Before I make any more statements about the Grande, let me just begin with a salute to Ratan Tata for his latest success with Jaguar and Land Rover. It goes without saying that Mr Tata is a man of taste. I’ve always admired the Jaguar brand and Land Rover is a dream machine to own. I just read the morning’s paper that Jamshedji Tata was the first Indian to own a car and Suzanna Tata was the first Indian woman driver! And now from Corus to Nano to Jaguar and Land Rover, one can only imagine what the Tata’s have got up their sleeves!? Cheers to the Tatas!

The title of this post is symbolic in many ways. It’s a super finale for Tata’s after a season that began at the Expo. One can’t wait for season two! Also, this post carries the last block of my thoughts on the Grande. Not because I’ll have said everything there is to say on the car, but it’s quite enough for now, I think.

Well, to quickly sum up my last two posts. The Grande cannot be called an improvement on the old Sumo Victa because it’s in a class of its own now. It’s been resurrected as a new beast altogether. It’s got a very clean interior that’s perfect for a large family; it’s also got a cool sporty look with a powerful DiCOR engine, which is appealing to any SUV nutter. It’s as fuel efficient as a camel with the tall gearing and tuning, giving it, according to the Grande salesman, ‘14kph on highways and around 11kph in the city.’ ‘But,’ says the salesman, ‘if you live in Andheri, take it at 9kph.’

Moving on…

Ride quality is pretty good thanks to the thicker tyres carried from the Safari. The tyres have also made handling at high speeds much better. There’s definitely less roll as compared to the old Victa. But unfortunately the Grande has borrowed its suspension and chassis from the Victa, which definitely hampers the driving experience. Also, it is interesting to note that Tata hasn’t bothered one bit about car safety. It’s packed with goodies from sprinkles of cubby holes to personal ac vents to an alpine music system, but no ABS or airbags. Why the hell not? That’s something Tata has never bothered with, have they? Granted the braking is quite good, since they’re the same as those used in the Safari, but is braking in time good enough? I suppose they think it is.

Having said all of that, one must be reminded of the price. It’s only 7.8 lakh for heaven’s sake! What do you expect? It cannot be compared to an Innova, or can it? Yes, it’s got good performance, its comfort can be comparable, and it’s practical as well. It definitely looks better, gives a better average…. What else? Safety? Who cares about safety, we’ve all travelled in Mumbai’s cabs, so bring it on, I say!