Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo!

[drsingh]

^^^^ the sumo as it is hits an aerodynamic wall at 120kph.and I hardly ever go above 100 in any car I've ever driven. The CR4 is 85 bhp not 70 and the low end torque is addictive. I feel I felt totally at home in the cabin and on the road as the driving position is kinda similar in an indigo.and I've been driving a diesel for a long time.every car I td I look for that surge when you lift off your foot from the clutch without pressing the accelerator. Though I haven't td the quanto, the major plus is the abs and airbags availability. And better interiors.but second row is very poor in a quanto.

The sumo is really a fantastic vehicle, a do it all really, just let down by poor marketing. The design is functional and timeless, inspired by the Mercedes g wagon..

The short wheelbase is a plus in my view as it makes the car more manoeuvreable in the city.

What I dont trust is tata 's electricals and the relative poor reputation of Delphi common rail systems used on Tata engines.

[koushik]

Originally Posted by drsingh

^^^^ the sumo as it is hits an aerodynamic wall at 120kph.and I hardly ever go above 100 in any car I've ever driven. The CR4 is 85 bhp not 70 and the low end torque is addictive. I feel I felt totally at home in the cabin and on the road as the driving position is kinda similar in an indigo.and I've been driving a diesel for a long time.every car I td I look for that surge when you lift off your foot from the clutch without pressing the accelerator. Though I haven't td the quanto, the major plus is the abs and airbags availability. And better interiors.but second row is very poor in a quanto.

The sumo is really a fantastic vehicle, a do it all really, just let down by poor marketing. The design is functional and timeless, inspired by the Mercedes g wagon..

The short wheelbase is a plus in my view as it makes the car more manoeuvreable in the city.

What I dont trust is tata 's electricals and the relative poor reputation of Delphi common rail systems used on Tata engines.

Sumo is not designed to run at very high speed like Innova and Ertiga. Though the engine is massive it is not tuned for very high speed. But when it comes to hilly , undulating and extremely rough road for a long stretch no other muv can come close to Sumo. Further advantage is that it is very tall.The shorter wheel base with excellent pulling power makes it fun to drive. Interior is too much basic , simple and without any attraction . It gives an image of a military vehicle and absence of electronic gadgets would never make it attractive to new generation buyers. It is survived largly due to taxi segment in south Himalaya . Orthodox thinking about MUV has pushed this car behind other muvs which are loaded with attractive features.

[condor]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Remember that both Quanto and Sumo are high body cars on small wheelbases, hence would not be as stable as other MUV/SUV which are either shorter or have longer wheelbases.

Originally Posted by drsingh

The short wheelbase is a plus in my view as it makes the car more manoeuvreable in the city.

More so with the Sumo, with it's shorter wheel base. But it's just very manouverable in the city !

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Regarding the Sumo, IMO it seems to run out of breath on the highways. May be its only my perception, however 70 odd bhp seems kind of inadequate to push beyond 120kmph, where the car seems to level off.

It's about the torque, so the 70 bhp doesnt really cause a constraint. The Sumo will do 90-100 all day, and still go on. It is not meant for quick accleration.

Originally Posted by drsingh

What I dont trust is tata 's electricals ..

Actually, I have not heard about electrical problems in the Sumo. The very early ones - suspension.
The middle years - NA, IDI, Di-Turbo - all good. No major issues heard of.
The CR-4: teething problems that dont inlcude issues with electricals.

Originally Posted by koushik

Interior is too much basic , simple and without any attraction .

Actually, it is pretty good. My version of the Sumo Victa seems to have some better features than many a newer car.

[drsingh]

^^^^^thanks for the Info. Much appreciated. I've had problems with power windows and central locking and minor AC niggles with Tata cars...... in a car like sumo id prefer minimal electronics so I don't have to go looking for specialists for every small niggle.

[drsingh]

^^^^do you own a sumo gold? Did you put up a thread on it?

