the black beauty cometh!! (Safari 2.2 LX)

[bIte tHe bulLet]

hey guys...


i have FINALLY managed to get my very own tata safari 2.2 lx !!! "yippee yay"


as most of you would have guessed by now, she is black and she is all of 77 hours and 211 kms old! she arrived a little bit late @ 8 pm in the evening of the 12th of march.


she has received much tender loving care and been ICE'd slightly bizzarely (the gurus in the ICE section have just gone "WHAT the h**l has this guy done???) i'll post details of the ICE in a bit for those of you interested...


she has also changed footwear. she now wears some very sexy HR alloys all round, and her rubber has changed from the stock bridgestone to some michelin 16/255 sized rubber.


to aid and abet in the rear parking department - she now also has the services of an auzo IR rearview camera with a 7" lcd mounted onto the existing rvm in the car.


she has been secured with an autocop 3198 remote locking system - obtained as an arm twisted freebie from the dealer, and also an autocop gear lock (u type as the pin type apparently doesn't fit the safari). she also has a nifty lock installed on the spare wheel, so that people are unable to walk off with it on a whim!!!


the bumpers and side cladding were originally to be painted into a deep metallic silver to contrast with the black on the coachwork - but now i find that the grey actually works quite well as a look. i must admit that fellow bhp'ian pavan's red safari with grey cladding also added to the inspiration. (not to mention that the 1st scratch on the paintwork would be heart rending - the grey unpainted can take far more abuse in delhi traffic)


in due course, some cow's are going to be sacrificed somewhere to clad my seats in their hide. to this end, i've have been furiously searching threads and researching the market to figure out how much the hole in the pocket is going to be...!!! (i beg forgiveness from said cows - although i promise to take really good care of your skin for you!!)


driving impressions are pretty much par for the course. the 1st gear is a little bit notchy when you start off from stand still and needs some vigourous coaxing to slot in sometimes. it is butter smooth while engaging it in a gently coasting vehicle though. you need to get used to the size of the thing with relation to traffic, but because you sit so high up, depth and breath perception settles in really quickly. i was darting into spaces barely large enough within a couple of hours into beginning to drive her!


the cabin is insulated from outside noises to an extent, but you need the ICE to really DROWN out the annoying sounds from outside. . the overall fit and finish is NOT THAT BAD!!!! (phew - i finally said it!!!) i kid you not - yes it is nor a mercedes or even a maruti for that matter, but it is not as bad as some people make it out to be - it does have enough in it to surprise you pleasantly. lets just say, and you've heard this before, "you need to keep an open mind"!


looks (subjective) - 9/10
value for money - 9/10
ease of driving - 8/10
comfort - 10/10
rating for ownership - 8.5/10

the mods are going to scream at the length of the post, so shall post more later...

cheers for now!

[bIte tHe bulLet]

to continue with some driving impressions...

i'm moving from a palio to the safari. the palio's suspension is gorgeous - the safari's is almsot as good. the safari tends to cosset you over bumps and undulations, where the palio just gets on with the job! the steering is nice but if you are upsizing your rubber, please be prepared for a little more effort while trying to guide the safari in and out of traffic.


the doors shut with a reassuring thunk - and being a dad to two boys, i know that the kids will be safe in the safari (just the same way i know that the kids will be safe in the palio!!). people DO NOT mess with you on the road i.e. if you indicate to change lanes - it is one h**luva crazy but brave coot who will come darting into the lane before you make the lane change!!


i do think the gray interiors on the lx will age better than the beige ones in the ex and vx.... going by the insides of my sister in law's 3 year old innova, (and the quality of fit / finish and materials is miles ahead in the innova vis a vis the safari), i am glad my interiors are grey. also since this is quite exclusively going to be driven ruthlessly cross country, the interiors are going to take quite a severe workout with luggage/camping gear and people!! the glass area in the cabin is simply mindblowing. it almost seems like you are sitting atop the vehicle in a glass bubble - so, heatproofing the car with good quality sunfilm is not a luxury - it is a necessity.


the engine - "mama mia". it isin't a work of art, but for a tata - oooooohhhh boy! the 1st gear is too short but the 2nd / 3rd are perfect. the 4th and 5th are slightly tall for city traffic but they should come into their own on the highway. engine noise and vibration in the cabin is negligible. you can hear a diesel clatter with the windows rolled down but with it on the move, it is definately quieter than a lot of other suv's/muv's out there.


