[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by Rahulk76

Suddenly atleast in Pune, i am seeing a lot more Fortuners new and used than Safari's.

If what is called spending entire day at TASS and guiding grease monkeys to do their job properly is called "good customer experience"well i am out of words..Its screaming to Tata's that there is still something amiss.

Now launch 400 or 500 or whatever, its not going to be a cashcow until customer experience is taken care of + Quality.

(if i look back and realize that i would have been better off with Toyota when my colleagues were shouting at me what the hell you bought a Tata Safari years back. They bought Innova during that time and now its done over 1.8L kms without issues. Just for a sake of comparision a regular service is 1-3 hr at Toyota vs full day or more at Tata. How much of valuable time are you personally saving, also matters atleast to me which i can spend on driving ).

It is certainly not surprising to see more fortuners as that's what the monthly sales figure suggest.

Tata service was always known more for it's misses than it's hits. Most buy a tata after keeping that in mind. Now it surprises me to see that people still are surprised by Tata's bad service. However, after looking at JD power survey and speaking to some of Storme owners, I feel they are improving. They are not Toyotas and definitely nowhere near Maruti.

I would have bought a Fortuner If I were you and could afford a Fortuner. Fortuner is better then Safari in almost all fields. Why would one buy a Safari when he could afford a fortuner is beyond me.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by sourabhzen

It is certainly not surprising to see more fortuners as that's what the monthly sales figure suggest.


I would have bought a Fortuner If I were you and could afford a Fortuner. Fortuner is better then Safari in almost all fields. Why would one buy a Safari when he could afford a fortuner is beyond me.

Ask me. I bought a Storme inspite of easily affording a Fortuner. The main reasons were:
Lack of ride comfort/harsh ride. Wouldn't help me do long distance cross country
Lack of visibility. Sitting lower down, not seeing the bonnet, high window sill lines, feeling hemmed in. Unable to pilot easily
Interiors simply not worth the money paid. Always felt shortchanged after paying decent money
Low roof line. The gap between my head and roof in the driver's seat is a mere 1.5 inch. One bump taken harshly and I would hit the roof. Simply not acceptable.

Storme gives me all the required features above, and I wouldn't complain that it costs half the cost of a Fortuner. Even if the Fortuner was priced a couple of lakhs above the Storme I wouldn't have bought it due to the said reasons.
With the launch of the new Endevour and the Fortuner, I will take a look at them again. If they satisfy my requirements I may look at buying one.

[rajamuneeb]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Ask me. I bought a Storme inspite of easily affording a Fortuner. The main reasons were:
Lack of ride comfort/harsh ride. Wouldn't help me do long distance cross country
Lack of visibility. Sitting lower down, not seeing the bonnet, high window sill lines, feeling hemmed in. Unable to pilot easily
Interiors simply not worth the money paid. Always felt shortchanged after paying decent money
Low roof line. The gap between my head and roof in the driver's seat is a mere 1.5 inch. One bump taken harshly and I would hit the roof. Simply not acceptable.

Storme gives me all the required features above, and I wouldn't complain that it costs half the cost of a Fortuner. Even if the Fortuner was priced a couple of lakhs above the Storme I wouldn't have bought it due to the said reasons.
With the launch of the new Endevour and the Fortuner, I will take a look at them again. If they satisfy my requirements I may look at buying one.

I second that. Fortuner in rest of South Asia is selling on the same price bracket as of Scorpio and Storme in India I.e around 14L. So essentially it's a car worth 14L but since Toyota doesn't want to invest heavily in locally producing the fortuner we Indians are paying almost twice the amount for it happily. Though Toyota worldwide is known for reliable customer service and its products I believe it's the Indian manufacturers who need to up their game to seriously compete on such levels so that companies like Toyota feel the heat and bring the prices of its fortuner down at par with the original price.

[mayank0782]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Ask me. I bought a Storme inspite of easily affording a Fortuner. The main reasons were:
Lack of ride comfort/harsh ride. Wouldn't help me do long distance cross country
Lack of visibility. Sitting lower down, not seeing the bonnet, high window sill lines, feeling hemmed in. Unable to pilot easily

apachelongbow,

Have you test driven the XUV too ? how do you compare the driving position of the two vehicles ? How different/similar they are ?

