Since there has been a long discussion over the Safari. I also would like to drop a few cents from my end. Before I begin, let me assure you gentlemen that I have a decent experience of owning Safari, Innova, Crysta, Scorpio, and XUV, along with a good experience of driving the Hexa too. So, putting my observations based on what I have felt till date:
What differentiates a Safari: You can talk eye-to-eye to a Tata 407 driver!
See, once inside Safari, if you overtake the likes on an XUV or Innova, you will notice that they are seated at least 4-5 inches lower than you are. Scorpio guys may feel quite competitive though.
XXL size front door, XXL size seats (especially the rear seat base), a soft set suspension, the low window line, and low set dashboard - heck, when you are in a Safari, everything else seems to be 'lower'.
That's the feeling which a Safari delivers, and probably the reason many people say that once you get habitual of Safari, it becomes hard to like other options, particularly the XUV 5OO.
BUT
Those are the older days, now the Scorpio is going to offer a higher seating, and XUV is going to be a neck to neck competitor. Like or hate, you can't debate!
Who is Scorpio? The guy who stung Safari. Scorpio neither offered similar space, nor it offered a comparble comfort, and it never offered the interior quality of Safari. But, from my experience of being a contractor, I tell you guys, particularly the one, who, a few pages back, used some harsh words for people who compare Scorpio to Safari. See, Tata needs the Scorpio customers too, hence they are making a car, and they are interested in taking money even from those people, who don't even properly know the spelling of car.
Scorpio always offered a more rugged set of mechanicals, a proven higher reliability, and, a proven lower maintenance. Was always better than a Safari to drive under load in hilly terrain etc, and the Scorpio has always been a better on-road performer in terms of engine response in any gear. We drove a Scorpio S8 in the forest areas of Sitapur and around for around 15 months while working on electrical lines erection under PMJGY, poor to non existent roads, huge bumps and everything else you can think of. And at times, we used to rally there at 60-70-80 kph, 61k kms of abuse, not a single time an issue came up with the suspension; other than 2 bush replacements. Can't imagine doing that with a Safari. Before you tell me that Safari could do that, well, this Scorpio replaced a 2.2 Storme itself and I very well know what I am talking about. The lower weight of Scorpio always made sure that the maintenance of suspension etc remains lower than that of Safari - simple mechanical engineering that is!
Additionally, Scorpio offered an additional advantage of front facing third row, no matter if it had space or not, a front facing third row is any day and every day better than the jump seats.
Coming too close to Innova? See gentlemen, people don't buy Innova for features. They buy it as a basic point A to point B car, that will transport you daily in supreme comfort, and will keep on doing it for years. The reliable mechanicals do come at a cost, and that cost is always higher than that of electronics. If I have to put my 27 lac on a car, any day and every day it will be an Innova only. I have owned the Toyota van thrice (between 2006-2013, and 2015-2017, 2019-till date), you appreciate it after you own it, when you notice the smaller bits where the attention has been paid.
Example: Instead of a panoramic sunroof, I would any day prefer
adjustable under thigh support. A small but so much significant item, that if on a 4 hour or longer drive, you notice the difference immediately it brings in terms of comfort.
Knee airbag: No matter how safe your car is, driver's knees always face injury if the collision is above a threshold limit. I have been into a collision, my friends have been, you slide on your seat in a fraction of seconds and your knees break the dashboard plastics, even if you are buckled. Don't trust me? Check NCAP reports too, knee injury in something unavoidable in front collisions.
Small, but significant things do matter and adding them adds more cost overall to the vehicle, than adding a few more tangible ones.
The mechanicals:
Be it older Safari, Hexa, Scorpio, or Innova. All of them offer the super rugged double wishbone suspension up front, and live axle with multi link at the back. Only XUV 5OO as an exception with McPherson struts up front and independent suspension at the back. Harrier offers McPherson struts up front and twisted beam at the back (Tata can name it anything, basically it's the same thing).
See, whether Harrier has the suspension from Discovery Sport (BTW entire LR and RR range uses either air suspension, or double wishbones up front), or from a G63 AMG 6x6, no matter where it is from. Hexa used to ride better, even a Crysta rides better, especially when you hit a pothole and feel the movement at the front end of the car. With DWB up front, damage under excessive bumps is also lesser due to exceptional shock absorbing capacity and bulletproof ruggedness of the DWB.
So, ideally the new Safari is Safari only for the name. I understand the love a few owners have for this name, also I understand that this name commands respect too. But, the car in question is simply a Harrier + 2 seats, no matter what they call it.
- And it is never going to give you the following feelings, which made the Safari - 'The Safari':
- That soft set front, which used to cushion up even the craters and mountains
- That feeling of 4-5 inch nose dive, that we used to enjoy while driving slow or fast on highways, just by touching the brakes
- That seating position, in which you were never in the seat, you used to be on it
- That all round visibility with everything set low. Which other SUV requires you to rest your elbow more comfortably on the window sill, rather than door armrest?
- Those sideways movements while passing slow over irregular surface, that feeling of riding an elephant when the soft suspension used to get depressed and then slowly throw the cab in another direction
- That feeling of flashing to another cars or even compact SUVs and you could see what all is inside. You could plan your overtake by looking at the road from over the roof of the cars and so called 'compact SUVs'
This new Safari is not going to offer all this, but the Scorpio is going to offer a few of these feelings, along with the creature comforts or electronics too.
The silver lining:
You get the same legendary nameplate, slight compromise on road presence, but still modern vehicle which will:
- Offer better FE
- Better dynamics and hence safety. It's better to not collide or roll over at all, than testing the safety features!
- More creature comfort with a long list of features. Safari always lagged in this department
- Lower maintenance of mechanical components
- A better urban SUV