Tata Safari 2.2 A Detailied TD Report

[BUSA]

Finally got a test drive today. The test drive car was a EX 4x2

Looks

Nothing to talk about since everyone knows the Safari looks awesome, its a beast and has huge road presence.



Engine



The engine is fantastic, never felt underpowered at all, the car is very comfortable cruising at speeds of 120-140kmph, those who say that the 3.0 is better, well just check my signature. The NVH is very very good indeed and dare i say lesser noise then Swift Diesel



Gearbox

There were no issues with the gearbox, neither with first gear as reported by people on the forum, the clutch was totally fine. Who ever says the gearbox/clutch is heavy should realise this is a large diesel and its not right comparing diesel gearbox/clutch with petrol ones.

Brakes

They were ok, wont say bad but i would rate them 7/10 Lack of ABS makes the tyres lock though on dusty roads and the weight plays a part in the locking up.

Handling

Yes, the handling was very good indeed, almost on par with the Innova, its very easy to make the truck drift. Buttttttttttttt, the poor steering feedback spoilt the handling to a great extent. On lower speeds the steering is very light which is good for City driving but on higher speeds its very very dangerous, no feedback at all, too light, Tata better work on this area ASAP. The car is stable thanks to its 2 ton weight.



Ride

FANTASTIC, you dont need to stop on all the rough patches of the road, instead just drive over them and not feel anything, this is one of the biggest plus points of the Safari. Potholes - What are they??

Comfort & Interiors



Very good legroom indeed and the rear bench is a sofa. Front Seats have Lumbar support and are height adjustable gives a very good commanding view of the road. The jump seats are crap though. AC works very effectively. Gearlever and ashtray come very close indeed on the latter being pushed to release.

ICE

Crap, hehe. Well yeah the speakers dont sound good, you need to change them for decent sound. Front speakers get tweeters, as depicted in this pic.



P.S Notice Mirrors are quite good and offer ample visibility at the rear.

Quality

Not so good quality, the 4x4 switch is very tacky & plastic quality is on the negative side. Uneven panel gaps on the dashboard in places like the Cigratte lighter is not at all welcome. Wipers also didnot seem to be postioned too well. The key know was very cheap and so was the remote, not expected on a 10Lacs+ Truck/Car/SUV, i sat in a few Safari's and finishing quality was inconsistent, ie some cars had better quality, others didnot have the same.



Notice : Chrome surround on VX

Features

The VX gets a host of features and thats really good of Tata to give it but the price shoots up, they should have given ABS as a option on the EX. The EX 4x2 dont get alloys, only the VX and EX 4x4 get it. All versions come with adjustable lumbar support as std and there is light inside the hood as well.



Misc

The truck is not easy to park, its really long, tall & wide all at the same time. You need to get used to it. Sales guy took me inside workshop to show the VX, i asked him this is a test drive car, then why not being offered as a test drive. He politely replied saying Tata are carrying some checks on it. Wonder what he meant, the car was being worked upon and i was told not to start it. He showed me the VX features like reverse guide(impressive), reclining middle row benches & the DVD system. Enagaging in 4WD should be used only when in motion.

VFM

The EX 4x4 is the most VFM version for people wanting 4WD.

Pros : -

• Fantastic Ride
• Very good NVH
• Excellent Comfort
• VFM
• Looks
• Cruising Ability

Cons : -

• Steering feedback at high speeds or rather the lack of it!!
• Plastic Quality
• Panel Gaps
• Key Knob difficult to remove from ignition position
• Inconsistent finishing on different cars

Would i recomend this cars to others - YES
Would i want to buy this car myself - YES
Am i going to buy this car myself - YES, but after others complete the R&D

Conlusion - 8/10, i would rate this car much much better then a Innova

I hope i have covered all aspects.

@ Mods - The other threads is full of short test drivers and if full of posts, its difficult to read and any one wanting proper TD info will have to browse through 200+ posts, hence i made a separate thread.

[overdose14]

Originally Posted by BUSA

those who say that the 3.0 is better, well just check my signature.

i never said engine is not good but it lacks performance that 3.0L gives in 4th and 5th gear i.e the pulling ability above 100, and feel is totally different.
DICOR always ruled above 100, one can use its 4th cog from 60 to 130.

and 3.0L is also TURBO CHARGED and it has got bigger turbo.