[lohithrao]

TATA Sumo CR4 is a very nice "practical" UV, be it bad roads, narrow roads or the hiway. i enjoyed cruising at 80-90kmph, and it handles very well o hilly/winding roads aswel.

best part even deep potholes dont bother it..

heard from a SA that "rattling" is a common issue with it as of now...

[drsingh]

Sumo owners/enthusiasts kindly answer my query:

Is there any difference in the middle row placement between a 7 seater and a 9 seater sumo gold?

[bblost]

January Offer for Tata Sumo is Rs 90,000.
For December it was Rs 70,000.

Anyone have more info on the breakup?

[jessie007]

I can vouch for Sumo's maneuverability as we have owned one in the family for almost 14 years. Our 1996 model didn't have power steering, but still with the large steering wheel afforded pretty good maneuverability within the city. I believe there is an engineering thumb-rule related to leverage - the diameter of steering should be equal to the diameter of the wheel rims if the steering is not power assisted.

In fact I definitely feel the Sumo was easier to park straight in one go than my 2011 Punto which has a huge turning circle (10.8 m vs Sumo's 10 m) and a fairly long wheelbase (2500 mm vs Sumo's 2400 mm), though the Punto is shorter in length than the Sumo. Please note that the specs of the pre-1997 Sumo are a little different from the current Sumo which has an even shorter turning radius at 9.8m and a slightly extended wheelbase at 2425 mm. Would like to mention that the 2012 refresh variants of the Punto have a turning circle of 10 metres.

[bblost]

I did another test drive today.

The vehicle was a GX variant with less than 2k on the odo.

Was accompanied with a useless SA who had no interest in selling the Sumo.

Within 50 meters of driving, I sensed a mild pull towards the left. Not pronounced but the alignment was not perfect.
The SA however told me that the vehicle is perfect and he himself had checked it.

I have feeling there was something wrong with the tire pressure as well. Visually checked them after stopping and I felt this way.

I did my usual test for handling, which is

Originally Posted by bblost

The braking test was done at 60. Stop no drama.
At 80, stop no drama.
At 100, a little drama that needed some steering control manipulation to remain in line.

I only did the first level.
Took the Sumo to 60. Slammed on the brakes and everything went wrong.
The Sumo sharply listed to the left. Then I had to pull her in really hard. Over corrected the lifeless steering. Had my heart in my mouth as the Sumo went all over the road before finally coming to a halt.

My analysis:
If everything is in perfect tune, the Sumo will brake in a straight line. But if anything is out of synch. God save you.

Am still a little shaken up with this experience.

[koushik]

The main issue with Sumo is it's wheel base . It should be at least 2500 mm. It is a tall vehicle and so track should also be more than 1550 mm. ( like storme ). It appears that the vehicle you have tested had no proper wheel alignment.

[condor]

Originally Posted by bblost

My analysis:
If everything is in perfect tune, the Sumo will brake in a straight line. But if anything is out of synch. God save you.

Am still a little shaken up with this experience.

state of the TD vehicle could be reflective of your earlier line that the Sales Rep had no interest in selling this one. They possibly meet their targets from the taxi segment, and hence dont really need to work on the occasionaly personal user segment ?

[bblost]

Condor. It was a less than 2000 kms driven Sumo.

Can even a mild issue with alignment and tire pressure cause such scary behavior?

[ramzsys]

Originally Posted by bblost

Condor. It was a less than 2000 kms driven Sumo.

Can even a mild issue with alignment and tire pressure cause such scary behavior?

Only 2000 km and wheel alignment problem? Maybe a thrashed Sumo.

[lohithrao]

I would suggest you take one more TD from some other dealer, most of the TD vehicles are badly maintained.

I remember braking pretty hard on down hill, and the vehicle was composed.

Originally Posted by bblost

Condor. It was a less than 2000 kms driven Sumo.

Can even a mild issue with alignment and tire pressure cause such scary behavior?