Jalopnik
Tata recently came out with its latest light truck offering for the South African Market, the Xenon. Compact pickups in South Africa are called bakkies, a term we think is the bees knees, and this one is Tata's second bakkie for that market. The Xenon rides on a double wishbone front suspension with a solid axle and leaf spring setup in the back. Shift-on-the-fly all wheel wheel drive can be accomplished up to 65 kph by way of a knob on the dash - four wheel low has to be engaged at a stand still. The truck has only one power option, a 3 liter four cylinder turbo diesel with direct injection good for 114 hp and 220 lb.ft. of torque routed through a 5 speed manual. All that is well and good, but the tubular bumpers and roll over bars are the real winners here. When and why did that go out of style?
Comments
This think looks pretty big to me. And pretty nice. Tata has my attention.
You know I'm beginning to think this might get me in trouble at work. I've seen more tata's on this site than any other I've visited in the last week.
wow the US can certainly use another crew cab segment..
Nice aftermarked head unit.
Dare I say....aftermarket tatas?
@mofoturbo: d'oeth...aftermarket*
I'd buy one of these before the H3 pickup. Particularly at half the price...
@mofoturbo: For LHD market too (volume control on left).
@mofoturbo: more like augmented tatas
When asked what I'm working on, I just responded to a colleague with the phrase "checking out some pics of new tatas". i expected some response... but he just said "oh... ok" and then walked away. i hope he didn't have a serious question. then again, it's friday.
I think I'll take the Saleen endorsed Chinese pickup instead.
But is it Xenon equipped?
@josch: And half the weight.
Where's the DVD player? Sat-nav? Leather? Cubbyholes galore? Heated seats? Dual-zone automatic climate control? Satellite radio? 12-speed automatic transmission? Bluetooth? 14 cupholders?
Tsk, tsk. This would never sell here in the States. Except to me. I'd buy one.
The 2008 mew model base truck for aspiring warlord to convert to a "technical"!!!
Will look great with drug- crazed, half-naked rebels hanging over the roll bar mounted heavy machine gun!!!
Better fuel mileage and looks for your band of thieving rebel thugs!!!
[en.wikipedia.org])
Damn you Chicken Tax!
If you're lucky enough to live in certain parts of Pennsylvania roll-over bars and tube bumpers never went out of style...
Give me an extended cab version (instead of the crew), and I'll send you a cheque tomorrow.
What, no gracias for sending the link? On another note, Fiat will be producing the vehicle in Argentina with their line of JTD engines for export around South America. It's sorta like Iveco reselling the Santana PS-10 (can you say ancient LR Defender platform?)rebadged as the Massiff. Btw, South Africa still gets a RHD version of the F-250 [www.ford.co.za]
Meh. I'd rather have a real Hilux.
It's nice to see this truck with a double-walled bed. I could never stand the old cheap 80's Toyota's with their single-walled flimsiness.
Cash, ass, or noble gas: Nobody rides for free
@HDC:
Thousands of terrorists can't be wrong when they chose the Hilux over comprable trucks.
Picture Tata_Xenon5: That's the worst interior door handle I've seen on a new car. This thing probably has all the quality of your common Chinese knockoff, but it's Indian, so maybe there's not as much lead. Thanks, but no thanks.
@CARBOMB: So you really wanted this car but the door handle was a deal breaker?
I bet that tubular bumper is called "cattle catcher" in all the markets except India.
I always thought American and Japanese pickups were hideous...until I saw this.
That said, the high-torque diesel engine (which should also be pretty fuel-efficient) and impressive gearbox mean that this could be a very functional machine.
The question is: How well will it work?
I think the japanese are in trouble....(not to mention America).
yes but has it been blesses by a priest and chocked by oranges??
@yellofury: blesses=blessed
@M0L0TOV: The PS-10 is actually an entirely modern* truck evolved from the old license-built Santana Series models, in much the same way that the Defender is an entirely modern* truck evolved from the original Land Rover Series models.
*I use the term 'modern' in relative terms.
@sos10: Yes, I'm a professional hand model so things like that are most important.
@ash78: Spectacular.
It looks Toyota like.
@Triborough: I would have said Nissan.
Beats the pseudo-HiLux hands down.
Tatas like that really get my attention.
This is Tatas' iPod rival. It's white, for a start.
And the loadbed is probably big enough to dock your (Tata ) Nano in.
sweet non-functional roll bar. One set of ta-tas i defintely dont like
The ONLY option is a 3L turbo diesel with a 5 speed. We need this. Fuck the UAW.
I can see the Taliban hooning one of these out at the end of it's normal 2nd world depreciation cycle.
@Euromobile:
I didn't say it wasn't. Just like Santana builds an evolutionary model of the Suzuki Jimny.
Are they really going to follow Ford into hell?
this car is a practical copy of the Isuzu bakkie (google image [www.twistgrip.co.za]).
isuzu are popular in south africa.
n
Rugged Tatas? Is that sexy?
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