[svaid]

@ BUSA - fantastic review which deserves to have a separate thread of its own

Only thing I would like to comment is on your comparison of the same with Innova. I would look at these two vehicles to be in two different class( may be a comparison with Scorpio might have been more logical IMHO )
Also, my observation is that people go with Innova not because it is a beautifully designed vehicle(physically) but because it comes with the TOYOTA tag which is synonymous with reliability( Japanese ) and to some extent has some snob value( Although I wonder with it's cab status can Innova really have that). Of course the handling of Innova is also excellent

To me for the comprehensive success of the new Safari to be there in the Indian market; it has to be better in all aspects wrt the equivalent model of Scorpio and just about that. If someone has 15L to spare I am not too sure if he would be really going with Safari unless for the same passion which TBHPians have for this vehicle

-SVAID

[BUSA]

Well overdose, the 3.0 might be good but the 2.2 is better, using 800cc and smaller turbo also its faster and more efficient and thats all that matters, doesnot it

[revved_up]

Busa: Nice detailed TD report.. i am surely hoping to get my hands on this beast.. but will wait for some time, since its a TATA

[overdose14]

Originally Posted by BUSA

Well overdose, the 3.0 might be good but the 2.2 is better, using 800cc and smaller turbo also its faster and more efficient and thats all that matters, doesnot it

yep, engine is good, really good and more efficient but as far my views are concerned FE is not a big thing for me( if that was the case fiesta was good option) and who uses a half truck for traffic light drags.

yaar, drive 3.0l for a week and then you'll know why half of people at Team-Bhp are not that happy with new engine. 3.0L is completely different thing, so different that even BOSH had to redesign its ABS to suit DICOR.
its completely different. never you'll encounter a car with 3000 rpm limit. i think only DICOR has such small limit but that is its strength.
hit the gas pedal and truck surges forward with ease even above 100 in 4th or even in 5th.

no doubt new engine is more powerful but 138 horses are shy.

but in the end, even i would suggest new one by looking at other areas of improvement as other things also have to be taken into consideration.

[Karandeep81]

strange to read 'TATA are doing some checks'. checks on a TD vehicle in a showroom by company officials ? and on a car just launched ? looks fishy

[kumar2007]

Originally Posted by overdose14

yep, engine is good, really good and more efficient but as far my views are concerned FE is not a big thing for me( if that was the case fiesta was good option) and who uses a half truck for traffic light drags.

yaar, drive 3.0l for a week and then you'll know why half of people at Team-Bhp are not that happy with new engine. 3.0L is completely different thing, so different that even BOSH had to redesign its ABS to suit DICOR.
its completely different. never you'll encounter a car with 3000 rpm limit. i think only DICOR has such small limit but that is its strength.
hit the gas pedal and truck surges forward with ease even above 100 in 4th or even in 5th.

no doubt new engine is more powerful but 138 horses are shy.

but in the end, even i would suggest new one by looking at other areas of improvement as other things also have to be taken into consideration.

Hey, just could not understand that post.

[sajands]

Hey Busa,

Thanks for such detailed report. now that TATA are checking the VX model and working on it. i'll wait for few months and then book the VX model.. i wonder what they are up too. I hope the new 2.2 VX wont get to be re-called soon.

Regards,
Sajan

[suman]

Busa, excellent review, thanks! Looks like your heart is set on it but you're being a little wary about buying it - wise !

Originally Posted by BUSA

The engine is fantastic, never felt underpowered at all, the car is very comfortable cruising at speeds of 120-140kmph, those who say that the 3.0 is better, well just check my signature.

Originally Posted by BUSA

There were no issues with the gearbox, neither with first gear as reported by people on the forum, the clutch was totally fine. Who ever says the gearbox/clutch is heavy should realise this is a large diesel and its not right comparing diesel gearbox/clutch with petrol ones.

Absolutely correct reasoning but when the people saying the above actually own or have driven the 3.0L, then it becomes an actual comparison and not theory alone. And quite a few of the 3.0L drivers/owners have commented on the first gear engaging as well as the lack of grunt in 3rd & 4th gears (strong point of the 3.0 L).

But as I was saying to Nitin (Trance Nut) yesterday, there will always be a compromise - torque for city driving vs effortless pickup & cruising on open stretches.

(Yawn), like I said to Prajesh, one of these days I gotta check it out........

[dadu]

Nice detailed review BUSA but by any chance did they tell you about when the deliveries will be done ???

