Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo!

Sridutt · 5th January 2015, 14:43

For some weird reason, I actually like the boxy look. Add the fact that it's not very expensive to maintain, has road presence, and good low end grunt, it might make a very good second car.. throw in the 7 seats - brilliant for travel.. eh?

4Runner · 22nd April 2015, 22:49

Hi everyone this is my first post here.took a long time for my membership to get approved as I took the form filling exercise lightly the first time around. Note to all aspirants!!

I have been a motor bike and car enthusiast for a long time and have been following team bhp for the last couple of months to research on my first car purchase.

The car I was looking to buy needed to serve just 2 people : My wife and I , both generously large people at 6'2 and 5'8 and always looking for a way to recline even non reclining plane exit seats on all of our journeys.

I have only been earning a few years and she's on the lookout for a job so the car I could buy had to be under 6 lakhs max on road, preferably with at least abs if not airbags.

Cars that I considered during this time :

2014 model but new Ford Classic Fiesta petrol top end with abs airbags alloys the works. 7.33 on road

Tata Bolt great revotron engine superb handling and great ride quality. Even the second variant onwards has abs in this so the xm costs around 5.9 on road. Superb VFM

Polo TDI: Oooh what a car just loved it, my wife thought it pulled exactly like our family Verna 2007 CRDI SX which is still a beast after 180k on the odo.

Before test riding the Polo I also had my eye on a showroom piece Sumo Gold GX top model at Concorde Motors Baner Pune- more on this experience to follow.

While I thought the Polo TDI was an unparalleled car in terms of quality , power, features and classic looks something at the back of my mind or perhaps in my gut wasn't too excited about any of these hatches.

For me to be seated in any of these, I had to always push the seat to its limit and recline it further at the backrest and that positively eliminated any chance of seating for a passenger directly behind me

Also somehow spending 8.5 on a hatch that now appears like being driven by everyone across town seemed kind of putting off

I managed to get a test ride of the gold gx gray demo model at the showroom

Unfortunately even the Gold top end doesn't have adjustable or telescopic steering so getting in is a bit of an issue even at full pushback but once seated I was absolutely blown away by how confident I felt on the road driving it.

It felt and handled like an SUV but was nimble on its feet like a sedan. The brakes were not amazing but weren't a source for drama at under 100 kmph. Tech figures state 0-100 at 25 secs but it really didn't feel that long.

As soon as you turn on the ignition the monster just roars to life and gives both your Hands on the wheel an evident juggle. Also the sound of the ignition on that diesel engine is just delicious. Sound from the direct injection kicking in is also so nice to hear. You want to just make a cake out of it and eat it!

As you rev while stationary the front portion of the car towards the left wheel actually eases up every time you hit the gas with the engine begging you to unleash it on the road.

The ride quality is really really nice and it feels good to be at the wheel of a tall beast like the gold.

With my mind set on the Sumo all the while lying sleeplessly and reading team bhp threads on the new gold, I decided to take my wife to the showroom for her to get a test ride on it.

Until the day I actually took her to see the sumo she was very supportive and was all " honey I want you to buy whatever you want to ".

As soon as she spotted the sumo at the showroom everything suddenly changed on her face and she went absolutely speechlepower,he had loved the Polo earlier because it was a car she could drive to work as well at a later point. Plus she had always loved the Verna and the Polo reminded her of its power with every gear shift.

I was petrified because I didn't know if she liked it so much or if she wanted to run me over with it but it really didn't seem like I was her honey bunny anymore.

She was enraged and started pleading with me to get out of the showroom. I asked her to be patient and at least go for a test ride with me. Her anger for the apparently disgusting looking truck in her words was so great that she paid no attention to the great power, the pick up or the great ride quality during the test ride. The looks of the car blinded her judgement thoroughly.

There were two SAs accompanying us on the back seats and neither of them spoke a single word scares out of their skins at my wife's unrelenting barrage of obscenities. I was doing their jobs and advertising the few poor interior features and engine qualities to a cringing better half.

I braked hard many times without telling her that the car didn't have abs and she didn't notice. As soon as we got back to the showroom she said during a conversation ".. thank god at least this one has abs". When I replied with silence and a sheepish look staring at the floor ,she absolutely exploded! "WE ARE NOT GOING TO PAY 9 LAKHS ON THIS PIECE OF METAL GARBAGE!"

"I might as well just buy my polo for the same amount"*.

*For April, VW has a 50k discount on the TDI models. Hurry while you can!

