Tata Sierra Short Review: What We Liked & What Needs To Improve

New platform, new-age design, new trim, new tech and even some new engines and transmissions. It’s almost ironic how one of Tata’s most historic names is giving us a look into the brand’s product line future. One that seems more exciting and unique but with some old habits that need to go away immediately.

What Is The Tata Sierra?

It’s a 4.3 metre long compact SUV based on Tata’s new monocoque chassis platform called ARGOS (built for cars 4.3-4.6 metres long). This platform is all-wheel drive-ready and can support new components driven by SDVs or software defined vehicles. It’s also multi-powertrain compliant, ready for petrol, diesel, CNG or even hybridisation (mild-hybrid or fully-self charging hybrid has yet to be specified). While the car is all-wheel drive capable, the drive option itself is still only being considered and is in development as of December 2025.

Given its size, it competes with a cavalcade of other SUVs including the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara and Victoris, Honda Elevate, Toyota Hyryder, Skoda Kushaq and Volkswagen Taigun.

When the original Sierra was launched in 1991, it was a relatively rudimentary SUV based on a truck’s ladder-frame chassis. While it offered features such as power windows or power steering which were a rarity at the time, its biggest draw was its design. It brought to life the concept of a lifestyle SUV, decades before such a segment even existed.

Today’s Sierra has no connection to that car, but if there’s one thing that is its biggest highlight; it’s design.

Tata Sierra Looks

Tata has actively chosen not to recreate the original but borrow some key elements while developing a contemporary new styling language. It’s clean, attention-grabbing and minimalist in a way that’s rarely seen outside of luxury car designs. The front DRL strip and tail light, for example, are single piece units which help make the look cleaner.

Similarly, Tata’s done away with exposed window garnishes to lend the side profile a cleaner look and even the rear wiper hides being the spoiler. Thanks to this and the fact that it stands taller and wider than most rivals in the segment, the Sierra looks bigger than it actually is. At 2730mm, the wheelbase is less than half an inch short of the Tata Harrier’s! 

Other Talking Points

It’s big on showing off its metal (literally), it’s big on wheelbase and even gets big 19-inch alloy wheels in the higher variants. Opt for colours like Andaman Adventure (Yellow), Munnar Mist (Green-Grey) or Bengal Rouge (Red) and the styling package of the Sierra pops beautifully. 

Tata Sierra Boot

It’s big here too. At 622 litres, the Sierra has plenty of space to fit big suitcases even with the parcel tray in place. There’s a slot between the backrest and boot to slide the parcel tray in as well which is thoughtful and very handy. The space saver spare tyre is in the undercarriage though.

Tata Sierra Space & Quality

Let’s just say it puts its wheelbase to good use. A six-footer can sit behind his own driving position with about 5-inches of knee room to spare. Passengers even taller than that will also be comfortable with enough headroom for people who are tall or wear headgear like turbans.

The front passenger’s seat has a lever for backseat owners to adjust it when needed and once you push the seat all the way ahead, there’s a LOT of room to stretch out. The cabin’s also wide enough to seat three users of an average build in relative comfort.

In the front seat, most users will find seating space and comfort to be strong. The seats are large in size and even come with extendable under-thigh support for added comfort. However, users who are exceptionally tall (read: over ~6.2ft or so) will find their knees either too close to the dashboard or digging into it. This is more pronounced in the front passenger’s seat. 

Yes, this can be a deal-breaker for those who wouldn’t face an issue like this in most other segment rivals, save for the Honda Elevate.

Finish quality is rich across the board, complemented by the lounge-like premium cabin styling. Fitment quality, however, has odd gaps. The floating door armrests don’t feel solid enough, some cars we tested had loose trim and we hope they’re ironed out before customer deliveries begin.

Tata Sierra Tech-Bomb!

