TATA Sierra

Designed by Martin Ulharik, the SUV's design represents a significant step up from what Tata has traditionally produced for quite some time. At the front, the face gets a squared-off appearance. The corners have been rounded off to give it a softer appearance. The connected LED DRLs have a certain freshness to them as they don’t have the end-to-end lightbar type design. The headlamps, too, are sleek at just 17 millimetres thick. However, this does not affect the beam's performance. Rather, it is one of the brightest LED projectors that I have seen on any comparable SUV. Some might even find a slight resemblance to the SUV’s distant relative, the Defender. Personally, I couldn’t find it; however, what I could immediately notice with the Sierra was that the panel gaps had been given attention.

At the side profile of the Sierra. The one thing that set the original Sierra apart from the rest of the SUVs back in the day was the beautiful and expansive quarter glass, which extended to the roof. And to make the new SUV unmistakably ‘Sierra’, Tata decided to keep that around. Although there isn’t an expansive quarter glass in the new one, it does try to resemble the original by adding a piano black finish right above the quarter glass. The 19-inch alloy wheels really add to the character, setting it apart from the other SUVs, which offer a maximum size of 18 inches. Around the wheel arches and throughout the lower section of the car, it is clad in piano black. An unconventional choice by Tata there, as piano black does tend to scratch up pretty easily.

Moving onto the back of the car, for reasons unexplainable, the SUV reminds me of Iron Man's mask. It gets a flat rear end with a slim single-piece LED tail lamp, which lends a futuristic touch to this SUV. The clamshell-boot door opening is also unique, allowing for easier access to the SUV’s 622-litre boot. The boot door is electronically operated and is fitted with gesture control as well for convenience. There is a slight bit of boot loading lip, which does get in the way of things, but it is not big enough for it to be a hassle.

One of the most attractive elements of the Tata Sierra is its colour palette. It is offered in six options, including Andaman Adventure (Bright Yellow), Bengal Rouge (Bright Red), Coorg Clouds (Metallic Silver), Munnar Mist (colour-shifting Dark Green), Pristine White, and Pure Grey. We drove around town in the Andaman adventure and Bengal rouge shades, and the car drew people like bees on a blueberry cheesecake. The SUV was partly drawing attention because of its iconic nameplate, but the colours were adding fuel to the flame as well.

We tested out the newly engineered 1.5-litre turbo Petrol engine alongside the existing 1.5 Diesel powertrain in Tata's portfolio on this new SUV. Keeping the best for the last, let's start with the Diesel.

The 1.5-litre Kryojet is a familiar powertrain brought out from the Curvv. Tata has not made many changes here; the engine feels torquey and pulls in a linear fashion. There is a slight amount of turbo lag at the start, a trait of turbocharged vehicles. The refinement levels of this engine are also something one could write home about, as it just does not feel like a Diesel until pushed very hard. This engine in the Sierra can be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Also watch: Tata Sierra First Drive Review: Big, fun and futuristic

Now, the 6-speed automatic is a brand-new Japanese torque-converter transmission produced by Aisin. The transmission works well when driving sedately around town. It shifts smoothly and downshifts promptly for overtakes. However, when you want it to be in manual mode, the transmission only allows for superficial control. Once you step on the accelerator, it holds the gear until you hit the redline and then upshifts for you, which is neither necessarily a good thing nor a bad thing. It does not allow for the ‘money-shift’ as well; the transmission plays it safe, even in manual mode.

Enough beating around the bush, now let's address the elephant in the room and talk about the 1.5-litre Hyperion engine. I'm low-key also hyped to tell you about it, as it is more fun to drive than a diesel. And that is high praise considering that diesels shove people in their seats once the turbos are spooled up. The new Hyperion brings a new life to the Tata Sierra with its enthusiastic character. The Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) gives the SUV better low-end pull than even the Diesel. The engine pulls and pulls some more, and just does not stop pulling. There subtle amount of turbo whistle that can be heard if you are keen enough, making the drive all the more satisfying for an enthusiast. It does 0-100 kmph in just 10 seconds, and that is an impressive feat for an SUV that stands 1.7 metres high and weighs close to 1.5 tonnes.

With a ground clearance of 205 mm, you feel confident over large speed bumps in the SUV and going over rough patches of roads. Speaking of rough patches, the suspension is tuned to be on the softer side and absorbs bumps at higher speeds of 60 kmph as well. Tata claims that they have integrated technology and tuned the suspension in a way wherein even if you're doing highway speeds, the car will absorb unexpected and sudden jerks well. The slightly softer suspension introduces a bit of body roll to the brute; however, it is far from being unmanageable. For an SUV of this size, it sticks to the tarmac very well and changing directions is not very hard either.

Now inside, the cabin is a great place to be; the NVH is well-contained with both engine options. The Diesel noise does not seep in to irritate passengers. The noise insulation from the road also feels like a job well done. There are no rattles or crackles from the interior as well. The Sierra feels like a well-built and premium SUV here, too.

Overall, the cabin looks and feels like a very premium space to be in with a triple-tone interior combining black, off-white and beige shades. The huge sunroof allows for a very airy cabin feel and lets you enjoy views above you more than ever before.

The dashboard houses the ‘Piece de Resistance’ of the Sierra, a triple-screen setup which is built like one large screen. This single unit houses a passenger screen measuring 12.3 inches, an infotainment of the same size and a driver's display with all the crucial information sized at 10.25 inches. Not only do they look good, but they also provide a lot of functionality inside the SUV.

The passenger screen lets the kids play games via a controller connected via Bluetooth. One can also pair a set of headphones and watch a movie on this screen. However, this won't be better than the Dolby audio that is set up in the car, providing a very premium cinematic sound experience with the help of 12 speakers.

The car also comes loaded with personalisation features which allow a user to preset the memory function seats, ambient lighting, AC temperature and even the sunroof position. All you do is enter the car, touch the screen and load your profile, and the car will set everything to your chosen preferences.

The panel below the touchscreen houses a soundbar which shoots mid-range music frequencies at you. Right below it is the touch-operated dual-zone climate control panel. This panel also houses touch buttons for fog lamps, hill descent control, parking lights, lock unlock and 360-degree camera functionality.

There are a lot of cubby holes all around the car to keep your bottles, cups and even a dedicated storage for your umbrella. One storage which could have been better designed is the cubby under the driver's armrest. It is a deep but slim space, something good for storing a bottle but not accessible enough for other things like mints, keys and other accessories.