Tata Xenon 2014 Review
Indian brand Tata tossed out the Myna bird among cheap Chinese pickups. It was relaunched in Australia this week with six Ute models ranging from $22,990 for a cab car to $29,990 for a four-door crew cab.
The starting price boldly puts Tata in the top spot. Chinese cars start at $17,990, while major Japanese brands regularly get deals on cab-and-chassis models priced at $19,990 or so.
Warranty is three years/100,000 km and service interval is 12 months or 15,000 km, whichever comes first. Roadside assistance is also provided free of charge for the first three years.
ENGINE / TECHNOLOGY
The Tata Xenon range is available with a single engine - a 2.2-liter turbodiesel - and a single transmission, a five-speed manual - with a choice of 4x2 or 4x4 transmissions.
The first 400 vehicles to go on sale this year do not have stability control, but are equipped with anti-lock brakes. Vehicles equipped with stability control begin arriving in January. Load capacities range from 880 kg for double cab models to 1080 kg for both cab and chassis models. The pulling force of all models is 2500 kg.
FUNCTIONS AND FEATURES
Only two airbags are available as standard (as with ute's Chinese rivals) and it's unclear when or if side airbags will be added. The rear seats do not have adjustable head restraints (and there are only two fixed head restraints), and the center seat only has a lap belt.
A rear camera, built-in touchscreen sat-nav, and Bluetooth audio streaming are available on all models in the $2400 accessory package, while Bluetooth and USB audio input are standard across the lineup.
DRIVING
The highlight of the new Xenon is a 2.2-litre Euro V turbocharged diesel engine designed and engineered by Tata with support from key suppliers. On a test drive in Melbourne this week ahead of the Xenon's showroom debut, the engine proved to be smooth and efficient.
Compared to other diesel models - from mainstream as well as newer brands - the Tata Xenon had almost no low-end power lag, was relatively refined and quiet, with good pulling power throughout the rev range.
This is a real highlight of the car and bodes well for the future when it is eventually installed in a completely new architecture. The five-speed manual transmission had reliable direct shifting. The brakes were fine.
Economy is an impressive 7.4L/100km and acceleration is better than expected, in part because the Xenon is smaller (and therefore lighter) than its newer competitors. The interior is a little cramped by today's standards, but is no different from previous generation models from major brands.
The rear grip is unreliable in the wet, and the stabilization system can't come on fast enough. But off-road, the Xenon's durability and excellent wheel articulation means it can negotiate obstacles that can leave some riders stranded.
VERDICT
Tata Xenon is likely to be most popular on farms at first, so the dealer network is initially focused on regional and rural areas.
HISTORY AND RIVALS
Tata vehicles have been sporadically sold in Australia since 1996 after a Queensland distributor began importing them primarily for farm use. It is estimated that there are already around 2500 Tata heavy pickups on Australian roads. But there are many more Indian-made cars on Australian roads, albeit with foreign badges.
Over the past four years, since 34,000, over 20 Indian-made Hyundai i10,000 hatchbacks and over 2009 Indian-made Suzuki Alto subcompacts have been sold in Australia.
But other cars of the Indian brand did not have such success. Australian sales of Mahindra cars and SUVs have been so weak that the distributor has yet to report them to the Federal Chamber of Motor Vehicles.
The original Mahindra ute received a poor two out of five stars in independent crash tests and was later upgraded to three stars after technical changes.
The Mahindra SUV is released with a four-star rating, while most cars get five stars. The new Tata ute line does not yet have a crash safety rating.
However, new car distributor Tata in Australia believes the origin of the cars will be a competitive advantage. “There is no harder place on earth to test vehicles than the tough and demanding roads of India,” said Tata Australia's newly appointed car distributor Darren Bowler of Fusion Automotive.
Tata Motors, India's largest automotive company, acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Company in June 2008 amid the global financial crisis.
The acquisition gave Tata access to Jaguar and Land Rover designers and engineers, but Tata has yet to launch a brand new model with their input.
The Tata Xenon ute was released in 2009 and is also sold in South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, the Middle East, Italy and Turkey. The Australian versions of the Xenon ute launched this week are the first RHD models to feature dual airbags and a Euro V compliant engine.
Pickup Tata Xenon
Price: From $22,990 per trip.
ENGINES: 2.2 liter turbodiesel (Euro V)
Power: 110 kW and 320 Nm
Economy: 7.4 l / 100 km
payload: from 880 kg to 1080 kg
towing capacity: 2500kg
Warranty: Three years/100,000 km
Service Intervals: 15,000 km / 12 months
safety: Dual airbags, anti-lock brakes (Stability Control coming next year, can't be retrofitted)
Safety Rating: No ANCAP rating yet.
