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Tata Sumo Grande Mark II – Test Drive &
Review
Posted by TeamVicky under Sumo Grande MKII. 1 Comment
Introduction
Unlike the sumo, sumo grande didn’t went well with the customers. Adding to the Tata’s misery is the
success of its arch rival Mahindra’s MPV – XYlo. The failure of sumo Grande is attributed to its radical
styling and poor plastic quality. On the other hand,Toyota Innova the segment leader continued to lure
customers with its impeccable refinement and car like driving characteristics.

Mahindra’s Xylo manage to get a slot with its best-in-class comfort and convenience. Tata once a leader
in the utility segment wishes to regain its glory. The new upgraded version of sumo grande called sumo
grande mark II is here.
We have been witnessing great improvement in Tata vehicle’s quality (remember Indigo Manza), before
we checked out Sumo Grande Mark II, we expected the improvement in this line. Let’s see whether Sumo
Grande delivers!
Styling
Mark II resembles the Sumo Grande in larger sense. There are much difference in exterior styling. But on

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closer look, you can identify subtle treatment given to the exteriors. The grille gets a chrome treatment,
wing mirrors gets LED turn indicators and the chrome rubrails splits the side profile nicely. Sumo grande
also gets special alloy lookalike steel wheels All these changes though subtle gives sumo grande mark II
an upmarket look.

Contrary to the exterior, interiors gets spot-on changes. The new three spoke steering wheel, matt black
central console and new gear lever gives a two tone appearance. Steering wheel and gear stick are lifted
from Indica Vista. Overall the styling upgrade is nice but we wish sumo grande mark II got more.
Engine & Performance
Under the hood is the same 2.2L Dicor engine producing 120PS of maximum torque and 250Nm of max
torque. The 5-speed gearbox remains the same. However driveability gets a boost with revised final drive.
On the road, Sumo Grande Mark II feels little more driveable and pick-up is slightly better.

However the turbo lag is still there and the mid range punch is also not impressive. The five-speed
gearbox is primitive, with a long throw between gears and clunky transitions from gear to gear. The gear

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shifts are notchy. Sumo Grande Mark II hits a top whack of 145kmph and it reaches 60kmph from
standstill in just
Ride and Handling
Thankfully the lighter steering is carried over. Otherwise in the absence of parking sensors, driving this
beast in the crowded city could be cumbersome. Tata has revamped the suspension – the damping of front
double wishbone suspension and rear leaf spring gets retuned.

Floor mountings are also changed to arrest the vibration. Result the ride doesn’t get violent at high speeds
as in sumo grande. The handling is marginally improved. But the brakes lacks the bite and there is a
discernable body roll.
Ergonomics and Comfort
When the space is abudant, you don’t have to worry about anything. The boxy roof may look ugly from
outside but ensures ample headroom for all occupants. Getting in and out of sumo grande mark II is as
easy your living hall. The cumbersome third row access is now made easy with new spring loaded
mechanism.

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The roof mounted A/C vents can now be adjusted separately by 2nd and 3rd row occupants. Puddle lamps
are another welcome addition. Plastic Quality has improved a bit thanks to the use of soft plastics. Tata
has intelligently picked the black panels to deceive the eyes.
The glove box atleast closes now but still the fit and finish are far from best. The panel gaps are huge and
ugly and the latch of the rear hatch still hangs in the middle. The flimsy steering plastic is yet another
example of poor finish.
Features
Surprisingly even in the Mark II version, sumo grande lacks essential safety features like ABS and airbags.
The addition in the sumo grande mark II is the ipod compatible audio system.

Top of line safari GX comes wtih integrated MP3 player, power steering, fog lamps,rear demister,rear
wiper,central locking,height adjustable rear seat,engine immobiliser and power windows.
Colours and Price
Sumo Grande Mark II is available in seven colours (three new colours) – arctic white, walnut gold,mineral

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red (new) ,quartz black, platinum beige (new),arctic silver and castle grey (new).

Grand MK II Lx is priced Rs7,32,774, Grand MK II Ex is priced Rs7,72,614 and Grande Gx is priced
Rs8,52,762. Compared to sumo grande you can save Rs35,884 on buying Grande MK II Lx variant, save
Rs36,622 aon Grande MK II Ex variant and save Rs19,544 on Grande MK II Gx variant.
Verdict

Its not an all new vehicle. Even Tata don’t expect the sumo grande to top the sales of Innova or Xylo. The
objective of the upgrade (read Sumo Grande Mark II) is to jack-up the sales by a bit and join the fray.
With its attractive price tag, sumo grande mark II may find a way.

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1 Response to “Tata Sumo Grande Mark II – Test Drive & Review”

1 marinalobo Apr 13th, 2010 at 8:59 am

Some times we ignore the promotion freebies that come with the motor oil that we buy.. Recently i
bought a Castrol promotion pack for car but wasn’t informed by the dealer that the scratch card
offer to enter the lucky draw to go to South Africa World cup games and the dealer has assured
gifts that we can collect at the time of purchase. Make sure you ask your service dealers for the
contest details if you buy one in the near future and collect your assured gift

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