Pics: Tata Sierra

govigov · 10th February 2009, 10:27

initially i wanted to pick up a sierra as well. but was advised by the forum members that it was a white elephant to maintain. so did not get it. i am just thinking how nice ti would be to own a sierra, damn, should have bought one.

vishnu7185 · 10th February 2009, 11:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sankar

Is your friend's name Anoop?

No Man, His name is Uday. Not sure if its Second hand owned because its a KA regn only..

vishnu7185 · 10th February 2009, 11:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by govigov

initially i wanted to pick up a sierra as well. but was advised by the forum members that it was a white elephant to maintain. so did not get it. i am just thinking how nice ti would be to own a sierra, damn, should have bought one.

@govigov: Yeah the forum members have told you their opinion. But as you know opinions can change from person to person. Defenitely it has pros and cons in owning a Sierra. But at end of the day its your decision to go for it or not.

For me my bull is really good which gives me an avg of around 11kmpl in city and around 14 kmpl in highways. Regarding maintenance i do an oil change every 5000km.

asejwal · 10th February 2009, 14:06

Let me clear a few misconceptions about the Sierra. Both the Standard and the Turbo versions are a gem of a vehicle and were grossly misunderstood.

The car was launched in 1991 and was phased out a decade later. Even so, the foray can’t be called a failure. In many ways, the Sierra was a front-runner.

For one, it introduced several features long before they became standard in passenger cars: power windows, power steering and tilt steering, central air conditioning and so on. None of the cars in the segment at the time — Maruti 800, Maruti 1000, Premier Padmini, the 118NE and Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador — had these features.

There were several unique features as well — a two-door body that had more to do with lifestyle appeal than a staid, passenger car look. It was not a conventional-looking passenger car. Sierra was designed more on the lines of a sports utility vehicle (SUV). It was seen more as a lifestyle vehicle. Incidentally, Sierra was also the first diesel vehicle to be accepted as a personal car in India.

Despite these innovations, the Sierra ran out of gas very soon. It was ahead of its time, both in terms of technology and looks.

The Tata Sierra didn’t win any awards for its innovative design, but it did come in for a lot of flak. The biggest hurdle was the car’s two-door concept. The Indian market is still not ready for a car with just two doors unless it’s a small, compact two-seater. And the two-door Sierra (classified as a five-seater) was launched years ago.
The Sierra may have been a tad too futuristic for Indian consumers. It was too advanced for its time.

A two-door version is any day more attractive to look at, because it’s considered stylish designing. Sierra was largely a driver’s or an individual’s car that had a one-to-one relationship with the owner. Families did not take to the two-door concept: the dual door design made both entry and exit awkward for those travelling in the Sierra. For instance, if a passenger had to sit in the rear seat, he would need to bend the front seat and then roll it forward before climbing in.

Worse, some passengers would rather sit with the driver in the front passenger seat than go through the trouble of clambering into the back. For those who were used to chauffeur-driven vehicles, these indignities were not easily overlooked.

Yet another blooper was the lack of windows in the rear area. The back of the Sierra was almost entirely made of glass, which meant passengers at the back could not let in the breeze (or spit out paan, as some observed). The Sierra was aimed at those who love to drive out of the city limits and enjoy the surroundings. Therefore, it was decided to make the huge glass area for uninterrupted viewing. Uninterrupted viewing also meant uninterrupted sunshine in the Indian summers. Telco tried to correct this by tinting the glass as far as possible; but government regulations ruled out fully-tinted glass. Thus, the passengers at the back had no choice but to depend on the air-conditioner.

And that was a problem in itself. Although the Sierra was the first car to introduce air-conditioning for the rear seat, the small capacity diesel engine was not powerful enough to provide a good air-conditioning system for the large glass-house.

The air-conditioning and the glass sides apart, even the interiors of the Sierra didn’t find favour with customers. The interiors were boring: the box-shaped dashboard, for instance, was from another generation.

And the sheet metal extruded from manually-cut dies (as against computer aided design) meant the overall finish was not up to the mark.

