Battle of the Entry Level UVs: Sumo Gold vs Bolero

[Gurrala74]

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@ Gurralla - darling there is no denying the fact that bolero is extremely abuse friendly , extremely reliable and robust car . And the sales reflect that , but in all sense whatever kind of driving you did in bolero you can do the same kind of stuff in sumo too but in much more comfort there is no cramped feeling in the sumo atall and sumo too is extremely abuse friendly , and reliable ( the most reliable car apart from vista, manza ) and capable car .
The bolero wins hands down in styling but loses and that too by big margin when it comes to space and comfort against the sumo . Whenever you get chance try driving it once without having any prejudice against sumo and tata motors iam sure you will respect the car for what it offers in its respective segment ..
I used to love the bolero and hate sumo after driving both my opinion changed in reverse if atall I buy a farm and need a vehicle for me or even if tata changes the stylying in newage style then sumo gold it is for me as my everyday drive also.

OK, Raja I will soon drive one TATA Sumo Gold !!

I am not against TATA or any other vehicle and when I drive a vehicle I can never be pre-decided on it and try and see what exactly it is.

One sentence I would say about SUMO, This is a great vehicle who has changed people using the old Mahindra Jeep and it was a favorite vehicle during late 90's which was the vehicle used for my marriage " baraat" I still remember those moments even today !! We did lot of family tours with Sumo in those days. Later on Toyota Quallis came in competition with it and after that Chevrolet Tavera to some extent and Toyota Innova taken away lot share of such touring market.

But apart from all about TATA vehicles, as they all are extremely good and TASS ensures that they spoil any good one !! this really disappoints me a lot and I wish TATA will look into this very soon.

 

[dr_desai]

Last Sunday I was returning from Ahmedabad with a friend in his Sumo GoldGX (CR4). As the express highway from Ahmedabad to Vadodara was very much clear in the early morning hours and as my friend had already done 20000 kms in his Sumo I suggested him that it was an opportunity to check the maximum speed of car. He sportingly offered his car to me (I have 20 years of driving expierence!) and took my mobile phone to record speedometer on video.

The car smoothly and quickly reached to 120 km/hr at 2000 rpm and later to 140 km/hr at about 2300 rpm.Engine was still very quiet and to handle the car was not difficuilt.I felt that this car is perfectly designed to cruise at 140 kmph. It seemed that still more power was left in the engine. As the road was perfectly straight for long distance I strarted pressing hard.The engine which was silent so far started giving noise and vibrations.Handleing became extremely risky. I ignored all type of dangers for a few seconds and when my friend shouted it is 165 km/hr I could not believe him.After introduction of Sumo in 1994 so many versions came into market.But perhaps Gold is the only version with capability to touch this much high speed.
Later when I played the video I found that rpm meter needle was fluctuating between 3000 and 3400 rpm when the car was on the top speed.

 

[THE XOVER]

Last Sunday I was returning from Ahmedabad with a friend in his Sumo GoldGX (CR4). As the express highway from Ahmedabad to Vadodara was very much clear in the early morning hours and as my

165 knph.This could give Tata Safari a run for its money in the highways.

Anyways, dr.since you have got that video please upload it to you tube and then post the video here.

But till then lemme shoot some rapid questions to you about GOLD:

1. Did you feel fatigue after taking such a long drive in GOLD?

2. What is the best cruising speed for GOLD at highways?

3. Fuel efficiency achieved by you people?

4. Ride comfort vis-a-vis old Sumo and other SUVs that you have driven?

5. Does this 3000cc engine run out of breath ever at the highway?


Please don't mind my simple questions.



THE X-OVER

 

[dr_desai]

165 knph. Yes I will try to address all your points.

(1)
driving ease and comfort level is so high that it minimises fatigue almost to nil even after day long driving.The other reason is ergonomically designed interior.
(2)
In my view the best highway cruising speed is around 120 km/hr
(3)
We received 13 km/lit including rough cruising and AC ON all the time.
(4)

