[racer_m]

Originally Posted by storme'd

The doors unlock when the key is taken out of the slot. If you stop at a signal and switch off the car, doors won't unlock till the key remains inserted.

I do hope that the doors auto unlock in case of engine dying/stopping abruptly (due to crash or fire hazard),
else this feature is a safety hazard

[condor]

Originally Posted by racer_m

I do hope that the doors auto unlock in case of engine dying/stopping abruptly (due to crash or fire hazard),
else this feature is a safety hazard

Yes. Please check post #7 on the first page of this thread:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

• In an accident, the Storme automatically unlocks its doors, cuts off the fuel supply and activates the hazard lights.

[S.MJet]

Saw this white Strome with black carbon fibered tailgate.

A neat modification for those missing Safari's spare wheel here.

It was looking awesome in flesh (much better than what this picture from my phone cam could capture)

Sharing it here as a food for thought to Strome owners.

[bhagathmp]

Originally Posted by S.MJet

Saw this white Strome with black carbon fibered tailgate.

Thanks for the pic S.MJet. This is exactly what I had in my mind too when I look at the back side of any Storme. May be on the bonnet too . to complete the look !!!

Reagrds
Bugs

[ACM]

Originally Posted by condor

agreed.

On an another note, had a quick TD of the direct competition. The XUV felt a little more car like, while the Storme has the SUV in it. IMO, the two are polarizing vehicles -who likes one is not likely to like the other. Needless to say, I feel much more at home in the Storme.

But would miss the 6th gear & the air-bags. I think TML should also have done the same 3 trim line-up as with the XUV.

Hey Condor

I guess you are seriously considering the Strome. I am planning to post my detailed views on all SUV's & MUV's (that I have had a chance to experience - 20+ over the years) in a new thread when I do get the time. Felt I should share my view on the Storme, XUV and also the Aria out here. I had a detailed test drive of the XUV when it came out and also experienced it as a passenger, of course own the Aria and prior to that have had the Safari TCIC for almost 10 years. Recently (two weeks back) TATA was kind enough to loan me a Storme VX 4X4 for a few days and I drove it a fair bit in that period. So here is my take.

As you rightly mentioned these are all very different vehicles and if one loves one then one will not really like the other options as they are so different.

Looks- I love the Strome the most followed by the XUV and then the Aria (if only it was a bit less Innovaish and had the storme kind of rear end treatment) The XUV is a wierd one though and if it was not that great a value it would not have met acceptance. The Storme is imposing and frankly the rear without the spare wheel looks even better due to the various elements thrown in. That said the Fortuner and the Pajero look better. The Fortuner is shorter and wider and that helps it automatically. The Storme is the best vehicle to scare of other road occupants though.

Seat & Space Comfort -
Driver - The driver does get the best view of the Road in the Storme by far and the Aria is next best followed by the XUV. This due to the height the seat adjustment the A pillar size etc. The Steering also falls to hand best in the Storme and also the legs don't foul with anything in the footwell (I kept hitting the steering rod in the XUV). But the Driver if tall and well built may not be able to see the top of the instrumentation console even if the seat is at the lowest and steering at the highest (like in my case).
Passengers - Best vehicle along with the Aria to seat Driver + 4 in comfort out of the lot, but if there are 6 or 7 persons on board then XUV and Aria are better, with Aria being the best of the lot and even better than the Fortuner besides it does have decent space for luggage after having 7 on board.

Driveability of the Vehicle- The storme can be driven in almost any gear (including wrong gears) at any speed. The Aria can easily be stalled in the second gear and I still do it quite often. The XUV too can be driven in the wrong gear quite a bit as it is light and has similar power as the Storme. Thus if one is lazy and tends to lug the engine at times to avoid changing gears this is an added convenience. That said the absence of Cruise control in the Storme hurts in convenience on highways and empty roads and the Aria and XUV are better in that aspect.

City Driving - Liked the Storme best in this regard followed by the XUV.

Highway Driving - Liked the Aria the best followed by the XUV - Both felt safer at higher speeds. The Brakes of Aria inspired the most confidence but the Storme was close, the XUV though much lighter (lesser inertia) did not feel that comfortable.

Rough Road - The Storme was the best here and like city driving the high visibility helps. Also of course the 4X4 modes are much better for pure off roading compared to AWD as in XUV and Aria.

Feature set - The Storme losses out bit time to the Aria and the XUV and for those like me who are used to the features, the large screen infotainment, MID etc this hurts.

Safety package - The Storme misses out on 6 Airbags, TC, ESP etc.

My application currently is about 100 kms of home to office plus occational outstation drives mostly on NH. This implies high speed runs on the NH and even within the city on the Express highways. The Aria felt the most comfortable in these runs - though I have use the previous Safari for the same appication for many years and though the Storme is miles ahead of that one in all aspects, after using the Aria the feeling of safety that it gives on these runs is superb. I actually first drove around town on the first two days in the Storme over the weekend and loved it over rough roads and while driving at a sedate speed it is when I took it to office that I just did not feel comfortable enough. Though I have not taken the XUV for the Office Run felt it would be a similar breed.

