Tata Sumo Grande MK-II Ownership Review

[dharmesh]

Re: TATA SUMO GRANDE Mk2 - Am I the only one here ?

Nice review mate. Waiting for more pics.

But can any one tell me the reason of the very low sales for Grande?

 

[Tornado]

Re: TATA SUMO GRANDE Mk2 - Am I the only one here ?

One TASS man told me that it's better to good for Safari dicor than Grande dicor., inspite of same engine.He said that the engine is differently tuned and maintainance cost is high for it than Safari.
Is it true?

 

[navnit013]

Re: TATA SUMO GRANDE Mk2 - Am I the only one here ?

One TASS man told me that it's better to good for Safari dicor than Grande dicor., inspite of same engine.He said that the engine is differently tuned and maintainance cost is high for it than Safari.
Is it true?

Well thats not right. Yes Safari is more powerful @140 bhp compared to 120 in Grande. BUT Grande is lighter by half a ton (I guess). Its the same engine, but ECU has different mapping. SO no issues.

AS per my experience, my Grande has cost me Rs 7/km. Thats including the initial purchase cost (provided I cover 1,30,000kms in 5 years), including service/maintenance cost and fuel price as of today.

ie I am looking at Rs 7-9/km over my ownership period of 5 years.

 

[MrRanger]

Re: TATA SUMO GRANDE Mk2 - Am I the only one here ?

Hi buddy,
Thanks for your ownership review, In fact your review changed the image of Grande in me. I still remember the overdrive guys bashed this car in favor of some other car. I know they lie about the car and spread some bad image which is not true.
from fast 3 years after repeated nonsense from auto journals I stoped paying any attention to them, boring useless shows.

south canera/Udupi manipal/mangalore all like 2nd home for me. I drove my safari countless time from bangalore and recently I was there, I had 1k+ km trip couple of weeks ago.

Roads are beautiful(not smooth) for beast like safari and for same type of vehicle and are nightmare for small cars.

so tell me some thing about
*suspention and any oil leaks found in the setup?
*any sound during overturn?
*and body noise?
*wheel alienment/uneven tyre
*AC performance any vacume refills done for compresser?
*PW are they still as fast as during 1st day?
*gear shift
*did you try any beach drive(I know yours is a 4X2 but still we drove lancer on beaches once.) I mean small offroad

 

[navnit013]

Re: TATA SUMO GRANDE Mk2 - Am I the only one here ?



The first picture, I'd taken. Now I've changed the wipers to Bosch Aero twins, also I,ve adjusted the wiper stalk angle to look neat. Headlight bulbs also changed to Osram 60/55 coolblue, H4.



This is the latest. Taken by my nephew. He was exited about the ARSENAL number plate I have at the back (he is a Barcelona fan though).

 

[Tornado]

Yes , yes color tells us , how TATAS began with the Grande.
Man, spare some time and post some more pics , underder sun, evening, morning , under city lights.
BTw, does Grande comes with body color front grills?

 

[navnit013]

Re: TATA SUMO GRANDE Mk2 - Am I the only one here ?

@Navnit: You have some nice writing skills, buddy.
The Sumo Grande was once my favourite (even my Mom's favourite) when it was launched but again it was caught by Taxi drivers. (No offence)
And, I think it is the first Sumo Grande report here, right?

At last, Congrats for the car and nice to hear you are enjoying..
BTW Photo kahaan hai? (Where are the pics?) I am dying to see the Walnut Gold color. Is it the Orange (Shahi paneer) colour?

Well, I thought Sumo Grande is a rare car to spot. I'd been to Mumbai a few times and I remember seeing only 3-4 cars. For that instance even in Bangalore. In Udupi, we have a lot of them, mainly private owners. Sumo Grande is a tallish car. You have to climb in and out of it. SO taxi owners opt for a Innova/Xylo/Tavera/Sumo gold over a Grande.

AND no offence taken either. I dont mind the car I own being used as TAXI.


Grande is definitely not a push over. I bought one because I liked the original SUMO and I was satisfied by the ownership experience of my earlier TATA car. I would advise you look at a SUMO GRANDE if you planning to buy a car in its category (Xylo/Scorpio and bare bones Innova).

south canera/Udupi manipal/mangalore all like 2nd home for me. I drove my safari countless time from bangalore and recently I was there, I had 1k+ km trip couple of weeks ago.

I think your trip to Mars (Shiradi Ghat) was a pleasant one.

Roads are beautiful(not smooth) for beast like safari and for same type of vehicle and are nightmare for small cars.

Small cars usually disappear out of sight and reappear on the other side of the crater. These are the roads where Sumo excels.

so tell me some thing about
*suspention and any oil leaks found in the setup?

none so far.

*any sound during overturn?

whats that?

*and body noise?

