Tata Sierra EV

After conquering the tallest sand dune in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Tal Moreeb, the Tata Sierra EV has finally been launched in all its glory in India. The overall package is very similar to the petrol and diesel powered Sierra with respect to its design, features, and safety tech, but there are new additions too.

The Tata Sierra EV will rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta Electric, Maruti e Vitara, Toyota Ebella, Mahindra BE 6, and the VinFast VF 7, so it definitely has its work cut out for it. But this electric version also has more in its arsenal with an all-wheel drive setup, which a lot of people believed that a nameplate carrying the Sierra moniker should get.

To take a closer look at the Sierra EV's booking process and delivery timelines click here.

The Tata Sierra EV rivals the likes of the Hyundai Creta Electric, Maruti e Vitara, Toyota Ebella, Mahindra BE 6, and the VinFast VF 7, so it definitely has its work cut out for it. But this electric version also has more in its arsenal with an all-wheel drive setup, which a lot of people believed that a nameplate carrying the Sierra moniker should get.

So does it finally live up to the expectations? I drove it for a day in the beautiful city of Coimbatore, and here’s why I think it might just be the best version of the Sierra to date.

The Sierra EV was showcased multiple times, and this production-ready model is nearly identical to that design. 

Just like the standard Sierra, the design is muscular and upright with a single-piece end to end LED DRL at top and LED headlights down below. The nose hosts a closed-off body coloured grille and there are air vents in the bumper down below for cooling.

The body, combined with the piano black elements and silver accents for the skid plate on the bumper, give a premium contrasting look at the front.

In profile, the styling is ditto to the standard Sierra, meaning this new-age Sierra still harks back to the OG with its iconic ‘Alpine Window’ styling effect, which immediately grabs attention.

Details like the chunky B-pillar panel, flush-fitting door handles and the hidden rubber beading continue to stand out.

It sits on 19-inch alloy wheels, which are wrapped in piano black wheel arches and the cladding on the side skirts is particularly thick.

The “Tata.EV” logo sits on the front door, while the charging port can be found on the left rear fender. 

At the rear too, the differences between the ICE and EV are almost impossible to spot. The shape is flat and upright, the tailgate gets a connected LED tail light with individual elements in a separate layer down below and the Sierra.EV wordmark sits right above the start of the bumper. Once again, piano black has been used extensively and has given a dual-tone finish with the silver skid plate. We have also compiled a detailed image gallery of the Sierra EV here.

In usual Tata style, the carmaker has offered a few common shades in the colour palette for the Sierra EV compared to the ICE-powered version, but there are new colours too. Here are all the Sierra EV’s colour options: Pristine White, Coorg Clouds, Andaman Adventure, Bengal Rouge, Pure Grey, Rishikesh Rapids and Nainital Nocturne (QWD variants only). You can view these colours, and take a look at the variant-wise matrix in this story.

I particularly like the Nainital Nocturne shade of the Sierra EV, which changes colours with respect to light. The colour is innately dark blue, but when light falls on it, small purple freckles pop out from the paint, giving it a really beautiful iridescent look. Have a detailed look at the Sierra EV's exterior design here.

Just like the exterior, the styling of the Sierra EV’s cabin is similar to the ICE-powered Sierra when we talk about the layout.

The three screen setup dominates the dashboard, which combined with the dual tone theme, give the cabin a lounge-like feel.

The AC vents, four-spoke steering wheel, door armrest, and even the central console – everything is similar to the ICE-powered Sierra. However, the dual-tone treatment on the seats get a darker finish for the top half. 

While the design and different materials combine together to give a rich feel, annoyingly, the climate control panel is still touch sensitive. It also uses a piano black panel, which picks up dirt and scratches quickly (as seen in all other Tata cars having the same panel), making this control panel difficult to maintain and less intuitive to use.

The combination of soft touch leatherette on the dashboards with smooth plastics feels premium, but bits like the wobbly gear lever and floating door armrest that move at the slightest of pressures hint that fitment could’ve been more solid.

Front Seats

From a comfort standpoint, the seats of the Tata Sierra EV are amongst the best in the segment. They are long and wide, with adequate cushioning and side supports that accommodate people of different shapes and sizes easily. There’s also extendable underthigh support. 

For adjustments, there’s tilt and telescopic movement in the steering wheel and 6-way powered driver seat with memory function.