It didn’t help that customers’ demands that the Sierra be upgraded were ignored. The loudest voices were for a five-door version of the Sierra.

However, the company did introduce a turbo-charged version of the engine, borrowed from the Safari, in what was rather-unimaginatively called Sierra Turbo in 1997 — perhaps a tad too late.

The cost factor aside, another reason for Telco’s decision to not tinker with the Sierra design was the change in its agenda. All the company’s resources were being shifted to the Indica, an all-new passenger car to be produced from an all-new assembly line.

The Tata Indica was launched in 1998. The same year, the company also launched another SUV, the Tata Safari. Obviously, it made more sense to focus on bringing out a classy-looking, four-door Safari rather than resurrect a model that never really had a passenger car appeal.

Re-engineering was a closed option, the focus had shifted to the Safari, but Telco wasn’t yet ready to give up on the Sierra. The company kept trying its luck by refreshing its communication strategy and changing the positioning in order to enhance its image and add that extra appeal.

The company launched the Sierra with the tag line “Takes the rough with the smooth”, targeted at young, upwardly mobile and high net-worth individuals. In 1998-99, the tag line changed to “It’s not owned. It’s possessed.” Finally, in 2001-02, the Sierra was placed on an all-new platform with the tag line “18 till I die”. Nothing helped. Even a last-ditch attempt of launching a limited, petrol version failed to resuscitate the Sierra.

The Sierra wasn’t a complete disaster. Because of its SUV appeal, the vehicle took a comfortable place in the export market. One reason for the Sierra’s success in Europe was the greater acceptance there for lifestyle vehicles. In the UK, the Sierra was called the Gurkha and local dealers aggressively pitted it against established brands with advertisements that read “Brand new Tata Gurkha, cheaper than a used Land Rover”. In Europe, the main markets for the car were France and Spain, where it sold under the Sport brand name.

The Sierra is a classic example of a good idea gone wrong…

(due credits to the original author)

vishnu7185 · 10th February 2009, 14:39

@asejwal : Good find. That includes the pros and cons of Sierra.

"Sierra was largely a driver’s or an individual’s car that had a one-to-one relationship with the owner." -- very true

We cannot compare it with Safari in terms of A/C or other comfort zone .. but it definitely hold up the credit that .. it was the first Indian SUV which featured lot of good facilities( though it required lot of enhancements at later stage)

Now guys we should start with Ownership reviews and this would help folks in deciding to go for a Sierra or not.

condor · 10th February 2009, 14:56

Quote:

asejwal

: In many ways, the Sierra was a front-runner.

An idea and a SUV that was much ahead of it's time. I have always thought of the Estate & the Sierra as a very early start by Tata in the Indian passenger car market. They should have developed these further, than reinventing their products. Additions could have been made (a-la Safari & Indica).

Come to think of it,
Product Range in early 90's : a pick-up, an estate, an SUV & and a MUV (a little later in 1995).
Product Range by end of 90's : a hatch, a SUV, a sedan & an estate, the same MUV.

All of these could have been evolved from the range they already had. And that pick-up has a styling that can put many a car of today to shame !

The Estate also had a comfort level far better than the competition. Tata did make the mistake of not turbo charging their diesel engines before they actually did. 1995 would have been an ideal time for that, I guess.

Quote:

asejwal

: For one, it introduced several features long before they became standard in passenger cars: power windows, power steering and tilt steering, central air conditioning and so on. None of the cars in the segment at the time — Maruti 800, Maruti 1000, Premier Padmini, the 118NE and Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador — had these features.

None of these were in the same segment as the Sierra : not even close

Quote:

asejwal

: (due credits to the original author)

Btw, how much credit of your post is due to the original author ? You need to quote the source !

asejwal · 10th February 2009, 16:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by condor

Btw, how much credit of your post is due to the original author ? You need to quote the source !

The post largely is mine...

And BTW, does it really matter - it's not 'copyrighted' and its the content which is contextual here.

Worry not, the content is 80% mine...

