Tata Sumo Gold GX - An Ownership Review

[navnit013]

Dr Desai is right when he says the height increases. But Dr, the change in height is not enough to change the stability of the car.

Instead of going for the same aspect ratio, why not go for a lower aspect ratio tyres. If the difference in circumference of the wheel is less than +-3% then it shouldnt matter a lot.

 

[dr_desai]

Sir the wheel base is constant to 15 inches only the width is changing. How can this increase the height?

please use the following equation for tyre size calculation

Tire Size Calculator

 

[TwinStar]

On Friday last week, I did quick oil change (including oil filter) @ 9400 Kms. Interestingly Concorde Motors (TASS) filled in Petronas Synthetic Oil – which is different then their recommended oil (Castrol) vendor. I got a few of the niggles sorted out - so the driver seat belt is now smoother to operate and the front seats slide easily.

The engine light was also glowing intermittently, leading to loss of acceleration power. During the service, this was fixed. The solution was related to system software change or software setting change related to acceleration. To be honest I do not understand this issue. I plan to ask the technician (not the service advisor) later this week. One major open issue is that the differential axle oil leakage still needs to be sorted out. The oil seals were not available at the T.A.S.S. on Friday and have been ordered now. I will get these oil seals changed tomorrow.

After the service, over the weekend, the Yokozuna did a 1000 km trip to Lonar Crater & Mehkar Balaji temple. The odometer is now at 10,500 Kms. I took the Pune - Ahmednagar - Aurangabad - Jalna - Sindkhedraja - Lonar - Mehkar road. On this road, after you pass Sindkhedraja and as you enter the town of Sultanpur, take a right towards Lonar town. The Lonar crater lake experience is a wonderful experience. See - Lonar crater lake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You need at-least 4-6 hours to visit Lonar crater area and it is good place for a day long easy trek along the base of the crater. There are a few temples along this route. We went to the source (Gomukh) of Lonar lake where a stream of fresh water provides a refreshing xperience. Then a a few kms ahead, a trek down a hill to the crater took about an hour (both ways). While we did not stay at the MTDC hotel, it seemed pretty neat - not sure about the service.

We visited the Balaji temple @ Mehkar (which is 22 Kms from Lonar via Sultanpur) on the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the beautiful idol. The Balaji temple at Mehkar is quiet, calm and peaceful. See - Shri Sharangdhar Balaji, Mehkar - Shri Sharangdhar. This Balaji idol reflects your emotions - if you look at it and smile, the idol smiles back at you. There's no rush, no irritating shop keepers and touts. I would say this visit was a very calm and blissful experience. The Buldhana region around SindKhedraja, Deolgaonraja (SHRI BALAJI MAHARAJ TEMPLE - DEULGAON RAJA) have a couple of beautiful Balaji temples. If you are a history buff, then the Jijamata (Shivaji's mother) memorial at Sindkhedraja and the adjacent tank is beautiful.

The archeological sites are however poorly maintained by the Maharashtra state government - and they need to do more to maintain the sites - especially the Daitya Sudan temple.

Here are a few pictures.

A panoramic view of the crater


A panoramic view of the crater


Kamalja Devi Temple


The Daitya Sudan Temple

 

[TwinStar]

Last weekend, the Yokozuna did a short trip to Purandar Fort (Purandar fort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and Balaji temple at Ketkawale (TOURIST PLACES, RESORTS, ONE DAY PICNIC PLACES TO VISIT NEAR PUNE, MUMBAI.: Prati Balaji temple - Ketkawle near Pune). The Purandar fort is a easy trek (if you can call it that). The Indian army occupies this fort and you need permission to go around. Vehicles need to parked near the army check post. From there, it is a 1-2 km walk to the base of the fort. The trek to the fort from this point on is a short 30 min walk. The fort is in ruins and there aren't many structures at the top. There's a temple at the top. The cool breeze at the top of the fort was the saving grace. You need about 2 hours after you climb to the top of the fort. There were no guides and a small canteen at the base provides basic tea/coffee/snacks. After the fort trek, we went to the village of Saswad, where a sumptuous lunch at Rasoi hotel provided a refreshing break. Later in the afternoon, we went to Ketkawale, which was not too crowded and we had a peaceful darshan on Lord Balaji.

The Sumo continues to be a pleasure to drive. The suspension is smoother when you load it with 9+ passengers. The A/C remains effective. No issues with brakes too. No leakages have been observed from the rear differential. Later this week, the Yokozuna will make 1200 km trip to Hampi. The route planned is Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Hubli - Gadag - Koppal - Hospet - Hampi.

