LAUNCHED: Is The Tata Sierra A Capable Off-road SUV?

The Tata Sierra, after much anticipation, has finally launched in India with prices starting from Rs 11.49 lakh (ex-showroom). Full prices will be out in the first week of December, and if you want an in-depth look, you can check out our in-pics story, which covers everything from the Sierra’s design to its features and powertrain options. But for this story, we answer one simple question: 

How Capable Will The Tata Sierra Be Off-road?

The ideal situation to find an answer would be to take the car and drive it, well, off-road, but there’s still some time until we get behind the wheel of the new Sierra. So until we do, let’s inspect its on-paper prowess and see whether it only looks like a Defender or can it also match it (to some extent) off-road.

The Architecture

The Tata Sierra is based on the new A.R.G.O.S architecture, which stands for All-Terrain Ready, Omni-Energy And Geometric Scalable Architecture. The full form, according to the ‘all-terrain ready’ term in the moniker, suggests that it should be fairly capable right from the get-go, but the ‘scalable architecture’ term brings us closer to reality.

It means while the car is currently front-wheel drive only, the platform does have the capability to accommodate an all-wheel drive setup if required. Moreover, unlike the OG, the new Sierra is based on a monocoque chassis rather than a body-on-frame chassis. So it inherently prioritises comfort and a smoother ride over outright off-road capabilities. 

That being said, Tata has wasted no time in drawing comparisons with not just the Sierra’s rivals, but luxury cars exponentially costlier than itself. Let’s take a look at the numbers.

Tata Sierra Off-road Specs

These numbers might not mean much in isolation, but once you take a look at the figures for the other unnamed cars, things start making sense. If we knew the exact names of the cars, putting things into context would’ve been even easier.

As it stands, the approach and departure angles are good enough to tackle some steep obstacles. In fact, the ramp over angle is very close to the Maruti Jimny (24 degrees), which is a hardcore off-roader. This will give the driver confidence to tackle those really tall and sharp speedbreakers with confidence.  

450mm of water wading capacity might not be anywhere close to the cars that usually boast that figure on their brochures, but it is good enough to keep driving without any major worries when our streets are flooded during rain. 

So, as far as on-paper numbers go, the Sierra seems to do a good enough job for an SUV that’s supposed to be a comfortable family-friendly mobility tool. It even gets three terrain modes (Normal, wet and rough) to help it manage traction in various conditions. But at the end of the day, it does not have all-wheel drive or any locking mechanisms to help it get out of the really tricky situations. 

Before we head to the verdict, a quick look at its powertrain specifications.

Tata Sierra Powertrain Specifications

Tata has finally introduced the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with the Sierra. It is available alongside a 1.5-litre NA petrol engine and a 1.5-litre diesel engine, both of which are available with a manual or an automatic transmission. The turbo-petrol engine can be had with an AISIN-sourced 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission only. 

There is no all-wheel drive as of now, only front-wheel drive. But Tata has said that all-wheel drive is under consideration, and while it may or may not make it to the ICE-powered Sierra, we are confident that achieving an all-wheel drive setup with the electric version should be fairly realistic.

The engine and transmission combinations aren’t available throughout the lineup, so make sure to check out the variant-wise powertrain options story.

Verdict

While many people might have drawn visual comparisons with the Land Rover Defender, in reality, the capabilities of the Sierra are going to be nowhere close to it. And let’s be honest, nobody is going to use it like a Defender.

This new rendition of the Sierra is more lifestyle than it is functional or utilitarian. But for that rare trip to Ladakh, for the light off-roading that one has to do to reach a farmhouse in a remote area, to tackle those beautifully paved roads in our urban centres (read: sarcasm) or the occasional flooded sections of tier-1 cities, the Sierra is going to be more than up for that challenge.

But, Tata Motors has kept the ends loose for a possible all-wheel-drive on the Sierra. It could get one with the ICE or the EV. Whatever it is, we might know soon!

Would you like to take the new Tata Sierra, off-the-beaten path? Let us know in the comments!