First, the premium essentials - ventilated front seats, a huge panoramic sunroof, powered-driver’s seat with 3 memory settings and dual-zone climate control with rear AC vents. The infotainment screens make a big part of the tech package:

Tata also offers the Sierra with a 12-speaker JBL black music system that includes a soundbar that’s integrated into the central console and is a design element (and a crucial one at that). Sound quality is very strong and Dolby Atmos does a great job of showing off sounds that have been recorded specifically for it.

Tata Sierra Drive & Ride

1.5-litre Naturally-Aspirated Petrol: Untested by Zigwheels but will be a popular option. This engine should deliver smooth and convenient city driving with short-gearing to match up to its strong on paper torque delivery. It will also be more fuel-efficient than the turbo-petrol in heavy traffic conditions.

1.5-litre Turbo-Petrol: Refined, smooth and responsive to drive. This engine has an eagerness we’ve never seen from a Tata car in recent years and can manage the 0-100kmph sprint in 9.5-10 seconds. Offered only with an automatic transmission (torque-converter), it’s an enjoyable car to drive daily and manages turbo-lag well. High speed performance will delight and while the transmission isn’t as quick as the DCTs many rivals offer, it is smooth and offers seamless shifts in most driving scenarios.

1.5-litre Turbo-Diesel: The core note: this engine prefers a laid-back approach to driving. It’s not as rev-happy or responsive as Hyundai-Kia’s 1.5-litre diesel but offers good usability and grunt. Gear changes aren’t as smooth as they are in the turbo-petrol but we have no complaints viz usability.

Ride Quality: A big strong point on the Sierra. There is a firm edge to it i.e. it isn’t as soft or cushy as the Creta or Elevate at low speeds but bump absorption is strong. The suspension doesn’t crash through sharp bumps and even with the segment’s biggest wheels, the Sierra feels plenty rugged. High-speed stability is impressive too, and the Sierra feels confidence-inspiring through quick lane switches (as in emergency swerves) or hard/panic braking maneuvers. 

Tata Sierra Safety

Standard safety features on the 2025 Tata Sierra include: 

• 6 airbags

• ABS with EBD

• ISOFIX Child Seat Mounts

• Electronic Stability Programme

• Rear Parking Sensors

• Seatbelt Reminders 

Higher variants add features such as a knee airbag, hill descent control, a highline tyre pressure monitoring system and front parking sensors. The Sierra also gets a high-resolution 360-degree camera.

Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) is available only with the fully-loaded Accomplished+ variant. Features include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert (among many others). Like we’ve experienced in other Tata cars, calibration of the ADAS seems to be done well as per Indian conditions.

Features like adaptive cruise control are suitable for use in light highway traffic though they can seem a touch too brake happy in heavy traffic. Rear collision warning also goes off way too easily and flashes the hazard lights every time a biker approaches you from behind. If you have a lot of highway use, ADAS is a feature worth investing in.

As of December 2025, the Tata Sierra doesn’t have an official crash test rating from Bharat NCAP.

To Summarise 

The Tata Sierra could have been an easy way out. Tata’s marketing has always been among the best and they could’ve sold you on emotion and called it a day. Thankfully, Tata chose to not just push the envelope but the whole post office. The attention to detail in design on the inside and out shows. The choice to engineer a new and future-proof platform and the tech unlocks that come with it also shows.  

For all intents and purposes, Tata could’ve called this car anything else and it would still stand out as a push for the segment to do something different than what it has done so far.

But this car is called Sierra - meaning it’s the biggest legacy play that Tata has and probably will have. Simply put, it has to function as intended. Customer cars cannot have issues like we faced in our media drive - glitching headlights and indicators, loose upholstery on the dashboard, broken powered tailgate button, flimsy-feeling door armrests and even an indicator chime that’s off rhythm. Such niggles have no place in 2015, let alone 2025. 

Tata’s already shown us how we can see the Sierra in a whole new way. It’s time for the Sierra to change how we look at Tata cars as well.