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Tata Xenon XT EX 4x4 road test : Lifestyle At Its Best

Tata has been the pioneer of Indian pickup trucks. The Tatamobile 206 was introduced a couple of decades ago. India's first pick-up was practical but lacked power steering, had no driver assist, hard seats; no luxury. Then came the Tata 207. The upgrades included better styling and a 2-litre indirect diesel injection engine used by Tata in its Sierra, Estate and its first Sumo. The 207 was popular as a goods transporter. It was succeeded by the 207 DI, with the 3.0-litre direct injection engine of the Tata 407 which had more power than the 2.0-litre engine. This engine was introduced to compete with the quicker Mahindra Bolero Camper pickup. The 207 and the Camper lacked luxury; therefore Mahindra introduced the Mahindra Scorpio Getaway, a pickup based on the Mahindra Scorpio. Tata already had their Tata Xenon XT, which was being exported to Thailand, the world’s second largest pickup market, so all they had to do was make the preparations necessary to launch it here.

Limited Slip Differential, 4x4, Peppy engine

Expensive

Comments on this road test (Latest 10 are shown)

Steeroid
on 30 Aug, 2009 at 01:12 PM

Ravi

The Xenon is too long for manouverability and for off-roading.  Break-over angles are compromised due to the long wheelbase and departure angles due to the rear overhang - both of these will be important if you're going offroad in hills.

It is otherwise a pretty competent machine - however it is more of a rough-road utility vehicle than an off-roader.  The Safari is a better offroader than the Xenon due to this.

You also mentioned worldly comforts - the rear seat is a bit of a squeeze and the vehicle uses leaf springs in the rear (its a pickup, after all) + the plastic quality you seem to want will not be found on this vehicle.

It will also be a pain in city with its extra-long length.  Buy the Xenon only if you intend it for farm use.

Ravi Shekhar
on 29 Aug, 2009 at 08:29 AM

Hello,

I’m thinking of buying Xenon, I know is a great vehicle to drive, but would like to know more about build quality, maneuverability  & comfort too. I’m looking for more details on spares, dealer experiences etc. I intend to use it to go off-roading to the hills from Delhi, but would like some worldly comforts too. I’m not a fan of the cheap plastics that’s being used on dashboards these days, hence any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Ravi

Sabareesh Moorthy
on 24 Aug, 2009 at 05:10 PM

 

The main advantage of a limited slip differential can be seen by considering the case of a standard (or "open") differential where one wheel has no contact with the ground at all. In such a case, the contacting wheel will remain stationary, and the non-contacting wheel will rotate freely—the torque transmitted will be equal at both wheels, but will not exceed the threshold of torque needed to move the vehicle, and thus the vehicle will remain stationary.

In everyday use on typical roads, such a situation is very unlikely, and so a normal differential suffices. For off-road vehicles, having a LSD helps getting better traction.

Anant
on 22 Aug, 2009 at 05:06 PM

Nice review! ,the vehicle has very good perfomence(0-100kmpr in 16sec reguarding its 2.5 tone wieght)   

When will reviwers stop writingUndecided, "the plactics could have been better" for Tata cars, hey its not the foult reviwersSmile, its the tata,s who have to improve that.

 

What is this? The Limited Slip Differential (LSD)"is a boon while off-roading."  

Charles
on 21 Aug, 2009 at 08:09 PM

Don't thank me - this test has been written by Rachit, our new kid on the block :)

K Venugopalan
on 21 Aug, 2009 at 05:10 PM

Charles, Thanks for a Nice & Very well written review.

Charles
on 21 Aug, 2009 at 04:31 PM
We drive Tata's lifestyle vehicle, the Xenon XT. Tata Xenon XT EX 4x4