Back in the showroom I reminded her of all the times I was her loving husband and not the aspiring truck driver that she sees me as now. Eventually she realised I loved the truck too much and relented as long as the dealer finalised the deal at 8.1 lakhs which we did last Wednesday and I paid a 50k booking deposit at Concorde Motors in Baner Pune. Now the nightmare starts...

To be continued

4Runner · 23rd April 2015, 08:11

Continued...

So as I said I made a deal for 8.1 lakhs for Gold GX with roof AC, music system , one touch power windows the works. The sales guys showed me the piece in the showroom and thanks to team bhos thread, while every sales guy was struggling to know the model month and year of manufacture I saw the 10th and 12th character for tata vehicles and was convinced that it was a Nov 2014 model.

Apparently its next to impossible to buy a 2015 gold as tata seems to have discontinued production for the top model. This maybe a lie but the model I found was new enough. I checked along the lines of the bonnet to see if the rubber strip had become powdery and also the tyres and exhaust and every little part inside.

Thoroughly convinced that this was a good new car, I paid a 50k deposit and was given a "commitment certificate" by Concorde Motors stating clearly that total amount receivable on the car was 8.1 lacs with a good 90k plus discount due to on road price for the top model being 9 plus.

I was super excited and started arranging for a loan for the rest of the amount( I was planning to pay off a few lakhs next month with a bonus payout from the company which would keep the emis to around 10k per month for 7 years) SBI has an overdraft facility along with a no prepayment penalty so you can finish of the loan even 3 months after availing it.

I was so excited I felt my head was going to burst.I kept taking pictures and stopped short of hugging the truck's bonnet as we confirmed the deal.

After three days I got a call from the SA on a saturday saying the prices have been revised after we signed the deal and that I would have to pay 46k more since they made a mistake with calculating the price the first time around.

My weekend was immedieatly ruined as I was getting scared about this new twist after finalising a deal and receiving a commitment certificate!!!

After 4 days of visiting the showroom where the very guys who chased me for cash deposit amount were now telling me to take a refund and walk away. I was adamant to not be conned.

I made one last trip to the showroom 6 days after first booking the truck and haggled madly with the SAs. They realized their mistake but couldn't take a hit for 40+ due to that. They were also in no pressure to sell the car , reputation commitment sort of things were not words they associated themselves with.

My desperation finally got the best out of me and I couldn't go ahead and cancel the booking ad they said it would take 8 days to return the money and they would need a cancelled cheque from me for the same.

I was livid but kept myself in control and told myself that its now exactly the price of a polo TDI after discount and my argument to my wife that for about 40k less that the polo we were getting an SUV inspite of no safety features was now out of the window.

After a lot of haggling it was decided that I would have to pay the sleazeballs 38k extra over the decided amount and the total on road would be 8.48lacs.

I realized the hard way that the SAs had fully exploited my desperation for the truck and me being an amateur at negotiations was too apparent

Anyway now the delivery date is set for 1st may and hopefully my reprocessed finances should go through before that. I am still arranging for a police verified address proof as I will be renting a new place next month.Only after this will my sumo get registered.

Slightly disappointed about losing the earlier deal and more upset that I couldn't pull off a good negotiation but at still over a 50k discount it might not be the best deal but it certainly comes close.

Photos coming up soon

rosaf · 23rd April 2015, 08:39

Congratulations Vasant.Guru. I am eagerly waiting for your pictures and drive experience.

And i personally thank you for choosing a Tata!

4Runner · 23rd April 2015, 22:29

Thanks rosaf! Can't wait for the delivery.. Why personally thanking?

Just curious.. Are you with tata?

Photos attached from the showroom with engine pics as well

VeluM · 24th April 2015, 11:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasant.guru@gma

"WE ARE NOT GOING TO PAY 9 LAKHS ON THIS PIECE OF METAL GARBAGE!"

"I might as well just buy my polo for the same amount"*.

Mate, despite being a Tata fan, I have to agree with your wife on this one.

However, since you have already purchased it, I wish you all the best for your ownership! Do keep us updated as there are fairly few long-term ownership experiences.

4Runner · 24th April 2015, 12:04

Velu thanks! I am also nervous about it but just can't see myself driving anything after a feel of that engine. Lots of cars with great features out there but can't ride pulsars after a bullet even if they were faster.

If you haven't TD the new gold I highly recommend you do.

lohithrao · 24th April 2015, 13:23

Congrats Vasant, good move!

Yes, you wont be able to compare it to a car, esp a German car but when it comes to practicality this will stand out. 3years back before i bought my Safari i drove Sumo Gold and after the TD my perception about this vehicle changed, a very matured drive and handles the bad road very well and we dont have to talk about the space it offers.

