Tata is gearing up for one of their biggest launches of the year, the return of a legend – the Tata Sierra. And while the Tata Sierra looks highly promising, it will come as one of the most tech-heavy SUVs from the Indian car-maker. Now, the Tata Sierra will come with many things that will be segment-first. Stuff like a triple screen dashboard, manual boss mode, adjustable and expandable sun shades, and many more things are brand new in the Tata Sierra.
But while everything looks good, there are things that Tata needs to address with the Sierra. Not only in terms of what the brand offers with the car, but also in terms of how people’s buying and service experience goes. In this article, we will highlight some of the things that you should look out for if you are interested in the Tata Sierra and are waiting for 25th November (launch day) to make your purchase decision. Here are a few things:
1. Reliability and Refinement
While Tata has been giving some of the coolest and most unique features in its cars, the company is also known for not making things refined. While Tata gives you enough features in all of its cars in the current lineup, there is always the problem of refinement. There are scores of reports and posts from people online, complaining about Tata cars breaking down or Tata cars not being refined enough. Be it the tech and features malfunctioning, or issues with the fit and finish of things inside the cabin – Tata cars do not feel refined.
With the Sierra, not only does Tata need to make a great car, they also need to focus on the customer experience. The Tata Sierra looks good, but so did the Tata Harrier, Tata Safari, and the Tata Nexon/ Curvv. But within weeks of these cars being rolled out to customers, reports started coming in of either the cars breaking down, or features malfunctioning, or just things coming apart in people’s brand new SUVs, which should be more rugged.
2. Polarising Design
Coming to the design, the Tata Sierra is designed to be a modern SUV with some character, but the design seems to be polarising. While largely the opinion has been that it is a good design, the Tata Sierra may not be liked by many. The amount of glass on the car also compromises the safety a little bit. Furthermore, the rear design is a bit too flat according to many people.
I personally like how the Tata Sierra looks, but there are imperfections here and there. There is too much going on, which is not good for many buyers. For me, the biggest drawback is the amount of glass on the car.
3. After Sales Support
Another thing that Tata owners have often complained about is their bad experience with Tata service and customer support. Here also, a simple search on any social media or news platform will show you how bad people’s experience often is with Tata service. Almost every day there is somebody having a bad experience with Tata service or car delivery. Issues are not fixed properly, cars are damaged and not returned on time, or returned dirty, rude staff, unnecessary charges – Tata customers have seen it all.
Now, this is a bigger issue with the Tata Sierra because this car has been built completely new from the ground-up. The Tata Sierra has very little part-sharing with any of the other Tata cars, meaning that there are new things that Tata will put in the Sierra. This could very well mean that in the car’s initial run, there will be a certain lack of knowledge in terms of how the new parts and features work and how to get them fixed.
Brand New Engine Options
Now the Tata Sierra will also come with brand new engines from Tata – both petrol and diesel. We are getting a new 1.5 litre diesel engine, and two new petrol engines – a 1.5 litre naturally aspirated engine and a 1.5 litre turbo petrol GDI engine. So the Tata Sierra uses a brand-new engine that we haven’t seen before. And given that Tata has a history of fixing bugs after the car is sold, not before, this also could mean that the first batch of buyers are the beta testers for this powertrain. So yes, if I would be a potential buyer, I’d be cautious due to the history of new products from Tata.
So yes, while the Tata Sierra looks hugely promising, the car will be brand new. Not only for customers but also for the brand, the technicians, and the service staff. A brand which is known for leaving customers hanging and not providing proper maintenance and support. With a car that comes with mostly new parts, I believe it will have some issues in the initial rollouts. Prove me wrong, Tata Motors.
