Now this review is based on a complete up-close and personal touch and feel experience with the Sumo Grande and also 2 Ripping and unforgiving test drives on the back streets of the Lower Parel Area.
What the reader should know is…
- I am a fan of Tata Motors and I Currently own and drive a Sumo Victa GX Turbo
- I too was anxiously waiting for the launch of the Grande and the first pictures from the Auto Expo of the Grande made me go WOW too!
So please bear these points in mind and know that I am not a guy who just likes to defame the Tata brand like many others do! People say a lot of crap about the tatas and mostly compare them to other brands like ford, Honda etc… They gladly choose not to take into account that the TATAs have been making cars only since the last 10-15 years!! While the others have been doing so for almost a 100 YEARS!
SO How the hell can you compare a 10 Year old to a GRANDFATHER!!! HUH?
That said, Lets get on to the Review quickly… I was invited to come check the Sumo Grande for a Magazine who was doing a reader review segment for one of their publications…
Long story short… I ended up at the venue and was looking at this beast called the Sumo Grande parked in the office compound, Spanking Glossy Metallic Orange or whatever they call that color!
LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!!! This car looks at least 5 times better than what it does in the pictures you see… I mean I was spell bound, Simply amazed at how huge it felt, it felt biiiiiiig, very big! Bigger than my Sumo Victa… I took a quick look from every angle before I headed up to meet up with the people I had to for the test drive. It looked smart and fresh from every angle, the rear end was something I was not too fond of, but that lasted only till I saw it in person, I love the rear end now, better than the Front end. Other things worth a mention on first sight are, the masculine appearance of the car and clean new age styling, it surely goes miles ahead of the old sumo and completely displaces the form of what the old version used to be, It has an amazing road presence and it sure makes heads turn, (I noticed the heads turning on the test drive)… So looks wise I personally think it kicks the Scorpio’s over done exteriors ass! And looks way, way better than the very van like appearance of the Toyota In nova! A true SUV appearance and loads of eye candy to impress people who drive other brands!
ON THE INSIDE: When I sat in the drivers seat, I noticed there was something wrong with it, my legs (I'm 5.11’ Tall) didn't’t feel well supported and there was ample space between the seat and the underside of my thigh, so if was to get comfortable I would need to get a special seat cover with extra padding on the front to get adequate support… The drivers seat can be adjusted for height via a pump action lever on the right hand side, however I noticed instead of moving up and down in a straight line, it moved at an angle, so when you would be at the highest position you would be further away from the wheel, and closer when in its lowest position… Apparently all these adjustments did not give me the support I wanted. HOWEVER, for the other shorter reviewers it seemed perfect and they had good things to say about the drivers seat.
The steering wheel is adjustable, a pull on a lever under the steering raises and drops the steering in 1 increment up or down, it did’t feel too different for me… so that feature did not impress me too much… The steering wheel itself is a fresh new design, however there are now two tiny horn buttons that you have to target with your thumb and you cannot jab the entire middle portion to activate your horn, so that was something new, not bad mind you… just new… its only a matter of getting used to.
The steering wheel itself felt very thin, My Victa has a fatter grip, and you need that kind of grip for a large vehicle, but that can be taken care of with a leather cover. However I would like it fat from the company to start with… The View from the Drivers seat is as good as any SUV, you can see above all other cars. SO that’s my view from the drivers seat….
Looking around, I noticed, the dash board has not changed, except for the instrument cluster behind the wheel… everything else is carried forward from the victa, I wish they had changed it, because It still felt too much like the victa I drive… The Air con controls have more options, and are better designed, but it was something I did not bother too much about, because TATA has always got their air-con right, So as you would expect the air-con was good…However I need to mention that switching the AC on and off is now a push button affair compared to the dial switch in the Victa… Another feature to be noted is that unlike the Victa, each seat behind the first row has its own vent, that can be opened or cut out completely, just like they have in the Airplanes! That right there is a superb feature! The AC vents on the dash too are an improvement, they move very smoothly. The speedo/tacho dials on the cluster are redesigned but pretty ordinary…I prefer the older design.