Get a fatter tyres, or get the stock alloys and tyres of the Dicor. maybe a bullbar

Enjoy the drive!

Quote:

Originally Posted by vasant.guru@gma

Velu thanks! I am also nervous about it but just can't see myself driving anything after a feel of that engine. Lots of cars with great features out there but can't ride pulsars after a bullet even if they were faster.

If you haven't TD the new gold I highly recommend you do.

4Runner · 26th April 2015, 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Congrats Vasant, good move!

Thanks sir.

Completed the over 1 hour loan registration process at Sbi yesterday. I am very comfortable about sbi because it's so beautifully sarkaari. I had my higher education loan from here as well.

Hope to get delivery next week now. I'll haggle hard for a free 2 year TASS AMC seeing that CONCORDE BANER broke their earlier deal with me and charged me more. Will also try and start an ownership review seeing that most reviews I saw or read is pretty 2013. This is a last month 2014 model so perhaps it is further refined after 7 years of user feedback about the gold. Example the top roof ac didn't exist in earlier top model golds.

My dream has also always been to review a car myself on video like top gear but it will be hard since I neither have the production facilities or much technical knowledge on the parameters but maybe that dream could also be realized somehow with a layman's interpretation of the ride quality, comfort and those ugly frowns I'll get from people at work. Woo how. Can't wait

Fingers crossed!

Sridutt · 30th April 2015, 07:49

Ok now I'm tensed up. Didyougetit? Howsitrunning? What'stheaverage? Finishedrunningitin?

Good for you. It's a nice vehicle. I have an etios.. tuned perfectly for the city but I get regularly beaten by these.

Also I've noticed a lot more white board sumos lately.

On another note can one get a sumo without the graphics?

drsingh · 30th April 2015, 08:34

Thumbs up for the truck!

Eagerly awaiting your ownership thread. I'm a fan boy of this SWB tall truck too. I'm 6 foot 4 with my turban on and I appreciate the comfort of ambling about lazily in this spacious vehicle with a comfortable driving stance for tall drivers.

condor · 30th April 2015, 08:41

Congrats, Vasant. Wishing you a long happy ownership ! You will love the way it handles in city - in all that traffic & tight corners.

TOINGPOING · 30th April 2015, 08:55

Congratulations on your purchase,Vasant. Only thing missed very much on Sumo is 4WD. If only Tata had shown a little interest in Sumo! Wishing you safe and wonderful drives!

DHABHAR.BEHRAM · 30th April 2015, 10:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Congrats Vasant, good move! When it comes to practicality this will stand out. 3 years back before I bought my Safari I drove Sumo Gold and after the TD my perception about this vehicle changed, a very matured drive and handles the bad road very well and we dont have to talk about the space it offers. Get a fatter tyres, or get the stock alloys and tyres of the Dicor. Enjoy the drive!

Dear Vasant - hello to you. Please DO NOT change any wheels / tires without PMing me first! Send me your contact. As you are in Pune, it will be my delight to catch up with you, and "welcome"!

Dear Lohithrao - hello after a very long time!

.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

condor · 30th April 2015, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Please DO NOT change any wheels / tires without PMing me first!

DB sir, question related to tyres, but not the Sumo. And a bit OT too here.

Why does the Nano have different sizes at front & back. Can we have same size at the front, as is at the rear ?

5th January 2015, 14:43	#346
Sridutt BHPian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 73 Thanked: 26 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! For some weird reason, I actually like the boxy look. Add the fact that it's not very expensive to maintain, has road presence, and good low end grunt, it might make a very good second car.. throw in the 7 seats - brilliant for travel.. eh?
	() Thanks

