It’s rapid, it has a decent driving range per charge, and it’s incredibly well equipped both on the inside and outside, making this the tech-focused EV that is well within reach for many buyers thanks to its competitive pricing. 

Minor bits and pieces do hold the Tata Curvv EV back, such as the fairly uncomfortable back seat, but on the whole there’s a level of customisability and control that makes the Curvv EV a very good car to buy right now, and a noticeable upgrade over the Nexon EV that helps justify its higher pricing as well.