The ORVMs are controlled via a motor, I tried using it, and it was pretty effective, but even though this was my first experience with motorized ORVMs, I felt it to be very slow in response…The mirrors themselves are larger than the victa and have a better view, this was a nice little common sense upgrade. The Alpine sound system that comes fitted is adequate for the car, no comments there… Another big improvement from the drivers point, is that the hand brake is in the normal position ie. In between the two seats… and not on the right of the driver, like in the Victa… The foot pedals, like the Victa are light and very easy on the Knee, thanks to the hydraulic clutch and a light accelerator pedal.
THE TEST DRIVES: Just before I shut the door I noticed the door panels were pretty plain, not much styling effort put into it, simple and boxy… but it did not bother me, what did bother me is the newly designed door handles, I did not like the fact that there were no handles, just a well type notch, into which you could sink only the first section of your 4 fingers to pull the door shut, this was something I did’t like at all… Coming to the other furniture, the grande has magazine pockets and cup holders all over, so good going on that, not so important for everyday use, but adds value for that weekend outing.
[More on the interiors after the following section…]
Now when we hit the road, I was not the one to drive it out first, I let the others take the drive and I decided to play passenger, so I sat at the back, for the first time in the second row and for the second time in the third row.
When the first reviewer made his move and drove out of the compound, I began to listen for any creaks and sound on the bumpy patch outside the compound, it was all clear, no noises heard, the suspension felt sturdy enough and did’t make the car rock too much… After we took a left for the back streets, he began to floor the peddle a little, and the power delivery from a passengers seat felt nice, it seemed to move swiftly and car seemed to be oblivious to the fact that it was loaded with 6 adults. I liked that, it meant the car had the power it needed.
So the first two reviewers finished with their tests, and it was my turn to get behind the wheel, I was excited at this point, because I was bored with the first two were driving, they did a very laid back test.
So I got on and began my drive… first things I noticed, the gear stick travel and the gear stick itself had been shortened, the gear shifting was still not very smooth, although it seemed it had been worked on. But that was not a big bother for me.
When I floored the accelerator, I was thrilled to realize how torqy the engine really was. This spanking new 2.2L engine was a real BIG improvement over the current sumos engine… Mind you the engine was not too peppy, but it had grunt, the power delivery from the pedal to the wheels felt gradual, but sure! And the torque felt enough to get you out of ruts if ever needed.
Now the most important thing that I noticed while driving was that even with the AC switched on the power flow from the engine seemed quite consistent, this put a smile on my face, because the Victa would simply die on power when the AC was switched on.
So great going there!
SO I drove and floored the accelerator when I could and braked urgently when I could, Tried to swing and sway as much as I could, (this had the other reviewers holding on really tight, sorry guys, J but that’s the way its done) I liked the braking… and body roll also felt “well” in control on some hard cornering, one point I should make is that, when I swayed (zig-zag) on and open road, the response of the steering did not feel precise, it was a little “dodgy” is how I would describe it, It was not too much, but I could tell the difference in comparison to other vehicles.
Another thing on the ride side was the suspension and the body shock factor, there seems to be a big improvement here, in the victa, every time I would drive over a really rough patch the rattle was pretty noisy and my CD would skip, I would think that the Dash was not fastened to the body firmly enough, not to mention other parts squeaking and vibrating… more so, now that my victa is almost 3 years old. But the grande feels very solid and tight over rough patches, I loved that, because my personal opinion is that an UV/SUV needs to be a little tougher on the suspension to enable better off-roading capabilities. People were not too fond of the fact that the suspension and chassis of the old sumo (with an extension in wheel base) had been carried over, however I did not see that to be a problem at all, it functioned fine enough for me.
