Tata Xenon XT 4x4

Despite its pick-up truck nature, you can register it as a private car, that saves you the trouble of running around with Taxi Plates

Published on Aug 28, 2009 07:00:00 AM

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From the driver’s seat, the Xenon feels more contemporary with a simple yet functional design that’s tailored for European tastes. The curved dashboard with duo-tone silver grey interiors, are quite tasteful. There’s also the simple analogue clock, a standard feature in Tata SUVs. The plastics fail to exude quality but there’s a robustness in the interiors that we haven’t found in other Tata cars. The seating position is pretty good. The tall gear lever falls easily to hand and the well bolstered seats also provide good lateral support – useful with all that body roll. The Xenon is well equipped too, with powered mirrors and an ‘auto down’ function for the driver’s window.

Jump into the rear seat of this pick up and the lack of room comes as a bit of a shock. You really do expect a lot more space and comfort, given the dimensions. The Xenon’s rear seat backrest is too upright, which is tiring on long hauls, but what compensates to a certain degree is the Tata’s comfortable ride. The Xenon’s loading bed is designed to be aesthetic rather than purely functional. It has a range of accessories, like the thick plastic cladding which gives it a more upmarket feel.