New Delhi. Everyone is excited about the recently launched 2025 Tata Sierra. Do you know that this legendary SUV was India's first SUV? Some vehicles were way ahead of their time and could not attract people's attention. Tata Sierra is the best example of this. In 1991, when Indians did not know much about SUVs, Tata introduced India's first premium Indian SUV. Before the Sierra, Tata was known for its commercial vehicles; Sierra was his first passenger car. Find out why the 1991 Sierra was way ahead of its time.
New design for Indians
The design of Tata Sierra was new for Indians. Its unique design was three-door, with large rear windows curved towards the roof. The Sierra was one of the boldest looking vehicles of 1991. The ladder-on-frame chassis of the Tata Sierra was taken from the Telcoline pickup truck, which increased its size.
India's first premium SUV
Tata Sierra was the first premium SUV in the Indian market. Sierra introduced many such features, which were seen for the first time not only in this segment but in the Indian automobile industry. The Sierra's interiors had features like power windows, power steering, tilt adjustment for the steering, central air conditioning and central locking. Also, the large rear window and vintage sofa-like rear seat provided a great experience to the rear passengers. The Sierra came with two rear windshield wipers, which are not found in many modern vehicles; This was necessary given the large rear windshield.
equipped with diesel engine
While in 1991, other big companies were selling only passenger vehicles with petrol engines, the Sierra came with a diesel engine. Tata launched Sierra with a 2 liter naturally aspirated diesel engine, which gave 63 HP power and 120 Nm torque. Rear-wheel drive was standard on the Sierra and 4×4 was optional. The 4×4 powertrain layout with the diesel engine was a revolutionary feature in the 90s. Tata provided the Sierra with a unique dog-leg 5-speed gearbox, with first gear placed on the lower-left instead of the traditional H-pattern.
Turbocharged engine launched in 1997
Later in 1997, Tata launched a turbocharged version of the Sierra, which produced 89 hp power and 190 Nm torque. This version came with an H-pattern gearbox, which further improved the driving experience of the Sierra. The three-door design of the Tata Sierra in 1991 was not very useful for Indian families. Moreover, its starting price was Rs 5 lakh (on-road Mumbai), which reached Rs 8 lakh (on-road Mumbai) in the late 90s. In its initial years, Tata Sierra had to compete with popular Maruti vehicles like Maruti 800, Omni and Gypsy. Maruti cars were cheaper and looked more practical according to the Indian budget. Later Mahindra also launched Armada, which had the same engine as Sierra but was priced lower. In 2002, Mahindra Scorpio gave tough competition to Sierra.
Had to shut down in 2003
The Tata Sierra was in the market from 1991 to 2003; Only 667 units were sold in 1991 and sales reached 3,910 units in 1994–95. After this there was a decline in sales. Due to low sales, Tata shifted its focus to other vehicles. This was the reason why this revolutionary Indian SUV remained out of the public eye.