Now that I had a taste of most of what this vehicle feels like, I wanted to do one last thing SLAM the brakes! To see if it swayed! So at the end of the drive, just as we entered the compound (smooth surface was perfect), I revved up to bring the speed up to almost 35Ks and I slammed the breaks, the car skid for around 5-8 meters and the back portion swayed out to the left, by about 10 inches from the line it was supposed to hold, I was not surprised to see that it did not, many cars of other brands tend to sway too, holding a straight line on hard breaking is not something that is easily accomplished as a traction design element. Although I never test drove the victa this way, I am pretty sure my victa would sway too… but it did not kill me! Safety depends “largely” on how you/your driver drive/s than how safe your car is. Think about Princess Diana’s Accident. Do you think that car lacked any safety features? She was a Princess for crying out loud!
Now, when I got out of the car, someone else got in and was moving the car in reverse, I noticed the back latch of the clutch was making a clanking sound, it is something that was a noise maker even on the victa, it was sad to see that they had not fixed it. This was something I thought they would have fixed for sure, but I was wrong. One thing I should mention is that I got the sound only from the outside, I could not hear it on the inside when I was driving.
PLAYING PASSENGER: I liked the seats in the second row, a new feature is that they can be reclined, I loved the fact that now even 2nd row passengers can have a comfortable nap on long drives, and the seats themselves are comfortable enough, no complains there… what did impress me was the 3rd row seats, inspite of the high flooring, I found the seats to be very comfortable, and the arm rests with cup holders and AC vents for the 3rd row were simply luxurious, so even the person dumped in the back seat is now not going to feel 3rd grade! To top it up the ride in the 3rd seat is good! I rode yesterday in the innova’s 3rd row from Bombay to Lonavla and back and I can compare that ride of the 3rd to the one of the Grande, to be on the same level! So I think the Grande has a good SP in that. (note I did not say USP just SP) The disappointment though in comparison to the innova’s third row is that, behind the third seat there is absolutely no space for luggage, not even a duffle bag, while the innova has ample space for all the passengers luggage (at least a back pack each) to fit in behind the 3rd row, this is something that would not bother too many, but it was worth a mention, As for me… it was a bother.
Now coming to things other than the seats them selves, I noticed the plastic quality that most people complain about was not a real bother, it was the how the plastic parts were put together was what bothered me most. I noticed the plastic covering the front seat back rest hinge was so soft that it could not even hold its form, you could poke it with your finger to tuck it under the seat it almost felt rubber soft. I noticed that the seat covers were not draped properly, It seemed like it was put in a haste! Also the plastics on the door panels did not look too well put together, most plastic fittings had inconsistent panel gaps, some spotted very easily some not, some parts were fitted just right. The lever which folds the 2nd row seat to enable passage to the 3rd row was so weak, I almost felt it would break and come off in my hand if I tugged at it too hard… One poor aesthetic element I noticed was the black rubber strip on the inside of the windows, it looked very crude and screwed up an otherwise very decent looking upgrade. There are quite a few tidbits that Tata could take care of, but for some reason it is overlooked…
THE END: Now that I was content with checking the details from inside, I decided to take a detailed look from the outside…Starting from the front, I noticed that there were these strips of rubber over the headlights, I really don’t know what it was, but it appeared to make the fitting a bit crude, I don’t see any reason that it should have been visible… Not to mention all the rubber strips appear to be the cheap, short lived quality with that white powdery coating on them… Everything else from the front face seemed to put together well… when I bent down to take a look under, I noticed the engine guard underneath, but when I looked closer, I realized it was a guard for the radiator, which hangs unusually low, lower than any other SUV I have seen, although this was not such a bother to me, I thought I would mention it.
Coming to the wheels, I did not quite like the exposed chassis that are visible through when you look inside the arches, I thought with an upgrade they would insert covers to make it look a little tidier, but this is just a nit-pick.
