It’s been about a month since Tata Motors opened bookings for the Sierra, and early signs are that buyers are showing a preference towards the diesel variants. Dealer sources suggest around 55 percent of the bookings received so far have been for the diesel variants of the Sierra.
- Turbo-petrol variants account for about 20 percent of total bookings
- Bookings for the Sierra opened on December 16
- Sierra amassed over 70,000 bookings on just the first day
Tata Sierra booking split
As it stands, the Sierra’s booking split is in favour of diesel at 55 percent, while the new turbo-petrol variants have amassed about 20 percent of all bookings. This means the naturally aspirated petrol variants make up the remaining 25 percent.
Interestingly, the Sierra’s diesel share is higher than that of its rivals, the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, which are the only two other SUVs in this segment to offer a diesel engine option. For the Creta, diesel variants make up about 44 percent of total sales, while its lower still for the Seltos.
One primary reason behind diesel’s popularity is because Tata is offering the diesel engine across the entire trim lineup, covering a price band of nearly Rs 10 lakh. Prices for the Sierra diesel start at Rs 12.99 lakh, and go up all the way to Rs 21.29 lakh (ex-showroom), meaning there’s a variant for every budget. With two gearbox options, diesel make up for 13 of the 25 variants on offer. In comparison, the Creta and Seltos have higher number of petrol variants on offer; plus, diesel is offered on mid to high-spec trims on the Seltos.
More importantly, this is also testament of diesel’s popularity in the midsize SUV segment when customers are provided with the option of one. Despite the market’s inclination towards petrol, torquey diesel engines lend themselves particularly well to SUVs and their use cases, and that’s quite evident here with the Sierra.
The turbo-petrol variants account for around 20 percent of total bookings, despite being offered only on the top two trims, exclusively with an automatic gearbox, and with prices starting at Rs 17.99 lakh.
Tata Sierra engine options and price
To recap, the Sierra can be had with three engine options, namely a 106hp 1.5-litre NA petrol, a 116hp 1.5-litre diesel and a 160hp 1.5-litre turbo-petrol. Gearbox options comprise a 6-speed manual and 7-speed DCT for the NA petrol, a 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic for the diesel and a sole 6-speed automatic for the turbo-petrol.
Introductory prices for the Sierra currently range between Rs 11.49 lakh and Rs 21.29 lakh (ex-showroom), and deliveries are scheduled to begin from January 15, 2026.
With inputs from Hormazd Sorabjee
