Hi, I’m totally confused between the Tata Sierra Pure 1.5 NA and Seltos HTE 1.5 NA variants. My heart says go with the Sierra, but my mind says Seltos. I am also hearing a lot about the Sierra 1.5 NA engine, which is the least powerful in the segment or underpowered, with no pickup, so I am quite worried about it. I want to go with the Sierra because of its looks, bigger size, and good rear-seat space. I am hesitant about the Seltos because I earlier owned a Sonet 1.2 NA manual (now sold), and I have mixed feelings about Kia, especially regarding design. So I would prefer not to go with Kia again. I need your help in choosing the better car between these two. My usage will mostly be highway driving with family, and less than 10,000 km per year. Is the Sierra 1.5 NA really that underpowered? Please guide me.

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Autocar India team · Accepted Answer

We can totally understand why your heart is saying, Tata Sierra. It looks fantastic, has loads of road presence and, as you’ve rightly picked up, the rear seat is one of its biggest strengths with great space and comfort for the family. For your mostly highway usage with under 10,000km a year, that relaxed, big‑car feel and rear seat comfort are genuine positives.However, it’s also true that the Sierra 1.5 NA is objectively a very slow car, and that’s not social media gossip but borne out in our tests. The 1.5 NA petrol‑manual takes about 17.34sec for 0-100kph, and an even more telling 18.38sec for 20-80kph in third gear, which is where you really feel it for overtakes. The automatic is slower still to 100kph. By contrast, a Seltos 1.5 NA does 0-100kph in roughly the 12-13sec band, depending on gearbox, which is a full class quicker and feels it on the road. So yes, the Sierra NA is genuinely underpowered for the segment; it is one of the slowest midsize SUVs on sale.​That said, “underpowered” doesn’t mean undriveable, especially at the kind of steady‑state highway cruising you’re talking about. The Sierra NA’s torque comes in reasonably low, so it will sit at 90-100kph in a relaxed way and feel perfectly fine as a family cruiser. Where you will pay the price is every time you need a quick overtake or have to accelerate decisively uphill or with a full load. You will need more planning, more downshifts and a lot more patience than in the Kia Seltos. It’s not dangerous if you drive to its limits, but it is hard work, and you will always be aware that the engine is the weak link.In short, don’t let the Sierra’s 1.5 NA engine be a deal breaker, but instead learn to live with its lack of power, especially if your heart says Sierra.

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