- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.2DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
110kW, 320Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 7.4L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
4 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
4/5 star (2013)
Tata Xenon 4×2 Dual Cab new car review
Tata Motors – the car company you might not know but could already have bought into thanks to its ownership of Jaguar and Land Rover – is on its way to etching out a presence in Australia in its own right with a commercial ute it calls the Xenon.
India's biggest car maker isn't waiting around for the stars to align and bring shoppers to its door. A little more than a year on from starting up shop it has introduced the updated 2015 model Xenon, featuring small but worthy advances that it hopes will give it more purchase with Australian buyers.
What do you get?
The big news is the addition of stability control to all Xenon models, elevating its safety credentials beyond rivals without this vital feature (hands up, Great Wall V200) and boosting its ANCAP crash-test rating from two stars to a much more acceptable – though still sub-benchmark – four stars.
Dual-cab models also gain the reversing camera that was previously optional (it's part of a touch-screen infotainment system that also includes sat-nav), which is a fillip not only within the bargain-basement domain but against significantly more expensive dual-cabs.
Tata has beefed up the ownership deal to go with the new ANCAP rating, increasing its factory warranty to four years/100,000km warranty (up from three). Service costs are capped to $385 for four years/60,000km and four years roadside assistance is also thrown in.
But some significant blemishes remain. The Xenon still has only twin front airbags, making it an unfortunate relic in a world where side and head-protecting curtain airbags are by and large mandatory.
If you don't care for shifting gears yourself, well, tough, because a five-speed manual is the only choice. Cruise control isn't part of its repertoire either, a big minus for those who do a lot of highway miles.
And prices have jumped $2000 across the range, or $3000 in the case of the topline dual-cab 4x4.
Even so, the Xenon remains resolutely affordable. 4x2 single cab-chassis models start from $22,990 driveaway and the 4x2 dual-cab pick-up we tested kicks off from $25,990 driveaway, or about $10k less than a benchmark 4x2 dual-cab like Ford's Ranger.
All models get air-conditioning, keyless entry, power windows, Bluetooth and 16-inch alloys, while dual-cabs pick up the aforementioned sat-nav and reversing camera.
What's inside?
The MY15 advances don't reach beyond the spec/safety domain, so the status quo remains.
It's a fair jump up to the driver's seat, and you sit with your knees up and askew thanks to a combination of a high floor and offset pedals. The seats are very basic in the support, adjustability and comfort they offer. There's no steering reach adjustment (just tilt) to fine-tune a driving position that some will find merely compromised, others plain uncomfortable.
The cabin has a distinctly dated atmosphere, from the generic 1990s design to the patterned fabric trim that looks like it came straight out of a 1995 Hyundai Excel. The plastics are hard and shiny, and there are exposed bolts in some places. If the inclusion of touch-screen sat-nav suggests a certain sophistication, it's only because it's a feature of the obviously aftermarket stereo stuck in the dash.
Back-seat occupants aren't treated to an abundance of foot and leg space, and the high floor and upright backrest conspire to make it a less than welcoming space for taller folk. Smaller framed types have less to complain about.
If the tale of the Xenon is a bit of a sad and sorry one for those inside, it at least lives up to its fundamental load-lugging purpose with a decent sized, fully lined tray and reasonable payload (1020kg for this dual-cab 4x2).
Under the bonnet
Tata's in-house 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder remains on duty in all Xenon models. It's not the snappiest diesel in the dual-cab shed but posts respectable power/torque numbers (110kW/320Nm) and has one of the lowest official economy ratings in the class (7.4L/100km).
It's a willing performer in the real world, with little in the way of turbo lag to blunt its hearty response, flexibility and easygoing cruising character. It isn't necessary to grapple constantly with the five-speed manual box to keep it on a useful kind of boil, though it has direct, foolproof shifts.
What it doesn't do is deliver benchmark quiet or the higher rev zeal of the best modern diesels, feeling ever more strained and wheezy – and making quite the agricultural racket – when asked to give its all across its full rev range.
