Tata Motors has launched the Sierra EV, expanding the Sierra lineup with an all-electric version. While it shares much of its design and cabin with the ICE model, Sierra EV gets an EV-specific front fascia, a more sophisticated electric drivetrain, significantly higher performance and a longer equipment list. Prices start from Rs 18.79 lakh (Ex-sh), and even the base variant comes fairly well equipped.

Interestingly, the entry-level Sierra EV is priced almost on par with the Sierra Turbo Petrol Automatic. The most affordable automatic petrol variant, Adventure+ GDI AT, costs Rs 18 lakh (Ex-sh), making the EV a compelling alternative for buyers considering the automatic ICE version. We drove Sierra EV in Coimbatore as part of the national media drive, covering city roads, highways, a race track and an off-road course. After spending around 100 km behind the wheel, here are our impressions.

Tata Sierra EV Review

Since Sierra ICE has already been on sale for over six months, the overall design isn’t new. However, the EV gets a revised front-end that, in our opinion, looks cleaner and more cohesive. The gloss-black panel that dominated the ICE version’s fascia has been replaced by a closed-off grille, giving the front a more polished and futuristic appearance. We actually prefer this design and feel this is how the Sierra should have looked from the very beginning.

Tata has also introduced two EV-exclusive colours – Rishikesh Rapids and Nainital Nocturne, the latter also seen on Harrier EV. While Rishikesh Rapids has a subtle, understated appeal, Nainital Nocturne is undoubtedly the more striking of the two. That said, Pure Grey remains our favourite, and that’s the colour of the vehicle we drove.

Apart from the EV-specific front fascia, redesigned bumpers, Tata EV badging and aero-optimised alloy wheel inserts, Sierra EV remains visually identical to the ICE version. Dimensionally, new Tata Sierra EV measures 4,340 mm in length, 1,841 mm in width, 1,750 mm in height and has segment’s longest 2,730 mm long wheelbase.

Ground clearance is generous at 205 mm (claimed to be same as ICE) and there is a 622L boot (if you load it till the roof) and a 55L frunk. Wheel size is 19-inches and there are front and rear disc brakes. Sierra EV gets independent rear suspension along with frequency dependent dampers as well.

Space and Comfort

As soon as you get into the Sierra EV, the first thing you would notice is that the floor height is not ridiculously high, unlike some of its rivals. This results in a more natural seating posture, close to that of Sierra ICE model which has set a solid foundation to begin with. Whether you’re in the front seats or rear, there is ample amount of knee room, head space and a generous amount of width.

Under-thigh support is decent at the rear, but it is much better for front occupants because of the adjustable under-thigh extension. Rear occupants get amenities like window sun shades, centre armrest, rear AC vents, fast charging USB C ports, reclining seats, view out of panoramic sunroof, LED reading lights and more.

Front seats is where you want to be in the Sierra EV, especially the driver’s seat. This is where Tata is offering you ventilated front seats, dual-zone climate control, powered front seats, front centre armrest, cooled glovebox, memory setting for driver, auto-dimming IRVM, the triple screen layout with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless charger and more.

Features & Equipment

The 12-speaker JBL Black audio system sounds excellent and is easily among the highlights of the cabin. The third display, however, is something we’re still not fully convinced about. While it supports media playback, gaming and other connected functions, it feels more like a novelty than a feature most buyers will use regularly. We would have preferred a physical privacy filter or shutter to prevent it from becoming a distraction for the driver, something Mahindra has implemented rather well. Another small ergonomic gripe is the sun visor. It extends vertically instead of horizontally, making it far less useful for blocking sunlight from the side—a simple feature that Tata had executed much better on the Hexa.

Most of the features and technology are shared with Sierra ICE including the Level-2 ADAS suite. Exclusive to EV are 540-degree cameras with underbody view, ambient lighting, in-car payment options, V2L, V2V, Dolby Atmos compatibility with Apple Music, estimated SOC feature in Android Auto, self parking features including summon mode, Harrier EV like key fob and more. Manual boss mode is removed, which we didn’t miss at all.

Tata’s new HypAR HUD deserves a special mention as we experienced this for the first time. It simply is the best HUD in the business, showing immersive augmented reality elements. It can animate directions, actively track multiple obstacles, blindspot monitoring and actively tracks and highlights other road users as well. There’s even an Immersive view option which even projects buildings and other elements on the HUD. Even though the effort and implementation is excellent, none of these features work reliably and we wish Tata refines this further.

Powertrain & Dynamics

Lower trims get 63 kWh battery and higher trims get 75 kWh battery. Promised range is up to 665 km and real world C75 range is projected at 500+ km. The QWD variant we were experiencing in Coimbatore showed us a projected range of 389 km with 86% SOC left. DC fast charging can go till 120 kW with the new Sierra EV, which is claimed to take battery SOC from 20% to 80% in 26 minutes.

Unlike FWD Sierra ICE, the electric version is instantly more desirable because it is RWD as standard with single motor config. We drove the more sophisticated dual-motor QWD configuration which has a claimed sub 6 second 0-100 km/h sprint and in our testing, we managed to touch 100 km/h from stand still in around 6 seconds. This makes Sierra EV the quickest Indian vehicle of all time.

The acceleration is addictive, especially in Boost Mode which unlocks all the performance from its 504 Nm peak torque. It accelerates like nobody’s business and keeps the driver entertained all the way along. Suspension is softly sprung, but the frequency dependent dampers along with independent suspension at all four corners ensure that there is ample amount of stiffness for an engaging drive. Sierra EV suspension is simply put, one of the best in its segment.

We even drove it spiritedly on the race track in Coimbatore and it thoroughly impressed us. Three levels of regen work well too. Braking on Sierra EV is decent with nice progression and bite. Initial bite could have been a little stronger, which is apt for this segment, but not apt for Sierra EV’s blistering performance. One aspect which left us wanting for more is steering feedback where there was more than acceptable amount of play. Our unit had misaligned steering geometry too, which was not confidence inspiring.

Off-Roading

Just like the Harrier EV QWD, new Tata Sierra QWD also has quite a bit of off-road potential as well. With two electric motors, there is all-wheel-drive capability and add to it 6 Terrain Modes, Sierra EV can be taken off-road. Tata even organised a curated off-road experience for media, and the things Sierra EV could do on these curated off-road simulations were genuinely impressive.

You can still over-do things in Sierra EV and in the see-saw obstacle, our Sierra EV banged hard on landing because there’s not a lot of suspension travel like you would expect in a hardcore ladder-frame off-roader. The instructor mentioned that these units were fitted with additional under-body bash plates almost across the length and buyers can get it fitted on their Sierra EVs from the dealership at a nominal extra cost.

Should You Buy One?

Perceived quality of Sierra EV is excellent and could be segment’s best and most luxurious. However, Tata needs to take the production quality a couple of notches above what it is at currently. Overall fit and finish along with panel gaps continue to be inconsistent.

Sierra EV gets most things right. It combines strong performance, excellent ride quality, a spacious cabin and one of the most comprehensive feature lists in the segment. There are areas that still need work—particularly steering feel, software refinement and overall quality consistency—but none of these are deal-breakers. If you’re considering an electric SUV in this price bracket, Sierra EV deserves to be among your top choices.