Spitfire · 10th February 2009, 16:06

Why is the Sierra being called "Bull"(pun intended) here?

Sierra sounds so much better

condor · 10th February 2009, 16:27

Quote:

asejwal

: the post largely is mine...

And BTW, does it really matter - it's not 'copyrighted' and its the content which is contextual here. .

Forum rules, my friend.

Do remember to read the rules section, in case you have missed it.

asejwal · 10th February 2009, 16:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by condor

Forum rules, my friend.

Do remember to read the rules section, in case you have missed it.

Many thanx for pointing it out to me...

.

However, you missed my last sentence - the content is 80% mine !!!

Sagi · 10th February 2009, 19:49

Its great going guys, I shall soon join you guys with my lovely beast, always wanted one, been searching for one from the past seven years. Finally 4 years back bought a LR Defender, after 3 and half years sold it for its well being, as i have been busy and was not able to take good care of the beast. I have located one sierra recently which has been well maintained, need to pick it fast and join you guys.

tazmaan · 11th February 2009, 16:24

I was a proud owner of a Tata Sierra Non Turbo as well once. Had done following mods on it.

1. Over Sized Pistons
2. Larger Radiator
3. FFE
4. Alloys
5. Complete chrome bull bar and side bars
6. Two tone leather seats and door panels.
7. ICE with Pioneer 4 ch amp and woofer.

Its sold now and said to be somewhere in Kerala. Its one of the best vehicles to drive. With Tilt steering , PS, PW, Super suspension, Loads of legroom its a great mile muncher. Had done 1.4 lac kms when we sold it. The engine was modified with oversized pistons after 90k kms.

I learned how to drive on this car, first GF, first kiss, first accident, and shared a lot more firsts with this car. I will always remember and miss this car. One day may be I will bring one back home.

I own an Innova, Qualis and Swift D now but still feel these cars are just cars. Sierra was a lot more than a car for me.

vishnu7185 · 16th February 2009, 16:47

Hey Guys

After a long wait for 1 month and 10 days .. my machine is out on road. I have also done the upholstery before i met with accident. I will post the new pics with interiors and also the job done.

ak916 · 16th February 2009, 19:27

Hey.. Sorry but am i late to the party? :-)

My chaar aana worth!! Tata sierra isnt a regular vehicle. Its something beyond. Its like owning an RD and then have to talk to a HH CD 100 owner about mileage and ease of maintenance. pah...

Once you are inside a Sierra, nothing else matters. period.

Once you get out of it, nothing else impresses. period.

What I have noticed is, that when you are driving a Sierra, the other road users suddenly learn to follow traffic rules, never ever..ever.. evvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrr cut into your lane. Heck, they dont even honk. There is something about this ... this thing... It cant be explained, has to be experienced.

vishnu7185 · 17th February 2009, 09:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by ak916

Hey.. Sorry but am i late to the party? :-)
What I have noticed is, that when you are driving a Sierra, the other road users suddenly learn to follow traffic rules, never ever..ever.. evvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrr cut into your lane. Heck, they dont even honk. There is something about this ... this thing... It cant be explained, has to be experienced.

This is indeed very true ak. It really need experience to even agree to it

.

Post the pics of your machine man.

10th February 2009, 10:27	#61
govigov Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Cochin!!!!! Posts: 1,722 Thanked: 1,160 Times View My Garage	initially i wanted to pick up a sierra as well. but was advised by the forum members that it was a white elephant to maintain. so did not get it. i am just thinking how nice ti would be to own a sierra, damn, should have bought one.
	() Thanks