So while people of average height like me (I’m 5’8’’) can find a comfortable driving position which feels commanding despite setting the seat at the lowest setting, tall drivers might find the height to be a bit awkward. If you’re really tall, over 6’4, your knees might rub into the dashboard as well. 

The passenger gets 4-way powered adjustment, and both the front seats are ventilated. 

Rear Seats

To my surprise, despite the raised floor, the rear seat experience of the Sierra EV doesn’t feel compromised one bit. Sure, to get inside the car, you do have to raise your feet higher and ‘step in’ like you do in a tall ladder frame SUV, but the experience is comfortable and convenient once you’re seated.

The comfort is great with no compromise in underthigh support and good enough side bolsters. But what’s surprising is the sheer space on offer. The knee room is good enough for two 6 footers to sit back to back comfortably, and the rear passenger will still have footroom to stretch out a bit. Headroom is not an issue whatsoever, and the cabin is wide enough in case you want to seat three occupants, which is helped by a flat floor and headrests for all occupants. 

But if you plan to use the Sierra EV’s rear seats for chauffeur purposes, you will not be disappointed. Things like a central armrest, sun shades and rear AC vents take care of you well.

I did notice that the front visibility isn’t the best with big seats and headrests blocking the view, but with a big sunroof above, and big enough side windows along with cut outs in the C-pillar, the sense of space is adequate and you won’t feel claustrophobic.

Storage and Practicality

The in-cabin storage of the Sierra EV isn’t the best and by far behind what a few born EV’s offer, but it is adequate. There are sizable bottle holders in all four doors with storage for some additional small items, including a small umbrella.

The cupholders in the central console are tiny and barely fit a 1-litre bottle without deforming it.

There is a small tray-like space for your wallet/keys behind it and some additional storage space underneath the armrest.

The glovebox is big enough for you to store a couple of 1-litre bottles.

Rear passengers get seat back pockets with individual slots for your phone, two cupholders in the armrest and a slot underneath the AC vent too.

Charging Options

The Tata Sierra EV gets four USB Type-C ports in the car, out of which two support 65W fast charging. There’s also a wireless phone charger for the front occupants.

A 12V socket is provided in the boot, while the car can also be used as a portable powerbank to charge or power other appliances if need be.

Boot Space

The Tata Sierra EV has a massive boot space of 622-litres measured up to the roof. The space is deep, wide and long enough to store multiple full-size suitcases with ease. So 5 people’s worth of weekend getaway luggage or even airport runs, and you shouldn’t have a problem.

In case you do need to carry more stuff, the rear seats have a 60:40 split too, after which you get a space of 1257-litres.

There’s also a slot for you to stack the parcel shelf against the rear seats, so that you’re not confused about what to do with it whenever you load the car up to the roof.

Tata has left no stone unturned with the features list of the Sierra EV. It doesn’t just offer more than all of its rivals, but also sports a few luxury car features at half their price. Here are the regular features:

• Keyless Entry

• Push-button Start Stop

• Automatic Headlamps

• Automatic Wipers

• Dual-zone Climate Control

• Auto-Dimming IRVM

• 6-way Powered Driver’s Seat

• Configurable Ambient Lighting

• Panoramic Sunroof

• Ventilated front seats

Within the regular equipment, Tata has added more functionality like the NFC key card, which eliminates the need for you to carry your key everywhere with you. The powered driver seats get memory functions with three settings, so you don’t need to fiddle around with the seats to find your driving position after someone else. 

Now, let’s talk about the highlights:

12.3-inch Touchscreen: A bright and sharp screen that has wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. No real lags or delays, and navigating between various menus is fairly simple. With Android Auto, this screen also has an ‘EV route planner’ feature, which can mark charging stations on your route and show you how much percentage you will have left when you reach that charger. It also has a feature called ‘DrivePay’ which can be used to top-up your Fastag wallet, and can be used to order coffee from Blue Tokai using voice commands.

10.25-inch Digital Driver’s Display: A fully digital display with multiple layouts offers crisp graphics. I wish some of the readouts would’ve been bigger for elderly or people with bad eyesight, but otherwise no issues. It also doubles up as the display for the blind-view monitor

12.3-inch Co-Driver Screen: A unique feature that keeps the co-passenger entertained. Connect earphones or a controller and play games or watch shows on the go!

