In exciting news from the land of Indian automobiles, Tata Motors has rekindled the fire of one of its most favorite forays in the world of utility vehicles.
Everything that the name ‘Sumo’ practically stands for in the Indian context, with regards to robustness and dependability, is about to be synonimised with one face lifted beauty to be precise.
Heritage Reimagined
The Tata Sumo made its debut on the Indian roads in 1994 and soon became the preferred choice of many who were looking for a practical and rugged train.
Synonomous with versatility over almost a quarter of a century, the Sumo had served as family pack-horse as well as a commercial charger. The most recent version respects that robust heritage, yet dares to venture into contemporary space.
“We have kept the essence of the Sumo intact and have modernised the product in every aspect,” says Prakash Sharma, Head of Design at Tata Motors.
“We wanted to deliver a design that the current, loyal Sumo user might immediately identify with, but will also attract a new generation of drivers, to whom aesthetics are as important as functionality.”
Exterior Design: Powerful but Refined
The exterior of the new Sumo is a complete metamorphosis. Whereas the previous model had boxy, no-nonsense lines, the new model is much more sculpted, retaining the presence the car has on the road, but adding modern touches.
The front end has the trademark humanity line grille which is now wider and larger and white LED headlamps that flow from the sleek appearance to make the car look more contemporary and modern.
The profile is largely traditional Sumo apart from the taller stance and scrappier wheel arches (behind 17-inch alloy wheels).
At the rear is where the changes are substantial with wraparound LED taillights, and a new tailgate that features a roof spoiler for aerodynamic benefits.
Inside: Comfort and Technology collide outside: Interior : Comfort There is a continuity to the interior that felt familiar.
You step inside the new Sumo and what you get is a cabin that has certainly come a long way from the utilitarian origins it sprang from.
The driver-centric dash boasts a 10.25-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system supporting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Instrumentation includes a new 7-inch digital display that offers up personalized data.
Space wise, seating, is one of the aces up Sumo’s sleeve as three rows provide enough comfort for seven adults.
Seats are clad in high-quality leatherette with contrasting stitching, and ambient lights help set the mood. Heating and air conditioning are now available in the 3rd row – a problem with the previous generation.
Powertrain: Peppy and Efficient
There are two engines under the hood of the Sumo Neo. The 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel makes 170 bhp and 350 Nm, a new 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol now churns 160 bhp and 280 Nm. Both 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearboxes can be had with both engines.
The diesel model says it is capable of returning upto 15.5 kmpl while the petrol can do upto 12.5 kmpl.
The Sumo Mile has now been re-engineered onto a new platform with independent front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension to deliver a smooth on-road ride without sacrificing off-road ability.
Safety: No Compromises
Tata Motors has fitted the new Sumo with all safety features. All variants feature six airbags, ABS, EBD and ESC as standard. Higher-level trims add extras such as a 360-degree camera, blind-spot monitoring and hill descent control.
The body is made of high-strength steel too and Tata is targeting a 5-star rating and believes the car can achieve the same in Global NCAP tests.
Market Position and Competition
The rejuvenated Sumo will join its contemporaries that include the Mahindra Scorpio-N, Toyota Innova Crysta, and MG Hector Plus.
Tata Motors has already taken the positioning of the new Sumo as a jack-of-all trades which fills the gap between tough cookies like the SUVs and the sensible MPVs.
Tata Sumo – Bottomline The Sumo is undoubtedly one of the best feature filled MPV in its category, and for the value it offers, makes a great buy, thanks to its equipment level and the brand value. 价格 The MPV will be launched in starting price range of about ₹12-18 lakh (ex-showroom).
Tata’s Strategic Vision
This revival of the Sumo branding is part of Tata’s wider plan of capitalizing on the heritage of its legendary cars while innovating and going beyond.
This formula has worked very well with the Safari and the Sierra, and this the company intends to repeat with the Sumo.
“The return of the Sumo is a strategic move demonstrating our commitment to growing the Sumo brand while staying true to the grand heritage of the brand,” adds Shailesh Chandra, Managing Director of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles.
“This platform is representative of our Make for Global initiative and is the perfect testament for world class Indian products at par with global standards.
Tata Sumo New Faceift is Dhansu
The new Tata Sumo comes across as extensively refurbished. It relives the legacy of the India’s most iconic vehicle and one of the longest serving vehicle in India in its category with a much stronger and powerful outfit to suit hard-core off-road activities.
With the launch of the new Sumo in January 2019, the brand is all set to leverage these strengths, and play its natural role – infusing new freshness, vigour and liveliness into the Sumo, re-capturing comfortably its market share.