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by mayank0782

apachelongbow,

Have you test driven the XUV too ? how do you compare the driving position of the two vehicles ? How different/similar they are ?

Not really. I never looked at the XUV since I wanted a SUV, to replace my 2.2 Dicor. The other cars in contention was the Fortuner and the Pajero Sport.

[verditer]

Incredible. Very Very Glad to see Safari Storme going this route.
Warm Welcome to The Storme 400!!

I cannot wait for the day when I can replace my aging Dicor for the Varicor 400.
The best car one can get for our roads.

[ACM]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Not really. I never looked at the XUV since I wanted a SUV, to replace my 2.2 Dicor. The other cars in contention was the Fortuner and the Pajero Sport.

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

I bought a Storme inspite of easily affording a Fortuner. The main reasons were: Lack of ride comfort/harsh ride. Wouldn't help me do long distance cross country. Lack of visibility. Sitting lower down, not seeing the bonnet, high window sill lines, feeling hemmed in. Unable to pilot easily. Interiors simply not worth the money paid. Low roof line. Storme gives me all the required features above, and I wouldn't complain that it costs half the cost of a Fortuner. Even if the Fortuner was priced a couple of lakhs above the Storme I wouldn't have bought it due to the said reasons.
With the launch of the new Endevour and the Fortuner, I will take a look at them again. If they satisfy my requirements I may look at buying one.

Just curious.

1) Did you also consider the Aria. Considering the fact that it is a dud sales wise and looks a bit like the Innova and that it has the AWD vs pure 4X4. Same Engine and Gearbox with more features. But it is still a Ladder Frame and the Car was designed for this frame unlike the Storme which is built with the same body on a shortened Aria Chassis. Also the Refinement and Safety levels are much higher in the Aria. Both are rear wheel drive by default.

2) Would you look at the Hexa which would have solved the looks issue (and possibly look better than the Storme, use the same chassis, engine and gearbox. Have a better AWD with multiple terrain modes (Terrain response system.). And is expected to maybe slot in closer to Storme pricing and be much lower than New Fortuner & Endeavour price points again making for better value.

Agree it will not have the commanding view of the Storme, but in terms would seating position angles (erect) would be closer to the Storme than the Fortuner.

What would be your potential take on the Hexa given the above. - Yes things may not exactly be as mentioned above could be better or worse hence potentially?

[ISO]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Ask me. I bought a Storme inspite of easily affording a Fortuner. The main reasons were:
Lack of ride comfort/harsh ride. Wouldn't help me do long distance cross country
Lack of visibility. Sitting lower down, not seeing the bonnet, high window sill lines, feeling hemmed in. Unable to pilot easily
Interiors simply not worth the money paid. Always felt shortchanged after paying decent money
Low roof line. The gap between my head and roof in the driver's seat is a mere 1.5 inch. One bump taken harshly and I would hit the roof. Simply not acceptable.

Storme gives me all the required features above, and I wouldn't complain that it costs half the cost of a Fortuner. Even if the Fortuner was priced a couple of lakhs above the Storme I wouldn't have bought it due to the said reasons.
With the launch of the new Endevour and the Fortuner, I will take a look at them again. If they satisfy my requirements I may look at buying one.

+1 to the view expressed.

If the product is exceeding my implied expectations then I don't mind not so good after sales service.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by ACM

Just curious.

1) Did you also consider the Aria. Considering the fact that it is a dud sales wise and looks a bit like the Innova and that it has the AWD vs pure 4X4. Same Engine and Gearbox with more features. But it is still a Ladder Frame and the Car was designed for this frame unlike the Storme which is built with the same body on a shortened Aria Chassis. Also the Refinement and Safety levels are much higher in the Aria. Both are rear wheel drive by default.

2) Would you look at the Hexa which would have solved the looks issue (and possibly look better than the Storme, use the same chassis, engine and gearbox. Have a better AWD with multiple terrain modes (Terrain response system.). And is expected to maybe slot in closer to Storme pricing and be much lower than New Fortuner & Endeavour price points again making for better value.