22nd April 2015, 22:49	#347
4Runner BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 66 Thanked: 242 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Hi everyone this is my first post here.took a long time for my membership to get approved as I took the form filling exercise lightly the first time around. Note to all aspirants!! I have been a motor bike and car enthusiast for a long time and have been following team bhp for the last couple of months to research on my first car purchase. The car I was looking to buy needed to serve just 2 people : My wife and I , both generously large people at 6'2 and 5'8 and always looking for a way to recline even non reclining plane exit seats on all of our journeys. I have only been earning a few years and she's on the lookout for a job so the car I could buy had to be under 6 lakhs max on road, preferably with at least abs if not airbags. Cars that I considered during this time : 2014 model but new Ford Classic Fiesta petrol top end with abs airbags alloys the works. 7.33 on road Tata Bolt great revotron engine superb handling and great ride quality. Even the second variant onwards has abs in this so the xm costs around 5.9 on road. Superb VFM Polo TDI: Oooh what a car just loved it, my wife thought it pulled exactly like our family Verna 2007 CRDI SX which is still a beast after 180k on the odo. Before test riding the Polo I also had my eye on a showroom piece Sumo Gold GX top model at Concorde Motors Baner Pune- more on this experience to follow. While I thought the Polo TDI was an unparalleled car in terms of quality , power, features and classic looks something at the back of my mind or perhaps in my gut wasn't too excited about any of these hatches. For me to be seated in any of these, I had to always push the seat to its limit and recline it further at the backrest and that positively eliminated any chance of seating for a passenger directly behind me Also somehow spending 8.5 on a hatch that now appears like being driven by everyone across town seemed kind of putting off I managed to get a test ride of the gold gx gray demo model at the showroom Unfortunately even the Gold top end doesn't have adjustable or telescopic steering so getting in is a bit of an issue even at full pushback but once seated I was absolutely blown away by how confident I felt on the road driving it. It felt and handled like an SUV but was nimble on its feet like a sedan. The brakes were not amazing but weren't a source for drama at under 100 kmph. Tech figures state 0-100 at 25 secs but it really didn't feel that long. As soon as you turn on the ignition the monster just roars to life and gives both your Hands on the wheel an evident juggle. Also the sound of the ignition on that diesel engine is just delicious. Sound from the direct injection kicking in is also so nice to hear. You want to just make a cake out of it and eat it! As you rev while stationary the front portion of the car towards the left wheel actually eases up every time you hit the gas with the engine begging you to unleash it on the road. The ride quality is really really nice and it feels good to be at the wheel of a tall beast like the gold. With my mind set on the Sumo all the while lying sleeplessly and reading team bhp threads on the new gold, I decided to take my wife to the showroom for her to get a test ride on it. Until the day I actually took her to see the sumo she was very supportive and was all " honey I want you to buy whatever you want to ". As soon as she spotted the sumo at the showroom everything suddenly changed on her face and she went absolutely speechlepower,he had loved the Polo earlier because it was a car she could drive to work as well at a later point. Plus she had always loved the Verna and the Polo reminded her of its power with every gear shift. I was petrified because I didn't know if she liked it so much or if she wanted to run me over with it but it really didn't seem like I was her honey bunny anymore. She was enraged and started pleading with me to get out of the showroom. I asked her to be patient and at least go for a test ride with me. Her anger for the apparently disgusting looking truck in her words was so great that she paid no attention to the great power, the pick up or the great ride quality during the test ride. The looks of the car blinded her judgement thoroughly. There were two SAs accompanying us on the back seats and neither of them spoke a single word scares out of their skins at my wife's unrelenting barrage of obscenities. I was doing their jobs and advertising the few poor interior features and engine qualities to a cringing better half. I braked hard many times without telling her that the car didn't have abs and she didn't notice. As soon as we got back to the showroom she said during a conversation ".. thank god at least this one has abs". When I replied with silence and a sheepish look staring at the floor ,she absolutely exploded! "WE ARE NOT GOING TO PAY 9 LAKHS ON THIS PIECE OF METAL GARBAGE!" "I might as well just buy my polo for the same amount". For April, VW has a 50k discount on the TDI models. Hurry while you can! Back in the showroom I reminded her of all the times I was her loving husband and not the aspiring truck driver that she sees me as now. Eventually she realised I loved the truck too much and relented as long as the dealer finalised the deal at 8.1 lakhs which we did last Wednesday and I paid a 50k booking deposit at Concorde Motors in Baner Pune. Now the nightmare starts... To be continued
	(10) Thanks