10th February 2009, 14:06	#64
asejwal BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Delhi/Gurga Posts: 112 Thanked: 27 Times	Let me clear a few misconceptions about the Sierra. Both the Standard and the Turbo versions are a gem of a vehicle and were grossly misunderstood. The car was launched in 1991 and was phased out a decade later. Even so, the foray can’t be called a failure. In many ways, the Sierra was a front-runner. For one, it introduced several features long before they became standard in passenger cars: power windows, power steering and tilt steering, central air conditioning and so on. None of the cars in the segment at the time — Maruti 800, Maruti 1000, Premier Padmini, the 118NE and Hindustan Motors’ Ambassador — had these features. There were several unique features as well — a two-door body that had more to do with lifestyle appeal than a staid, passenger car look. It was not a conventional-looking passenger car. Sierra was designed more on the lines of a sports utility vehicle (SUV). It was seen more as a lifestyle vehicle. Incidentally, Sierra was also the first diesel vehicle to be accepted as a personal car in India. Despite these innovations, the Sierra ran out of gas very soon. It was ahead of its time, both in terms of technology and looks. The Tata Sierra didn’t win any awards for its innovative design, but it did come in for a lot of flak. The biggest hurdle was the car’s two-door concept. The Indian market is still not ready for a car with just two doors unless it’s a small, compact two-seater. And the two-door Sierra (classified as a five-seater) was launched years ago. The Sierra may have been a tad too futuristic for Indian consumers. It was too advanced for its time. A two-door version is any day more attractive to look at, because it’s considered stylish designing. Sierra was largely a driver’s or an individual’s car that had a one-to-one relationship with the owner. Families did not take to the two-door concept: the dual door design made both entry and exit awkward for those travelling in the Sierra. For instance, if a passenger had to sit in the rear seat, he would need to bend the front seat and then roll it forward before climbing in. Worse, some passengers would rather sit with the driver in the front passenger seat than go through the trouble of clambering into the back. For those who were used to chauffeur-driven vehicles, these indignities were not easily overlooked. Yet another blooper was the lack of windows in the rear area. The back of the Sierra was almost entirely made of glass, which meant passengers at the back could not let in the breeze (or spit out paan, as some observed). The Sierra was aimed at those who love to drive out of the city limits and enjoy the surroundings. Therefore, it was decided to make the huge glass area for uninterrupted viewing. Uninterrupted viewing also meant uninterrupted sunshine in the Indian summers. Telco tried to correct this by tinting the glass as far as possible; but government regulations ruled out fully-tinted glass. Thus, the passengers at the back had no choice but to depend on the air-conditioner. And that was a problem in itself. Although the Sierra was the first car to introduce air-conditioning for the rear seat, the small capacity diesel engine was not powerful enough to provide a good air-conditioning system for the large glass-house. The air-conditioning and the glass sides apart, even the interiors of the Sierra didn’t find favour with customers. The interiors were boring: the box-shaped dashboard, for instance, was from another generation. And the sheet metal extruded from manually-cut dies (as against computer aided design) meant the overall finish was not up to the mark. It didn’t help that customers’ demands that the Sierra be upgraded were ignored. The loudest voices were for a five-door version of the Sierra. However, the company did introduce a turbo-charged version of the engine, borrowed from the Safari, in what was rather-unimaginatively called Sierra Turbo in 1997 — perhaps a tad too late. The cost factor aside, another reason for Telco’s decision to not tinker with the Sierra design was the change in its agenda. All the company’s resources were being shifted to the Indica, an all-new passenger car to be produced from an all-new assembly line. The Tata Indica was launched in 1998. The same year, the company also launched another SUV, the Tata Safari. Obviously, it made more sense to focus on bringing out a classy-looking, four-door Safari rather than resurrect a model that never really had a passenger car appeal. Re-engineering was a closed option, the focus had shifted to the Safari, but Telco wasn’t yet ready to give up on the Sierra. The company kept trying its luck by refreshing its communication strategy and changing the positioning in order to enhance its image and add that extra appeal. The company launched the Sierra with the tag line “Takes the rough with the smooth”, targeted at young, upwardly mobile and high net-worth individuals. In 1998-99, the tag line changed to “It’s not owned. It’s possessed.” Finally, in 2001-02, the Sierra was placed on an all-new platform with the tag line “18 till I die”. Nothing helped. Even a last-ditch attempt of launching a limited, petrol version failed to resuscitate the Sierra. The Sierra wasn’t a complete disaster. Because of its SUV appeal, the vehicle took a comfortable place in the export market. One reason for the Sierra’s success in Europe was the greater acceptance there for lifestyle vehicles. In the UK, the Sierra was called the Gurkha and local dealers aggressively pitted it against established brands with advertisements that read “Brand new Tata Gurkha, cheaper than a used Land Rover”. In Europe, the main markets for the car were France and Spain, where it sold under the Sport brand name. The Sierra is a classic example of a good idea gone wrong… (due credits to the original author) Attached Thumbnails
	(4) Thanks

