Tata Safari EX - Petrol or Diesel - Team-BHP

Satyam · 5th June 2007, 14:55

I have decided to buy a Safari EX by next month. Not being able to decide whether to go for the Safari Dicor Ex or Safari EXI Petrol.

It will be self driven. Average distance travel per month will be around 600 Kms. Out of this 60% will be in city and rest 40% will be on highways.

The vehicle will be with me for 5 to 6 years. Not very particular about the resale value. Would prefer a responsive, silent and trouble free (practically to the extend possible) engine.

Will a petrol engine lead to less body rattling? Most of the Safaris on the road are on diesel and so most of the service centre people will be familiar with the same. Thus will there be a problem in after sales maintenance because of lack of experienced mechanics of Safari petrol engine at TATA's workshops?

Please let me know your views.

tsk1979 · 5th June 2007, 15:33

Do not even think about petrol. There is not enough user R&D on that engine.
The DICOR is tried and tested and most niggles have been sorted out.
As for the rattles, it has nothing to do with the engine, the roads will take care of that.

Tata mechanics are still not adept with petrol engines, esp of safari variety

Rahulk76 · 5th June 2007, 15:46

satyam

even if out of the blue you plan for petrol safari,

be prepared to leave the vehicle in the workshop for a coupla of days/weeks for extinct availibilty of spare parts. tata's havent reached the breakin point with petrol safari sales yet and its a low priority for them (more so from the matter of fact that spare parts of petrol safari are bloody expensive and very less availibilty at dealers )

dadu · 5th June 2007, 15:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Satyam

I have decided to buy a Safari EX by next month. Not being able to decide whether to go for the Safari Dicor Ex or Safari EXI Petrol.

It will be self driven. Average distance travel per month will be around 600 Kms. Out of this 60% will be in city and rest 40% will be on highways.

My personal opinion would be to go for a diesel model , as thats what TATA is all about, diesel. Other factors are already quoted in the previous posts.

Perhaps this thread (Why did you buy a diesel?) will also help you.

dadu · 5th June 2007, 17:26

btw, how much is the EX costing you on-road and are they offerring you any discounts etc.

ravibhat · 5th June 2007, 22:55

600km per month travel Diesel won't make sense but since you want to buy Safari beast (great Indian SUV!) buy Diesel, except for minor issues its a great truck!

Once you are used to it you can manage Safari in city driving too.

Don't wait for new Safari 2.2 ltr if its coming very soon. buy present DICOR (3.0 i guess

) one itself.

All the best!

Ravi.

theMAG · 5th June 2007, 23:04

The petrol engine is too small for a vehicle of this size and its intended utility. The Dicor fits the bill to a T.

Zappo · 6th June 2007, 00:23

Let me put it this way, Safari is Dicor, Dicor is Safari.
Petrol safari?!! Wazzat?

ashwin_seattle · 6th June 2007, 01:03

Dicor it has to be when u speak of Safari. Petrol is almost non-existent.

hrag · 6th June 2007, 10:37

The petrol Safari is quicker, smoother and quieter than its diesel counterpart. It does have a reputation as a guzzler and there are not too many on the roads.

Why don't you try contacting member ram2004 who owns a Safari petrol and is very happy with it? He's also done a Chennai - Leh trip with it as well without any issues.

He would be able to give you genuine owner feedback unlike the rest of us.

tsk1979 · 6th June 2007, 10:50

hrag, the problem is not the vehicle, but "what if something goes wrong". If the latter happens there is a chance that spares will not be easily available.
Even older indigo petrols had trouble free samples, but whenever something went wrong it meant long wait for spares. Two of my very good friends bought indigo petrol around the time it was introduced and faced spare issue problems, which were not there for the diesel counterparts.

hrag · 6th June 2007, 12:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

hrag, the problem is not the vehicle, but "what if something goes wrong". If the latter happens there is a chance that spares will not be easily available.

I agree tsk1979. Which is why I thought ram2004 would be able to provide an authentic picture about spares and service.

Satyam · 7th June 2007, 10:11

Thanks everybody for your inputs and suggestions. Have decided to go ahead with the Dicor EX.

Muralidharan · 16th July 2007, 17:59

Don't get yourself confused whether to go for Safari Dicor or Safari Petrol. Would you like to know, that last month I bought Tata Safari Petrol VXi 4x4 BS-III Quartz Black, it was my dream car and I'm now absolutely happy with the performance of this black beauty. The petrol engine is more powerful than Dicor Engine, no rattling sound from anywhere, engine is smooth & quiet, ofcourse you must pay little more while filling petrol, but more than that you can save in the diesel engine maintenance, wear & tear, avoid frequent visit to their service centre, the vehicle will be in sound condition for long. If you wish to sell your vehicle in every 2-3 years, then better opt for any diesel vehicle.

Godfather · 18th July 2007, 07:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muralidharan

that last month I bought Tata Safari Petrol VXi 4x4 BS-III Quartz Black, I'm now absolutely happy with the performance of this black beauty.

I guess you are the first person on the forum with a Petrol Safari.. Can you put up a review and what are the mileage figures you are getting?