540-degree camera: Great camera quality and multiple viewing angles makes parking super easy. It also shows you the feed from underneath the car, which can be useful when you’re going off-road.

AR Head-Up Display: Unlike the standard Sierra, this feature is available in the top-spec variant too and offers a projection of vital drive stats along with interesting graphics and animations for ADAS functions and navigation. I’m not sure why it marks vehicles and people that you can already see on the road, but it is there. 

12-speaker JBL Audio System with Dolby Atmos: A splendid experience listening to music on this sound system with a surround sound wheel that immerses you into the audio. It also has 13 different modes to choose from and the overall experience is probably better than your favourite theatre. 

Park assistant: Just like the Harrier EV, the Sierra EV gets parking and reversing assistant, which doesn't need marked lanes for parking. While we couldn’t test the parking assistant, it had worked well in our experience with the Harrier EV. However, the reverse parking assistant wasn’t quite useful and aborted the maneuver without any object in close proximity.

You can take a look at what variant gets your favourite feature in the variant-wise feature story. 

Standard safety features on the Tata Sierra EV include: 

• 6 airbags

• ABS with EBD

• ISOFIX Child Seat Mounts

• Electronic Stability Programme

• Rear Parking Sensors

• Seatbelt Reminders

• Rear wiper and washer

• All-wheel disc brakes

• Tyre pressure monitoring system

While the standard safety kit itself is pretty loaded, higher variants further add features like front parking sensors, rear defogger, rear fog lamps, and Level-2 ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

The tuning of these autonomous features has been done for the Indian traffic, meaning you can actually use them in moderate traffic situations on well marked expressways. While a score from any crash test agency is pending, Tata’s confidence with the dual truck crash test should be enough to say that a five star rating is almost guaranteed.

Battery Options And Performance

The Tata Sierra EV makes use of two battery options with an optional all-wheel drive setup on offer too. That means, there are two battery options to choose from: 63kWh and 75kWh.

The smaller battery is available in a rear-wheel drive configuration only, while the bigger battery gets both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive options. The Sierra EV that scaled the tallest dune in UAE was the all-wheel drive version. 

Here are the specifications:

With the all-wheel drivetrain, Tata has unlocked a lot of off-road potential with the Sierra, which can be extracted by the various terrain modes on offer: Normal, Snow/Grass, Mud-Ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl, and Custom. The car also gets various drive modes like Eco, City and Sport, along with a Boost mode which gives a surge of power for a short duration of time.

75kWhH AWD Drive experience

My day with the Sierra EV was spent with the top-spec variant. I drove the car on track and then drove it in the city, and while I had no doubts that the Sierra EV would be a quick car with a claimed 0-100kmph time of just 5.8 seconds, what surprised me was the smoothness and ease of driving it.

There is absolutely no drama involved. You floor the throttle, and there’s not even a hint of wheelspin or traction loss. The car launches very gently and it is only when you get some speed in is when it gives you all the power at its disposal. As a result, while the straight line performance is better than a few German performance nameplates, it is simply easy to drive for a newbie. In fact, the overall drive experience is so simple that I can confidently say that my grandmother could drive this car without any problems, which says a lot for a car producing as much output as it does.

City drives are refined, it crawls from a standstill with no urgency whatsoever and even the regen modes are very usable. Paddle shifters are responsive enough, so you can keep toggling between them as per the traffic. But I do wish there was a single pedal drive mode available as well. 

So be it in the city: in bumper to bumper traffic, or on the highway: cruising at triple digit speeds or making overtakes at those speeds, the Sierra EV’s performance is sorted for all use cases.

In this configuration, you can expect a real-world range between 450-500km, depending on the weather and load inside the vehicle.

Ride and Handling

The Sierra EV is a heavy car when compared to the standard Sierra. And yet, Tata hasn’t lost that plushness of the suspension. Regular speedbreakers and small potholes are dealt with so well that they feel almost non-existent in the first place. But it is surprising how well the car masks that weight as the recovery of the suspension feels super smooth after going into an imperfection. As a result, body movement is controlled, even on rocky surfaces. 

We drove the car on track and the high-speed stability was impressive. Steering is light, which means it is easy to maneuver, but weighs up enough at high speeds to induce some confidence. The braking performance was impressive too, and the car was so rock solid under full brake pressure that I could’ve done that test without the hands on the steering wheel at all. 