The Storme is something that still tugs at my heart and my kid loves it more than the Aria, but on the highways and longer drivers the Aria is better for both the driver and the occupants. Yet as mentioned above if I had a shorter drive like say 50kms per day instead of 95 then the storme would have been better for my needs. The XUV is an incredible value package but taking it on real rough roads will not be as comfortable an experience as it is with the Storme and one can't really get the ricks to move away either in the same manner in the XUV. Size does matter at times.

[condor]

Originally Posted by ACM

So here is my take.

No Contest !

I agree with almost all that you say. The only exception is the part where you compared the vehicles with full capacity of passengers. For the simple reason - I havent experienced that. I tested with 4 people and the Storme ride quality was just too good.

One possible reason for the Aria feeling much safer - the dimensions. Longer WB, shorter height. We had even thrown it around the ghats & curves at Wynad, and it came out with flying colors.

Storme does loose out big-time to the XUV on the features. Wish they had the 6 gears & the airbags across the models.

[kaviprem]

Originally Posted by ACM

The Storme is something that still tugs at my heart and my kid loves it more than the Aria, but on the highways and longer drivers the Aria is better for both the driver and the occupants. Yet as mentioned above if I had a shorter drive like say 50kms per day instead of 95 then the storme would have been better for my needs. The XUV is an incredible value package but taking it on real rough roads will not be as comfortable an experience as it is with the Storme and one can't really get the ricks to move away either in the same manner in the XUV. Size does matter at times.

ACM, The first two lines exactly reflects my thought/feel/statement. My daughter too like STORME with equal respect to SAFARI.
Though I always have an eye on ARIA, especially, after STORME is out in market ! To me, XUV is out of my vicinity for various reasons including its over-done looks all around.
All in all, you have almost sealed my next vehicle probably, after an year or 18 months since I have a few commitments till then.

Prem.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by kaviprem

All in all, you have almost sealed my next vehicle probably, after an year or 18 months since I have a few commitments till then.

Prem.

Exactly my case!

And I definitely hope to have some more improvement on Storme before I buy one. Although, I am sure that I will get one even if TATA choose not to do any improvement.

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by ACM

The Storme is the best vehicle to scare of other road occupants though.

Passengers - Best vehicle along with the Aria to seat Driver + 4 in comfort out of the lot, but if there are 6 or 7 persons on board then XUV and Aria are better, with Aria being the best of the lot and even better than the Fortuner besides it does have decent space for luggage after having 7 on board.

Safety package - The Storme misses out on 6 Airbags, TC, ESP etc.

Size matters Storme/Safari/Fortuner helps. The XUV doesnt give that 'looks' on our roads.

Fortuner, ride quality is real bad. One will have to get it a better suspension for making it ride better; 1lac INR plus expense.

I also can confirm that Storme can take out the Fortuner on highway.

All I want Tata to do is give 2 airbags for the EX for the same price ( or better if the price was brought down by 75k/1lac ? ); price it similar to Duster coz it more of a 5 seater and Duster give one almost the same features etc apart from 'presence and repect'.

Originally Posted by condor

No Contest !

I agree with almost all that you say. The only exception is the part where you compared the vehicles with full capacity of passengers. For the simple reason - I havent experienced that. I tested with 4 people and the Storme ride quality was just too good.

Storme does loose out big-time to the XUV on the features. Wish they had the 6 gears & the airbags across the models.

Condor, just get it! VX if you can for the airbags and 4x4.

[condor]

Originally Posted by jkdas

All I want Tata to do is give 2 airbags for the EX for the same price

The two airbags would have been sooo goood !

Originally Posted by jkdas

Condor, just get it! VX if you can for the airbags and 4x4.

Not far ! I have put up my Sumo for sale. After all that I have put into it, I am hoping that it will go to someone who can appreciate what it has. There are a couple of people I know of, and I am hoping it will just work out for him to take it soon.

Regarding the VX, I am not quite convinced of the 2L price difference between EX & VX. I can live without the leather & other additional features, though. And the 4L price diff for 4x4 (since it is available only in VX) doesnt look worth it. Hence looking for the EX.

If TML had refreshed the looks at the sides also along with the airbags, then would have happily paid a slightly higher price (than now) too.

[AVR]

Good to see the tide turning for the Safari and a TML product in general. I mean most conversations about the Storme have been fairly positive lately and the ownerships are seemingly hassle-free. I guess pricing/variants remain the only kink in the armour and if TML sorts that out, they have a game on hand.

