Under the heavily sculpted bonnet of the Tekton lie a lot of Nissan dreams. The iconic brand has been in search of an aspirational model for quite a few years in the Indian market, and the Tekton’s World Premier in Mumbai shows how important it is for both Nissan and its alliance with Renault. While it does share the same CMF-B platform as the Renault Duster, Nissan’s differentiation is not superficial, with distinctive design and tech details that may appeal to a different subset of consumers. Pitched as a “Baby Patrol,” it will be exported to nearly 50 markets across the Middle East, Africa, and Oceania.
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Dusting off the similarities
Look closely, from certain angles, and the C-shaped LED lighting, double chrome strip on the front grille, and the inserts on the fenders do give it a Patrol-like presence. The 18-inch wheels fill out the arches nicely, and Nissan even dropped a “Infiniti-inspired” slide to talk up the tri-tone cabin in beige, burgundy, and rose gold. What really sets Tekton apart is its digital architecture with deep Google integration. It isn’t just standard Android Auto mirroring, but a complete suite of services running natively, powered by an embedded SIM. The 10.1-inch touchscreen displays colourful graphics and a lot of info, which is paired with a 10.25-inch instrument cluster that is capable of displaying native native Google Maps directly into your digital instrument cluster, complete with live traffic data.
Superpowers by Google
Nissan’s system also folds in Gemini alongside Google Maps, Assistant, and Play, all accessible without tethering a phone. In our demos, it was evident that Gemini drops the rigid command-response pattern of older voice assistants for genuine conversation. Just ask it to find a highway dhaba with parking, narrow it down mid-sentence, and it holds context. It can also operate the climate control, summarise a message, or answer a car-specific question pulled from the owner’s manual.
In a segment where every other car still relies on scripted voice prompts, a conversational assistant that drives the car’s own functions is a genuine differentiator. It will easily pull off a complex conversational query like “Hey Google, it’s getting a bit stuffy in here, and by the way, find me a good seafood place on our route that I haven’t been to yet” without stuttering. It’ll lower the AC temperature and give you a list of restaurants and wait for you to select one to map you there!
Essentials for 2027
Nissan backs this with 55+ connected features via the MyNISSAN app and OTA updates to keep everything ticking in the newest version. The infotainment system also hides two drive-specific toggles that pair your chosen setting with matching ambient lighting, and Dual-Mode Steering, switching effort between light-for-the-city and weighted-for-the-highway.
Sonic duties are handled by a non-branded, 6-speaker Arkamys 3D surround system. While audiophiles might shrug at the lack of a prominent audio badge, Nissan claims a dedicated audio-tuning app is dropping soon to let users calibrate sound profiles to their exact personal taste. Safety runs to 17+ ADAS functions, including adaptive cruise with stop-and-go, AEB, and blind spot warning, with individual functions switchable rather than a binary on-off. Six airbags, a 62% high-strength steel shell, and a 5-star Bharat NCAP score round it out, alongside ventilated front seats, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate, and an ioniser.
No hybrid power to the people
No hybrid is planned anytime soon, which for now shall remain a Renault exclusive slated to arrive in the festive season. Instead, Nissan is going all-in on forced induction with a 100% turbocharged lineup featuring the entry-level Turbo T160 (starting at an aggressive introductory price of Rs 10.49 lakh) and the flagship Turbo T280 (topping out at Rs 18.49 lakh). The T280 is a 1.3-litre unit pumping out 163PS and a segment-best 280Nm of torque, mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed wet-clutch DCT.
Verdict
Luxury cars sitting several segments above the Tekton have attempted to integrate AI voice assistants, but they sit behind the manufacturer’s own OS and eventually hit a roadblock before becoming truly frictionless. Nissan is the first to democratize this tech on a vehicle that, depending on the variant, could start from Rs 15 lakh. It’s true, cloud-connected generative AI assistant makes the proprietary connected-car tech of its rivals feel instantly outdated.
