[vigneshkumar31]

The teaser has the 'hook' to reel in the eyeballs and matched with the legendary name plate, it's sure going to get footfall to the showrooms. It's got the crowd pullers in place with the sorted looks and the panoramic sunroof and most of the bells and whistles that swings crowds today.

2019-20 the year of the 5 seater premium SUVs saw a slew of launches and this segment carved a meaty price band for itself, where the 7 seaters sat once. 7 seater SUVs actually took a back seat (pun intended) with the 5 seater compact SUVs being more welcome by the market for getting the SUV looks, street cred and the height, packaged into relatively manageable proportions and prices.

The Harrier has stealthily pushed the Safari north to the next segment (price wise) and the Safari is staring at the new XUV5OO eye to eye, with some space for the past nemesis Scorpio sitting below it.

But with more and more people so naturally comparing it to the Innova, the Safari is sadly being reduced to a people mover 7 seater. That elusive AWD would've been a good differentiator and cemented the reputation of the 'pedigree' it so loudly claims as the SUV to reclaim our lives with.

The 'introductory' pricing is going to be crucial. I think (and hope) they would pitch it aggressively, at least to start with, so that they can put some Safaris on the road, before competition launches their attack. And then up the prices with the inevitable refresh.

All said and done, exciting times ahead, and the Safari has the makings of a good seller as it ticks the right boxes.

Thus begins the time of the full size SUVs.

# Sidelining for a bit - About the headlights, how do the current Harrier owners feel about the position and size of those headlights? I for one feel rather scared with the large glass panels positioned at the location, most prone to nicks and kicks.?

[Senna4Ever]

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Harrier was a great attempt by Tata Motors.

Having said that, the Safari looks like an afterthought. The third row is not as neatly integrated. No amount of thick roofrails flowing down to the C-Pillar can hide this fact.

If at all they needed a kink on the window line to make the glass area for the third row to be bigger, it would have been best to make the kink at the bottom line, not the top portion.

Agree on all points, the 'Safari' name deserves to have it own pedigree and not ride on others'.

Imagine the next Scorpio being a 6-seater extended KUV300.

If Tata thinks there are not there yet, then save it for later. That kink in roofrail and upper window line are half-hearted measures to begin with. Could be forgiven for 'Gravitas' but defintiely dilutes the 'Safari' brand.



P.S. I always appreciated how Honda pulled of the Mobilio design (based on Brio) with the kink on lower window line. Reference:

[terra85]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

In case of a side impact or rollover , won't side and curtain airbags be more safe than have none at all? 6 airbags and ESP is a good place to look at when considering safety than GNCAP.

GNCAP is front offset crash rating, you have got to take those ratings with a bucket of salt.

Obviously having them will prove life saving no doubt, gncap tests for frontal offset as those have the energy for maximum damage let's not discount them, USA tests for overlap which is the toughest one I presume. Rollover requires good structural integrity which am sure the Harrier has proven ,while having 6 airbags in an alto is unlikely to contribute much. Am definitely in market for the Safari, I have no doubt about it's build quality too. The only issue appears to be with the footwell region, it has been discussed at length in the Harrier thread. If only TATA can prove that it has been addressed I shall have the confidence to go ahead. Imagine if it's tested and proves to be worth only 2 stars. There have been enough examples of expensive cars I. E Jeep Wrangler,Seltos,for example which proved that it Can happen.

[Ankur@VNS]

Originally Posted by rascalangel

How i wish they had atleast changed the headlight design. Just my humble attempt at photoshop.

Now it is looking amazing than that of busy front facia of harrier.

Otherwise also, this 7 seater iteration of harrier aka safari looks more mature. If Ravenavi's insider information holds true, it would be safest 7 seater thanks to tons of safety features.

[yesyeswe]

Originally Posted by rascalangel

How i wish they had atleast changed the headlight design. Just my humble attempt at photoshop.

Some differentiating factor in the front would have been really nice, even in Harrier the headlights are an eyesore to me in my opinion.

[TROOPER]

Hope Tata price it right. Cause that’s what will make it sell, considering the competitors Hector+ and the Xuv 500 in the future. Both of which have/will have a lot of features.

Looks alright. Although I personally am a big fan of the semi boxy front look of the Nexon facelift. That kind of a face on the Safari would have looked killer IMO. The Harrier-esque face has started to look a bit soft.

