Tata Sierra EV

Tata has clearly resisted the urge to reinvent the Sierra's design language while going electric, and honestly, that's the right call.

• The grille area is blanked off, replaced with a body-coloured trim spanning the width of the car. A connected LED DRL light bar sits right above horizontal LED headlamps, giving the face a clean, wide look. The DRL even throws in welcome and goodbye animations also.
  
• The retro-cool boxy silhouette is its ICE version design continuation, complete with flush-fitting door handles. These are manual rather than auto pop-out, so you pull them out yourself in a two-step process. That’s functional of course, but not quite matching the premium feel elsewhere in the cabin.
• Features like connected LED tail lamps, a flat tailgate, integrated spoiler and a shark fin antenna truly resemble its ICE sibling. The only real giveaway is the Sierra.ev badging on the doors and tailgate.
• It rides on 19-inch alloys with EV-specific aero inserts, which gives it a planted, road-hugging stance. They help cut down drag, which matters when you're chasing every extra kilometre of range.
  
• Ground clearance is decent 205mm, tall enough to handle rough patches with no stress. This especially becomes relevant once you take this SUV off the beaten path.

Looking from inside clarifies that Tata wanted this cabin to feel like a step up from the ICE Sierra.

• The dashboard is all covered by a triple-screen setup: three 12.3-inch displays for the instrument cluster, infotainment and a screen for the co-passenger. The setup is available on the top variant only. Lower trims get two screens, still a solid combination.
• Piano black trim surrounds the console and door pads and might look premium on day one. But scratches show up almost immediately, a common gripe with this finish across most modern cars, not just this one.
  
• A wireless charging pad sits ahead of the gear selector with a small cubby that keeps your phone from sliding around while charging. This is a small but genuinely useful bit of thoughtful design.
• The sunroof opens unusually wide for this segment which is electrically controlled. For those who value it, this adds a sense of airiness that's hard to ignore once you're inside.
• Seat upholstery comes in white rather than the usual black, paired with soft-touch, leatherette-style ventilated seats which is comfortable overall. Though noticeably missing any lumbar support, even after a short drive.
• Rear legroom stands out as genuinely best-in-segment, with added thigh support that most rivals in this price bracket simply don't offer.

Tata has clearly gone all-in on tech here, and a couple of features genuinely stand out as class-leading rather than just checkbox additions.

• Alongside the standard key, Tata offers an NFC card to lock and unlock the car. This is a neat convenience feature, though the physical key's design itself feels like an area Tata could improve.
• Android Auto here does something that hasn’t been seen from any other car in India. It communicates directly with the vehicle's charge status, so route planning automatically factors in charging stops along the way. Genuinely useful and impressive to see this early.
• Drive Pay acts as a single wallet for EV charging which lets you pay across networks - not just Tata's own chargers . Recharging is simply via UPI, without having a dozen separate charging apps. This is the kind of real-world problem solving EV owners have needed for a while.
  
• The HUD is a welcome addition, though it's limited to the top two variants only. Blind-spot warning is also quite intuitive, clearly flashing an alert whenever a vehicle sits in your blind zone on the highway.
• Terrain modes include snow, mud, sand and a custom setting. This is a useful feature, where particularly “mud” mode proves well-calibrated for loose, uneven surfaces.
• Dual-zone climate control maintains the inside temperature efficiently, although the temperature slider is entirely touch-based without any physical buttons, which makes it fiddly to adjust while driving. On the plus side, you get an air purifier with an ionizer and memory function, along with an electronically adjustable passenger seat.
   

The powertrain setup here throws up a genuinely odd twist, and it's one worth flagging upfront rather than burying in a spec sheet.

• Both battery packs (63kWh and 75kWh) use LFP chemistry with prismatic cells rather than cylindrical ones. This move is definitely done for longer durability and thermal stability, and something Tata deserves credit for getting right early.
• Oddly, the smaller 63kWh pack's rear motor produces 238PS, while the larger 75kWh pack's equivalent single-motor setup makes only 209PS. It's a strange strategy, though it didn't noticeably hurt real-world drivability in any way.
  
• The quad-wheel drive (QWD) dual-motor setup is offered exclusively with the 75kWh pack. The torque distribution between the front and rear motors happens automatically. There's no manual control to set all-wheel drive by yourself, it simply engages when extra traction is needed.
• Power delivery in everyday driving (especially in traffic) feels effortlessly linear rather than jumpy, which makes the car easy to live with in stop-start city conditions.
• Acceleration feels properly quick once you get moving, with that instant EV shove. For driving enthusiasts, this one is quite rewarding and satisfying.
  

This is where the Sierra EV genuinely impresses and it's arguably the strongest part of the entire package.

• Suspension is independent at both ends, tuned distinctly on the softer side. This is exactly the setup most Indian drivers actually prefer over a stiffer, more European tune. And it shows how comfortably the car soaks up bad roads.
• Despite the tall-boy body style, body control at triple-digit highway speeds is genuinely well-sorted. Maneuvers like quick lane changes don't unsettle the car as much as you'd expect from something this height. Although a slight body roll does creep in during sudden, aggressive lane changes.
• It offers the off-road experience truly impressively, handling a dirt track with real composure which buyers in this segment rarely get to experience. This is since all-wheel-drive options are uncommon at this price point.
• Steering is light and effortless around town, making the Sierra EV easy to manoeuvre in city traffic. Though it could also do with a touch more weight and sharpness once you're cruising at higher highway speeds.

Protection technology here goes a level beyond what most rivals offer in this segment.

• Level 2 ADAS comes standard on the top trims, covering essentials like blind-spot warning. A clear flash alerting whenever a vehicle sits in your blind zone which genuinely is useful during fast highway lane changes.
• A 540-degree surround-view camera setup adds an extra layer of confidence in tight parking situations and low-visibility manoeuvring. This is something that's increasingly expected but still appreciated when done well.
  
• The HUD keeps your eyes closer to the road by projecting key data like speed and alerts directly in your line of sight. This doubles-up as a safety aid too, though this remains limited to the top two variants only.

Pricing is done okayish although looking at some factors might feel like it may lose ground to its competitors.

• The base variant starts at around Rs. 18.9 lakh, but factor in insurance, registration and other on-road costs elevates figures close to Rs. 19.7 - 20 lakh. This price point for a base variant might corner it out from the other competitors offering less price.
• The QWD (dual-motor) setup is reserved for the top-end 75kWh variant only, meaning if all-wheel drive and off-road capability matter to you, you're looking at the more premium end of the lineup.
• We were hoping for a base price closer to Rs. 17 - 17.5 lakh, especially given how competitive this segment is getting. So, the current pricing pushes the Sierra EV into a slightly different, more premium bracket than expected.