[Parm]

Bawa Ji....tusi great ho!

Sumo has the best opportunity to better Thar and Gurkha in every way.

Thar has no hard top, Gurkha has hard top but only two doors and a rear hatch, this is where the Sumo can do a one up!

Sumo qualifies as a natural vehicle to be jumping into Thar and Gurkha territory with better options and even with less capabilities.

Tata has the Sumo 4WD in the Indian Army, which shows that its a tried and tested platform, with few tweaks and enhancements by the Beloved Bawa Ji and let the wheels roll.

Bawa Ji you replied in this thread after a long time and after the Expo, and that too with a smiley, looks like the wheels are rolling in the right direction.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Parm

Bawa Ji....tusi great ho!


Thar has no hard top,

Add to that Thar does not have G-wagen looks.

[koushik]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

More pics from same source, but no details unfortunately:

Attachment 1202329

Attachment 1202330

It looks more desirable than the Bolero 4X4 & hopefully should be as good offroad.

Cardeep have you any idea about the tyre size of Sumo Extreme ? I guess it is still 15 inches .

[CARDEEP]

Originally Posted by koushik

Cardeep have you any idea about the tyre size of Sumo Extreme ? I guess it is still 15 inches .

These aren't apparent from the shining wheels at the Autoexpo, however, as far as I have read TBHP, 15" are more suitable for offroading as compared to 16-17".

I fear I can't help more... sorry.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by CARDEEP

These aren't apparent from the shining wheels at the Autoexpo, however, as far as I have read TBHP, 15" are more suitable for offroading as compared to 16-17".

I fear I can't help more... sorry.

15" wheel size is the best for off road activities and a lot of tyres are available with that rim size.

Also I would recommend using stock steel rims for the any off road activity as they can be hammered back into shape if bent!

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by Parm

Bawa Ji....tusi great ho!

Sumo has the best opportunity to better Thar and Gurkha in every way.

Thar has no hard top, Gurkha has hard top but only two doors and a rear hatch, this is where the Sumo can do a one up!

Sumo qualifies as a natural vehicle to be jumping into Thar and Gurkha territory with better options and even with less capabilities.

Parm,
You also forget that it is the most spacious of all including the Bolero 4x4. Also, the Bolero 4x4 is solid axle while the Sumo is IFS which means better on-road handling and performance. Off-road, other than the articulation part, if driven sensibly, IFS can still do wonders.

The 3.0L engine block has been running rings over other LCVs for ages now in the 407, so it is extremely reliable.

Originally Posted by koushik

Cardeep have you any idea about the tyre size of Sumo Extreme ? I guess it is still 15 inches .

The Sumo Extreme on show had 16". No idea of production specs though.

My thoughts -
Why can't Tata bring this out now with no frills to keep costs low and the compulsive off-roader happy and then slowly develop the Aria (X2) platform to bring in a new and refreshed iteration for the uber crowd wanting a more modern vehicle?

That could certainly set the cat loose amongst the pigeons in both the price bands. Killing two birds with one stone?

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by discoverwild

Why can't Tata bring this out now with no frills to keep costs low and the compulsive off-roader happy and then slowly develop the Aria (X2) platform to bring in a new and refreshed iteration for the uber crowd wanting a more modern vehicle?

That would be the logical way forward as no offroader keeps his vehicle stock anyway. Company 'mods' will be thrown away anyway so why escalate costs?

On the other hand, the man in charge of this may argue that the last time he did this no-frills thing he got pasted with brickbats for not providing this-and-that-and-the-other.

The trick would be to take a leaf out of Renault's book and provide everything in a basic but well-finished form. I.E., no dashboards that damage your body, for e.g.. The last time I got into one example of his previous creation I came away with a scarred knee, caused by nothing other than an attempt to get out of the vehicle.

[Shubhendra]

Originally Posted by koushik

Cardeep have you any idea about the tyre size of Sumo Extreme ? I guess it is still 15 inches .

They are Maxxis MudZilla 31x11x15

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

On the other hand, the man in charge of this may argue that the last time he did this no-frills thing he got pasted with brickbats for not providing this-and-that-and-the-other.

The trick would be to take a leaf out of Renault's book and provide everything in a basic but well-finished form. I.E., no dashboards that damage your body, for e.g.. The last time I got into one example of his previous creation I came away with a scarred knee, caused by nothing other than an attempt to get out of the vehicle.

Steeroid,

Always hoping for the best. The Sumo definitely came better finished than the Bolero or the Thar for that matter.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by discoverwild

Parm,
You also forget that it is the most spacious of all including the Bolero 4x4. Also, the Bolero 4x4 is solid axle while the Sumo is IFS which means better on-road handling and performance. Off-road, other than the articulation part, if driven sensibly, IFS can still do wonders.

The 3.0L engine block has been running rings over other LCVs for ages now in the 407, so it is extremely reliable.

Of course Sumo is more versatile and spacious than the cramped Bolero. And Yes, the IFS in the Sumo makes it more stable on the road, but will have limitations off road.

I like to have a new engine in it, similar to the 2.2 ltr in the Storme, but de-tuned to 120bhp and low range torque to give it fuel economy and better power.

DB sir ji, I know you are monitoring this thread, along with the Sumo Gold thread, please revive this vehicle to its glory days.

[discoverwild]

Originally Posted by Parm

I like to have a new engine in it, similar to the 2.2 ltr in the Storme, but de-tuned to 120bhp and low range torque to give it fuel economy and better power.

Parm,

That is why I mentioned 2 iterations of the Sumo. One the current version to keep costs at the lowest and get the 4x4 market buzzing and the second one with more modernity in its engine, suspension, looks, handling etc., based on the X2 platform. It is definitely doable, isn't it?

[Parm]

Originally Posted by discoverwild

Parm,

That is why I mentioned 2 iterations of the Sumo. One the current version to keep costs at the lowest and get the 4x4 market buzzing and the second one with more modernity in its engine, suspension, looks, handling etc., based on the X2 platform. It is definitely doable, isn't it?

It is definitely doable, but with strings attached and depending upon BD sir, under what deal he shifted to TATA from MM, it all depends upon him.

Ultimate decision lies with the MBAs controlling the marketing. See what the MBAs could do a good product like Gurkha!!

[predatorwheelz]

Originally Posted by Parm

See what the MBAs could do a good product like Gurkha!!

On the contrary, if MBAs controlled the Gurkha, the product would have been in the market first. Trying to sell to the first lot of customers, whom Indian manufacturers use as guinea pigs to ascertain faults in their products and improve the next batch.

See my post on this thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3371095

Still think MBAs control the Gurkha?

[directinjection]

One improvement that I'd like to see in Sumo is larger doors with reduced area between C and D pillars. Also, the door handles should be pull back type rather than pull up type. To make Sumo 4X4 seriously powerful, TM should also offer (as an option) the new generation 3 litre 16 valve 138 BHP Dicor engine developed for the Ultra range.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by predatorwheelz

On the contrary, if MBAs controlled the Gurkha, the product would have been in the market first. Trying to sell to the first lot of customers, whom Indian manufacturers use as guinea pigs to ascertain faults in their products and improve the next batch.

See my post on this thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post3371095

Still think MBAs control the Gurkha?

I should have been more clear in my post regarding the MBAs, its them who have a say in the final product and then its launch and marketing. how could one justify the "Worlds first EOV and 4x4x4 vehicle", the plastic cartoonish face of the Gurkha!

Anyway coming back to Sumo, I'm glad BD sir is working on the Sumo and other 4WD vehicles of Tata and hope to see a 4WD vehicle which has the features missing in the Thar and Gurkha.