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-   -   Tata Safari Storme : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/129728-tata-safari-storme-official-review-80.html)

There would be few would always jump at a new product and do advance payment before seeing one in real life. :)

The market for true blue SUVs like the Storme and Scorpio will continue. Ecosport and Duster or any other quasi SUV will only pull buyers away from sedans and hatches. So, those who are into the novelty of things will go for these, resulting in an initial surge. Wait for the market to settle in, I say.

I had booked a test drive from Tata motors website on tuesday and I was promptly given a test drive on Wednesday at my suitable time. (Was not expecting even a call back)

The car was came to my office in andheri and due to a meeting I had to delay the test drive for an hour. The sales man and the driver dressed in white uniform and a cap waited without a complaint.

The test drive car was a VX 4x2 driven 3900 kms. It was not from a dealer it was from TATA itself. (Another improvement). The test drive car was clean no smells, no spots inside out. I hunted for loose bits, rattles and was disappointed. (Gladly).

Asked my driver to take my car home and drove storme from office to home. These were my observations.

1. Very good finish inside out even the dashboard felt better than my 2013 Innova V.
2. Good pickup, smooth gear shift though not as smooth as Innova, but the gear throws are short unlike innova which has long throws. Brakes felt little spongy, every plastic bit felt like it will hold unlike previous TATA cars.
3. I felt the car has less room than Innova (Just comparing both cars as five seaters).
4. Mumbai pot holes were dispatched as if they were pebbles.
5. Music Sound quality is poor.
6. The inside of the cabin is silent compared to the Innova

I plan to have both storme and Innova (big joint family) and I can say storme felt better than Innova if 4 people are traveling.

Now my only fear is longevity. Will it last 1.5 lacs kms without giving routine maintenance? Will it not rattle like Innova? I am not worried about A.S.S.

If this was not a TATA I would have paid a premium over the quoted price for this vehicle and since it is TATA I seek discount. This is an image that TATA has to correct a Herculean task.

Will I buy it Mostly!

2. Brakes are good. I have had to stop suddenly couple of times, once ABS has kicked in. No complaints at all. Happy with the brakes.

5. Problem is in the speakers. Just change that, and you should be fine. I suspect the cross-over filter that should drive the tweeters is missing.

IIRC Toyota has concept of major and minor service for Innova they want vehicle to be checked every 6months and oil change and full service at 10K.
If you follow the same schedule for Safari it will surely last 1.5 L KM.

Tata motors recommend service every 15 K KM or 1 year now from engine point of view it may be OK but small things like fastners , clips of body and suspension needs attention may be once in 6 months under Indian road scenario.

Storme has better interior quality then Safari.

Rattle in Safari were expected "features" . There were due to two major factors.

1. Seat hinge nuts used to get loose after 6 month or so , there were no rubber bush around the bolt to prevent the rattle. I just purchased a set of spanners and tighten the nuts myself now.

2. Window rubber beading : if window glass is half drawn it rattles due to poor quality of rubber beading. If this happens insist of beading replacement in warranty.

Good thing is they provide 2+2 years of warranty , Most of the issues you will face can be accumulated for twice an year visit to T.A.S.S during the warranty period.

Brake feel for me is in comparison to Innova. The brake pedal has a lot more travel and feels spongy.

I hate opening any panels in the car. Mostly results in screws or fastners missing or loose which in turn results in rattles.

I felt storme has better Interiors atleast the dashboard compared to Innova. Innova is plasticky and storme is soft touch with consistent panel gaps.

We service our cars at 7000kms always with oil change which usually happens every 4 to 5 months.

I am sure you are. That's why I said Storme is a competent product. But after the initial euphoria ended, I don't see TML doing anything for the low sales numbers! Evading taxes, exploiting loopholes is a different debate. What it shows though, is Mahindra is serious about their product and will back it, do whatever it takes to get the numbers rolling again. In the end it is benefiting the consumer as well. The reduced GC is only coz of a metal stone guard, which can be taken off to regain the 200mm GC.

That is what I am saying. I don't see TML taking any initiatives. OR maybe they are working on something, just that nobody is interested and we don't have any scoops etc! lol!

.. initial euphoria will always die down .. :)

Guys
What's the price you are hearing/heard from dealers on stock alloys ?

Should be in the range of 7500 per piece. I bought the dicor ones at 27k for set of 4. The prices were due for revision. Though the dealerships quote whatever they want to. For example 2 dealers quoted 36k and 45 k in Jaipur for dicor alloys. But I bought from delhi through a reference.

I bought mine at 27K for 4 pieces (stock alloys for storme). Although they don't look that good but atleast I have piece of mind from warranty purposes.

Have they started selling the front nudge guard separately? Would be interested in knowing how much they are going to sell that for separately (from the 56K package).

Thanks. I would go ahead if only they can bring it down to 27k atleast. The dealership is not interested in selling it at all. Somehow I get a feeling that Tata dealers ( barring a few sales people ) are in general not motivated/pushed enough to sell cars. I have seen that attitude across multiple dealers. Not that they are arrogant or anything. just that they dont take any effort to follow up, negotiate - that fire to close a sale is just not there

Let me take the opportunity to reply to your comment, since I owned a Safari till recently and then replaced it with an Innova in 2012.

I am not oblivious to a running thread on issues faced by safari owners and some major problems described by owners in their respective threads. Yet, I'd say that net - net you shouldn't doubt the longevity of the vehicle. I didn't use my Safari like how TML portrays it in it's advertisements, but it was constantly on the road and was used between three drivers with vastly varying driving skills. And it happily clocked 1.3 lac kms in 3 years.

I didn't pamper it at all. But I was and am a proactive owner. I don't miss any service and I always keenly observe the behavior of a car I drive. I distinctly remember that the first clutch overhaul happened in my Safari @1,12,000 kms. Having said that, there were two inherent problems in the vehicle: the steering and the suspension (which was it's Achilles' heel). But luckily for you, the Storme is a major improvement on both these fronts over the simpler Safari. So I'd say you should buy the Storme, if you have liked it

What I like about my current ride - the Innova is that it's a very sincere product (allow me to use that expression for a machine). I can't really compare it part by part to a Safari, and i am unable to put a finger on exactly what, but the Innova has permanently occupied that big car slot of our house. I don't foresee myself replacing the Innova or let me say the Toyota Innova with any other car but the Toyota Innova.

Luckily, you will be owning both of them, if you go on to buy the Storme.

Not just for the novelty sir. Affordability too. If I want a vehicle with good ground clearance that also is a decent handler below say 10 to 11 lakhs, what other options do I have?