Then the real world tests will begin.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by BUSA

@ Mods - The other threads is full of short test drivers and if full of posts, its difficult to read and any one wanting proper TD info will have to browse through 200+ posts, hence i made a separate thread.

That is fine. But I still want you to mention your prior experience with other diesel trucks or 3.0L Safari. This is especially important considering your TD engine/gearbox experience is different than most earlier reports.

[freewheelburnin]

Think i should wait till December before booking the vehicle so that initial issues like dead spot in power delivery are ironed out.But as Samurai had mentioned... the test drive reports are not consistent.Probably because of difference in driving styles.It could be much useful to understand more information like whether u drive on heavy foot or light foot,What R.P.M the gear shifting was done and N.V.H levels were with A.C on or without,Speed at which brakes were applied,whether down shifting was done while braking etc, so that the difference in T.D results are justified.Neways that was a very detailed T.D report.

[BUSA]

Nice detailed review BUSA but by any chance did they tell you about when the deliveries will be done

The Deliveries will start within 2 weeks time.

And quite a few of the 3.0L drivers/owners have commented on the first gear engaging

There was no such problem at all with the test drive vehicle. 1st was engaging properly. I think it was a one-off problem with some vehicles as told by the sales guy to bhpians.

Only thing I would like to comment is on your comparison of the same with Innova. I would look at these two vehicles to be in two different class( may be a comparison with Scorpio might have been more logical IMHO )
Also, my observation is that people go with Innova not because it is a beautifully designed vehicle(physically) but because it comes with the TOYOTA tag which is synonymous with reliability( Japanese ) and to some extent has some snob value

Yes, Toyotas quality is much much better then Tata and so is the finishing of the vehicle. Toyota's do have snob value and reliabilty is excellent but as two different vehicles wrt Handling, Braking, Space, Comfort, Engine, Features & VFM the Tata just edges out ahead of the Innova. Not that the Innova is bad, i find it a tad underpowered, i mean what were toyota thinking when they forgot to put a intercooler in the Innova.

lack of grunt in 3rd & 4th gears (strong point of the 3.0 L).

But I still want you to mention your prior experience with other diesel trucks or 3.0L Safari. This is especially important considering your TD engine/gearbox experience is different than most earlier reports.

I have test driven the 3.0L Dicor long time back, here is how i can summarize the engine in short :- Engine is noisy, Very narrow power band of 3000RPM, comes on its own on the highways. The 2.2L doesnot lack any grunt, only the 3.0L has slightly more grunt in 3rd, 4th gear, however as a overall engine wrt power, NVH the 2.2 is surely ahead of the 3.0 and a step up in the right direction.

Why doesnot it feel like 138bhp as per 3.0L owners.

I have a Swift which has all its torque of 190NM(stock) generated at 2000RPM, this gives a huge kick and the car feels insanely fast. However it takes all of 13.87secs to reach 100. Though my car is no more stock now, i drove the Optra Magnum and felt the Swift to be faster. The reason is simple, the Magnum had power throughout the revband, there wasnot a huge kick of torque like in the Swift, but in real flat 0 - 100 the Magnum is 3 secs faster. So to conclude the Safari 3.0 might feel faster in some gears but overall the 2.2 is faster by almost 4 complete secs to a 100 and that itself says so much about the engine, oh yeah 2 seconds faster then the Scorpio also so its a for the 2.2

The safari surely has very good crusing ability. As posted by me, the pic of crusing at 110kmph, the car felt effortless.

EDIT

What R.P.M the gear shifting was done and N.V.H levels were with A.C on or without,Speed at which brakes were applied,whether down shifting was done while braking etc, so that the difference in T.D results are justified.

Diesels are not meant to be revved, there are supposed to be driven in the torque wave and thats how i drove it, changing gears at 2500-3000RPM. I did pull her to 4100RPM and its a normal thing to notice the acceleration decrease since the torque decreases after reaching peak point.

I think many of the members had really very high expectation, since the 2.2 been 2 years + in the making.

Another thing i forgot to mention, excellent sound deadning by Tata, you hardly can hear the horn inside.

Another thing i noticed the clutch in the 4WD is heavier then the 2WD counterpart, why is that so?

[kpzen]

BUSA
Nice review in detail.

Originally Posted by suman

(Yawn), like I said to Prajesh, one of these days I gotta check it out........

Yes Sir, I'm waiting.

Originally Posted by BUSA

Another thing i forgot to mention, excellent sound deadning by Tata, you hardly can hear the horn inside.

Is that a pro or con?