2025 Tata Sierra Turbo-petrol Driven: Is It Really Fun To Drive?

Even before Tata revealed the 2025 Sierra, the carmaker showcased a new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine at the Bharat Mobility Expo. We knew from the start that the 2025 Tata Sierra will come equipped with this new unit, and at the recent first drive of the compact SUV, we got to experience this engine. You can also check out this story for the variant-wise breakup of all powertrains.

How does this engine drive, how does the transmission behave, and is it fun to drive like its competitors? We have answered all your questions here:

Well Refined

The first thing we noticed about this engine was its refinement. As soon as we started the car, we noticed the low amount of vibrations while idling. Even while driving, vibrations were kept to a minimum, and the good cabin insulation keeps any unnecessary noise out.

While driving, the power delivery feels smooth, there is no sudden jerk while moving it from a standstill, and the acceleration is quick but linear.

Easy Traffic Commutes

With a lot of turbo-petrol engines, you have to be careful in traffic. Sometimes the sudden surge in power as the turbo spools can hamper a smooth drive. However, in the case of the Sierra, you don’t experience this.

The throttle has been calibrated in a way where moving from a standstill or driving in stop-and-go traffic does not require a lot of effort. With gentle acceleration, you can easily move at traffic speeds, and even while accelerating to slightly increase speeds, you don’t feel a sudden surge of power which can take you by surprise.

Punchy When You Want It

Yes, the acceleration is linear which does not take you by surprise, but it also packs enough power to give you a fun to drive experience. With 160 PS and 255 Nm, it has the highest output figures in the segment, and that shows when you start driving.

Overtakes feel effortless, it gains speed in no time, and the acceleration keeps you excited and engaged. The punchy nature of this engine comes in when you stop holding back, and driving on open highways will become thrilling. 

The only downside of this performance is a low fuel efficiency, which is expected from a turbo-petrol engine.

Buttery Smooth Shifts

This turbo-petrol engine is available only with a 6-speed torque converter automatic and there is no manual gearbox on offer. This transmission offers a smooth drive experience as it changes gears calmly without giving you a sudden jerk. It also remains on the right gear for peak performance and downshifts when you want to quickly overtake someone.

However, it does not feel as quick and as responsive as a DCT (dual-clutch automatic transmission), and if you have driven a turbo-petrol DCT, then the Sierra turbo automatic will feel a bit slow when you’re pushing it.

Paddle Shifters Need To Be Better

Paddle shifters in automatic cars offer you the ability to change gears manually and they also make it look cool. The Sierra turbo-petrol comes with these shifters and they do allow you to change gears whenever you want to. However, they feel a little conservative and slow, which takes some of the fun out.

They also don’t allow you to perform aggressive downshiting, which does feel like a miss considering paddle shifters have been associated with racing, and with this engine, the execution of these shifters should have been better.

Here is everything we felt and concluded after driving the Tata Sierra turbo-petrol. Would you pick this engine even at the compromise of fuel efficiency? Let us know in the comments below. Also checkout our story on the driving experience of the Tata Sierra Diesel AT.