The Tata Sierra was one of the OG lifestyle SUVs but today it has transcended into a whole new dimension and here is why it has captured the hearts of more than 50,000 people
I distinctly remember being ecstatic in the early 2000s because I finally had the keys to India’s first modern lifestyle SUV, the Tata Sierra. We fitted our Sierra with wider tyres, chunky alloys, leather upholstery, and a music system loud enough to vibrate the entire glasshouse. It was not just a vehicle; it was a style statement, and over the years, nothing as it existed. That was until the end of 2025, when Tata Motors launched the new Sierra, and at that moment, nostalgia flooded my heart and mind. I was at the launch, and it made me emotional knowing that a legend that once stood in my driveway has returned. The new Sierra is not just a modern take on the OG Sierra; it pays homage to the classic design while elevating the overall experience with technology and practicality that extend to its powertrain options.
So, when the opportunity came to spend a few days with the entire Sierra family, I was overjoyed because it was a chance to experience not one, not two, not even three, but four Sierra models, each with a very unique and distinct personality. I wasted no time and ended up in Mumbai for my personalised experience with the Tata Sierra. I was mesmerised by what I was looking at, a brand-new Sierra in Bengal Rouge dual-tone, gleaming in the soft radiance of the morning sun with Mumbai city as its backdrop. It looked straight out of a commercial. I quickly stepped into the well-finished cabin that welcomed me with a whiff of that new-car smell and a dashboard adorned with triple screens, premium materials, and a very modern-looking steering wheel. The OG Sierra’s dashboard was minimal, but here I was in the new Sierra, which comes packed with comfortable seating, a JBL sound system with Dolby Atmos, which, unlike the system I had in my Sierra, focuses on an immersive audio experience rather than creating a mini earthquake. However, the main highlight of this Sierra was its heart.
For the first time in my life, I was experiencing a Sierra with a petrol heart, and I have to say that the 1.5-litre Revotron engine, producing 106 hp and 145 Nm, is smooth, linear, and tractable. Tata Motors has done an excellent job of providing it with the seven-speed DCA transmission, which goes from cog to cog seamlessly and faster than you can think. I can go on and on about this engine, which also comes with a six-speed manual transmission; however, it was now time to put the Sierra Revotron through its paces in Mumbai. Driving the Revotron from the Gateway of India, outside the world-famous Taj Mahal Hotel, I realised how well-engineered the Sierra is, as it handled the broken roads in the narrow lanes with utmost ease. From there, I headed to Marine Drive for a mandatory Mumbai skyline darshan before experiencing the smoothness and linearity of the Revotron engine and the DCA gearbox on the smooth Mumbai Coastal Road and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. I have to mention that it’s not just the Sierra’s powertrain that makes it great, but also its design, because in Bandra, a kid on his bicycle approached us and started appreciating the Sierra, reminding me of my childhood when I would also do that whenever I saw a Sierra out in the wild.
The Sierra Revotron is excellent in the city thanks to the DCA gearbox’s convenience and the engine’s smoothness. However, it was time to head to Pune, and for that I met the Sierra that truly took me back in time: the Sierra with a 1.5-litre Kryojet diesel engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. This Sierra brought back memories that were imprinted in my mind mainly because of its torque, all 260 Nm of it, which is of course aided by the healthy 118 hp. Heading out of the city was a happy experience as I left the Sierra Revotron behind and continued towards home in the Sierra Kryojet. To my surprise, the chassis and suspension of the Sierra Kryojet behaved just like those of the Revotron, despite the diesel engine being slightly heavier. But the cherry on top was the diesel engine’s smoothness and the torque that effortlessly propelled me from slow city speeds to highway speeds in no time, with minimal effort. On the way to Pune, I experienced the excellence of the Atal Setu and the Mumbai-Pune Connecting Link, roads that have reduced the travel time between the two mega cities, and the Sierra Kryojet’s effortless cruising ability introduced comfort to that very equation. Plus, the 150-odd kilometres I covered from Mumbai to Pune were done using very little diesel, as the fuel gauge had hardly dropped by 20 per cent. Now that is how efficient the Kryojet diesel engine with a manual gearbox really is. And Tata Motors also offers the diesel engine with an automatic gearbox that takes the convenience of covering long distances to a whole different level.
Once in Pune, I was craving some fun, but the conditions were strict: it had to be in a Tata Sierra, and for that I had the Sierra with the 1.5-litre Hyperion engine mated to a six-speed automatic transmission at my disposal. With temptation trumping everything else, I headed for the hills outside the city, and this is where the excitement levels went through the roof. You see, the 1.5-litre Hyperion is a turbocharged engine producing 160 hp and 255 Nm, making it one of the most powerful engines in the segment. Combine that with the convenience of a six-speed automatic, and you have the perfect recipe for fun.
The Sierra Hyperion is for those discerning individuals who live for excitement, as the well-balanced chassis, based on the TATA ARGOS platform, and the finely tuned Frequency-Dependent Damping suspension setup give it the ride quality and handling that are hard to get right, and Tata Motors has nailed that brief. Plus, the steering setup and the comfortable seats with modern-day amenities made the Sierra Hyperion the perfect companion for me to have some fun in the twisties. However, I was looking forward to a challenge, and that came when I was handed the smart key of the Tata Sierra.ev, which has brought the future to the present.
My trip started early in the morning from the Car India headquarters, and soon I was on my way to the notorious state highways, but I wasn’t worried because I was in the Tata Sierra.ev QWD. This is not just another EV because the Sierra.ev takes things to the next level with its dual motors, 306 hp and 504 Nm, making it the most powerful Sierra in history. Plus, the 75-kWh battery pack, which promises a range of almost 500 km on Tata’s C75 cycle, lets you forget range anxiety. It has all the excellence I experienced in the ICE versions, with the added convenience of EV features such as vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-vehicle charging. So, my 300 km journey from Pune to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar went by like a breeze thanks to the comfortable cabin, a truckload of technologies inside, and a powerful electric powertrain that got me there without hesitation. As I reached the Ellora Caves, just outside Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, I realised how far Tata Motors has come in terms of technology and engineering, as the Sierra brand encompasses four different powertrains that have found more than 50,000 homes and continue to add to that number each month. My first experience with the OG Sierra was nothing short of epic; however, the new Sierra just proved to me that icons can come back stronger, and the four very distinct Sierras I experienced stand as a testament to the trust tens of thousands of customers have placed in the brand. It truly remains a legend!
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