Team-BHP - Tata Safari Storme : Official Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by em17 (Post 2999705)

... the Storme will have a 10 speaker Harman - Kardon music system :Shockked:, alongwith the touch screen Navigation....

Launch tentatively mentioned as ~ Jul 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by em17 (Post 2999705)

...mentions about a 6 speed auto for the storme. ...

Launch tentatively mentioned as ~ end of 2013

The dates seem fair enough...Hope Tata are able to pull this one off. The mention of ZF auto tranny is mouth-watering :).

Quote:

Originally Posted by CARDEEP (Post 2999767)

As per IAB, the Safari Storme will get more power - 16bhp output & 400 Nm torque, & the the automatic transmission as well :thumbs up. Here is the link to their report:

http://indianautosblog.com/2012/12/t...smission-58214

This might be the one which BD Sir was pointing to. :) After that post from him, i was thinking in the same lines, the reason being that there were no new models from Tata (as nobody has any spy on any new models from Tata).

So, the only possibility was that the existing cars were made more powerful. And the one of the important project was the Storme. So, yes, his post makes sense for a existing vehicle being made even more powerful. This upgraded engine will probably make way to both storme and aria.

Its good to see that Tata motors are strongly working for their reputation and they always had the ability. What was missing was the will, and probably the attitude to take on anybody.

I am still wondering what were the three points that Mr Karl wanted to change in the Storme. One would be surely the 2-din music system, but , what were the other two?

Quote:

Originally Posted by turbo_delight (Post 2999805)

This is the form in which the Safari Storme should have been launched - with the more powerful engine. It would have been a significant plus point over the competition (XUV, Duster, Scorpio, etc) and would have worked to negate the bad press on account of the Storme not being new enough. Especially the engine bit and they could have waited 6 months or more to launch the luxury version with H&K speakers etc.

Anyways, Jul 2013 is optimistic, knowing what happened with the Aria and the Storme Launches. Expect deliveries available more like Jan 2014.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CARDEEP (Post 2999767)

Well So what ?? What about the priciing ? We will start expecting all this for 10 Lakhs :Shockked: being a TATA ( case in point example : Aria ). We Indians have started to expect a pricing of nothing above 10 Lakhs from TATA. Whether it comes with ZF transmission or Borg Warner 4 x4, Harmon Kardon system we dont care !! A toyota fortuner without any of these we are ready to pay 25 Lakhs and wait in queue outside their showroom overnight !!

Tata themselves are to blame for a part of this mentality. First they launch an incomplete and badly finished product and then try to improve. First time the customer walks into the showroom, people are put off. I was put off looking at the Aria when it was launched the plastics that it had, the roof bins opening up etc.... Now again, launch a storme without proper finish 2 DIN system, no front facing third row etc and now try to patch it up and get it in 2014 !!
By then, Suzuki would have launched their alpha, some people would have bought XUV, the remaining the Duster and the lesser fortunate ones the Storme !! So, all potential customers would have been exhausted. At this speed and the strategy of repeating blunder after blunder, combined with Indian mentality, I would say Tata will become Fiat India in 5 years :uncontrol .

PS : on the lighter side, my current Safari may be able to participate in vintage rallies, hoping that Tata motors would have closed by then !!

IMO, the changes proposed by TML for the Storme ( if correct ) will really be a waste of time and may not help in sales also.

Its a fact now that the Storme has more or less got a lukewarm response. Is it worthwhile spending time to launch another version within 6 months with a fancy audio system, dash board and more power ? ( has any reviewer cribbed about the STORME being underpowered ? ).

Wouldnt it be better to work on all these changes once the next gen Safari is launched ( hopefully with a new body unless TML thinks the Safari is the 911 of the Indian SUV world :D )

With the new Scorpio coming up in 2014( am surprised by the lack of any news around this model ), TML would very well plan their next launch to undercut this one rather than waste any more time on the Storme.

The Storme will chug along till then with minor face lifts, major price cuts and some in-between variants as well.

By the way - checked with Tafe reach and they didnt give any conclusive answer on the Chennai launch. Also noticed in the website that the price in Chatisgarh is about Rs3894 more than 10lakhs for the LX variant. Hope TML does not do something similar in CHENNAI :Frustrati

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Originally Posted by narayan (Post 3000850)

I perfectly agree with you that they should have launched the vehicle with the extra power and with all the features. But, because of some reason, they launched the vehicle. Now, will it be correct that they do not do anything and wait for their rivals to surpass them.

My humble question is: Should they not try to improve? If anybody thinks that improving is waste for them or for that sake for anybody, let it be me or anybody, what would be that reason/s?

And i think that in automotive industry, any product has a much larger lifetime than a few months, i think, it will be in years. So, any auto has to be improved continuously over time, taking into considerations where the industry is going, what people are expecting and probably, 100 more reasons.

So, as long as the industry is improving, its good for everybody. Its a step in the right direction. People will surely be not in loss, they will have more options. And we should not worry about tata motors, some top people might get changed, but as a company, they will not even sweat. :)

Wonderful review this tsk1979. Being a SUV fan I was eagerly waiting for the launch of Storme and then later for this,the very best T-BHP official review.

I am disappointed with Tata for having missed another big opportunity to stir the market with an all new contemporary design and full blown product to compete head on with XUV.

For common Indian public, it's still a safari with better paint quality in the exterior and better plastics in the interior.The dash looks very dull. I reserve my comments on that truck like steering wheel and those massive panel gaps. Is this what Tata can offer in a 2012-13 launch to people of India? No luxury/comfort features at all. Today a car which costs 11L + is no more just a cabin to take people from point to point on sofas. The current time demands much more.What is this ttitude rudeness or inefficiency ?

I don't see Storme outselling its competition [ 3 year old Scorpio].I don't see anything in it to be a mass volume puller in the market. A few more safari lovers might go for it or upgrade from their safari to storme. I don't see it causing any dent to XUV reputation/sales at all. I don't see anything in Storme that would change people's perception about a Tata positively.

An optional 4x4 in all variants and a better equipment level [ at least a 2-DIN ICE and ACC] would have done justice to this product. With additional Touch screen Multimedia Interface with GPS navigation and Cruise Control, Storme would have done wonders in the market which Tata badly needs at present.

Or is it a ploy by Tata to replace the existing safari with storme and introduce an All New and Contemporary Product just above this segment,don't see any sign of that though? I sincerely wish Tata to take such a bold move which they are good enough for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by narayan (Post 3001708)

Got the price list from Tafe. Good thing is the Lx is <10lakhs ex-show room.
But just noticed that Lx does not have the Urban bronze colour option.

vehicles expected to come in by Jan 1st week

I got a call from VST Motors and The Strome might be displayed in their Anna Salai Showroom from tomorrow. The Display Vehicle is already been there in Stockyard for PDI.
Possible, I'll go to showroom to check the Vehicle this weekend.