[mercedised]

Originally Posted by Parm

well the photo says it all...

its a Safari, refreshed and facelifted (rear also) and named Merlin!

...and some people thought i was just making statements!

Well!! One cannot say the same when the interiors will be different from the current Safari, as the exteriors are mostly the different (scrap away that chassis and basic design). This is a MAJOR upgrade and lies between COMPLETELY NEW and REFRESHED design IMO. The rear (tailgate and other tid-bits) has no similarities with the current Safari so its not a mere FACELIFT or Is it? It has 2 exhaust outlets, whereas the current one has a chunky BIG exhaust. Is that a facelift? Front end must be totally new i.e. no significance with the existing model, Is that just a facelift? What I want to say is it's more than a facelift.

Yes, the side profile is same you can call that side-profile has got facelift..

No hard intentions, just some thoughts I had in mind.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by rajchetan

Thanks for the Pics. This puts to rest a lot of doubts. And the Merlin seems to be heading the right way.

have few points highlighted in the pic.

1) what is this part and why is it protruding out?
2) I hate these handle's they look like some almari handles, hope these are not the final products.
3) This seems to be way to big, they should give it a cut or separate to break the monotony.
4) This is definitely a SAFARI & the must have been taken in a Tata showroom or Manufacturing plant. Which mean that finally Merlin is ready to be launched. and should hit the showrooms by November.

#3 is definitely weird! should be more body and less bumper panel. also, the tank lid should have been moved slightly instead of cutting into the wheel arch.

[rajchetan]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

#3 is definitely weird! should be more body and less bumper panel. also, the tank lid should have been moved slightly instead of cutting into the wheel arch.

Absolutely they can just move the Tank Lid by 6" towards the rear end and the they would not have to do any cuts in the cladding.

But otherwise as well, i don't understand why so much of cladding is required.
Its looks ok. but it would be expensive to change such a massive chunk in case of damages..

They could have made the Sheet Metal changes something like Rav4 from Toyota. It would have looked much better and give the SUV more Brute look.

[himanshugoswami]

Yup, thats the merlin allright, and this is the basic LX version. Looking good, IMHO and first impressions are positive, except for the door handles :(

[theexperthand]

It is only me, or some one else also thinks the rear resembles the old wagon R? The rear lights plus the flat rear door strongly resembles the old wagon r. Heck, the wagon R even had a plastic strip like the chrome strip on the rear door of Merlin.

[safari_lover]

The rear actually looks better than I thought it would!
Those twin exhausts definitely add to the looks.
Hope those door handles will be changed before the launch!

Originally Posted by himanshugoswami

Yup, thats the merlin allright, and this is the basic LX version. Looking good, IMHO and first impressions are positive, except for the door handles :(

How will Tata place Merlin? Will they sell it along with the the current Safari, model by model - LX, EX, VX, etc?

Also what will it be called in the market? Remember reading that the Merlin is just the codename.

[Latheesh]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

It is only me, or some one else also thinks the rear resembles the old wagon R?

I thought rear looks like Xylo, it may because of the angle of photograph. Twin exhausts look good and badging will complete the look. I am OK with everything except those handle, it looks like straight lift from those old milk cans. Looking at the changes it should be ready by Diwali.
Thanks for the pic, I forwarded the link to my friends.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

#3 is definitely weird! should be more body and less bumper panel. also, the tank lid should have been moved slightly instead of cutting into the wheel arch.

Originally Posted by rajchetan

Absolutely they can just move the Tank Lid by 6" towards the rear end and the they would not have to do any cuts in the cladding.

They could have made the Sheet Metal changes something like Rav4 from Toyota. It would have looked much better and give the SUV more Brute look.

Changing the tank lid position would entail significant changes in the dies. Cost factor, would have led to a general outcry at Such Non-Tata pricing!

Also, the cut away arch is present in the Terracan as well, AFAI remember. Was admittedly better executed, though.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

It is only me, or some one else also thinks the rear resembles the old wagon R?

Not really, IMHO. But that does highlight something I wanted to confirm. The rear tailgate looks like it is top hinged, doesn't it? Do we dare expect an end of tailgate rattles??

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by rajchetan

Absolutely they can just move the Tank Lid by 6" towards the rear end and the they would not have to do any cuts in the cladding. ......But otherwise as well, i don't understand why so much of cladding is required. .........They could have made the Sheet Metal changes something like Rav4 from Toyota. It would have looked much better and give the SUV more Brute look.

Well it's after all the same old Safari except for the front and rear styling.
They wanted to do the maximum cosmetic change without touching the basic body shell. Hence a cut in the plastic cladding is definitely more cheaper than moving the fuel lid and in turn some changing in the fuel tank positioning.
But @rajchetan pointed out, ,what's the thing that's protruding out?
Yeah, like @veluM said.It maybe top hinged(maybe the opening mechanism is what's protruding above), but then again at the right far side between the bumper and tailgate i see a small hinge.

[swiftnfurious]

Originally Posted by mercedised

This is a MAJOR upgrade and lies between COMPLETELY NEW and REFRESHED design IMO. It has 2 exhaust outlets, whereas the current one has a chunky BIG exhaust. Is that a facelift?

I believe face-lifts were always supposed to be in the major lines. Unfortunately in India, the manufacturers resorted to changing the headlights & tail lights and some stickers on the car and called it a "face-lift" many a times ! If you need to call a car an absolutely new one, I believe it should have some major changes in engine specs, dimensions or at least the platform and not just interior or exterior changes.

Originally Posted by theexperthand

It is only me, or some one else also thinks the rear resembles the old wagon R?

The back resembles more of a Tavera to me ! I am still drooling over the Safari parked away from this !

I would love to see the interiors and know how much have they changed it. I guess our Mod team will be quite tied up this Diwali with quite a handful of launches coming up!

[KarthikK]

Where is the stepney cover wheel on the rear hatch door? that was adding a lot of macho factor to the previous safari. Now it looks like an MUV, in fact just like a Xylo now.

Also, I think the exhaust pipes seem to be too high and obtrusive. There are high chances of getting a burnt hand or knee (by accidental touches) when trying to use the tailgate

Originally Posted by sarcar

2. The door grab handles, and silver at that ? Looks like scooped out of a milk can

I am still laughing at the milk cans part.

Originally Posted by VeluM

The rear tailgate looks like it is top hinged, doesn't it? Do we dare expect an end of tailgate rattles??

If it is top hinged, shorter drivers will soon be playing basketball trying to close that tall tailgate door

[smsrini]

If they make the tailgate a split, IMO it will make it more appealing. and i seriously hope that whatever is stuck on the rear window garnish ( as shown in 1 ) is some test contraption, else this will end up in the Wild and Whacky thread!!

[absynthguzzler]

In true bollywood sshtyle ....... Nahiii !

Tailgate is definitely top hinged. Protrusions could be pneumatic setup for the door lift. But in all honesty, a Safari without tailgate mounted spare tire is a sore thought . I'm gutted .......

[asr245]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

It is only me, or some one else also thinks the rear resembles the old wagon R? The rear lights plus the flat rear door strongly resembles the old wagon r. Heck, the wagon R even had a plastic strip like the chrome strip on the rear door of Merlin.

The tail lamps definitely do. Overall it looks uglier than the present one. Rest of it doesn't look much different. If I wanted one, I'll buy the present version. I give a thumbs down to this.

[bblost]

The rear reminds me of the Sumo Grande.