Nope. There are squeaks and Rattles from the plastics in the interior.

*wheel alienment/uneven tyre

I get the alignment and balancing done every 5000kms. So no uneven wear and tear. And usually, when I do long trips like Bangalore, If I notice any vibrations in the steering and the rear suspension I know the alignment is off and get it rectified as I return

*AC performance any vacume refills done for compresser?

AC is a chiller actually. In hot sunny days all you have to do is switch on the rear blower. And the cabin will be cooled in no time.

*PW are they still as fast as during 1st day?

The speed is the same. But the driver side motor is struggling a bit (sounds loud), greasing the channel will solve the issue.

*gear shift

Dont ask. Its hardish when cold. And throw is a km long. One thing I've noticed, If you force the issue you are likely to find it hard to shift. BUT you guide it, it will do the job with no fuss even when you are quick shifting.

*did you try any beach drive(I know yours is a 4X2 but still we drove lancer on beaches once.) I mean small offroad

NO, I've not tried it. BUT I've taken my car on different road conditions from deep sand types to boulder types. And I found that the second gear provides enough traction on sandy roads and when tackling boulders and stuff, 1st gear. And even even in medium slushy roads you have enough traction, if you dont force it.


Ranger your answers are in bold.

 

[Tornado]

For me ,your Walnut gold Grande looks like a tigress awaiting her prey in the shadow of a tree in the pic posted above , while bare bone Innova looks like a python's head cut few centimetres behind the neck with a chopper .(no offence meant, it's just an observation)

 

[Rajvel]

What is that arsenal????

 

[dharmesh]

What is that arsenal????

Arsenal is famous Football club.

 

[navnit013]

TATA cars come with superb paint quality. Its very hard to replicate. Had the right side redone after the crash. Look at the paint job, though descent but not TATA quality.


Nicely designed front end. Therz a hint of old sumo in here, yet more modern. NOTE: The new osram headlamps I've installed. OE (60/55 watts) power, has a good spread.


spot the difference. The bonnet top is OE paint. And the rightside door/ fenders are repainted part. Though I've insisted on having 3 coats of paint and 2 coats of clear (1 coat each more than they usually apply), it still lacks the depth of the OE paint job.


Aero twin wipers and altered wiper stalk angle, Now it looks more neat than before (remember the pic I posted earlier with wiper sticking out). ALSO note the paint quality on the bonnet.


rear end. With Aero twin wipers and modified rear mud flap.


drive by wire throttle. Look at the plastic accelerator pedal. Therz a clutch switch and brake switch connected to the respective pedals.


wasted space in the middle row. I am starting to think if the captian seats are required?


ill fitting panels. Will lead to squeaks and rattles.


visibility. Rear view mirrors are the only things you need for parking. No need of sensors and cameras.




on my way home. Look at the Champagne gold Sumo Grande parked on the side of the road.

 

[dharmesh]

Color looks brilliant. Never spotted Grande in this color. Nice pics.

 

[visran]

This is turning out to be a perfect thread to understand Grande, keep up the good work i liked your attention to detail

 

[AppU]

Excellent Pics Buddy,

I'm a fan to Sumo from my childhood. My dad friend previously owns a Sumo, My dad used to bring that Sumo to go to our relatives homes. I still remember those wonderful days.

Sumo is one of the best vehicle to travel with lot of people with fun

BTW, Congrats again & don't forget to upload more & more Pics

 

[navnit013]

Just crossed 50000kms. Apollo Hawks are doing fine. Though bit a little less grippy, I think it will last till the beginning of the monsoons. Was initially planning to buy Yokohamas as a replacement, but the tyre dealer told me that Yokos are a bit risky at this stage. Lots of complaints, specially side wall (cracks open). SO now I think I'll go for Michelin Lattitude cross 245/70 R16 tyres.

Issues: Well nothing major.
1. Spotted a leak. Couple of drops. Greenish fluid, looks like coolant. But couldnt zero in on the location. It only occurs after a long long drive. BUT no over heating, all fluids are at expected levels, hence no worries.

2. Had gone to get alignment done. I have the habbit of checking the bushes and stuff under when the car is mounted on the jack. Found out that rear anti roll bar bushes are undersized. Had changed it during the 45000kms service. Looks like they dint have the part (TATA ASS). So used the Indigos bush+insulation tapes. Showed it to my local mech. He will change it for me.

3. Play in steering Idler arm. Since Sumo Grande comes with box steering (like in trucks). the connection between LH and RH side is done by idler arm. There was a play in it. Now tightened, by my mech. Perfect now.

No mechanical problems till date. Engine runs like a peach. A few squeaks and rattles here and there in the plastic interiors, specially the dash. BUT zero mechanical rattles. AND surprise surprise, no black smoke. Till date.