Earlier versions of Sumo (including Victa DI) are close to Tata 407 trucks! Gold (CR4) is entierly different. I would have been happy if u had asked me to compare it with Fortuner !!! Though fortuner can be cruised comfortably at 170 to 175 km/hr and it's technical quality , reliability and durability is far superior than most of the imported SUVS but that at the cost of above Rs 22 lacks.But with Sumo GoldGX @ rs 7.9 lacks (on road) you can enjoy more agile manoeuvrability ( turning radius of 4.9 meter) than Fortuner.Also driving ease is better and comfort and space level comparable ! Fortuner's electric power generator unit is (alternator ) 1200 watts where as for Gold it is 1404 watts. But fortuner is very much stable even at 180 kmph where as Gold is extremely unstable after 145 km/hr.
Fortuner has variable geomatry turbo where as Gold has fixed geomatry turbo.For this reason though both cars have 3000 CC engine, the power output of fortuner is almost double than the Gold. Gold has low rpm diesel engine which is generally used for LCV and mini buses.But it has more life than high rpm engines.

Sumo Gold is a short wheel base SUV. The 3000 CC common rail diesel engine is too much powerful for such category SUV. If you further increase the engine power by using VGT your Sumo would overturn everyday ! The existing engine can not run out of breath.You need to engage proper gear at proper time. The maximum torque of 250 Newton per Meter is right from 1000 rpm. This means that as you strat moving ...your Sumo immediately enters in the range of maximum torque. For this reason driver feels that car is pulling very strongly. Such charactaristic of SUV is very useful in Jungle Safari.You can instantly escape to avoid conflict with any wild animal.
Good manoeuvrability and low rpm pulling makes the Sumo fun to drive.

Fortuner is absolutely niggle free. For Indian vehicles the quality of the parts supplied by vendors are not of Japanese standard and small niggles should always be expected !!!

 

[raj_5004]

^^^ Dr. saab, are you seriously comparing the Sumo Gold to a Fortuner? Tell me that was a joke.

And then you compare the wattage of the alternator! What next? Length of the wiper stalks, width of the windscreen, bulbs used in tail lamps and so on...

Claiming that comfort and space is better in Sumo than Fortuner is wishful thinking. Dont go by the cc of the engine, look at the power. Sumo makes a measly 83 bhp and Fortuner makes 170 bhp. Of course, Sumo is the most powerful in it's segment.

Max torque of Sumo starts at 1600 rpm. 1000 is the idling rpm for any car normally!

 

[THE XOVER]

I think even comfort is subjective.Few days back my brother travelled in Indigo-ecs and Scorpio back to back and he found e-CS more comfortable than Scorpio.Again both are vehicles of different class.But an individual is allowed to express his personal feelings on looks, comfort etc without much fuss.

So why can't dr. desai compare GOLD with d4d ruler and state that GOLD is more comfortable than Fortuner.After all its his personal view even though it may be apples vs orange comparo.

Buddy please take his review with a pinch of salt.

 

[T_in_gene]

I voted for Sumo, after being a owner of Bolero.

I hate to get decimated on highway by Gold's these days. They are zipping ahead of me like hell. Is it capability of Gold or incapability of my Bolero?
So insane speed with sharp handling.

But Gold fails in looks department, so boxy, decade old design & taxi image.

Gold in perfect Tourer.

While Bolero is only drivers & co-drivers car, forget any passengers in middle row or in jump seats, its so crampy inside. But with rugged design & proven mechanics, it sold like hot cake.

Cheers.

 

[Raja]

Dr desai - I used to hate sumo gold and like bolero . After driving both I love the sumo gold more then bolero but don't like the looks .
But all certain done though your review was nice the comparison made by you between fortuner and sumo is somewhat not practical .
Well you can compare the sumo gold say with a bolero, safari , Scorpio , xylo , grande ( even IMHO that comparison is not right ) but comparing it with fortuner is just not right .
Well we would love your comparison review of bolero and sumo ( which actually this thread is all about ) .
But comparing sumo with fortuner is like comparing tempo traveller bus with Volvo bus .
Since its a public forum you can very well express your views and you are free to do it but iam afraid other then Xover you won't find any 1 who will agree with you easily .
Hope to see a comparison between bolero and sumo gold from you soon .

 

[dr_desai]

^^^ Dr. saab, are you seriously comparing the Sumo Gold to a Fortuner? Tell me that was a joke.

And then you compare the wattage of the alternator! What next? Length of the wiper stalks, width of the windscreen, bulbs used in tail lamps and so on...

Claiming that comfort and space is better in Sumo than Fortuner is wishful thinking. Dont go by the cc of the engine, look at the power. Sumo makes a measly 83 bhp and Fortuner makes 170 bhp. Of course, Sumo is the most powerful in it's segment.