Remember posting about the Storme in lukeskywalker's thread:

A reliable Storme will be Mistaking Activity for Achievement. At the end of the day, all cars are expected to age gracefully, have zero niggles, reliable for the life of it. Can TML by focusing on just that compete with the XUV? Just might.

While good experiences with the Storme haven't really translated into significant sales volumes, it has at the least helped build a better perception of the product.

Unfortunately, TML hasn't managed to break the bastions of the Scorpio forget the XUV. Its a tricky situation for TML. If they reduce the pricing for a fairly recently launched product, it may be perceived as not-so-successful product like the Aria. If they don't reduce, a decent contender to the Scorpio/XUV will remain a laggard. What's your move TML?

Cheers,
Adi

[condor]

Originally Posted by AVR

While good experiences with the Storme haven't really translated into significant sales volumes, it has at the least helped build a better perception of the product.

Unfortunately, TML hasn't managed to break the bastions of the Scorpio forget the XUV.

The sales situation would be same for all brands right now.

THe product mapping being more like Safari vs Scorpio, there wouldnt be much changes there. But in the Storme/XUV match-up, the lines would be much more clearer. The swing from Storme to XUV (for the better features) would be only a small percentage of the buyers.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by condor

The sales situation would be same for all brands right now.

THe product mapping being more like Safari vs Scorpio, there wouldnt be much changes there. But in the Storme/XUV match-up, the lines would be much more clearer. The swing from Storme to XUV (for the better features) would be only a small percentage of the buyers.

The Storme is a far superior vehicle to the Scorpio. In every respect. It handles better, offers more comfort to the driver, has more space, and offers much better ride quality. However, there is still a fear factor involved in people who have owned troublesome Tatas. All you need to do is produce 5% bad vehicles, and you lose the market. 5% is all it takes
95 happy customers out of 100 will not get you the market. You need to get your failure rate down to 1%. I think that's where Mahindra has an edge.
Thats why a truly agricultural vehicle like Bolero which belongs to an age long gone sells so much.
Tata could have offered a 5 year,100000kms bumper to bumper warranty(not the extended BS). That would have sent out a clear message "We trust our product, now its your turn".
In addition, they need to fire their plastic vendor. I saw a 5000kms done vehicle where the right horn pad stopped working. Some internal switch broke.
Our test vehicle had some plastic bits falling off.
Fixing such minor niggles adds maybe 200-300rs to manufacturing cost, but results in a large sales boost.
Thankfully, the hoses and rubber stuff in the engine bay is much better now. Would like to see the improvement carried over to the cabin too.
That said, I wonder if there is will in the management to actually spend time on these things. In a recent interview to Autocar India, Ratan Tata said
http://autocarpro.in/contents/people...x?PeopleID=148

Another disappointment I can’t get away from is the relative lack of passion I see in the company today in the passenger car area. I might be a little longwinded on this subject, but I’ve always felt that cars are emotive products that strike you with their design and their overall driving experience. They are enchanting things, which make you feel special. A car is not a coffee-making machine, it’s a total experience. The market does not take whatever you give them; so unless you have at least one or two people in the company who have that passion, the desire for perfection, and truly see what an ideal customer wants, you just have another car company. The automotive business won’t allow you to sustain yourself by being just another company. You have to be driven by passion to give a driving experience, you have to be attractive to your customer, it’s a bit of a romance.

I wish there were atleast some people in TML management who fit the kind Ratan Tata wants to have in the company.

The day that happens, people on this forum will be complaining about 6 month waiting list on the Storme.

[condor]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Thats why a truly agricultural vehicle like Bolero which belongs to an age long gone sells so much.

Is the profile of the Storme buying customer the same as the one who buys a Bolero ? A more detailed analysis would show who went for the Bolero, or who went for the Storme. The examples are to the far end of the spectrum, but the point I am trying to make is that there is very likely a larger population who will settle for a Bolero, than other availalbe options.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

In a recent interview to Autocar India, Ratan Tata said http://autocarpro.in/contents/people...x?PeopleID=148

I wish there were atleast some people in TML management who fit the kind Ratan Tata wants to have in the company.

I havent seen that link yet. But, this situation didnt happen overnight, and neither can it be changed over-night. I wonder what would Ratan Tata say to that, because a part of this drop in passion has happened during his tenure at the helm. He himself was passionate, so why didnt it trickle down ?

It is also one area where Mahindra has marched ahead. There is a vibrancy in it's in-house product. It may not be to the liking of some of us, but I think the XUV was a pretty good effort.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by condor

Is the profile of the Storme buying customer the same as the one who buys a Bolero ? A more detailed analysis would show who went for the Bolero, or who went for the Storme. The examples are to the far end of the spectrum, but the point I am trying to make is that there is very likely a larger population who will settle for a Bolero, than other availalbe options..

Punjab used to be the Safari hub. Now lot of those people take the cheaper bolero and add oversized bling alloys.
When your largest market in the country takes to a much more rudimentary vehicle, its time to worry