Agree it will not have the commanding view of the Storme, but in terms would seating position angles (erect) would be closer to the Storme than the Fortuner.

What would be your potential take on the Hexa given the above. - Yes things may not exactly be as mentioned above could be better or worse hence potentially?

Interesting question. For me personally, we are a family of 2 people only. Our major requirement is a big, comfy long distance cruiser which can occasionally seat 4, with a big boot space, which accommodates a good music setup yet has ample space to carry 4 large suitcases/bags when needed. We just don't need a 6/7 seat setup. Even if we choose a SUV/MUV with 6/7 seats we will not be using this setup, infact in my 2.2 and Storme the jump seats have remained folded since the time the cars were purchased.
Personally I am very interesting in seeing how the Hexa shapes up. It looks from initial reports to be a very well rounded car, and should garner good sales when launched. In fact we had looked at the Aria when we had purchased the 2.2 Dicor, but again didn't find value in paying more for the extra seats, but yes compared to the dicor the Aria is infinitely better built and has more features. What put us off was the complete MUV shape, looking like a bigger Innova with some SUV styling.

Having said that, we will definitely look at the Hexa when and as it is launched. If it fits the requirement of what is needed, and there is enough boot space with all rows up, we may consider the car. With landrover inputs, I have high hopes on the Hexa, fingers crossed.
An ideal car for us would be a restyled and modernized Serria with Zest like build quality, or a modern take on the baby Pajero. I completely hate the current trend of hatch on stilts 'SUV' which makes a mockery of the utility concept of a SUV.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

An ideal car for us would be a restyled and modernized Serria with Zest like build quality, or a modern take on the baby Pajero. I completely hate the current trend of hatch on stilts 'SUV' which makes a mockery of the utility concept of a SUV.

You have aptly described what I would like to have.

Any one in TBHP got his 400 NM? The deliveries should have started by now.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by searacer932

I am unable to find a single review of the Safari 400 on the net. Are we going to get a teambhp review and are there any other reviews on the net?

There is an embargo in place till the 31st. You'll see reviews everywhere (including on Team-BHP ) on Thursday.

[navpreet318]

Originally Posted by GTO

There is an embargo in place till the 31st. You'll see reviews everywhere (including on Team-BHP ) on Thursday.

But why is there an embargo in place? We have all seen and driven the vehicles. And then why an information embargo for people who have booked the vehicle too. It's getting annoying now and any more can actually cost Tata a customer.

They claim to have zero information about the whereabouts of the vehicle. I now know how my staff should NOT be behaving with customers once my dealership starts.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by navpreet318

But why is there an embargo in place?

Press drives are usually held over multiple days. Embargo is in place so that those who drove it last have a chance to release their review on the same day.

[joelchandra]

Mod Note: Our Varicor 400 Report has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

Originally Posted by NST440

Somehow against all this bashing which people gather to immediately after any news comes from the Tata stable, i really feel Tata is doing good and different at least. Rather than offering plasticky chinese gadgetry, touch screens and what not's and charging exorbitant prices also, spending huge amounts on ads, Tata is providing things which matter especially in Storme. This is indeed a great initiative to bring on a more powerful and rev happy engine though i would say the previous Storme was itself well powered but more power is always welcome.

As mentioned many a times, storme is one of the most comfortable SUV's to be in at least below the 25-30 lac segment & it has graduated to be a very reliable vehicle as mentioned by many fellow bhpians. I have spent good 3 yrs with my Storme and believe me everyday has been- time well spent with her. With the 13.25 lac mark for a 154 Bhp beast, i really believe its a bang for each buck spent and looking at the prices of vehicles these days, its sensible pricing for a good product. O and that 0-100 thingy

+1 there. Storme is a brilliant vehicle and bang for the buck you spend. However, Tata's need to give a serious thought on providing impeccable service to their customers. In India, a good product is just not enough to sell. Its the service that plays a big role. I have owned an SX4 for the last 9 ears now and even to this day, i get impressed by the service i am offered at Maruti. I am just not able to let go myself out of Maruti for the service they offer. If Tata can provide quality service, there are a lot of folks who would want to get back to our own indigenous car. Tata safari is a winner and will remain to be a winner.