Max torque of Sumo starts at 1600 rpm. 1000 is the idling rpm for any car normally!

It is wrong data that maximum torque in Gold starts at 1600 rpm. This is printing mistake both in Sumo website as well as in owner's manual.I have brought this to notice of Tata Motors.The official statement as well as brochure distributed in Delhi Auto Expo clearly reveals that maximum torque starts at 1000 rpm. I am comparing only the technical details of Fortuner and Gold.The 22Lacs rs car can not be compared with mere 7 lacs rs car in terms of overall performance. Also I have clearly pointed out merits of Fortuner over Sumo. I have driven Fortuner all the way from Mumbai to Nagpur in last Feb.It is the real high performer SUV and certainly better than almost all SUVs available in the country.

I voted for Sumo, after being a owner of Bolero.

I hate to get decimated on highway by Gold's these days. They are zipping ahead of me like hell. Is it capability of Gold or incapability of my Bolero?
So insane speed with sharp handling.

But Gold fails in looks department, so boxy, decade old design & taxi image.

Gold in perfect Tourer.

While Bolero is only drivers & co-drivers car, forget any passengers in middle row or in jump seats, its so crampy inside. But with rugged design & proven mechanics, it sold like hot cake.

Cheers.

But you have ignored some positive points of Bolero.Firstly Bolero's long wheel base gives the car very good stability. In longwheel base cars the ride would always be less choppy than SWB. On extremely rough roads the hard suspension of Bolero would give better performance.

 

[dr_desai]

Dr desai - I used to hate sumo gold and like bolero . After driving both I love the sumo gold more then bolero but don't like the looks .
But all certain done though your review was nice the comparison made by you between fortuner and sumo is somewhat not practical .
Well you can compare the sumo gold say with a bolero, safari , Scorpio , xylo , grande ( even IMHO that comparison is not right ) but comparing it with fortuner is just not right .
Well we would love your comparison review of bolero and sumo ( which actually this thread is all about ) .
But comparing sumo with fortuner is like comparing tempo traveller bus with Volvo bus .
Since its a public forum you can very well express your views and you are free to do it but iam afraid other then Xover you won't find any 1 who will agree with you easily .
Hope to see a comparison between bolero and sumo gold from you soon .

OK let me convince you.Fortuner is a serious SUV with fourwheel drive mechanism.Where as Gold is a MUV mainly used to transport people.It is only a two wheel drive SUV. But as Fortuner is a long wheelbase category SUV [2750 mm wheelbase ] and Gold is shortwheelbase category(2425mm) one will have certain additional benefit over other. For example Sumo's small turning radius (4.9 meter) will give him manoeuvrability that is not available with SUV with high turning radius.Similarly ride quality and stability will be better with longer wheel base cars. Also on Indian roads taller vehicles have more advantages . Wider field of view is more relaxing for the driver.And all theses features are in favour of Sumo Gold.Please do not think that I am projecting Sumo Gold to be better than Fortuner! Fortuner with Rs 22 lacks price is even better than those costing rs 30 to 40 lacks. I just wanted to mention that Sumo has certain features that are not covered even by expensive SUVs. And as fortuner and Gold both shares 3 litre diesel engine , I took fortuner to highlight special features of Gold.

 

[Raja]

OK let me convince you.Fortuner is a serious SUV with fourwheel drive mechanism.Where as Gold is a MUV mainly used to transport people.It is only a two wheel drive SUV. But as Fortuner is a long wheelbase category SUV [2750 mm wheelbase ] and Gold is shortwheelbase category(2425mm) one will have certain additional benefit over other. For example Sumo's small turning radius (4.9 meter) will give him manoeuvrability that is not available with SUV with high turning radius.Similarly ride quality and stability will be better with longer wheel base cars. Also on Indian roads taller vehicles have more advantages . Wider field of view is more relaxing for the driver.And all theses features are in favour of Sumo Gold.Please do not think that I am projecting Sumo Gold to be better than Fortuner! Fortuner with Rs 22 lacks price is even better than those costing rs 30 to 40 lacks. I just wanted to mention that Sumo has certain features that are not covered even by expensive SUVs. And as fortuner and Gold both shares 3 litre diesel engine , I took fortuner to highlight special features of Gold.

