Forgotten SUVs That Once Ruled the Indian Streets

Today, SUVs are a thing in India. However, 20 or 30 years ago, they were less significant to most of the Indian buyers. Irrespective of that, several car manufacturers launched many SUVs in the market that ruled the Indian streets for a long time

Today, when people talk about SUVs in India; they talk about cars such as Tata Nexon, Kia Sonnet, Jeep Wrangler and more modern-day SUVs. After all, people have forgotten the old-school SUVs that once ruled the Indian streets. Back in those days, around 20 or 30 years ago; the majority of the Indians did not know what to do with an SUV. Irrespective of that, several car manufacturers launched many SUVs in the market and those SUVs achieved a healthy status. People do not talk about them and neither they are seen on the road. Therefore, as a tribute to those first-gen Indian SUVs, here is an article all about them. 

Tata Sierra- Launched in 1991 by Tata, the Sierra was India’s first-ever SUV and it was also the first passenger car by Tata. Not to forget, the car was also the first passenger car in the country with a diesel-powered engine. Way ahead of its time in technology and styling, the Sierra was a three-door SUV with an all-black roof. The car was launched in two mils; one was a non-turbo unit that made 68hp of power, and the second was a turbo engine that made 90hp of power. However, the car’s expensive price tag of INR five lakh was one reason it died in the market. 

Mahindra Invader- We all remember the Gypsy because police personnel and defence personnel still use them. However, there was another car named Invader that was launched by Mahindra to take the place of the Gypsy. To be honest, the Invader was a Bolero but without a roof and rear seats arranged side-ways as was the case with the Gypsy. It was powered by a 2,498cc, four-cylinder engine that was tuned to produce a maximum power of 72.54hp at 4,000rpm and 152Nm at 2,000rpm of peak torque. The five-seater capacity off-roader vehicle had a fuel tank of 60 litres and a mileage of around 12 kilometres per litre. 

Apart from these two vehicles, some other SUVs that disappeared from the Indian streets were Premier Rio, Mahindra Legend, Chevrolet Forester, Hyundai Tucson, and Hindustan Trekker. 

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