[nordmariner]

Just came back from Concorde Motors showroom, Pune. Went with a friend who was hell bent on buying Storme VX 4 x 4 . After seeing the Storme for exactly 6 minutes the booking amount of 1 lakh was made. Urban Bronze finalized. OTR VX 4 x 4 = 15.66 Lakhs without extended warranty. Extended warranty amount was not available.

Will be visiting the ground in Kalyani Nagar tomorrow to experience the Storme.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by nordmariner

Just came back from Concorde Motors showroom, Pune. Went with a friend who was hell bent on buying Storme VX 4 x 4 . After seeing the Storme for exactly 6 minutes the booking amount of 1 lakh was made. Urban Bronze finalized. OTR VX 4 x 4 = 15.66 Lakhs without extended warranty. Extended warranty amount was not available.

Will be visiting the ground in Kalyani Nagar tomorrow to experience the Storme.

ask him to take the AMC. Its totally worth it. I think 40K kms cost around 22K INR

[nordmariner]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

ask him to take the AMC. Its totally worth it. I think 40K kms cost around 22K INR

Thanx for the info. Will surely pass it on to him.

[bobbafett]

Originally Posted by nordmariner

Thanx for the info. Will surely pass it on to him.

What is the waiting period for your friend's 4*4 Vx?

[CARDEEP]

I saw a private registered Safari Storme yesterday in Sarita Vihar, New Delhi, in Off-White shade with some abuse apparent (by the Neta type owner)... it was dirty overall, but in good shape, as only would have been run for few thousand miles.

For a change I liked the rear end, but, the front end wasn't upto my taste. It could have been better if they had taken cues from LR Freelander or Tyota Landcruiser200 for the front end.

[nordmariner]

Originally Posted by bobbafett

What is the waiting period for your friend's 4*4 Vx?

Waiting period for VX 4 x 4 is about 3 weeks max. 4x2 will take around 2 weeks. Around 80 bookings of Storme done in Pune.

My friend booked VX 4 x 4 Urban Bronze yesterday. The SA told us we would get an unique id and further communications regarding Storme would be done by Tata Motors directly.

The SA also told that they will be having 2 separate bays at service centres and 4 dedicated SE's for Storme.

[bobbafett]

So went over to Concorde motors today evening for a test drive of the Storme - drove the VX4*2 model - and must say, agree with almost everything that this review has to say. Nevertheless the following things really stood out:

1) Great visibility
2) Extremely cramped foot well - my left foot was constantly hitting something or the other
3) My 6ft1in frame was impossible to fit in the drivers seat in a comfortable manner - mainly because the steering wheel was stuck to my thighs even in the lowest and farthest back seating position. I observed that this is because the dashboard itself is set very low, which inadvertently also results in great visibility
4) The storme is a boat - press the brakes and it dives forward, press the accelerator and it rises up. The steering reminds you of a rudder.
5) On road Mumbai for the 4*4 VX is 16.3 Lacs
6) Concorde folks told me they have had 9 bookings in mumbai so far, and 1800 bookings all over India


The showroom was empty and I was the only customer checking out vehicles! And then walked in a team of some 10 senior Tata Motors executives to check out the proceedings, and some of them threw a fit that there are no customers checking out the storme (oblivious to the fact that I, a guest/customer was around and within ear shot). None of them thought it was worth their time to ask me for an opinion as I struggled to get my thighs through the area between the seat and the steering.

Ended up checking out the Aria as well - and the car feels as if its from a different planet compared to the Storme. Test drove it and it does not drive as refined as the Storme.

I have a theory/conjecture though, The Storme might just result in an increase in Aria sales. Folks will come into the Tata showroom to check out the Storme and after they have been mildly disappointed by the product, many will invariably check out the vastly superior Aria and a few of those might actually put down their money for the Aria.

[PAVAN KADAM]

Originally Posted by bobbafett

So went over to Concorde motors today evening for a test drive of the Storme - drove the VX4*2 model - and must say, agree with almost everything that this review has to say. Nevertheless the following things really stood out:

1) Great visibility
2) Extremely cramped foot well - my left foot was constantly hitting something or the other
3) My 6ft1in frame was impossible to fit in the drivers seat in a comfortable manner - mainly because the steering wheel was stuck to my thighs even in the lowest and farthest back seating position. I observed that this is because the dashboard itself is set very low, which inadvertently also results in great visibility
4) The storme is a boat - press the brakes and it dives forward, press the accelerator and it rises up. The steering reminds you of a rudder.
5) On road Mumbai for the 4*4 VX is 16.3 Lacs
6) Concorde folks told me they have had 9 bookings in mumbai so far, and 1800 bookings all over India


The showroom was empty and I was the only customer checking out vehicles! And then walked in a team of some 10 senior Tata Motors executives to check out the proceedings, and some of them threw a fit that there are no customers checking out the storme (oblivious to the fact that I, a guest/customer was around and within ear shot). None of them thought it was worth their time to ask me for an opinion as I struggled to get my thighs through the area between the seat and the steering.

Ended up checking out the Aria as well - and the car feels as if its from a different planet compared to the Storme. Test drove it and it does not drive as refined as the Storme.

I have a theory/conjecture though, The Storme might just result in an increase in Aria sales. Folks will come into the Tata showroom to check out the Storme and after they have been mildly disappointed by the product, many will invariably check out the vastly superior Aria and a few of those might actually put down their money for the Aria.

Cramped foot well

Is this the First SUV you have Test Driven ?

