[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

I have a completely opposite view. All negatives of the Safari are rectified in the Storme. Plus the economy grade interiors have been upgraded and feel quite plush. I have had no issues with the headlamps, didn't feel the need for additional lights. The first plus I found when I bought the Storme was the wipers. After the jeep type squeaky and non aligned wipers in my dicor, the car like smooth and aligned wipers on the Storme was a boon.

I agree completely. I replaced my Dicor EX with a Storme VX 400NM 6 Speed a few months back and am very happy with it primarily for -
- Santro like light self-adjusting clutch
- Engine response and torque
- Much lower noise at all speeds
- Much improved turning radius
- Better ride on bad roads with a stiffer chassis and softer suspension
- Much superior in cabin quality and audio
- Superb headlamps as OE

If you love SUVs and are spending your hard earned money, I would recommend you borrow a friend's Storme VX and live with it for at least a few weekends before you buy anything else.

I sincerely believe that at this price point there is no better riding, more spacious, more awe inspiring, versatile vehicle this side of Rs. 50 Lakhs!

Oh and one more thing - change those wiper blades to OE Bosch and they work like a dream.

[dr. sen]

Dear Prasanna Babu,

Heartiest Congratulations for crossing the 1 lac, milestone in your tata safari. Very few people tend to keep their safaris after 1 lac km. Your 'ownership report' / 'brief' / 'tribute'; what ever you might call, reminded me of a very very famous bollywood script, where our dear 'Jai babu' (to whom you share your frame and stature; ); makes a very similar brief before, our beloved "Mausi" ; praising and singing 'Odes' of our dear 'Veeru' (here our Tata safari 2.2 dicor).

Actually, we all love our 'Veerus'; irrespective of the mechanical / electrical trouble, it throws up, from time to time. I had owned the previous version than yours , the tata safari vx, 3 litre dicor. and sold it after 3 years and 26k on the odometer. This gen is lucky to drive the storme and 2.2 litre. But before that, the owners had literally seen , a small fortune, wiped out , when trying to dispose their 1-2 year old safaris.


As described by Prasanna babu, mine too had the following problems:

1. The power steering pump failed , multiple times. The brakes were always, mushy mushy. God forbid, if some fellow even tried to cross the path, i would blare my horns hard enough to scare the shit out of him, instead of trying to apply the brakes.

2. After driving for couple of hundred km, in hills, you start thinking yourself as a Hercules , capable of tackling and taking one and any one, in hand to hand combat.

3. No parking attendant, welcomed your vehicle.

4. None of my kids, or wife or parents except my office boy wanted to be seen in the front seat. They all liked the middle seat ! The only time, they wanted to seen inside was , in kolkata monsoon season. Then, all will ask the Safari to be their 1st vehicle, and any seat is welcome. THAT IS THE ONLY TIME , we can see the wicked smile on the kids face, when they see stranded vehicles , across the city, specially of their peers. Our safari was always on demand in the monsoon, across the neighborhood, specially for rescue missions. First the passengers and then the vehicle.

4. Rear a/c and electricals were bad. worse than ambassador, premier padmini.

5. Rear Gate hinge gave away soon. and gave to irritating sound, on bad pot holed roads.

Other than above , like all safari lovers, this suv, had a character, (unlike scorpio, which were favoured by rowdies n gundaas, safari was khandaani type ; as very well described by Prasanna babu)

I had to cajole a buyer to cough up 5.5 lacs, for a 3 year, 26k old ; in the process, suffered a loss of 7.5 lacs. Didnt had the courage to tell my wife about the reason for selling, and the amount at which it was sold. Its one of the best kept secret, which i and my office boy, had managed to keep till date.

Just for curiosity sake, what is n the safari, which makes the owner take everything on the chin, Other than the image, ride comfort and the killer looks (not the storme).

Experts and Proud Owners please enlighten your fellow Brethren.

Thanx in advance.

Regards

[Gurjot]

Dear Prasnna,

Nicely captured & very well articulated review dude. I agree with every point of yours as regards the pros & cons. I myself own a 2009 Tata Safari VX & have done 118k on the odo & would love to see the 200k mark on it ( albeit i am in Delhi & given the 10 year rule for diesel beasts could be a dampener ).

Kudos to you & other Safari owners.

However i m facing a typical issue with the headlamps - given that they are delivering insufficient lumens on the road for the past few days making my nocturnal drives totally non existent, request if some one could suggest a solution.

I have already replaced the headlamps with 90 w relay kit but no success.

Regards
Gurjot

[PrasannaDhana]

Done with the 1,05,000km service.

Oil replacement, fuel/air/oil filters replacement, general service, turbohose damaged part replacement, front discs and pads replacement and gearbox yoke nut replacement.
Total damage- 24000 rs.

[Ani0404]

Congratulations prasanna for the successful completion of 100k km. Hold on as I will join the league soon. Being an owner of a 2007 make Tata Safari 2.2 VTT which has clocked 90500km, I can relate to each and every point you mentioned. I wish your have many more happy miles.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by dr. sen

Just for curiosity sake, what is n the safari, which makes the owner take everything on the chin, Other than the image, ride comfort and the killer looks (not the storme).

Experts and Proud Owners please enlighten your fellow Brethren.

Thanx in advance.

Regards

In my opinion, Safari is bullet of cars. To keep one in pristine running condition, one needs to have patience, passion and courage

And come to the driving part, Safari (not storme) is one of the few vehicles that feel bigger than its size on turns. Anyone can tame a calf, but to tame a bull, that is the extra feel good factor in driving this truck.

[PrasannaDhana]

An update:


105105 km

The big truck is not being run much as I use the Ciaz extensively, the latter being more easy to drive and equally comfortable.

Krishnajayanthi Special

[PrasannaDhana]

Starting September fresh with the odo reading

[PrasannaDhana]

11/9/16 update:

The big boy has completed 1,07,000 km.

The tankful i filled has come to reserve(warning lamp on odo, after which it can go around 80km to get the tank dry) with 701 km running. So, the fuel efficiency for the last tankful has been a very decent 12 kmpl.

[PrasannaDhana]

Ayudha pooja update: 1,07,950 km

It has been a month since last update. This past 30 days have been a lazy time for the big boy, as the kilometers clocked were just 950. Two Trichy-Chennai round trips were done in Ciaz and local runs were done by Kwid. The big boy is getting his much deserved rest.

Washed and did pooja today. Looks as handsome as always!

[PrasannaDhana]

14/10/16 update : 1,08,000 km completed

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

14/10/16 update : 1,08,000 km completed

Excellent write up and a wonderfully well maintained beast there. I share your emotions regarding the "feel" of the Safari, one of the few blue-blooded SUVs remaining on our roads today. I own a 2009 EX 4x4, still going strong, though run only about half of what yours has. Why don't you post some pics of your Safari here? This thread is a feast for the eyes for Safari junkies like us.

[gsurya]

Apt update, when some people were doubting Tata's capability to nail Hexa. Have you had any major issues on your journey to this milestone?

Imagine a new future Tata "Safari / Storme" built to the new quality, production & tech standards in place for Zest / Hexa / Nexon.

[PrasannaDhana]

Safari's battery went kaput. It has lasted 4.5 years and 1,08,000 km. Great i would say. Stock battery was Amaron. I bought Exide as Amaron offers only 18 months warranty while Exide gives 36 month warranty.

An expenditure of 6.2k rupees.

[PrasannaDhana]

Just a little bit to 1,10,000 km. My driver told me oil level was low. Hence bought 2 litres of 15W40 engine oil.

Ready for a 300km round trip to Madurai tomorrow.