Looks like there are no reviews of Tata safari petrol (EXi) here. Since I have
recently bought it, let me write a review about this most handsome vehicle.
I bought this black beauty in mid-Nov’04, second-hand after 9K kms,
one year old. The vehicle was as good as new. Since then, I have been
scorching the roads in bangalore, chennai and madurai. With this vehicle,
you can simply forget about the road quality and just go.
Like in all SUVs, the sheer height of the driver’s seat puts you literally on
top of the road !Unlike the sluggish diesel safari, ths Exi is very light and
fast. Overtaking on the highway is a breeze, including those scorpios. :-)
The driving experience is very pleasant. The top speed I have driven is
162kmph. The vehicle was still accelarating, but I ran out of good road. I
normally cruise at 90-110kmph on the highway. Even at high speeds, it
feels safe and confident inside the car. The other guys on the road gives
you a lot of respect too (apart from some wide-eyed ’wow’ looks) !
The vehile comes into its elements when the roads (or the lack of) get
really rough, muddy and sloppy. As most of the roads in bangalore
where I live are like that, I am really enjoying the car. I have done
a few trips to mountains where I got a chance to checkout the 4x4.
You have to drive it to believe it - the 4x4 is simply outstanding.
I was able to drive in some real rought & steep areas and on the banks
of river cauvery. I have used all of that 205mm of ground clearance to
the max. As the road gets wild, the suspension becomes more disciplined
and the balancing anti-roll bars does a fantastic job of cutting out those
annoying rolls.
For the money you pay, you get a lot of stuff. The EXi comes with
power windows (all 4), power rearview mirrors, remote fuel flap opener,
two modes of 4x4 drive, split AC, dual airbags, limited slip differential
torque distribution, Anti-lock braking (ABS) with Electronic power distribution
(EBD), 5-way linked suspension at the back, decent headlamps and fog lamps,
tail-top brake light, very strong top bars for those big luggages, backseat
centre storage box with twin cup holders, automatic glove box light,
total 5 interior lamps, five adjustable seat belts, adjustable lumber support
and last but not the least a 16-valve DOHC, 2.1Litre, silk-smooth,
nimble, awesome petrol engine (puff, puff, let me take a breath).
I really like the power rearview mirrors. You don’t get this much even
in a higher priced honda CRV. Whats more, the car meets the european
safety standards.
Mileage-- So far, over 5, 000kms, I have got 8.33kmpl, which is damn
good for a 2 tonne 2.1L petrol vehicle. I almost always have the AC on.
40% of the driving is done on highways and 60% over very bad, narrow
and congested city roads.
Problems-- The only problem I have been facing is that the engine
tends to gurgle and die-off when I start the car after a day-long parking.
The fuel & air filters need to be cleaned and changed more frequently
than the rest. Got a flat tyre once. The rear seat hook keeps coming
off and the seat keeps folding forward.
The interiors is nothing to write home about. It feels low quality, but very
spacious. You can completely stretch your legs forward. The boot is quite
large. Some of the fittings look very shaky and cheap. Also, you get to
hear some metallic noises from the under-chasis while
going over bad roads, but this is nothing to worry about.
Performance-- The car is very quick to accelarate and the steering is
very light (better than matiz, which I drove before). One issue is that the
torque curve is quite curvy and as a result the response becomes very
slow when you slow down in a higher gear and try to accelarate.
The car was able to beat the hell out of scorpios, sumos and almost all
the cars (except skoda and merc).
In short, the EXi is quite a delightful, comfortable, powerful and value-for-money
car. Being of indian origin, high reliability and the presence of ubiquitous service
stations makes a compelling case for you to get this car.
One issue though - the 4x4 have very high depreciation (like 25%+ in one year !).
So, buy this car only if you intend to keep it for a long term.