Waiting for the Bangalore launch, hopefully end of December as reports say.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by bobbafett

Extremely cramped foot well - my left foot was constantly hitting something or the other

Is your primary ride a low slung sedan? If yes, you are keeping your foot too high on the pedals. That position is necessary when you are sitting low down. With a high perch, you need to alter your foot position. If you use the same foot position in any SUV, you will feel cramped

3) My 6ft1in frame was impossible to fit in the drivers seat in a comfortable manner - mainly because the steering wheel was stuck to my thighs even in the lowest and farthest back seating position. I observed that this is because the dashboard itself is set very low, which inadvertently also results in great visibility

Actually, the seat has been raised, and I also found it difficult initally. However, after spending time in the drivers seat, I got used to this and there were not fatigue issues

4) The storme is a boat - press the brakes and it dives forward, press the accelerator and it rises up. The steering reminds you of a rudder.

? This sounds weird. The suspension on the storme is very sorted. There is no diving when front brakes are pressed.
However, do not expect sedan like handling

[bobbafett]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Is your primary ride a low slung sedan? If yes, you are keeping your foot too high on the pedals. That position is necessary when you are sitting low down. With a high perch, you need to alter your foot position. If you use the same foot position in any SUV, you will feel cramped

Actually, the seat has been raised, and I also found it difficult initally. However, after spending time in the drivers seat, I got used to this and there were not fatigue issues

? This sounds weird. The suspension on the storme is very sorted. There is no diving when front brakes are pressed.
However, do not expect sedan like handling

My daily drive is an i10. But have been in the process of buying an SUV for a few months now, have test driven everything south of 30 lakhs multiple times over (excluding the pajero sport and the Scorpio). So in a way I am new to SUVs but have been driving different SUVs off late so do find myself instantly comparing the Storme experience to other SUVs I have driven recently. For e.g., compared to the Rexton and Fortuner, there is definitely more diving on braking in the Storme. And Certainly more than the likes of XUV and Yeti and the Captiva (though those are not strictly comparable to the Storme). And since I drove the Aria right after the Storme on the same test drive route, I can say for sure that the Storme dives noticeably more than the Aria.

About the Driving position, you are right - as I started driving it, it was fine. But getting in was not easy - as I was simultaneously climbing onto the car and flattening my knees below the steering wheel.

About the foot position, again very likely that my foot position is not right since my daily drive is not an SUV, but for sure, when compared to other SUVs, this was the first time I faced space issues in the foot well. (I wear US size 13 shoes btw!)

[blurust]

Let me congratulate you tanveer first for the fantastic review of the storme. I was eagerly waiting for it.
That said, I am going to be in the market for a SUV in about six months or so with a maximum budget of 15 lakhs OTR in guwahati.
The sotrme has not been launched in guwahati yet and I am eagerly waiting to see how it drives. I was almost sold, actually still quite sold on XUV AWD for the equipment level mahindra has provided. Family loved it too. The only issue. Mahindra reliability, engine apart and the disc brakes grinding noise as mentioned before in the forum.
I am also confused weather to buy 4X4 or AWD because I would like to explore unexplored parts in our country without breaking a sweat and I am not sure if an AWD will be able to cut it. I would like to have leech like grip level on my chosen SUV. What do you suggest.

[bobbafett]

Originally Posted by blurust

Let me congratulate you tanveer first for the fantastic review of the storme. I was eagerly waiting for it.
That said, I am going to be in the market for a SUV in about six months or so with a maximum budget of 15 lakhs OTR in guwahati.
The sotrme has not been launched in guwahati yet and I am eagerly waiting to see how it drives. I was almost sold, actually still quite sold on XUV AWD for the equipment level mahindra has provided. Family loved it too. The only issue. Mahindra reliability, engine apart and the disc brakes grinding noise as mentioned before in the forum.
I am also confused weather to buy 4X4 or AWD because I would like to explore unexplored parts in our country without breaking a sweat and I am not sure if an AWD will be able to cut it. I would like to have leech like grip level on my chosen SUV. What do you suggest.

I am pretty much exactly in the same boat as you - and tell you what, for that 15 lakh ish budget there is no SUV that cuts it for your kind of scenario. The storme has the nice low range and shift on the fly 4*4 and LSD and stuff with an improved chassis but a lot of things still are not up to expectations. Even with the offroading part, we don't really know how good the storme is, the company has shared no data on important off roading parameters and I guess it is because the specs there weren't too flattering for the Storme. For its size the Storme lacks important safety features like ESP, etc and there is no idea of its crash worthiness. The XUV is very impressively kitted out, but off road I guess it can ride trails and mild inclines and declines. Not sure if there is enough wheel articulation for very highly rutted country trails or enough low range for difficult rock and ditch action. The AWD is not full time, so you really need the car to slip first before it will act. Even after spending 15 lakhs and above, one has to make compromises for some very basic things like safety or minimum SUV - and I find that really disheartening

[rajneeesh]

I was in great India Place, Noida earlier today. TML has put the Storme on display and were also giving rides to people on a mini track. Took the 5 min ride. On a custom prepared track the vehicle performed admirably. It was impressing a lot of people with its ability and TML sure is educating the people about it being a "True SUV".

I sort of like the car. However, Storme 4X4 is the one I would like and at 15.5 L on road (Noida), it is expensive. I would also like to wait for some time as TML always comes out with a improved version ( after resolving the teething issues) and they may launch a lower Spec variant with 4X4. Hopefully, the Ecosport will also hit the roads in a few months. Though not exactly comparable, if priced right, it would make a very practical vehicle for everyday use and some fun once a while.

[swiftnfurious]

Between, here is the ODMAG video review of the Storme. Am I the only one thinking that Bert is way too rude on the product? I know the product definitely has flaws, but the review will convey to a layman that this is a pathetic product, me thinks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSow-MXx2ys

[Rahulk76]

I am wondering if someone on T-BHP has actually booked the new Storme ?