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2014.

 

[dr_desai]

Last weekend, the Yokozuna did a short trip to Purandar Fort (Purandar fort - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) and Balaji temple at Ketkawale (TOURIST PLACES, RESORTS, ONE DAY PICNIC PLACES TO VISIT NEAR PUNE, MUMBAI.: Prati Balaji temple - Ketkawle near Pune). The Purandar fort is a easy trek (if you can call it that). The Indian army occupies this fort and you need permission to go around. Vehicles need to parked near the army check post. From there, it is a 1-2 km walk to the base of the fort. The trek to the fort from this point on is a short 30 min walk. The fort is in ruins and there aren't many structures at the top. There's a temple at the top. The cool breeze at the top of the fort was the saving grace. You need about 2 hours after you climb to the top of the fort. There were no guides and a small canteen at the base provides basic tea/coffee/snacks. After the fort trek, we went to the village of Saswad, where a sumptuous lunch at Rasoi hotel provided a refreshing break. Later in the afternoon, we went to Ketkawale, which was not too crowded and we had a peaceful darshan on Lord Balaji.

The Sumo continues to be a pleasure to drive. The suspension is smoother when you load it with 9+ passengers. The A/C remains effective. No issues with brakes too. No leakages have been observed from the rear differential. Later this week, the Yokozuna will make 1200 km trip to Hampi. The route planned is Pune - Kolhapur - Belgaum - Hubli - Gadag - Koppal - Hospet - Hampi.

Happy holidays and best wishes for 2014.

I appreciate your interest in heritage monuments. Can you please post the picture of temple on the top of fort you have mentioned.
I have made up my mind to opt for Sumo Gold probably in May 2014.I will keenly follow your expierence with your Sumo car.

 

[TwinStar]

I appreciate your interest in heritage monuments. Can you please post the picture of temple on the top of fort you have mentioned.

I was not able to take any photos, since my phone battery had died. This is the Kedareshwar temple on top of a hill in the Purandar fort. Here's a photo (not mine) - Kedareshwar temple on Purandar fort | Flickr - Photo Sharing!. There's another older Hemadpanthi-style temple at Pur (also known as Narayanpur village) at the base of Purandar fort. I did not visit this temple though.

I have made up my mind to opt for Sumo Gold probably in May 2014.I will keenly follow your experience with your Sumo car.

This is great to know. As you probably know, there will be good discounts for 2013 models in Jan/Feb 2014. There's a Dec 2013 offer now for Rs 40K, I think.

 

[pravin1987]

dude you didn't post the service costs or am i missing is? can you tell me the service cost of the services that is done so far?

 

[TwinStar]

@pravin1987 - I must have missed responding. Here goes -
1st scheduled service (@1500 Km) - Rs 0

On my own, at about 9000 kms, I did replace the engine oil (with Synthetic oil) & oil filter - this was about Rs 3300. The differential oil leakage was fixed by providing new sealants - this was free of cost. I had to pay Rs 495 for the additional oil topup. My T.A.S.S is Concorde Motors and they take good care of the truck.

Second Scheduled Service (@15K) - not yet done. since the truck's odometer is at 10,500 Kms

 

[Raja]

@pravin1987 - I must have missed responding. Here goes -
1st scheduled service (@1500 Km) - Rs 0

On my own, at about 9000 kms, I did replace the engine oil (with Synthetic oil) & oil filter - this was about Rs 3300. The differential oil leakage was fixed by providing new sealants - this was free of cost. I had to pay Rs 495 for the additional oil topup. My T.A.S.S is Concorde Motors and they take good care of the truck.

Second Scheduled Service (@15K) - not yet done. since the truck's odometer is at 10,500 Kms

Sumo requires synthetic oil ? Or did you put that on your own ?

 

[IndicaDLS2002]

On my own, at about 9000 kms, I did replace the engine oil (with Synthetic oil) & oil filter - this was about Rs 3300.

@twinstar
Any reasons for doing this? I mean I always thought that for any new vehicle whatever is mentioned in the service manual is sufficient. So wondering if this additonal extra care is necessary based on more usage or other reasons?

 

[TwinStar]

Sumo requires synthetic oil ? Or did you put that on your own ?

@twinstar
Any reasons for doing this? I mean I always thought that for any new vehicle whatever is mentioned in the service manual is sufficient. So wondering if this additonal extra care is necessary based on more usage or other reasons?

The Sumo Gold GX does not require Synthetic Oil. The Sumo Gold GX owner's manual recommends 5.5 Litres of either Castrol GTD 15W/40 or HPCL HP Milcy Power 15 W/40. Synthetic oil has several advantages over regular mineral oil. Shell's website explains this nicely - Synthetic engine oil - India.

