Team-BHP - Tata Sumo Grande ownership Report.

Congrats on the buy HappyRoadie. Here's wishing you years of trouble free miles :)
Do update your maintenance bill details , once you're through the first couple of miles. A lot of folks are interested in how the maintenance of the Grande compares to its predecessor.

I happened to td a Sumo Grande just today morning. Was pleasantly surprised by the very decent quality on the inside. The vehicle is very imposing and you sit really tall. The variant I drive was the top end GX.

Drive quality felt a lot like my Wagon R. i.e I felt the bumps and nudges on the road in almost the same intensity.

The amazingly short turning radius a HUGE plus point.
The steering is easy and feels quite good.

Nice pics, buddy.
The vehicle is quite good.

Thank You for the comments. bblost I think you must have test drive'd the new Grande MKII. It has got better suspension as compared to the older one. Older one is a bit bumpy on bad roads compared to the new Mark II.

Hi Condor. I completely agree. I got them fitted as my budget was not high. I also feel that the quality of work is poor.I will definitely would get them changed with leather seat covers when pocket permits.

Nice pics. I have read a lot about the vehicle and it seems to have come a long way. Like I told before it would be so nice to leave the Sumo word. But may be its the marketing tactics.

I have the same observation as Condor. In addition, you may consider changing the steering wheel cover too. Dont have to go for leather (unless its your preference), any fabric/art leather cover with decent colour would be fine.

Is that the stock ICE? I could n't make out much from the pic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya (Post 1985906)

Never noticed the reflectors on the inside of the door. I think it is a very thoughtful touch. Thanks for the interior pics as well.

I believe that those are not reflectors but actual lights. Check out the next pic (Of the right door), where the door is closed and the light is powered off.

Thoughtful touch indeed. Safaris too have it.

^^ Thanks for pointing that out, great observation. Them being lights make it even safer.
I was wondering whether these are the so called "puddle" lights, which also serve the purpose of the passenger getting out form the car without knowing what he/she is stepping on. If that is the case, somehow I had imagined that the puddle lights had to face downwards (say at the bottom of the door or something like that), nice to stand corrected.

@Amartya. These are not puddle lamps but just indicators to indicate just in case the doors are opened and not closed properly. Puddle lamps are located at the bottom of each door. If possible I will post the pictures of the puddle lamps.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyRoadie (Post 1986578)

Hey, thanks for clarifying that. I was ignorant about their placement. Once again, I think this is a very thoughtful safety feature (the lights on the inside of the doors). Kudos to Tata Motors.

Hello, I will click some better interior photos and will post them. Also what will be the cost of hellas. Yesterday went for a short drive and this time I was sitting in the last row. I experienced vibration in the floor. Rest all is going fine(touch wood).

Hi Happyroadie,

Came across the thread today bit late to congratulate.
Yes Grande is a practical choice , I did extensive testing of Safari , grande ( Original not MKII) and Scorpio VLX. The ride , Handling and seating of Grande is miles above of Scorpio VLX. It scored bad on points of interior plastics and NVH.

The vehicle was written off by many people with out test drive just because it had Sumo badge and they were not willing to disassociate it mentally with Sumo.

About Puddle lights they are very useful thing , I remember a distant relative of who mine went to a marriage reception years ago, the driver stopped the vehicle next to an open man-hole the gentleman stepped out straight in to the gutter. The incidence is kind of folk lore now which gets repeated at every family gathering :D

Sad to hear about that incident. Hope your relative did not suffered much injuries. Yes you are right that it did not sell well due to the Sumo badge it carried. Also plastic and NVH levels could have been better. But now they have solved these problems in Grande Mark II. One thing I am sad about is that just one month after my purchase Grande Mark II was announced. But anyway I am still happy and have not faced major issues.