Safari although joined the party 10 years back was underpowered and came on its own last year Oct 2007 when Tata launched it with 2.2 VTT Engine which gives 140 hp (138?) but more importantly 320NM (aprx 225 lb-ft of torque). This makes it as good as an engine as Diesels from BMW, Benz and Honda. I got a delivery of a Pearl White Safari on Oct 7th after a LOTs of research, surfing, test driving the competitors right from 7 lakh to 18 lakh price bracket (Scorpio, Scorp MHawk, Ford Endeavour and even a used Pajero, didn’t even test drive Innova: sorry!). I chose Tata Safari EX 4 by 2 due to the GREAT road presence and overall looks, driving position, ultimate ride and overall engine performance in any gear. The absence of any vibration etc was a pleasant surprise.
[A] Overall Exterior Styling
GREAT!! The look from behind is just great and the new spare-cover adds to it quite a bit.
The look from the front is quite close to Toyota Land Cruiser of previous generation and even overall proportions and styling cues do remind me of Land Cruiser during my stay in US from 98 to 2003.
The Pearl White color adds to the "feel good" factor and makes it look better than it might be in other colors. No surprise 90% new Safaris on road are Pearl White! :) or may be :(
The front looks butch, more so after a few changes done to 3.0 DiCor styling (the grill is now diff) the high set nose adds to the road presence and people/other cars on road get out of the way as soon as they see a Safari. J
5.Lx gets grey bumper and side cladding, EX onwards it is body colored. Lx looks good in non white colors, best in Black. I would say despite the age of 10 years, Safari looks spanking with traditional SUV appeal not found in Scorpio which comes across as an MUV.
[B] Interiors
MASSIVE!! The Comfort is unbelievable and GREAT space is available for front and rear seats.
The rear seat passengers enjoy colossal space and comforts!! The rear AC vents both on floor and on head help quite a bit.
All the 5 seats are GREAT and even your comfy Sofa wouldn’t match it. All the 5 seats (or maybe 4) are Chairs and not "Bench" as found on most SUVs. The rear ones are only for kids (jump seats).
The interior is now beige for EX onwards (LX gets grey). The beige interior adds to airiness and makes it feel even roomier.
The dash is a waterfall design with good ergonomics BUT some buttons like fan-speed could be broken by a kid if you are not watchful. It is just flimsy! The rest of the buttons are good but could be better.
The power window switches are good, windows are one touch down. Mirrors are powered which is a great feature but the mirrors are so huge you wouldn’t need to touch them unless driver changes.
VX gets airbags, EX gets useable storage in place of the airbag for VX. The steering is leather wrapped and good but could have been a bit thicker. The dials are simply GREAT.
The build quality could have been better. The doors don’t shut with authority (thud) that even a Palio shows; Also it is need some effort especially the rear one. The front door assembly could have been better: There is irregular gap in the 1st quarter panel and the front doors.
Also, overall build quality could be better -- for complete interior bits & pieces. You could have some irritating squeaks on less than perfect/rough roads.
The outwards visibility is just GREAT in front and also back despite the large spare tyre at the back.
The ALPINE music system and speakers are OUTSTANDING.
[C] The engine
The BEST part of the new Safari and one of the best kept secret in market today (or maybe not!). It is plainly speaking Benz, BMW quality with as good specifications and overall performance. There is some slight boom/reverberation at 1500-1600 rpm but else it is quite smooth without any vibrations. There is ’some’ scope for refinement as it is a Diesel after all and maybe it is 10-15% less refined than what Benz and BMW offer. (But they cost 25+ Lakh in C/3 series and 45 Lakh for 5/E class!) :)
The HP is not an imp figure but 140 is no less anyways but the torque of 320NM from 1700 to 2700 is something to die for. The Safari accelerates well unlike Safari or any 4400lb (2000+ Kg) car should accelerate.
The engine is audible/vibration a bit when you are at lower speeds in 3rd/4th gear (say 30 in 4th).
[D] Ride and Handling
(1) The handling is SUV like, the turning circle is huge and you need to plan for U-turns or avoid them but the outward visibility is great and that helps quite a bit.
(2) The Ride is Supreme on ANY kind of roads. The ride is surprisingly very supple and there is no wobble or multiple up down motions if you hit pothol/speedbrakers etc like Scorpio. Safari settles with just one up-down motion of the suspension and takes the complete pain out of the long drives.
(3) The Handling is simple and quite good on curves for this size but do not try biking stunts in ghats instead enjoy the view by driving like driving a Bullet 350!
(4) Been to Sinvhagad and back and didn’t feel a thing: The lower back support and under-thigh support of ALL the seats is JUST perfect. Even been in C class and the rear seats were nowhere close to Safari in comfort.
(5) The braking is very good and surprises you by stopping the SUV authoritatively. 100Km to 0 is much easier than 120Km to 0 stops. So you can keep that in mind.
[E] Economy
I am getting 13 Kmpl in City with 50% AC use and conservative driving as it is first 1000kms. I am sure it would give at least 11/12 with complete AC use in the City (Pune).
On the highway I ’suspect’ it is 15kmpl but not yet completely checked.
The insurance quote for EX 4 by 2 was 29K from Oriental; I got the same insurance from Bajaj Alianz for 23K. So good savings there.
The Safari would have 1 service per year and there is 4 services free of cost !! Also Extended warranty is included for 5K and 4 year warranty makes it a GREAT deal.
Safari gets loner car when you bring it for servicing and 24 hr roadside help and GREAT service network. Safari owners also get separate/better treatment/dedicated sales/service people.
*[F] Pricing
*1. EX 4 y 2 cost me close to 10 lakh after adding leather seat covers and Garware films (RTP approved) both adding 10K to price.
EX is very well loaded 4 by 2 doesn’t come with alloys but AC, Rear AC, Great Music system, Tubeless, All Power windows/mirrors and Keyless Entry, Beige interiors, Body colored bumpers/side cladding etc
VX adds lots of features like DVD/VCD, ABS, Airbags, Leather seats but adds 2.00 Lakh+ to the price
So overall, if you can live with some Tata issues like heavy doors and some build quality issues, you would LOVE this car. 2-Aug-2011: Recently I drove 1300 KM in 4 days Pune to Akole then Aurangabad to NAshik and back to Pune. Amazing is gthe only word how EASILY SAFARI eats so many miles!!! No fatigue, SECURE driving, sense of security and no effect of bad roads etc. I would not have dared if I didn’t have Safari. Reached Akola in 8 hours including halts!