Given sprinting is hardly the speciality of a dual-cab, this shortcoming is hardly a fatal flaw. And the Tata does seem to deliver on its economy promise – we returned a decent 8.2L/100km average on our combined urban/highway test.
On the road
The Xenon's ride quality is magical but only in that it transmits and then totally over-reacts to surface imperfections you'd never even notice in a good passenger car.
The Tata jitters like a caffeine addict even on seemingly smooth roads, and reacts to craggy rural tarmac with the restraint of a red-cordial-infused child on a pogo stick. Hit a large, sharp mid-corner bump at open-road speeds and the bump-steer will take your breath away, if not worse given it's of the sudden-lane-change variety.
This kind of suspension control, or lack of it, obviously doesn't help it through the bends. On the billiard-smooth roads it actually steers quite directly (if not quickly) and tracks faithfully, but the rarity of such surfaces in Australia means any innate ability is more often overwhelmed by the suspension's control issues.
The Xenon's ride woes, unsurprisingly, aren't as accentuated with a heavy load in the tray. Towing (it has a decent 2500kg maximum capacity) is another activity that will surely settle things down.
Verdict
The 2015 upgrades don't perceptibly alter the Xenon's effectiveness or desirability. It's still ropey by contemporary dual-cab standards and only recommended if you absolutely must have a new ute for minimum outlay and don't give two hoots about truly contemporary standards of safety, cabin packaging, comfort, quality and driving nous.
But the Tata's stronger safety, extra equipment, decent diesel engine and decent towing capabilities do put it a comfortable step ahead of cheap-ute rivals like the Great Wall V200. So while it's not a game-changing ute, it's not the worst you could buy, either. That's got to count for something.
Tata Xenon 4x2 Dual-cab Pick-up pricing and specifications
How much? From $25,990 drive-away
Engine: 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder. 110kW/320Nm
Fuel use: 7.4L/100km
Emissions: 196g CO2/km
What's it got? Two airbags; ABS; Stability control; Reversing camera; Air-conditioning; Power windows; Satellite navigation; CD/MP3 stereo; Bluetooth; 16-inch alloys
Pros:
- A safer, better equipped dual-cab than a Great Wall for not much more money
Cons:
- Still some big safety and equipment oversights
- Stone-age dynamics
- Cramped cabin
- Dubious quality
- No auto option
The competitors
Ford Ranger XL Hi-Rider 4x2 dual cab
How much? From $34,990
Engine: 2.2-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder. 110kW/375Nm
Fuel use/CO2 emissions: 7.6L/100km and 203g CO2/km
Safety: Five-star ANCAP rating. Six airbags, ABS, stability control
What's it got? Air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows, auto headlights, CD/MP3 stereo, Bluetooth,
Pros: Safer and more car-like to drive than your average dual-cab, willing and frugal diesel engine, spacious and thoughtfully appointed cabin
Cons: Not the cheapest dual-cab you can buy
Our rating: 4/5
Great Wall V200 4x2 dual cab
How much? From $24,990 driveaway
Engine: 2.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder. 105kW/310Nm
Fuel use/CO2 emissions: 8.3L/100km and 220g CO2/km
Safety: Three-star ANCAP rating. Two airbags, ABS
What's it got? Air-conditioning, power windows, leather trim, CD/MP3 stereo, 16-inch alloys
Pros: It's cheap, it's got leather
Cons: Stone-age dynamics, stone-age safety, cramped cabin, dubious quality, no auto option
Our rating: 2/5
Isuzu D-Max SX 4x2 dual cab
How much? From $33,400
Engine: 3.0-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder. 130kW/380Nm
Fuel use/CO2 emissions: 8.1L/100km and 215g CO2/km
Safety: Five-star ANCAP rating. Six airbags, ABS, stability control
What's it got? Air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows, CD/MP3 stereo, Bluetooth
Pros: Not bad to drive, willing and respectably frugal diesel engine, decent safety, roomy and practical cabin
Cons: Not quite a benchmark in any way
Our rating: 3.5/5