And let’s not start comparing it to the Innova and Cretas and what not. Based on looks or price. Let’s just accept a new 5+2 seater SUV segment is here, in between the mid-suv(large hatch on stilts) & the large premium segment.

Guess the 20-30 lac void is going to get filled by the end of the year. This could probably be the next segment of the decade. Who will win it? Like Creta was the master of the “mid-SUV” segment.

[Coyote]

Originally Posted by racer_7

Only chink in the design seems to be the taping window line of the rear window which just looks a bit odd.

Originally Posted by blue_pulsar

Having said that, the Safari looks like an afterthought. The third row is not as neatly integrated. No amount of thick roofrails flowing down to the C-Pillar can hide this fact. If at all they needed a kink on the window line to make the glass area for the third row to be bigger, it would have been best to make the kink at the bottom line, not the top portion.

I think the kink in the window is very much intentional - perhaps to go with the roof rails to provide the impression of a stepped roof. As the front resembles the Harrier to a large extent, they had to make it provide some elements that would allow you to associate the car with SAFARI.

The silhouette / side / rear 3 quarters view does indeed help (me) in identifying this as a successor to the badge it wears.

[07CR]

While the low beam being HID is good, I wish TATA provided atleast the High beam as LED.

Existing TATA Owners, how do you feel the Headlight output of HID Low beam+ Halogen High beam? If possible would like to see the light output at night from driver seat.

[cogWheel]

Originally Posted by Senna4Ever

... That kink in roofrail and upper window line are half-hearted measures to begin with. Could be forgiven for 'Gravitas' but defintiely dilutes the 'Safari' brand.
[...]

P.S. I always appreciated how Honda pulled of the Mobilio design (based on Brio) with the kink on lower window line. Reference:
[...]

Honda was making a MUV from a hatchback, the kink in lower window line may have worked for that.
The step-up window and roofline looks sportier and better suited for an aspiring SUV

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by Nalin Kumar

https://Youtu.be/zPTajRtHfNM
In this blue, the front grille in silver grey, is closer to the Rover cousins..

TATA should have simply used this advert's tune...
Would have pulled many more strings...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pMI...nel=rdpadfilms

[aansh singhania]

Originally Posted by iamahunter

TATA should have simply used this advert's tune...
Would have pulled many more strings...

https://www.Youtube.com/watch?v=1pMI...nel=rdpadfilms

Although I get the sentimental value that it would generate amongst safari owners and automobile enthusiasts , I feel it would remind the general public of the old tata and they surely don't wanna do that quite the opposite in fact

[ZenMaster]

Originally Posted by rascalangel

How i wish they had atleast changed the headlight design. Just my humble attempt at photoshop.

The Safari/Harrier looks awesome without the big bulbous headlights but alas, its not practical!

Your post inspired me also to try out some headlight configs Tata could have used to differentiate the front of the Safari feom the Harrier a bit more

This is the best I could do on Snapseed on the phone. Photoshop gurus out there are welcome to help make it look more realistic you want

[vigneshkumar31]

The Gravitas taking the Safari name, means probably the Hexa Safari Edition might not come into being. I think the Hexa Safari was the original idea to resurrect the Safari name somehow.

[ebonho]

There was only one Safari, and this is not it.

Frankly, neither was the Storme.

Cheers, Doc

[condor]

Originally Posted by ZenMaster

The Safari/Harrier looks awesome without the big bulbous headlights but alas, its not practical!

On a lighter note, Zenmaster, you are not a designmaster

The White Harrier you have shown is looking more like a Baleno now. And the other variants, well, for those too. My Opinion.
The headlights on the production designs are fine.

But have to add, while looking at the pics you have shared, I feel there is not much differentiation in the looks of the two vehicles for Tata to have put in separate names, and that too Safari as one of the names. But may be Tata was having a tough time to get a good name. I will not agree with Tata on using the Safari name for the Gravitas. Even if I wasnt a Safari Storme owner.

Originally Posted by ebonho

Frankly, neither was the Storme.

I think the Safari Storme was still fine. LoF, 4x4 option, same engine & gb, almost same interiors, almost same looks but with small changes. With So Much 'Safari' in it, if the Safari Storme had been a given a new name other than Safari Storme, then that would have been a blunder too.