The foot-boards provided are not as strong as the ones on the Victa, They tend to bend a little, when stepped on… Unlike the Victa foot-board which can take the weight of 2 adults and still hold its form. However this footboard design complements the design of the Grande and actually looks very good! And not something that looks like an add on that’s not built for the car.
The tires provided are nice and suit the bulk of the vehicle well enough.
The body sheet metal work seems to be very well done and but panel gaps are still an issue… they are inconsistent… again, this is not a bother for me, just a mention.
Moving to the rear, the newly designed door levers are a very nice upgrade, and feel good to hold and strong enough…
Towards the rear, the Dicor sticker is a complete put off! It is sick! They should have done something substantial, considering the new technology used, there is no excuse for using this sad substitute.
The rubber linings for the door sealing, are HORRIBLE! The rubber used is so cheap and flimsy, not to mention it was simply tucked in and that too in shabby manner, I could actually pull it out, just by pinching it out with two finger, this was a very poor effort right here, I checked the rubber linings for all doors and it was the same, very shabby and cheap rubber. Another sad effort I noticed was the black sticker work around the windows, you could actually see all the splits made with the blade and the corners were not touched up well at all, again a big put off! you know the local auto sticker guys could have done a better job!
What I did next is something I almost didn't’t want to, but did it anyway, and I am glad I did… I opened the back door and stepped on the floor board to take a look at the roof of the car, looking on I noticed the ridges which are designed for better roof strength, nothing new but just done better done than on the victa, THEN I looked at the rubber that lines the sides of the roof and what I saw was so poor that is almost changed my mind about owning this vehicle… the rubber strip that was used was again so cheap, I mean come on! For the doors which are on the inside it was still acceptable, but NOT for the exteriors, the exteriors go through a lot of weathering and need to be long lasting and durable, besides this the rubber was again so badly put, it had curved up towards the end and looked like it would peel off, when I tried to tuck it back down, I realized that the rubber was peeled off because the length of it was not adequate, it was short, and could not be pulled completely over the entire strip… this was really ridiculous!! I mean how the hell can you make such a bad miscalculations about mundane issues??? This was a real big put off!
That was the last thing that I looked at before I left, All in all the rubber used for the vehicle was of absolutely horrible quality, Thank goodness I could leave the tires out of this! :)
SO NOW THE BIG QUESTION… SHOULD YOU OR SHOULDYOU NOT?
In my personal opinion, This car looks to be of great value for money, but looking at how much money needs to be spent, I did not find it to be worth the spend. Looking at what the competition has to offer, I would rather give them more points for things like detailing and fit and finish, take the lowest end variant of a scorpio or an innova… and take a fully loaded Grande, (because they are approximately the same price) and the difference you see is huge, when it comes to fit and finish.
The Sumo Grande is a great upgrade and is a real benchmark for TATA motors, but take a look at how the car has been put together and you may not feel like shelling out the 8.5 (in Mumbai) odd lacs for this car… Any other vehicle (SUV or not) at this price point deserves to be a car that has good detailing, fit and finish… which is still what is lacking in the Grande, From a distance the Grande will make your Jaw drop! And then it will drop a little more when you see how the car has been put together.
It is a shame, how such a beautiful piece of work has been let down by such bad detailing, it is something the TATA's can very easily work on… just better materials and better attention to fitting is all that is needed to make this a car into something which you could buy and feel good about. It is not rocket science to figure this out and TATA should do something about it, there is no major re-engineering required, just a little effort will make this car a HUGE bang for the buck, but the way things are at the moment are simply not acceptable.
I for one would look at other options at a price point like this, no way am I going spend close to 9 Lacs and take home a car that has not been put together very well. HOWEVER IF!!!... that is a BIG IF, Tata fixes all of these minor problems, I WOULD LOVE to buy a Grande!
What you decide is up to you!
[Thanks for reading!]
If you liked this review please post your comments on mouthshut.com and rate the review or send me an email at niloyd@77i.org
Pictures Taken By - Niel Pereira