Thanx for the clarification but can we get a detailed comparison review of bolero and sumo gold from you it will be really interesting to know since you can cover the technical aspect very well so my humble request to you .
P.S- the torque stars at 1000 rpm that's the figure I saw in a sumo gold publicity leaflet in tata showroom you are certainly right about it .

 

[raj_5004]

It is wrong data that maximum torque in Gold starts at 1600 rpm. This is printing mistake both in Sumo website as well as in owner's manual.I have brought this to notice of Tata Motors.

Dr. Saab, as I mentioned above, 1000 rpm is the idling rpm and no car will make it's peak torque at idling rpm.

Sumo Gold has a turbocharged diesel engine, so you mean the turbo is active as soon as you crank the engine?

When you start the engine (say 1000 rpm), without throttle there is no exhaust gases... without exhaust gases, the turbo is not active... and when the turbo is not active, how can the engine make it's peak torque?

Someone has misguided you.

 

[dr_desai]

Dr. Saab, as I mentioned above, 1000 rpm is the idling rpm and no car will make it's peak torque at idling rpm.

Sumo Gold has a turbocharged diesel engine, so you mean the turbo is active as soon as you crank the engine?

When you start the engine (say 1000 rpm), without throttle there is no exhaust gases... without exhaust gases, the turbo is not active... and when the turbo is not active, how can the engine make it's peak torque?

Someone has misguided you.

Raj this is a low rpm engine and starts at about 600 rpm.Why not you confirm it from Tata Motors itself!

 

[THE XOVER]

Raj this is a low rpm engine and starts at about 600 rpm.Why not you confirm it from Tata Motors itself!

So does it mean that turbo starts to spool at 1000 rpm onwards??

But anyways,this car has superb bottom range that's a fact noone can deny !!

 

[dr_desai]

Thanx for the clarification but can we get a detailed comparison review of bolero and sumo gold from you it will be really interesting to know since you can cover the technical aspect very well so my humble request to you .
P.S- the torque stars at 1000 rpm that's the figure I saw in a sumo gold publicity leaflet in tata showroom you are certainly right about it .

OK let me share my view about Bolero and Sumo Gold.
Bolero is old wine in new bottle and Gold is new wine in old bottle !
Both cars are good in it's own way.
Bolero is well respected SUV as is revealed by monthly sale figures.It's longer wheel base gives better stability.Also the bigger 16' wheels and narrow track makes it perform better on off road. On highway also it is not a bad performer.But new generation demands more pick up power and higher top speed. Bolero's 61 PS power is not bad but not enough for expected pick up power. As such the car is not designed for high speed cruising like Scorpio.Handles good upto 100 km/hr. But it certainly beats Sumo in off road performance with it's hard suspension.The reliability of scorpio is well proven.Parts are cheaper and available at many places.The impressive feature is it's price.Many people likes it's look very much.The negative side is space and comfort level.I had used Armada in the past for 3 years.( the older version of Bolero).Bolero is certainly impressive improvement over Armada.

Sumo Gold is claverly offered with two engine options. BSIII is offered with 3 L SPTCIC engine. This version is good for off road and hilly roads.Its final drive ratio is also tuned for that purpose.Also 16 " steel radial tyres are offered with this to counter extremely rough roads.This version is the prefered choice in taxi segment in south Himalaya where it is sold in great numbers. The BSIV version is offered with newly developed CR4 engine.It is believed that Landrover engineers have played crucial role in it's development.All CR4 engines are offered with DELPHY system.The noise and vibration level has been brought down to a level that it is hard to believe that it is a diesel engine.
Sumo (CR4)scores over Bolero in terms of engine power , engine smoothness,driver seat visibility, space and comfort , very wide field of view and larger seats.
Most of Indians reject Sumo for it's look.Some think it has a boxy look.But this can not be changed to protect third raw of seats. Also the short wheel base offers limited options of redesigning body without sacrficing third raw seats. Taxi segment is the main consumer of Sumo. Then how can the third raw of seats be removed?
In Hindi films and also in the real world Sumo is a prefered vehicle for smugglers , bootleggers, terrorists and antisocial elements.This has given bad reputation to Sumo !!!
Personally I love big engine , big power, good manoeuvrability, big size , big seats ( I am six footer weighing over 100 kg), big space and in general big performance in every aspect. If I can afford I love SUVs like Landcruiser Prado.But nothing wrong to be contented with Gold !