The Tata Safari – a sports utility vehicle (Ute)
A new type of vehicle, that has entered the ‘premium’ range in India, is the Sports Utility vehicle or Ute. This ‘breed’ of car became popular in the US, where there are vast areas of rugged terrain, unsuitable for the conventional ‘city’ or saloon car, which neither has the suspension nor the power to cope with rough surfaces and gradients.
One of the first examples of this was the General Purpose (G. P.) vehicle developed by the Army during the Second World War. It proved so popular, that the GP / ‘GeePee’ or ‘Jeep’ continued in production even after the war ended, although in a ‘civilian’ or more comfortable version. The basic Jeep for Army use proved to be too utilitarian, as also too much of a ‘bone jerker’, with none of the creature comforts, like air conditioning or power steering, that are now considered essential for sales.
The modern evolution of this concept is the Range Rover, the Pajero and numerous other such familiar names. Even Mercedes has developed its ‘M’ Class, so as to tap this very lucrative market. In the US, this segment is as popular as the saloon car market. Many variants developed, like the Stationwagen and the Pickup, which again evolved out of specific needs, that the basic ‘car’ couldn’t meet.
Over a period of time, the premium Utes were separated from the rugged or ‘rough and tough’ Utes. The former became more ‘plush’, with more ‘show’ than ‘go’. When Tata made the Safari, it was aiming for this range, obviously because the premium price tag would generate good profits.
The average Indian buyer was only used to Std. or Deluxe versions of the Premier Padmini, where Deluxe meant the addition of carpets, better cushions for the seats, and an air conditioner !
The Safari was equipped with every conceivable kind of creature comfort that such car buyers only dreamt of, like central locking, power windows, split air conditioning. Besides these comforts, they found that there is a certain snob appeal in ‘technical’ sounding items like Turbochargers or ‘On the fly’ four wheel drive.
A Turbocharger is basically an Exhaust gas driven turbine, which drives a compressor and thus boosts the inlet air pressure. If more inlet air can be supplied with pressure, you can now burn more fuel, so as to increase the power. Since the power, for the drive, is not taken from the engine (as in Supercharging, which is usually a belt-driven unit), this is more efficient from the point of view of fuel economy. Unfortunately, it generates ’Turbo lag’, which means a ’dead band’, during which you don’t get much ‘boost’, while accelerating from low speeds. It is only when the engine delivers sufficient exhaust to spin the turbine at its optimum revs, that the boost kicks- in. This translates to a not-very-happy pick-up, in the sense that ’standing start’ times reduce.
Also, in the case of the Safari, the excessive weight (of almost two tonnes) does hinder the pick-up, especially when you are on an ‘up slope’, with a full load. The A/C in this situation would further sap the power. This reduces the ’go anywhere’ capability of a ’Ute’, or Utility vehicle, which this is supposed to be !!
As a matter of fact, hardly 10 % of Tata Safaris are actually used on rough road, inspite of the ’Make your own road’ Adverts !! These are more ’show’ and less ’go’, as compared to, say, a Jeep or a Pajero, which is sheer brute force in comparison.
That said, this is a real change from the dreary Jeeps or light trucks that we were used to seeing on Indian roads. This is one well equipped vehicle, having all the creature comforts of more expensive ‘imported’ Utes, at a fraction of their price, as well as having diesel economy. Unfortunately, it started off with a lot of niggling problems, that affected earlier sales. Its earlier reliability problems appear to have been taken care off, if recent test reports are to be believed.
Although it is a bit too large for city driving and parking, it is ideal for those long drives on Highways. Its superior level of equipment, as well as the commanding position, while driving, make it very good value for money, for those travelling frequently.