It won’t be a corner carver, but driving it in the hills with your family in the back should not be an issue as long as you’re keeping the speed in check.

63kWh and 75kWh RWD Drive experience

While I couldn’t sample the non-AWD variants of the Sierra, I reckon it is safe to say that you won’t necessarily feel the need for more power. Output figures are healthy and the throttle calibration should be as it is with the  AWD – smooth and gentle enough for new drivers. 

The smaller battery pack should be good enough for a real-world range of around 440km, while the bigger battery in the RWD configuration will offer the maximum range of the entire lot of around 500km. 

Charging

As for charging capabilities, the Sierra EV gets DC fast charging capability of up to 120kW, meaning you can do quick top ups and unlock more range on long journeys, provided you do find a fast charger.

Wondering which variant gets which battery option? Read this variant-wise powertrain story for all the details.

The Tata Sierra EV is available in six variants: Pure, Pure S, Adventure, Empowered, Empowered A, and Empowered A AWD.

Here’s a look at what the variants offer:

Tata Sierra EV Pure 63kWh

• Exterior gets a full LED lighting setup with Bi-LED projector headlights, connected LED DRLs and LED tail lights. ORVMs get LED turn indicators and it sits on 18-inch alloy wheels.

• The all black interior theme gets some contrasting elements, but fabric seats.

• Great adjustments with tilt and telescopic steering wheel, height adjustable driver seat, front and rear adjustable headrests, and front armrest with storage.

• Basics include all four power windows, auto AC, steering mounted controls, cruise control and four type-C charging ports.

• Feel good features include rear AC vents, voice comments, rear parking camera, cooled glove box, rear window sunshades and connected car technology.

• 12.3-inch infotainment with wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, 10.25-inch digital driver’s display and 8-speaker sound system is standard.

• 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, all-wheel disc brakes, electronic parking brake with auto hold, and ISOFIX mounts are standard safety features.

A detailed look at the base variant in this story.

Tata Sierra EV Pure S 63kWh

• Adds LED fog lights with cornering function and roof rails to the exterior.

• Feature additions include voice-assisted panoramic sunroof, electrically adjustable and folding ORVMs, and vehicle-to-load (V2L) features.

• Safety kit gets SOS calling and front parking sensors.

• Also features a front frunk storage.

Want a full detailde report on the Pure S variant? Read this story.

Tata Sierra EV Adventure 63kWh and 75kWh

• No exterior additions as the focus is on providing better comfort in the cabin.

• More premium cabin experience with leatherette wrapped steering wheel, front seat under thigh extender, seat back pockets and ambient lighting.

• Top feature additions include wireless phone charger, boss mode, 12-speaker JBL audio system with Dolby Atmos, Arcade.ev app suite, and auto dimming IRVM.

• Also gets a 360-degree camera, drift mode and 4 terrain modes (Normal, wet/rain, rough and custom).

You can find more details on the Adventure variant here. 

 Tata Sierra EV Empowered 63kWh and 75kWh

• Exterior improvements include booster in BI-LED headlights, sequential turn indicators, welcome and goodbye animations and rear fog lights.

• Improved functionality in the cabin with 60:40 rear seat split with two-stage recline, adjustable centre headrest and central armrest for second row passenger. 

• Leatherette seats and additional ambient lighting make the cabin feel richer.

• Feel-good additions include ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, NFC card, powered tailgate with gesture and 6-way powered driver seat with memory function. 

• Front passengers get to enjoy a dedicated 12.3-inch touchscreen system.

• There’s also an AQI display with ‘BreatheIQ’ purifier.

Here's a detailed look at the Sierra EV's Empowered variant.

 Tata Sierra EV Empowered A 75kWh

• Only one visual improvement - 19-inch alloy wheels.

• New feature include 4-way powered co-passenger seat, 540-degree camera with transparent mode and cabin ioniser.

• The driver gets an augmented reality head-up display.

• Safety kit gets Level-2 ADAS features like adaptive cruise control, blind view monitor, lane change assist, rear cross traffic warning and traffic sign recognition. 

• Auto parking assist with reversing assist is also added in this variant.

Find more details on the Empowered A variant in this story.

