The Tata Nexon iCNG is the first turbocharged CNG vehicle sold in India with a factory-fitted CNG kit. Available in all variants, the CNG range is priced between Rs. 8,34,990 for the base trim and Rs. 13,29,990 for the top-spec Fearless+PS trim, priced at a premium of between Rs. 70,000 and Rs. 1,15,000 over comparable petrol variants.
We've now put the Tata Nexon iCNG to the test to see how it fares.
- Gets twin-CNG tanks placed beneath the boot floor
- Has an ARAI-claimed efficiency of 24km/kg
- Top-spec variant has a kerb weight of 1,398kg
Tata Nexon iCNG real-world fuel efficiency explained
Powering the Nexon iCNG is a 1.2-litre, three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine as seen in the regular Nexon and is paired to a six-speed manual transmission. While the torque remains the same as the petrol unit at 170Nm, power is down by 20hp in the CNG version, now producing 100hp. It features a twin-tank CNG system with a capacity of 60 litres or 9kg, smartly placed below the boot floor to free up a respectable 321 litres of luggage space.
In our tests, the Nexon iCNG delivered 15.1km/kg in the city and 23.7km/kg on the highway, for an average overall real-world efficiency of 19.4km/kg. What’s commendable is that its highway efficiency is close to its ARAI-claimed efficiency of 24km/kg.
When refilled from empty, we managed to fill 7.5kg of CNG as opposed to Tata's claim of 9kg. CNG filling depends on ambient temperature and pump pressure, so under optimal conditions, achieving 8.5-9kg should be possible.
With the overall average fuel efficiency of 19.4km/kg, you can expect a real-world range of 145-160km on a full tank of CNG.
Autocar India’s fuel-efficiency testing
Since CNG tanks are more difficult to fill consistently due to variables such as ambient temperature and pump pressure, we did not use our standard tankful-to-tankful methodology. Instead, for our real-world tests, we emptied the CNG tank and refilled it with 2kg of CNG. We then drove the vehicle in city conditions until the gas was exhausted. The same process was repeated for the highway run. Throughout both tests, the Nexon iCNG was driven exclusively in CNG mode.
Before our real-world fuel efficiency tests, we maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. These cars are driven in fixed city and highway loops in and around Navi Mumbai, and we maintain certain average speeds. Throughout the tests, there is only one person in each car, and the aircon is set to 22deg C in full-auto mode. We operate other electricals, such as the audio system, indicators and wipers, just like a regular user would. Periodic driver swaps further neutralise variations in driver patterns.