Need a change in lifestyle? Bored of that saloon? The new Tata Xenon is a pick-up aimed at car buyers.

BACK IN THE late1980s, Tata Motors’ tough-as-old-boots Tatamobile was one of rural India’s workhorses, conquering dirt tracks from Bombay to Bihar. Then in 2005, Tata tried turning the old workhorse into a racehorse with the 90bhp TL. It wasn’t’ much of a racehorse.

Tata now hopes to rekindle some of the old Tatamobile’s go-anywhere appeal with this Xenon, a lifestyle off-roader targeted at the weekend warrior adventure crowd.

It is a long way from its humble origins as the Tatamobile. It’s got muscular flanks, a 140bhp, 2.2-litre DiCOR engine from the Tata Safari, and an image that wants nothing to do with the doodhwala.

Designed by the UK-based Concept by the UK-based Concept Group (the same firm that penned the Sumo Grande), the Xenon does a good job of stepping out of the TL’s gumboots and into a pair of Armanis. It looks similar to the Grande from the front and those bulging wheel arches give it a lot of presence. At the rear, the tailgate gets an embossed ‘Tata’ logo. Tata would do well to give it meatier-looking tyres though. The 205 rubber looks too weedy.

Based on a thoroughly modified TL chassis, the Xenon is whopper – it’s longer than the Audi Q7 and wider than a BMW X5. This is the extended cab version, so it gets four doors and a load bay that is designed to carry 500kg, but ‘officially’ only 220 kilograms.

The Xenon is no car posing in SUV clothes, this is the real deal – a body on ladder frame chassis, a live axle at the rear, load-lugging leaf spring and a proper set of low-range gear ratios – it’s the traditional pick-up, the way American know it.

Climb into the cabin, and anyone who is familiar with a Tata SUV will feel right at home here. The hard, cheap-feel plastics used are the same grey shade and the switchgear works with the same feel as you could expect on a safari or a Sumo.

The big difference is that the dashboard panel gaps seem to be even and fit and finish is now much neater. The front seats are comfortable, they have good bolstering and though they don’t adjust for height, you have a good view out. The dashboard is umcomplicated, with three large knobs to control the air con and a tiny, scroll button near the driver’s knees to control the Borg-Warner 4WD system. It’s not particularly well designed, but there’s a certain hard-wearing character to it that goes well with this car’s image.

The rear seats are surprisingly spacious, but the backrest is a tad too vertical and can’t be adjusted. There is enough thigh support but no place to rest your arms, thanks to the weird doorpad design.

This engine is very familiar in the way it starts. Engage first gear on the extremely rubbery gearshift and you have to be careful not to stall the motor. This engine demands a few revs on the dial before it’ll get the Xenon moving. This is especially true on hill starts. Once past 1500rpm, the DiCOR engine gets into its stride. It’s noisy but peppy and there’s a nice surge as the needle approaches 2000rpm and all the way to 35000rpm where power finally fades out.

With the same power as the Safari and 310kg less to lug around, the Xenon X4X has a real spring in its step. Despite the taller gearing, part-throttle responses are good, and though there’s a lot of whooshing and whistling from under the hood, you’ll be happy with the power.

You will wish the ride was better though. Pick-up trucks are set up to ride better when fully loaded, and this is true with the Xenon too. When unladen, the long travel suspension is absorbent but there is, in general, too much vertical movement in the cabin. It also hates sharp bumps and crashes through them – the kind of crash that makes you wince. You’ll wish the drivetrain was more refined too. The engine is way too audible in the cabin and the driveline ‘clanks every time you get off the clutch. At high speeds over uneven surfaces, a pitching motion sets in – just like in a Safari or a Sumo. It’s disconcerting and forces you to slow down. The Steering is improved though – there’s still some vagueness, but it feels more connected at high speeds.

In town, the vehicle’s massive size makes it cumbersome. Reversing it is quite a pain and most parking slots will have the Xenon’s tail sticking out on to the road. On the flipside, smaller vehicles scurry out of the way once they see the Xenon’s grille filling their rear view mirrors.

But by using the Xenon in town you are missing the point. This is a ‘get-out-of-town free’ car. The outdoors is what it does best. It’s good off-road – the four-wheel-drive system is easy to engage, works well and the suspension seems to be able to take all the abuse you can throw at it. At 200mm, ground clearance is good and the only thing you have to worry about are the road tyres not getting enough traction in the slush. Abuse the throttle on loose surfaces, and you’ll find it’s easy to break traction – the engine’s torque easily overcomes the grip available, the tail will step out and, given the space, you’ll find it quite easy to catch it too.

You’ll laugh at the brakes – despite the improvements (they are now twin caliper discs up front) there is no feel, and they lock up very easily. Believe us, this is the scariest part of this car. A set of wider tyres would have helped immensely.

Priced at an estimated Rs 9.4 lakh (on-road, Mumbai) for the 4WD version, the Xenon is not cheap. Equipment levels are basic – there are power windows, power mirrors, Power steering and an air-con.

Despite its pick-up truck nature, you can register it as a private car (saves you the trouble of running around with taxi plates) – just like the Mahindra Getaway, its only competition. As an everyday car, the Xenon doesn’t make sense – it’s just too big in city confines, and a bit too crude to really give midsize saloons nightmares. But if you need the utility and you like to do things in style, you now know where to look. OUSEPH CHACKO