Drove the2.2 VTT Safari beast.
1st gear it leaps when you de-clutch like a monster unleashed
2nd it has a pronounced soft spot/ turbo lag till 2000 rpm when the turbo kicks in. However when one stops and starts in city traffic or while going over a speed breaker, it can be a pain.
3rd/ 4th/ 5th fine.
[turbo kicks in at 1800 and hence you take it till 2300 or so and slot into next higher gear]
3rd being drive gear its ok but when you slacken speed a lot, despite all that torque and BHP it will still have to be down shifted to 1st to have that pep. This means more fuel consumption definitely.
[Didnt get you. Why would one want to slot into 1st gear when one's in 3rd all of a sudden? ]
Good powerful AC should be adequate for back seat passengers also.
[LX version?]
Terribly mushy far away vague gear box rather like an Indica V2 DLG Turbo.
[its mushy
]
If you drive with some chicaning around a bit and then apply the brake the tail feels rather waggy while braking.
[the boy is damn tall and hence]
Not very pronounced body roll in normal circumstances but could become irritating on winding hill roads.
[Maybe above 80kmph on hills]
The BHP is evident and so is the torque but I am highly displeased about the Turbo Lag problem.
[what are we comparing this with..which car/suv]
The vehicle feels really big and reversing into tight spots will definitely be troublesome especially in Bangalore.
[can be an issue.]
If I take it to Ooty etc it will be good on the highways but the Sigur Ghats may prove irritating because of roll, pitch and yaw which is tangible.
[its an SUV with high GC and not a sedan for hills. And lets not go into assumptions]
Parts and Spares could turn out more expensive than Mahindra as can the service bills.
[could? can someone clarify based on experience
]
Tata scores by the sheer amount of freebies you get at the price you pay. No doubt about that. But will I enjoy keeping it for more than 3 years? I dont know really. And the re-sale value issue is still not clear with this 2.2 VTT.
[Innova suits you better]
Was very tough to choose between this and the Scorpio. The Scorpio is much more of a Driver's Jeep but the Tata lures one with the features offered and seems as close as one can get to affordable luxury.