 Tata Sierra EV Empowered A AWD 75kWh

• The only all-wheel drive dual-motor variant in the entire lineup.

• Gets boost mode and 6 terrain modes (Normal, grass/snow, mud - ruts/gravel, sand, rock crawl and custom).

Read this story for a detailed analysis on the top-spec variant.

CarDekho Recommends

• If all you wanted was the electric version of the Tata Sierra EV at the least possible price, then go for the base variant. The price is actually competitive, while offering you all you really need in a modern car from LED lighting to infotainment system and speakers. It is a great no-compromise base variant.

• The most value-for-money variant has to be the Adventure variant that adds important features that will actually improve your ownership experience. It is also the entry-level variant for the bigger battery, so if you needed that extra range without the features of the variants above, this is the one to go for.

• The top-spec Empowered A AWD is a discretionary purchase if you need the capabilities of an all-wheel drive car. But if you just wanted a feature-loaded package that feels advanced in terms of its tech, then the Empowered A plus would be a good option.

The Tata Sierra EV already had a very very strong base to build on from with the standard Sierra already excelling in terms of its design, feel, features, safety and tech. The EV takes those traits and adds refinement, effortless performance and off-road capabilities with the AWD to the package, making it the best Sierra ever.

And with big batteries on offer, there’s enough range for most people to travel long distances without worrying about charge. The extensive battery warranty is an added piece of mind.

Ultimately, with the Sierra EV, Tata has delivered a fantastic product at a competitive price. Now it needs to make sure they don’t let it down with quality control, reliability, and after-sales issues that have surfaced with other Tata products previously.

If you’re confused about any specific detail, here’s the Tata Sierra EV ultimate buying guide.

Other Cars To Consider

Hyundai Creta EV Reasons to pick

• Better battery management system

Reasons to ignore

• Not as spacious

• Not as feature loaded

• Smaller batteries have less real-world range

• No all-wheel drive option

Compare the two cars here.

Mahindra BE 6

Reasons to pick

• Looks and feels like a spaceship

• Feels more fun to drive

Reasons to ignore

• Compromised second row experience

• No all-wheel drive option

• Top variant is significantly more expensive

Mahindra BE 6 vs Tata Sierra EV

Maruti e Vitara

Reasons to pick

• Pricing is significantly lower throughout the lineup

• Brand trust of ease of ownership

Reasons to ignore

• Smaller batteries mean less range

• Not as feature loaded

• Second row experience lags far behind

• Ride isn’t as comfortable

• Not as quick

• No all-wheel drive option

Here’s a detailed comparison between the e Vitara and Sierra EV.

Toyota Ebella

Reasons to pick

• Reliability and stress-free ownership promise of Toyota

Reasons to ignore

• Smaller batteries mean less range

• Misses a lot of features comparatively

• Second row experience isn’t as good

• Ride quality is busy and not as comfortable

• Performance is smooth, but not as quick

• No all-wheel drive option

Tata Sierra EV vs Toyota Ebella specifications compared.

MG Windsor EV

Reasons to consider

• Price is significantly less

• Offers better practicality and space in second row

Reasons to ignore

• Smaller battery options means less range in the real-world

• Complicated features experience involves a learning curve

• No all-wheel drive option

Tata Harrier EV

Reasons to consider

• Bigger car has better road presence

• Few extra features like digital IRVM

Reasons to ignore

• More expensive

• Heavier car with same battery size means less real-world range

You can compare the Harrier EV and Sierra EV in detail here.

MG ZS EV

Reasons to consider

NA

Reasons to ignore

• Not as spacious at the rear

• Adequate features but misses out on many offered by the Sierra EV

• Small batteries mean less real-world range

• Small boot 

• No all-wheel drive option

Compare the MG ZS EV and Tata Sierra EV here.

Vinfast VF6

Reasons to consider

• Better practicality 

• New brand and minimalistic design grabs attention

Reasons to ignore

• Not as spacious

• Smaller battery packs offer less real-world range

• No all-wheel drive option

• Not as feature-loaded as the Sierra EV

Tata Sierra EV vs Vinfast VF6 specifications compared.

Vinfast VF7

Reasons to consider

• New brand and minimalistic design grabs attention

• Great fit and finish inside the cabin

Reasons to ignore

• Not as feature-loaded

• AWD variant is more expensive

Read an in-depth comparison between the two in this story.