TATA / XENON
The Indian car maker's foray into the highly competitive pick-up market is not a genuine threat to existing players yet
RICHARD LEU
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Nice rear lights (just beware of the fence). |
Extra bench for short trips; extra-cab has no access panels. |
140hp 2.2-litre diesel goes well, but is unrefined. |
Interior design is purely functional; finish quality is poor. |
Rear-seat comfort better than many rival brands, but is also outdone by class-leaders. |
Any newcomer venturing into the Thai pick-up market needs guts to face up to the formidable presence of Japanese brands and back it up with adequate muscle in terms of marketing and financial support.
News of Tata making a comeback earlier this year - it was briefly represented in Thailand by another firm in the '90s - generated a lot of excitement considering it belonged to India's largest conglomerate that not long after bought Jaguar and Land Rover.
Executives at Tata have insisted their first product, the Xenon, was conceived and developed to cater to Thai tastes. It is being built at Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant which is also contracted to assemble cars for Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz.
Additionally, they claim to have held customer clinics prior to its launch when the Xenon was lined-up against rival brands and the consumers were asked to judge its appearance, to which they responded favourably.
That assessment seems to hold true following the Xenon's driving trials earlier this month and the feedback it generated in the local media.
The chunky wheel arches, under-tray diffuser up front and rear light clusters (beware of fences, though) all give the Xenon a distinctive appearance. That the Xenon only comes in high-body form is because it was originally conceived as a 4x4 for the European market, according to Tata.
But the Xenon isn't yet sold in Thailand with 4x4 hardware due weakened demand for mud-pluggers. That makes sense, but what is strangely troubling is that Tata is targeting fleet operators with this 4x2 high-body model (as if they need fashionable looks).
It appears as if Tata's marketing staff is conceding the Xenon's attributes aren't strong enough to match its competition, explaining why it is chasing sales in the lower end with prices starting from B539,000, which isn't necessarily the cheapest around.
"No, we aren't out to match the existing players," acknowledged an executive of the Indian-Thai joint venture where Thonburi Automotive is a minority shareholder with 30%.
Our doubts, however, were confirmed after driving the Xenon, despite the distinctive looks and competitive dimensions it offers over its competition.
While the idea of engine-downsizing has become the new norm in vehicle development, the Xenon's 2.2-litre inline-four turbo-diesel has room for improvement.
Performance isn't an issue; in fact, it is adequate enough to cope with its big package, that matches its rivals. But almost on all other fronts, the Xenon is found wanting.
Firstly, fuel economy isn't that outstanding. We recorded an average of 12kpl during a drive upcountry - something nearly all its competitors can do even with 3.0-litre engine, automatic transmission and 4x4 systems.
Secondly, refinement is lacking. You feel engine vibrations more than what you hear and there's the occasional drowning sound that emanated from the transmission in nearly all test vehicles during the driving trials.
And since we're on the topic of transmission, the unusually long gearings don't really match the Xenon's workhorse attitude.
So don't expect the Xenon to be capable of lurching off effectively in first gear on inclinations under load, as all other brands are capable of. Forget about starting in second gear in the Xenon, as how many traditional drivers like to do.
The chassis set-up is quite okay, though. There's enough grip under most circumstances, although the ride is lumpy in extra-cab form, unlike the plush set-up in double-cab (see sidebar at the bottom of the page).
But what corrupts the driving manners is the steering that has excessive off-centre feel, lacks accuracy in corners and isn't a good match for the chassis. The stoppers need more bite under hard braking.
Worse of all is the finish quality. All kinds of glitches were seen in the vehicles ranging from poor assembly of interior parts to loose wirings in the engine compartment.
While the interior has easy-to-use features, it is utterly bland in appearance. As well, the driving position is flawed due to a steering that's too tilted away from the driver.
What the Xenon desperately needs is fine-tuning to these shortcomings, because the package itself isn't the root of these problems.
The product is right, but the execution is seemingly still flawed.
Which in the end explains why Tata isn't out to match the existing powerhouses yet, but instead wants to start off at the lower end of the market that isn't too concerned about product substance.
After all, it's only a beginning for the Indian car maker.
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What's coming, and what's not?
- As announced at the Xenon's launch in March this year, a version running purely on compressed natural gas (CNG) goes on sale later this year in extra-cab form. Tata claims that no usable space will be lost as the conventional tank for diesel will make way for the CNG cylinders. Range is estimated at 120-150km.
- The Xenon was originally designed to be a 4x4 pick-up (explaining its raised body appearance), although it won't come to market yet due to high fuel prices and staggered demand. If it does, a bigger 3.0-litre engine is being considered if the market warrants it.
- An automatic transmission is not available yet since the Xenon was primarily targeted at European audience. However, Tata says an auto 'box is technically possible, and the firm that's likely to be contracted to develop it is ZF.
- Even though extra-cab bodies with rear access panels are becoming popular in Thailand (like those found in the Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50 and Nissan Navara), Tata won't make it available since the Xenon is positioned in the lower end of the Thai pick-up market.
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Four-door alternative
While Tata has made it clear that it wants a slice of action in the lower end of the pick-up market particularly with fleet sales, it is also tipping its toes into the double-cab sector.
The four-door Xenon has the same generous dimensions of the two-door model, notably its 5,125mm overall length and 3,150mm wheelbase, to give the cabin decent comfort for four persons.
The rear seats are surprisingly comfortable, if a little short on backrest support, to better those found in the Ford Ranger and Mazda BT-50, for instance, although the Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota Vigo are still leaders in this aspect.
While the double-cab has a pretty good-looking front end like in the extra-cab version, the short rear overhang makes it look a little clumsy.
It's also give-and-take for off-roading ability: the shortness of the overhang benefits departure angle, but backfires on ramp angle.
But since this is a 4x2 on-roader, the relatively long wheelbase aids out on straight-line stability which is quite good despite the soft chassis set-up and comparatively high ground clearance. Such a setting means that the ride is comfortable.
What could be putting off potential buyers from making this Xenon an alternative family-mover, though, is the lack of an automatic gearbox.
And it's also not priced aggressively against its competition. With an asking price of B629,000 (there's only one version) with no active or passive safety features, it's not the cheapest double-cab around.
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