The owner's manual recommends change of engine oil and oil filter every 15,000 kms - if you are driving in the city - i.e on good roads. However, if you drive on dusty or Sandy roads - then the manual recommends a change every 7500 kms. Since I drive on a combination of both - I changed the oil at 9000 Kms or so.

I hope this clarifies.

 

[pravin1987]

dude the 182 mm unladen ground clearance caused you any problems like belly scraping?

 

[TwinStar]

The Yokozuna did a 1400+ kms trip from Pune to Hampi and back. The beast did not grunt at 100 kms/hr speeds and given our unpredictable highways, I did not try my luck beyond 100 Kms/hr. During the hot afternoons, the dual A/C proved to be a boon. No issues observed, except (a small niggle) - the rear window does not] roll down via the driver’s power window console. It does roll up !! The individual button to operate the window (rolling up & down) works just fine. I estimate the mileage to be at about 15 Kms/litre.

Back to the trip. The roads are great (smooth) all the way on NH4 from Pune until Hubli-Dharwad and then on NH-63 from Hubli to Hospet via Gadag and Koppal. It takes about 12-13 hours with multiple breaks & safe driving from Pune to Hampi. The roads in Karnataka, as always, are much better than those in Maharashtra. In fact on my way back from Hampi to Pune, the road from Wai/Mahabaleshwar exit and all the way until Pune's Chandani Chowk was a big a 2-lane mess. The NH4 on this stretch does not have good (or any) service roads, the restaurants and shops on the side of the highway straddle into the highway, you have vehicles taking a right or left turn - causing interrupted traffic flows. And I think we sorely need an additional lane on each side.

Back to the Hampi trip, where the Yokozuna performed it’s duty with a breeze. Hampi deserves at least 3-4 days - if not more. Our sightseeing itinerary in Hampi was from 8.30 AM - 12.30 PM and then from 4 PM - 6:30 PM every day. The hot afternoons can sap your energy and enthusiasm very quickly. We stayed at the KSTDC Mayura hotel at Kamlapura which is about 4 Kms from Hampi. To enjoy Hampi, read about it's history - so that you can imagine how the ruins would have been 600 years back. For the history of Vijaynagar empire, I would recommend "A Forgotten Empire Vijayanagar: A Contribution to the History of India" by Robert Sewell. During the sight-seeing, "Hampi Ruins" by A.H. Longhurst is a great tactical companion. And finally, if you carry a smart phone, the Hampi. India! | Everything about Hampi! is a great & useful reference. If you like to trek, there are couple of good options – the Matang hill and the Anjaneya hill – both will reward you with great views of sunrise or sunset – once you reach the summit.

Here are some photos (of the 700+ I took) from the trip.

The Vithala temple - and the emblematic chariot that defines Hampi !!


The Vithala temple is always crowded - this photo is was taken at 9 AM. Try to get to this temple as early as you can to avoid crowds.


The Sumo just below the gateway (arch) on the way from Kamalapura to Vithal's temple


The Virupaksha temple and the Hemakuta monument


The Sumo near the Chandikesawara temple


The beautiful HazaraRama complex


The Yokozuna just outside the Octagonal bath complex


The Octagonal bath complex

 

[IndicaDLS2002]

The Yokozuna did a 1400+ kms trip from Pune to Hampi and back. The beast did not grunt at 100 kms/hr speeds and given our unpredictable highways, I did not try my luck beyond 100 Kms/hr. During the hot afternoons, the dual A/C proved to be a boon. No issues observed, except (a small niggle) - the rear window does not] roll down via the driver’s power window console. It does roll up !! The individual button to operate the window (rolling up & down) works just fine. I estimate the mileage to be at about 15 Kms/litre.

Nice pictures. You do travel a lot putting the Sumo to good use I guess. So quick question how many more drivers with you on these trips? Driving alone for very long distances can be quite tiresome! Mileage is quite good especially for a nine seater!

 

[TwinStar]

Nice pictures. You do travel a lot putting the Sumo to good use I guess. So quick question how many more drivers with you on these trips? Driving alone for very long distances can be quite tiresome! Mileage is quite good especially for a nine seater!

I generally drive all the way. My wife is a great driver too - although she has not yet tamed the beast. From a driving perspective, I drive usually during daylight - so between 6 AM & 6 PM. And I take 3-5 min (body stretching) breaks every 90-120 mins or so. If I don't take these breaks, then driving becomes tiresome.