Tata Q501 SUV mule spied testing

Tata Motors has started road-testing its future flagship SUV, known by its codename 'Tata Q501', on Indian roads. The top-of-the-line SUV will be positioned above the recently launched Hexa crossover and will directly rival the Hyundai Tucson.

As we had reported earlier, the Q501 will be the first Tata product to share components with Land Rover. Key underpinnings like the basic platform and some suspension components are common with the Discovery Sport, and many of the underlying structural elements will be shared too.

Take a look at the test mule and this becomes clear. At first glance, it could easily pass off as a Land Rover Discovery Sport, but look closer and the spy pictures reveal that this is the Q501. This is clear because many of the underpinnings are different. There’s a single exhaust pipe, which clearly is a misfit in the Discovery Sport's dual-exhaust enclosure, and the other dead giveaway is the Tata alloy wheels, also used on lower variants of the Safari Storme and the Hexa. This test mule could be doing development work, either with regards to the new engine or even more affordable suspension aggregates.

Tata’s new flagship SUV, however, won’t look like a Discovery Sport. The styling will be unique to the Tata and the interior is said to follow the carmaker's new 'Impact Design' styling language quite closely. Under the hood will be a version of Fiat’s new 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine good for 172hp. This motor will make its India debut in the upcoming Jeep Compass SUV and will be locally assembled here, which will also help reduce costs.

When it hits showrooms in 2018, the Tata Q501 SUV will rival the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and the upcoming Mahindra's flagship SUV which will sit above the popular XUV500.

Comments

2018 Lamborghini Urus India review, test drive

On first introduction, it’s a recipe for intimidation. It’s claimed to be the fastest SUV in the world (0-100kph in 3.6sec and a top speed of 305kph puts it nearly in supercar territory), and it’s made by Lamborghini – creator of some of the most savage vehicles on the market. Things – as with any Lamborghini, for that matter – would be a lot less daunting if we were driving on a smooth European country road, a wide motorway, or even a race track. But today we’re driving the Urus on a narrow ghat road, as well as through some heavy Pune traffic. Perhaps the intention was to demonstrate that this is the first Lamborghini ever to go on sale in India that truly works in our conditions – but still, I doubt they accounted for rush hour. It’s requisitely mad to look at, employing as many ‘sporty’ design tropes to an SUV body style as possible – the only thing missing is a massive wing on the back; and somehow, it works. It’s ...

Skoda Vision RS concept previews new hatchback

Skoda has set the stage for its forthcoming Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus rival with the Vision RS, a concept car that features a performance plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain. Under the sporty details and concept flourishes, the Vision RS bears a close resemblance to the Rapid hatchback that will be introduced next year. The fact that it has been previewed in vRS form, complete with 245hp PHEV powertrain, shows how much further upmarket the new Rapid will go compared with the current value-led model. Skoda product marketing chief Björn Kroll said: “The current Rapid is too low-market. For this one, we have tried to balance it out.” Skoda will drop the slow-selling liftback version and concentrate on the Spaceback hatch for the new Rapid. At 4,356mm, the concept is just over 50mm longer than the current Rapid, and it has a 440-litre boot that's up by 25 litres. The concept retains some of the current Rapid’s des...

What to avoid during a car service

When it comes to getting their cars serviced at authorised outlets, owners usually go the whole hog. They want their cars coming out of service centres looking brand new, and are willing to pay for it. But do service centres take undue advantage of this? Yes, they do. Servicing may involve changing certain parts and oils after a set interval, but service centres will almost always try to plug in a few extras using technical jargon that a layman may not really understand. Certain processes are completely unnecessary, and customers end up paying extra as they are not aware of what's important and what's not. Also, most of the times, the service associate will throw you a hard sales pitch, and it's not always done with your best interests in mind. So what exactly are the things you don’t really need and should avoid? Engine flushing Flushing an engine simply means cleaning the impure oil and gunk that ...

Automobilestillnow

Search This Blog