General Motors India is finally entering the large MUV segment with the ‘made for India and made in India’ Isuzu Panther, rechristening it the Chevrolet Tavera in the process. But that is as far as the similarities go because the vehicle has been re-engineered for India. Yogendra Pratap and Vikrant Singh had the opportunity to drive a pre-production Tavera around Vadodara and they seriously think that GM has a winner on its hands.

"We have been learning from our past mistakes," says Rajeev Chaba, the chief operating officer of General Motors India while discussing the new product forays with Team OVERDRIVE. And he got it right, well nearly, with the launch of the Chevrolet Optra. And from the look of things they intend to hit the nail right on the head with the Chevrolet Tavera.

The logic seems to be dead on. See which product is the runaway leader in a segment (read Toyota Qualis), get a product from its huge stable that serves basically the same purpose in other Asian markets (read Isuzu Panther) but is at the same time a generation ahead, re-engineer it for Indian conditions, pursue an aggressive localisation strategy to push down costs and not only have a vehicle that is better all-round than the runaway market leader but be able to price it competitively as well.

On the outside, the Tavera looks pleasing from most angles thanks to contemporary styling and lines that flow well from the front to rear. Two easy creases on the hood coupled with sleek wrap around headlamps and neatly designed front grill give the Tavera a soft, car-like look. The rear however is more on the lines of vehicles that belong to this product category.

Overall GMI's Qualis and Scorpio competitor has pleasing well-balanced proportions so much so that although at 4435mm in length it is longer than even the Qualis, it does not appear to be as long. But the 1680mm width makes it wider than the Qualis and it looks the part, giving it a well-planted stance. And with a wheelbase that is substantially longer than its competitors at 2685mm, the Tavera garners some major advantages in both the in-cabin space as well as the ride and handling departments. The Tavera has a kerb weight that varies from 1585kg to 1660kg depending on the trim level under consideration.

The top of the line Tavera comes in a two-tone paint job that gives it a plush look. The bull bar that you see in the pictures here however will not come as standard even in the costliest variant, which is a little sad as it helps give character to the otherwise tame looking Tavera. GMI officials say, as the bull bar is being imported, it would only add to the costs, but it will be offered as a genuine accessory along with 60 other add-ons, and can be bought by whosoever might be interested. Interestingly, Chevrolet Tavera sold in other Asian countries (albeit with a petrol engine) also comes with side cladding, which is again absent in the Indian context.

The Tavera in India is powered by a 2.5-litre, direct injection, turbodiesel engine, capable of delivering a maximum 80PS of power at 3900rpm. Even more impressive are the torque characteristics of the engine as it develops a maximum torque of 186Nm at a very low 1800rpm lending it good driveability.

In other Asian countries, both Isuzu Panther and its derivative, the Chevrolet Tavera are being sold, but exclusively in diesel and petrol options respectively. While the Panther is powered by the 2.5-litre diesel in both normally aspirated and turbocharged avatars, it's the 2200cc Multi Port Electronic Fuel Injection (MPFI) petrol which powers the Tavera. GMI would as of now concentrate on the diesel segment for the Indian Tavera thanks to the sheer number advantage it has against the petrol segment.

The 80PS engine is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox which drives the rear wheels. In keeping with its positioning (see box on this page) the Tavera will be sold only as a rear-wheel drive vehicle and there are no plans to launch a 4x4 version.

The construction of the Tavera is body on ladder frame type with a specially stiffened frame which is sprung on double wishbones with independent torsion bar springs and an anti-roll bar on the front, while the rear incorporates the tried and tested set-up of semi-elliptical leaf springs. The suspension layout is actually quite similar to that on the Qualis.

Moving over to the inside, the Tavera greets you with reasonably soothing interior trim, good seating space for both front and middle row passengers and a commanding driver's view with well laid out steering-seating arrangement. Even though leg room is more than what we have seen on any vehicle of its category, the third row of front facing seats is quite close to the floor thereby not offering adequate thigh support as the knees are raised. The instrument cluster is very basic comprising of the odometer, and fuel and temperature gauges, and it is only the top of the line variant that also gets a tachometer. High end variants of the Tavera will come with a split air condition with dual evaporator coils, one for the front and the other for the second/third row of seats. The air conditioning vents for the two rear row of seats are uniquely placed on the roof and throw air on both the rows. Seating arrangement also varies with either a bench seat accommodating three in the front and/or a bench seat at the rear accommodating three and facing front or two bench seats facing side-ways instead of the third row and accommodating four persons, two on each bench. Thus with various permutations and combinations the Tavera can seat from eight to 10 people.

GM is planning to get the Tavera to be very competitive in the Indian market by starting off with a high level of indigenisation, which from day one will be up to the tune of 80 per cent.

That combined with cutting costs in order to offer competitive pricing has been the hallmark of this project, and for now it’s showing. The roof lining for one, is of the soft type, something that is passé in current generation automobiles. And though we have heard many arguments in favour of this type of lining the most conclusive has always been the fact that a moulded roof costs close to 75 per cent more than the soft one, resulting in significant cost savings. But for a vehicle costing close to nine lakh rupees, as the top end version of the Tavera is expected to be priced, it surely does not seem justified and we hope General Motors will look into this before making the final decision and the actual production of the Tavera starts, for these are after all pre-production stage vehicles that we have seen. The plastics on the insides apart from the dashboard unit (which is imported), feel tacky as well and some of the switchgear isn't of the quality one would expect in a vehicle of its class and cost.

The starting of the engine reveals a pleasant surprise with noise levels inside the cabin, especially with a DI engine I running the show, being fantastically low as well.

As we take the Tavera out to the nearby hills for a short drive we realise that the turbo kicks in un-noticed. Although GMI engineers claim that the boost of the turbo has been kept especially mild and is basically to enhance low end torque, ensure better driveability, good fuel efficiency and help meet emission norms, we feel that the MUV loses out on the extra pep that could have been another one of the turbo's advantages. And apart from a little bit of frantic gear-shifting which one had to resort to go up a rather steep slope, the engine feels adequate enough.

The gear shift is nice and smooth but there is a slight problem with the 2nd and 3rd gears being slightly far apart, and inducing rather frequent shifts when going up inclines.

The suspension has been set up rather well keeping in mind Indian road conditions and the Tavera has a rather car-like ride. The visibility from the front is great and the Tavera is as easy to drive as any car, and in fact drives better than many cars. The steering which feels fine at normal speeds does become slightly vague at higher speeds, but should not be a cause for any great concern.

Overall we feel that GM has a winner on its hands if it can optimise a few things before the Tavera goes into production. The quality of switchgear and the tacky plastics no one will forgive, even if the performance of the drivetrain is overlooked because of the fuel efficiency of the vehicle which is being claimed to be high in normal city driving conditions. That apart, the positives that the Tavera comes with are many. So stay tuned for the full road test in OVERDRIVE.

Yogendra Pratap with
inputs from Vikrant Singh