Future Tata Sierra with Impact 2.0 design: This is what it could look like!

Tata Motors’ design head, Pratap Bose, has revealed that the Sierra and Sumo are two cars he’d like to revive, but  with modern twists to make them acceptable in current market conditions.

The Sierra was an iconic 3 door SUV that  Tata Motors sold in the 1990s. Here is a render by CarToq’s artist Vipin Vathoopan that shows what a modern day Tata Sierra, based on Tata Motors’ new Impact 2.0 design language, could look like.

As the render indicates, the new Sierra gets the new Impact 2.0 front end design while the rear gets the large glass  house and styling details the original model featured. The three door layout is retained, and this gives the next- generation Sierra distinct appeal as a lifestyle SUV. There’s nothing like this on sale in the Indian market, and if the Tata Sierra comes back in this form, it could be quite a niche offering. And this is also why Tata Motors may not  do a three door Sierra, instead opting for a more conventional five door model.

The original Tata Sierra was a three door SUV with a massive glass house. While the design looked striking, it was  not very practical for daily use as passengers wanting to access the rear seat had to squeeze themselves in through  the front doors. This made the Tata Sierra a very niche, lifestyle vehicle – something that Tata Motors may want to  move away from in the comeback version of the SUV.

Currently, Tata Motors does not have a Hyundai Creta-sized compact SUV. The Nexon is a sub-4 meter offering while the upcoming Harrier will be positioned closer to the Jeep Compass than the Creta. This leaves a big gap between the Nexon and Harrier, a gap that could be filled by the Tata Sierra’s spiritual successor. Considering that the original  Sierra was also a compact SUV, it will be fitting that the comeback model is positioned similarly.

For the new Sierra, Tata Motors is likely to use the same platform that underpins the Harrier – OMEGA. The OMEGA  platform is derived from the Land Rover D8 platform. The OMEGA platform has been made more affordable by using high tensile steel instead of aluminium. The platform is modular, which means that a variety of wheelbases are possible. The new Sierra could be much smaller than the Harrier, both in terms of wheelbase and overall length.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Next-Gen Tata Sumo with Impact 2.0 Design!

We expect the new Tata Sierra to be sold with both front wheel drive and all-wheel drive layouts. This will allow the  new vehicle to have an element of lifestyle appeal and ruggedness – two attributes that were synonymous with the  original Sierra. Considering that the new Tata Sierra – if green lit for production – is at least 2-3 years away,  expect petrol-hybrid and electric options to be the main powertrains on offer.

Both manual and automatic gearboxes could be offered on the new vehicle. Expect a minimal interior design, similar to what the H5X (the concept version of the Harrier) showcased. The original Tata Sierra was feature-rich, and there’s  no reason why the new model will be any different. Compliance with Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms and BNVSAP (Bharat New Vehicle Safety Assessment Program) safety norms are a given.