the paintjob - i like the paintjob. there is definately a classy gloss to the paint that was possibly missing in earlier tata products. originally booked a cycus grey, but heart won over head and plonked for the black finally!! panel gaps are acceptable and from a distance, she is still as handsome in the flesh as she was when she was launched many moons ago...

i am now waiting to drive her onto a highway and let her breath freely!!! (it might materialise quite quickly actually - so will keep you updated on that front as well.

will revisit thread in a bit... cheers for now!!!

[vkochar]

Hey !! Congrats for the car & a very nicely written ( good reading ) review mate !!

Go for Custom Leather Made seat covers in Karol Bagh - they will set you back by 30k or so.

Stanley, Ovion will cost 50k & upwards.

[bIte tHe bulLet]

Originally Posted by vkochar

Hey !! Congrats for the car & a very nicely written ( good reading ) review mate !!

Go for Custom Leather Made seat covers in Karol Bagh - they will set you back by 30k or so.

Stanley, Ovion will cost 50k & upwards.

hey dude,

thanks for stopping by man. absolutely love the safari - have waited almost a year and a half for this engine to launch and THEN waited 3 months for the initial niggles to settle down, before plonking money on it!!

well, i've managed to get quotes ranging from 35-38 k for stanley leather seat covers. i am quite inclined in that direction!! although if i can get my hands on a really good guy who can stitch me some really simple but gorgeous hide for the seats cheaper - i will happily jump at it!!

cheers dude...

[JayD]

Hey! congrats on your new ride dude! Btw, what is the bizzare ICE u've put in??

[bIte tHe bulLet]

hey jayD,

thanks man. only problem is that i am many many miles from her at the moment !!!! (physically - NOT mentally though!!!)

the ICE:

soundstream pca 4.400 4 channel amp
morel tempo 6 1/2" components in front
blau gtc 172 6" components in rear
blau gtt 300 bass tube
pio 5050 hu
kicker power cable
kicker speaker cable
FAKE jbl rca's

i managed to get quite a bit of stick from a few of the gurus in the ICE section for this, but it sounds nice to me (albeit a little bit too boomy from the bass tube sometimes, unless i kill some of the bass while listeing to some stuff). need to sit and tune it down correctly - everything was done in a bit of a rush since i was travelling the next day!

pls note that the jbl rca's are fake - there's a story behind that and they were knowingly bought AND sold as fake. will have them upgraded at the next boom box upgrade which is hopefully not too far away.

cheers dude.

[Strangerintown]

Hey!! Congrats on getting the truck . I'm considering getting one for myself and was also thinking along the lines of a black LX. BTW, what colour seat covers are you considering for the LX?

[dadu]

Congrats so you have bitten the bullet, welcome to the club buddy.

[Karandeep81]

congrats mate. await the pics (specially of the HR alloys 'she' boasts)

[jkdas]

WOW! Congrats!

This is a surprise!

[bIte tHe bulLet]

Originally Posted by dadu

Congrats so you have bitten the bullet, welcome to the club buddy.

thanks dadu,

as the tag line of the mc donalds commercial goes, "i'm loving it!!" it's been fun so far and i'm looking forward to having a lovely time with her in the years to come...

stranger -
go for it dude with your eyes shut! a deep blue leather from stanley is what i have my eyes on...

karan -
thanks man... will post pics when i'm back in the country on the 20th. the wheels are like the ones that whatcanthisbe has on his baby....

jk - it's been in the pipeline for a while dude, waited almost a year and a half... congrats on yours as well dude.

cheers amigos.

[hellstar]

Congrats on your new drive pal

I am waiting for the pictures of your drive though ...

[A S H V I N]

congrats on the new buy bro .. do put up lots of pics asap!!

[djbobo]

Congrats on the new buy. Waiting for your pics.

Just love the 2.2's feel on Delhi roads. Makes driving a lot better.

[Strangerintown]

Bite the Bullet, did you get any discount or freebies from the dealer, in addition to the remote locking system? Do put up pics of the black beast soon! I want to see how the black LX looks as the dealer could not show me one here!!