10th February 2009, 14:39	#65
vishnu7185 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Trivandrum/Bangalore/London Posts: 89 Thanked: 10 Times	@asejwal : Good find. That includes the pros and cons of Sierra. "Sierra was largely a driver’s or an individual’s car that had a one-to-one relationship with the owner." -- very true We cannot compare it with Safari in terms of A/C or other comfort zone .. but it definitely hold up the credit that .. it was the first Indian SUV which featured lot of good facilities( though it required lot of enhancements at later stage) Now guys we should start with Ownership reviews and this would help folks in deciding to go for a Sierra or not.
	() Thanks

10th February 2009, 16:06	#68
Spitfire BANNED Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Panaji - Goa/Bangalore - Karnataka Posts: 3,313 Thanked: 777 Times	Why is the Sierra being called "Bull"(pun intended) here? Sierra sounds so much better
	() Thanks

10th February 2009, 19:49	#71
Sagi Newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2 Thanked: 0 Times	Its great going guys, I shall soon join you guys with my lovely beast, always wanted one, been searching for one from the past seven years. Finally 4 years back bought a LR Defender, after 3 and half years sold it for its well being, as i have been busy and was not able to take good care of the beast. I have located one sierra recently which has been well maintained, need to pick it fast and join you guys.
	() Thanks

11th February 2009, 16:24	#72
tazmaan BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 929 Thanked: 3,423 Times View My Garage	I was a proud owner of a Tata Sierra Non Turbo as well once. Had done following mods on it. 1. Over Sized Pistons 2. Larger Radiator 3. FFE 4. Alloys 5. Complete chrome bull bar and side bars 6. Two tone leather seats and door panels. 7. ICE with Pioneer 4 ch amp and woofer. Its sold now and said to be somewhere in Kerala. Its one of the best vehicles to drive. With Tilt steering , PS, PW, Super suspension, Loads of legroom its a great mile muncher. Had done 1.4 lac kms when we sold it. The engine was modified with oversized pistons after 90k kms. I learned how to drive on this car, first GF, first kiss, first accident, and shared a lot more firsts with this car. I will always remember and miss this car. One day may be I will bring one back home. I own an Innova, Qualis and Swift D now but still feel these cars are just cars. Sierra was a lot more than a car for me. Attached Thumbnails
	() Thanks

16th February 2009, 16:47	#73
vishnu7185 BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Trivandrum/Bangalore/London Posts: 89 Thanked: 10 Times	Hey Guys After a long wait for 1 month and 10 days .. my machine is out on road. I have also done the upholstery before i met with accident. I will post the new pics with interiors and also the job done. Last edited by vishnu7185 : 16th February 2009 at 17:04.
	() Thanks

16th February 2009, 19:27	#74
ak916 BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore/Hyder Posts: 315 Thanked: 307 Times	Hey.. Sorry but am i late to the party? :-) My chaar aana worth!! Tata sierra isnt a regular vehicle. Its something beyond. Its like owning an RD and then have to talk to a HH CD 100 owner about mileage and ease of maintenance. pah... Once you are inside a Sierra, nothing else matters. period. Once you get out of it, nothing else impresses. period. What I have noticed is, that when you are driving a Sierra, the other road users suddenly learn to follow traffic rules, never ever..ever.. evvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeerrrrrr cut into your lane. Heck, they dont even honk. There is something about this ... this thing... It cant be explained, has to be experienced.
	() Thanks