New Tata Sumo 2025: After years of anticipation and speculation, Tata Motors has finally unveiled the reimagined Tata Sumo for 2025, marking a triumphant return for one of India’s most beloved utility vehicles. The new Sumo represents a complete redesign that honors its rugged heritage while embracing modern technology, comfort, and efficiency demands. This revival comes nearly a decade after the original Sumo was discontinued, addressing a persistent gap in Tata’s lineup for a robust, versatile family vehicle with genuine off-road capabilities.
A Design Evolution While Honoring Heritage
The 2025 Tata Sumo showcases a dramatic design evolution that manages to maintain the iconic silhouette that made the original instantly recognizable. The squared-off proportions remain, but with significantly more refined edges and contemporary styling cues that align with Tata’s current design language.
The front fascia features Tata’s signature “humanity line” that connects the sleek LED headlamps, while a prominent grille with the Tata emblem commands attention. The upright stance and high ground clearance immediately signal the vehicle’s capability, but the addition of stylish alloy wheels, flush door handles, and subtle character lines create a more sophisticated presence than its utilitarian predecessor.
Dimensionally, the new Sumo has grown slightly, measuring 4.4 meters in length with a 2.7-meter wheelbase, providing more interior space without compromising maneuverability in crowded urban environments. The vehicle rides on a modified version of Tata’s OMEGA architecture, which also underpins the Harrier and Safari models, offering significant improvements in structural rigidity and safety.
Powertrain Options For A New Era
Perhaps the most significant departure from the original Sumo is under the hood, where Tata has embraced a range of modern powertrain options to suit different needs and markets:
The standard offering is a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel engine producing 170 horsepower and 350 Nm of torque, providing the robust low-end pulling power that made the original Sumo popular. This engine comes paired with either a 6-speed manual transmission or a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic.
For the first time, the Sumo will also be available with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, developing 160 horsepower and targeted at urban users and markets with stricter emissions regulations.
Most interestingly, Tata has introduced a strong hybrid variant that pairs a 1.5-liter gasoline engine with an electric motor, delivering a combined output of 180 horsepower while achieving impressive fuel economy of approximately 20 km/liter (47 MPG).
Completing the lineup is a fully electric Sumo EV, featuring a 60 kWh battery pack that delivers approximately 400 kilometers of range on a single charge, with support for 100 kW DC fast charging that can replenish the battery from 10% to 80% in 40 minutes.
All variants except the EV are available with Tata’s intelligent all-wheel-drive system with multiple terrain modes, including specific settings for sand, mud, and snow. The system can automatically distribute torque between axles based on traction needs, while an electronic locking rear differential is available on higher-end trims.
A Transformed Interior Experience
The interior of the new Sumo represents perhaps the most dramatic departure from its predecessor. Gone is the spartan, purely functional cabin, replaced by a thoughtfully designed space that combines practicality with modern comforts.
The dashboard features a floating 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, while the driver benefits from a customizable 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. Physical controls remain for critical functions like climate control, acknowledging the vehicle’s utility focus where gloves might be worn.
Seating configurations include five, seven, and even eight-passenger layouts, with the third row offering surprisingly adequate space for adults on shorter journeys. The middle row can slide forward and back to balance legroom distribution, while multiple USB-C ports and clever storage solutions are scattered throughout the cabin.
Material quality shows significant improvement, with soft-touch surfaces in key contact areas and durable, easy-clean materials in high-wear zones. Higher trim levels offer leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, and premium sound system by Harman Kardon.
A standout feature is the “Utility Mode,” which allows the second and third-row seats to fold completely flat, creating a van-like cargo area capable of accommodating large items that wouldn’t fit in conventional SUVs. With all seats folded, the cargo capacity expands to an impressive 2,100 liters.
Advanced Technology and Safety Features
The 2025 Sumo comes equipped with Tata’s latest suite of advanced driver assistance systems, addressing modern safety expectations that simply didn’t exist when the original model was in production.
Standard across the range are:
- Six airbags
- Electronic stability control
- Hill descent control
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Lane departure warning
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- 360-degree camera system
Higher trims add:
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Adaptive cruise control
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Lane keeping assist
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Blind spot monitoring
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Traffic sign recognition
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Driver attention monitoring
The vehicle earned a 5-star safety rating in Global NCAP testing, reflecting Tata’s commitment to making safety features accessible across its lineup rather than reserving them for premium models.
Connectivity features include Tata’s iRA connected car technology, which allows owners to remotely monitor vehicle status, control climate settings, locate the vehicle, and even receive predictive maintenance alerts through a smartphone app.
Market Positioning and Target Audience
The new Sumo is strategically positioned to appeal to multiple market segments:
The base variants target families seeking a robust, spacious vehicle with genuine utility capabilities at an accessible price point. These models feature durable cloth interiors and the diesel powertrain option.
Mid-range trims cater to urban adventurers who want weekend capability without compromising daily comfort, offering features like the hybrid powertrain, all-wheel drive, and enhanced technology features.
Top-tier variants and the EV model aim at premium buyers looking for a distinctive, environmentally conscious alternative to conventional luxury SUVs, with all available comfort and technology features.
Tata has indicated that the Sumo will be manufactured at its Pune facility, with initial availability in India followed by export to selected markets in South Asia, Africa, and potentially parts of Europe where there’s demand for rugged, practical vehicles.
Driving Impressions and Performance
Early drive impressions from automotive journalists highlight the Sumo’s transformed driving dynamics compared to its predecessor. While maintaining impressive off-road capability, the new model delivers significantly improved on-road comfort and handling.
The fully independent suspension with adaptive dampers on higher trims allows the Sumo to absorb rough terrain impacts without the bone-jarring feedback that characterized older utility vehicles. Meanwhile, the electric power steering system provides adequate feedback while making the vehicle easy to maneuver despite its size.
Noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) levels show dramatic improvement, with enhanced insulation materials creating a significantly quieter cabin even at highway speeds. The diesel engine, while still audible under hard acceleration, operates with much less intrusion than older generations.
Off-road, the Sumo demonstrates impressive capability, with 230mm of ground clearance, approach and departure angles of 29 and 25 degrees respectively, and the ability to ford water up to 600mm deep. The terrain management system effectively adapts throttle response, transmission behavior, and stability control intervention to maximize traction across different surfaces.
Competitive Landscape
The 2025 Sumo enters a competitive market segment with established players, but its unique combination of heritage, capability, and modern features gives it several differentiating factors:
Compared to the Mahindra Scorpio-N, the Sumo offers more interior space and cargo flexibility, though the Scorpio-N maintains an edge in powertrain refinement.
Against the MG Hector Plus, the Sumo provides superior off-road capability and durability, while the MG counters with more standard technology features in base trims.
The Toyota Fortuner remains more capable in extreme off-road situations due to its body-on-frame construction