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Truck or treat?
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The new pick-up from Tata wants to strike a chord with the outdoors kind. And Ouseph Chacko is one of them
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Standing at nearly five metres long, the 483TL is not for the weak-hearted
STAR TRUCK Tata has been exporting this good-looking machine to Europe for years now. Ssh. out there, it's called the Telcoline. Here, it's called the 483TL. so now you know what the `TL' stands for!
Pick-up trucks are a rage in the USA. The Aussies love them too. Big, powerful engines, beefy looks and an ability to carry just about anything, save a gigantic tusker, makes these great vehicles to go fishing, camping, bird-watching - for the likes of Jeff Corwin. India hasn't taken to pick-ups at all. But then, none of them have made such a serious attempt as the Tata 483 L 4WD. Call it the Tatamobile on steroids, with a new engine, a four-wheel drive system and some minor changes to the exterior. It's the first of its kind in the passenger car market. Pick-ups have been around no doubt, Tata itself rolls out the single cab 207 and so does Mahindra. But this time around, Tata is trying the lifestyle vehicle tag.
Rambo in the city
It looks impressive, in a `don't mess with me' kind of way. Standing at nearly five metres long, the 483TL is not for the weak-hearted. The proportions are massive enough to dwarf even smaller trucks. The large bull bar in the front with a brushed aluminium finish and a faux chin protector, coupled with the high ground clearance make the 483 look very aggressive and sporty. Added to this are flared wheel arches with plastic cladding, housing 205/80 R16 tubeless radials. The contrast-coloured front bumper makes the 483 far more impressive and pleasing to look at than the 207. The rest of the bodywork on the cabin has been carried over from the familiar 207.
However, walk further behind and you notice that Tata has worked to make the 483 less truck-like. The roll cage gives it that lifestyle vehicle look, and the body panels on the sides of the flatbed are also different. The 207's `commercial intent' corrugated panels for the load bay have been replaced by clean-sided, double box panels. The rear is plain and simple and carried over from the 207, but one can say the paint job is not up to standard. The vehicle we tested did not come with the bench seats in the load bay, but the 483 boasts a seating capacity of 11, with six sitting on benches that can be fitted behind.
The incredible hulk
You don't step into it. It's more like climbing in, and this takes some doing. The running board is more of a necessity than for mere looks. Move into the driver's seat and you are immediately greeted with discomfort. The seats are awkwardly angled and the steering wheel, which is adjustable, is too high even when you shifted it to its lowest position. Tata's usually good at seating comfort, but this seems to have gone for a toss in the 483. The seats are too short, so under thigh support is automatically compromised. It's the same story in the second row. The backrest is near vertical and if you have a tall passenger in the front, things can get very uncomfortable, the five metre length notwithstanding.
For the 7.5 lakh tag that it comes with, the plastics are not up to the mark - cheap looking and not exactly a study in tactility-pleasure. The air-con vents look decent, but have no control for the volume of air, and come with ancient sliding switches for air-flow direction control. The air con itself is turned on via a small blue switch, reminiscent of cars from ages ago.
Cabin ergonomics too are pretty much on the uncomfortable side. The headlamp leveller is positioned in such a way that the passenger will find access to it easier, while the slot for the music system is too low on the centre console. The steering wheel is reasonably nice to feel though, and the power assist is a massive boon in a car this big, especially when it is fully loaded. Some useful bits like internally adjustable mirrors and a shift-on-the-fly scroll type switch for the 4WD mechanism augur well. The pedals again are placed decently but require some degree of effort to operate.
Crocodile Dundee?
Under the hood, the 483 gets the Safari's old 2000cc, non-DICOR powerplant, churning out a healthy 90 bhp - better than the 207's agrarian, 3000cc naturally aspirated DI engine, which makes a mere 65 bhp. The turbocharged unit comes to life with a shudder that runs through the whole car and settles into a lazy idle. Hit the air-con switch and the idling speed goes up and the engine sounds like its grumbling because of the extra strain. The boomy motor gets noisier as you pile on the revs when you attempt to get underway. The gearbox too is a letdown and quick-shifting is as alien to the 483 as the ballet is to Mike Tyson. Road handling, on the other hand is confident enough for the kind of work the 483 will see - it feels steady even while attacking a steep gradient, although the humongous turning circle can be a bit of a bother.
Off-road, the 483 performs well even in 2WD mode, the torque punching it comfortably up inclines. We could not put the 4WD through a rugged test though. The suspension system however, is not much of a talking point, especially with the back running on leaf springs - this is a configuration that will work best with a full load.
The Tata 483TL is not suited for everyday, urban use. Keeping up with stop-go traffic is difficult as is manoeuvring this hulk through the sea of rickshaws and taxis. But for those days when you feel like donning a cowboy hat, putting some country music on and driving to no place in particular, this is an excellent alternative to more 'docile' SUVs. At Rs 7.5 lakh and with no real rivals at the moment, this Tata could grab the initial advantage before other manufacturers realise the potential of a vehicle like this in a maturing and driving-out-of-town sort of Indian market.
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TECHNICAL DATA
TATA 483TL 4WD
How much?
Rs 7.75 lakh
(ex-showroom, Mumbai)
How big?
Length: 4,910 mm
Width: 1,810 mm
Height: 2,150 mm
Kerb weight: 2,125 kg
Wheelbase: 3,150 mm
Fuel tank capacity: 60 litres
Engine
Layout: 1948cc, 4-cylinder, turbocharged and intercooled diesel
Max power: 92 bhp
Max torque: 19.37 kgm
Transmission
5-speed manual, synchromesh, 4WD
Tyres
205/80 R16
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