Godfather

5th June 2007, 14:55	#1 (permalink)
Satyam Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6	Tata Safari EX - Petrol or Diesel I have decided to buy a Safari EX by next month. Not being able to decide whether to go for the Safari Dicor Ex or Safari EXI Petrol. It will be self driven. Average distance travel per month will be around 600 Kms. Out of this 60% will be in city and rest 40% will be on highways. The vehicle will be with me for 5 to 6 years. Not very particular about the resale value. Would prefer a responsive, silent and trouble free (practically to the extend possible) engine. Will a petrol engine lead to less body rattling? Most of the Safaris on the road are on diesel and so most of the service centre people will be familiar with the same. Thus will there be a problem in after sales maintenance because of lack of experienced mechanics of Safari petrol engine at TATA's workshops? Please let me know your views.

5th June 2007, 15:33	#2 (permalink)
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 11,273 View My Garage	Do not even think about petrol. There is not enough user R&D on that engine. The DICOR is tried and tested and most niggles have been sorted out. As for the rattles, it has nothing to do with the engine, the roads will take care of that. Tata mechanics are still not adept with petrol engines, esp of safari variety __________________ Reclaimed, wrung dry and recycled....!

5th June 2007, 15:46	#3 (permalink)
Rahulk76 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 549	satyam even if out of the blue you plan for petrol safari, be prepared to leave the vehicle in the workshop for a coupla of days/weeks for extinct availibilty of spare parts. tata's havent reached the breakin point with petrol safari sales yet and its a low priority for them (more so from the matter of fact that spare parts of petrol safari are bloody expensive and very less availibilty at dealers ) __________________ ~ XL 2.2 irafaS ataT Tata Safari 2.2 LX Last edited by Rahulk76 : 5th June 2007 at 15:47.

5th June 2007, 22:55	#6 (permalink)
ravibhat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,082 View My Garage	600km per month travel Diesel won't make sense but since you want to buy Safari beast (great Indian SUV!) buy Diesel, except for minor issues its a great truck! Once you are used to it you can manage Safari in city driving too. Don't wait for new Safari 2.2 ltr if its coming very soon. buy present DICOR (3.0 i guess ) one itself. All the best! Ravi. __________________ Blue Alto LXI 2008 Limited Edition My City Car HIGHway vehicle: Safari or Innova (Who win my heart)

5th June 2007, 23:04	#7 (permalink)
theMAG Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bengalooru Posts: 4,565 View My Garage	The petrol engine is too small for a vehicle of this size and its intended utility. The Dicor fits the bill to a T. __________________ If I hold a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

5th June 2007, 17:26	#5 (permalink)
dadu Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,880 View My Garage	btw, how much is the EX costing you on-road and are they offerring you any discounts etc.

6th June 2007, 00:23	#8 (permalink)
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 3,716	Let me put it this way, Safari is Dicor, Dicor is Safari. Petrol safari?!! Wazzat? __________________ Announcements are important. Read the Advertising Announcement here. Classifieds section has its rules. Read here

6th June 2007, 01:03	#9 (permalink)
ashwin_seattle BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: seattle/chandigarh Posts: 96 View My Garage	Dicor it has to be when u speak of Safari. Petrol is almost non-existent. __________________ Nobody's Perfect. I am Nobody.

6th June 2007, 10:37	#10 (permalink)
hrag Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bangalore / Madras Posts: 1,997 Infractions: 0/1 (4)	The petrol Safari is quicker, smoother and quieter than its diesel counterpart. It does have a reputation as a guzzler and there are not too many on the roads. Why don't you try contacting member ram2004 who owns a Safari petrol and is very happy with it? He's also done a Chennai - Leh trip with it as well without any issues. He would be able to give you genuine owner feedback unlike the rest of us. __________________ Feb 1997 Bajaj KB125 RTZ 48K km Mar 2003 Tata Indica V2 LSi 101K km Jan 2007 Tata Safari 3.0 DiCOR EX 4x4 78K km

6th June 2007, 10:50	#11 (permalink)
tsk1979 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 11,273 View My Garage	hrag, the problem is not the vehicle, but "what if something goes wrong". If the latter happens there is a chance that spares will not be easily available. Even older indigo petrols had trouble free samples, but whenever something went wrong it meant long wait for spares. Two of my very good friends bought indigo petrol around the time it was introduced and faced spare issue problems, which were not there for the diesel counterparts. __________________ Reclaimed, wrung dry and recycled....!

7th June 2007, 10:11	#13 (permalink)
Satyam Newbie Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 6	Thanks everybody for your inputs and suggestions. Have decided to go ahead with the Dicor EX.

16th July 2007, 17:59	#14 (permalink)
Muralidharan Newbie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Palakkad - Kerala - India Posts: 15	Don't get yourself confused whether to go for Safari Dicor or Safari Petrol. Would you like to know, that last month I bought Tata Safari Petrol VXi 4x4 BS-III Quartz Black, it was my dream car and I'm now absolutely happy with the performance of this black beauty. The petrol engine is more powerful than Dicor Engine, no rattling sound from anywhere, engine is smooth & quiet, ofcourse you must pay little more while filling petrol, but more than that you can save in the diesel engine maintenance, wear & tear, avoid frequent visit to their service centre, the vehicle will be in sound condition for long. If you wish to sell your vehicle in every 2-3 years, then better opt for any diesel vehicle.

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