23rd April 2015, 08:11	#348
4Runner BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 66 Thanked: 242 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Continued... So as I said I made a deal for 8.1 lakhs for Gold GX with roof AC, music system , one touch power windows the works. The sales guys showed me the piece in the showroom and thanks to team bhos thread, while every sales guy was struggling to know the model month and year of manufacture I saw the 10th and 12th character for tata vehicles and was convinced that it was a Nov 2014 model. Apparently its next to impossible to buy a 2015 gold as tata seems to have discontinued production for the top model. This maybe a lie but the model I found was new enough. I checked along the lines of the bonnet to see if the rubber strip had become powdery and also the tyres and exhaust and every little part inside. Thoroughly convinced that this was a good new car, I paid a 50k deposit and was given a "commitment certificate" by Concorde Motors stating clearly that total amount receivable on the car was 8.1 lacs with a good 90k plus discount due to on road price for the top model being 9 plus. I was super excited and started arranging for a loan for the rest of the amount( I was planning to pay off a few lakhs next month with a bonus payout from the company which would keep the emis to around 10k per month for 7 years) SBI has an overdraft facility along with a no prepayment penalty so you can finish of the loan even 3 months after availing it. I was so excited I felt my head was going to burst.I kept taking pictures and stopped short of hugging the truck's bonnet as we confirmed the deal. After three days I got a call from the SA on a saturday saying the prices have been revised after we signed the deal and that I would have to pay 46k more since they made a mistake with calculating the price the first time around. My weekend was immedieatly ruined as I was getting scared about this new twist after finalising a deal and receiving a commitment certificate!!! After 4 days of visiting the showroom where the very guys who chased me for cash deposit amount were now telling me to take a refund and walk away. I was adamant to not be conned. I made one last trip to the showroom 6 days after first booking the truck and haggled madly with the SAs. They realized their mistake but couldn't take a hit for 40+ due to that. They were also in no pressure to sell the car , reputation commitment sort of things were not words they associated themselves with. My desperation finally got the best out of me and I couldn't go ahead and cancel the booking ad they said it would take 8 days to return the money and they would need a cancelled cheque from me for the same. I was livid but kept myself in control and told myself that its now exactly the price of a polo TDI after discount and my argument to my wife that for about 40k less that the polo we were getting an SUV inspite of no safety features was now out of the window. After a lot of haggling it was decided that I would have to pay the sleazeballs 38k extra over the decided amount and the total on road would be 8.48lacs. I realized the hard way that the SAs had fully exploited my desperation for the truck and me being an amateur at negotiations was too apparent Anyway now the delivery date is set for 1st may and hopefully my reprocessed finances should go through before that. I am still arranging for a police verified address proof as I will be renting a new place next month.Only after this will my sumo get registered. Slightly disappointed about losing the earlier deal and more upset that I couldn't pull off a good negotiation but at still over a 50k discount it might not be the best deal but it certainly comes close. Photos coming up soon
	(6) Thanks

23rd April 2015, 08:39	#349
rosaf BHPian Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: pune Posts: 132 Thanked: 178 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Congratulations Vasant.Guru. I am eagerly waiting for your pictures and drive experience. And i personally thank you for choosing a Tata!
	(1) Thanks

23rd April 2015, 22:29	#350
4Runner BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 66 Thanked: 242 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Thanks rosaf! Can't wait for the delivery.. Why personally thanking? Just curious.. Are you with tata? Photos attached from the showroom with engine pics as well Attached Thumbnails
	(6) Thanks

24th April 2015, 12:04	#352
4Runner BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 66 Thanked: 242 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Velu thanks! I am also nervous about it but just can't see myself driving anything after a feel of that engine. Lots of cars with great features out there but can't ride pulsars after a bullet even if they were faster. If you haven't TD the new gold I highly recommend you do.
	(1) Thanks

30th April 2015, 07:49	#355
Sridutt BHPian Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 73 Thanked: 26 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Ok now I'm tensed up. Didyougetit? Howsitrunning? What'stheaverage? Finishedrunningitin? Good for you. It's a nice vehicle. I have an etios.. tuned perfectly for the city but I get regularly beaten by these. Also I've noticed a lot more white board sumos lately. On another note can one get a sumo without the graphics?
	(1) Thanks

30th April 2015, 08:34	#356
drsingh BHPian Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Ludhiana Posts: 776 Thanked: 707 Times	Thumbs up for the truck! Eagerly awaiting your ownership thread. I'm a fan boy of this SWB tall truck too. I'm 6 foot 4 with my turban on and I appreciate the comfort of ambling about lazily in this spacious vehicle with a comfortable driving stance for tall drivers.
	(1) Thanks

30th April 2015, 08:41	#357
condor Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Speed-brkr City Posts: 15,863 Thanked: 16,006 Times View My Garage	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Congrats, Vasant. Wishing you a long happy ownership ! You will love the way it handles in city - in all that traffic & tight corners.
	() Thanks

30th April 2015, 08:55	#358
TOINGPOING BHPian Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 35 Thanked: 15 Times	Re: Tata Sumo Gold - Refreshed Sumo! Congratulations on your purchase,Vasant. Only thing missed very much on Sumo is 4WD. If only Tata had shown a little interest in Sumo! Wishing you safe and wonderful drives!
	() Thanks