Tata Intra Compact Truck – Compact Outside, Beast Inside
MINI TRUCKS & PICKUPS IN INDIA
Tata Intra Compact Truck - Tata Motors introduced the concept of 4 wheeler mini trucks in India back then in 2005 and has been the market leader since then. Today the company has an entire range of models in the Ace family at each payload point under the sub 1-ton segment. The company last year also celebrated 20 Lacs Tata Ace on road. These mini trucks with full forward controls and small overall dimensions travel through the narrowest lanes of the city for last-mile distribution of goods. On the technical aspect, all these mini trucks in the industry are usually powered by 1 or 2 cylinder engines.
On the higher side of the small commercial vehicles segment, Pickups offer payload upwards of 1 ton, moving goods from city to nearby countryside and vice versa. Owing to heavier engines, they offer higher performance and top speed over the long highway stretches. But the bonnet heavy dimensions restrict it from loading and unloading of goods through tight lanes of crowded cities. Mahindra, the unrivaled leader in Pickups, caters to this market with its Bolero Pickup family, offering payloads in the range of 1.15 Tons to 1.7 tons. Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland have been competing directly with Mahindra Bolero pickups through Yodha and Dost range of pickup trucks respectively.
TATA INTRA – THE COMPACT TRUCK
Having understood both mini truck and pickup applications in detail, the country’s largest automaker has launched Tata Intra, a compact truck offering performance parameters of large pickups and agility of a mini truck. By doing away with bonnet design through full-forward controls, the company has been able to achieve the short overall length. And by putting up the higher capacity engine under the hood, customers will not feel thirsty for power on highways either. We took a test drive of the new Tata Intra on the outskirts of national capital to find out more for our audience.
TATA INTRA VARIANTS
The new Tata Intra comes with a beautiful, wide aerodynamic cabin and has been launched in 2 variants, namely Intra V10 and Intra V20. While Intra V10 offers a 1000 Kg payload, Intra V20 offers a higher payload of 1100 Kg. Both these variants offer an 8.3 ft long cargo body to carry all kinds of loads. Powered by a 4 cylinder DI engine, Intra V20 delivers a class-leading power of 70 HP to carry all kinds of heavy loads. On the other hand, Intra V10 gets a moderately powered 40 HP 2 cylinder engine.
Both the variants come with a short wheelbase of 2250 mm, thus offering a short turning circle radius of 4.75 m. A short wheelbase coupled with a compact full-forward controls cabin design makes the Tata Intra ideal for negotiating the twists and turns through tight congested lanes. The 5-speed gearbox offers higher top speed and also enhances the Intra’s mileage by bringing down engine rpm at higher speeds. Cable shift mechanism on dashboard-mounted gear lever takes the smoothness of gear changing to a next level altogether.
The front rigid axle with leaf springs lays the foundation for carrying heavy loads, without worries of regular maintenance and tyre wear. The anti-roll bar in front enhances Tata Intra’s stability on uneven roads and higher speeds.
TATA INTRA KEY SPECIFICATIONS
| Parameter |
Tata Intra V10 |
Tata Intra V20 |
| Payload |
1000 Kg |
1100 Kg |
| Load Body |
8.2 x 5.3 ft |
8.2 x 5.3 ft |
| Engine |
2 cylinder, 798 cc |
4 cylinder, 1396 cc |
| Power (max.) |
40 HP |
70 HP |
| Gradeability |
43% |
45% |
| Turning Circle Radius |
4.75 m |
4.75 m |
| Tyre Size |
165 R14 LT (Tube type) |
165 R14 LT (Tubeless) |
| Steering |
Power Steering |
Power Steering |
| Brakes |
Hydraulic brakes |
Hydraulic brakes |
TATA INTRA FEATURES
Besides a premium cabin with superior fit and finish, Tata Intra offers features unheard of in the segment. While most of these features come as a standard fitment, the top-end variant also offers air-conditioned, music system and smoked headlamps. Power steering, which reduces driver fatigue, comes as a standard fitment for the first time in the 1000-1200 kg payload segment. Tata Intra feature list includes:
Tata Intra Features (Exterior)
- Wraparound clear lens headlamps
- Wide front grill with chrome top
- Antenna fin on the cabin roof
- Provision for fog lamps
- Vertical door latch
Tata Intra Features (Interior)
- Power steering
- Bottle holder
- 12V mobile charging point
- Lockable glove box
- AC (optional)
- Music system (available in AC variant)
- Gear shift advisor (Intra V20)
- 2 Multi drive options (Intra V10)
- Digital instrument cluster
- Adjustable driver seat
- Layover seat for resting
- Door handle integrated with door trim
TATA INTRA MAINTENANCE
The new compact truck comes with a standard driveline warranty of 2 years / 72000 km. Similar to any other pickup / maxi truck in the 1000-1200 kg payload segment, owners will have to get their vehicles serviced at intervals of 10,000 Km. It goes without saying that Tata Motors, the leader in commercial vehicles in India, offers the widest service network and spare parts availability across the country. The company runs several driver-friendly initiatives like Tata Delight, offering accidental insurance benefits up to Rs 10 lakh.
TATA INTRA PRICE LIST
The initial introductory ex-showroom prices of both the models are as under:
| TATA INTRA VARIANT |
PRICE (Ex-showroom) |
| Intra V10 |
Rs 5.35 Lakhs |
| Intra V10 AC |
Rs 5.75 Lakhs |
| Intra V20 |
Rs 5.85 Lakhs |
| Intra V20 AC |
Rs 6.25 Lakhs |
All in all, Tata Intra seems like a compact bundle of high performance and superior loading ability, inspiring looks that will make your neighbors envy, cabin & features that will enhance the driver’s productivity and overall business prosperity for owners.
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