[Lukeskywalker]

Perfect weekend gift Tanveer, something told me that the review will be up by the time I came back home today and the first thing I looked for after logging in was the review and there it was.
As usual your writing style is flawless and the attention to detail is amazing, there are so many things which you have noticed and written about, things which never occurred to me when I drove the Storme months ago.
I completely agree with you on the Storme being an improved Safari, I always said that the Storme is what the Safari should have been right from the beginning. I hope this review will help a lot of those who were anxiously waiting for it to make an informed decision.

[PPS]

Brilliant Review!
I feel its too little too late. The Storme could have been priced lower to lure more buyers, i feel Tata missed a trick there. Since this is a facelift i feel it could do with better looking wheels.
Heard that this engine will also be upgraded soon, power will be upped from 140 to 156bhp in the Aria so may be we could expect the same in the Storme sometime next year.

Originally Posted by GTO

Yep, this is the final Team-BHP review of an important car for the current year (although we do have a drive of a high performance sedan coming up next ).

Eagerly awaiting the M5 review!

[byomjeet]

Thanks TSK for this exhaustive review. A special thanks from me as this review will help me in zeroing down on the car I am planning to buy in sometime from now. As GTO said, this review really needs a "5 Star" rating. Good job done. CONGRATS and keep it up.

[r0ckstar.1]

Thanks Tanveer for the review. It is one heck of a review with attention to details. Rating it five stars! . Like you said earlier, the review meets all the details and brings out the pros and cons in a nice way.

Personally, I was waiting for Storme with open arms (still waiting though in Bangalore). Now after reading this review and others, I feel the biggest disadvantage for storme seems to be its weight. It's heavier than Fortuner!. And ofcourse like all mentioned, the reliability and TASS needs to be proven.

So, am I going to buy one as soon as it launches in Bangalore? Naah....I am not spending my hard earned $$$$ on Storme as yet. Will take a TD, wait for 6 months and play it safe. If I get restless, then probably book at XUV or even a Scorpio for that matter. Thanks again. A very early happy new year wishes to you all!! Cheers.

[neel385]

Aah! Finally THE review! Thank you Tanveer and even at the cost of repetition, it is a great review!

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Yes, electrical both both temperature control and direction control.

The Jetta has climate control where the temperature control has a rotary knob with no digital readout. So in the Storme, is the electrical control for temperature actually controlling the temperature or is it just controlling the air mixture valve to a pre determined position as per the position of the knob?

Secondly, what is the servicing interval of the Storme? I find the 3 month/10000 km interval of the XUV highly impractical both form the Km and the time point of view and that is one of the key reasons why I am staying away from it as of now.

Thank you once again!!

[extreme_torque]

Incredibly exhaustive review! I have no complaints on the looks even though it retains the same basic shell, which to its credit looks great even after being in the market for more than a decade. If Range Rover can do it, why not Tata's especially given the fact that Safari has such a cult following. Its understated, handsome and pleasant, all at the same time. It much better than over the top overstyled XUV which is paw door handles and whiskers at the front!
The very fact that this car was abused for 5000 kms without any rattles from the plastic panels (apart from seats which won't take more than tightening a couple of bolts to go away) or suspension damage is a clear sign that build quality has been much improved.

And then there are real improvements in areas of plastics, suspension, handling, drive ability and refinements with regards to cruise ability and a stronger 4-Low gear ratio. The only fly or shall I say flies in the ointment are interiors especially the central console, panel gaps and the fact that 4X4 is only available in the top end variant. If I had the money to buy it, I would have probably taken the plunge.

[4x4addict]

Thanks for the very detail review.

As GTO & Jay have mentioned, I too feel that it is a case of too little too late.

Given that they have made the effort to put in a much better chasis, suspension and brakes, they could have put in reclinable middle row and front facing third row with minimal effort.

The Manza club class comes with Faux leather seating, double DIN system with sat nav, climate control etc. Wouldn't a Storme owner feel shortchanged when he looks at what a Manza owner gets from Tata for half the price.

I was initially excited about the Storme as a repalcement for my Scorpio 4WD, but the initial euphoria has died down and I don't feel an compelling reason to pick this over the XUV or Force One.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by neel385

Aah! Finally THE review! Thank you Tanveer and even at the cost of repetition, it is a great review!



The Jetta has climate control where the temperature control has a rotary knob with no digital readout. So in the Storme, is the electrical control for temperature actually controlling the temperature or is it just controlling the air mixture valve to a pre determined position as per the position of the knob?

Its just a mixer. Cold and hot air get mixed to give you the required temperature

Secondly, what is the servicing interval of the Storme? I find the 3 month/10000 km interval of the XUV highly impractical both form the Km and the time point of view and that is one of the key reasons why I am staying away from it as of now.

Thank you once again!!

Look at Post #7 6th picture
1000-5000-15000-30000-45000... and so on.
After the 15000kms service, its 1 year and 15000kms

Originally Posted by 4x4addict

Thanks for the very detail review.

As GTO & Jay have mentioned, I too feel that it is a case of too little too late.

Given that they have made the effort to put in a much better chasis, suspension and brakes, they could have put in reclinable middle row and front facing third row with minimal effort.

The Manza club class comes with Faux leather seating, double DIN system with sat nav, climate control etc. Wouldn't a Storme owner feel shortchanged when he looks at what a Manza owner gets from Tata for half the price.

I was initially excited about the Storme as a repalcement for my Scorpio 4WD, but the initial euphoria has died down and I don't feel an compelling reason to pick this over the XUV or Force One.

Both Force One and XUV are not contenders to the Storme 4x4.
In this price bracket, Scorpio 4WD is the only competition.
That said, the middle row is great. I think Tata did not want to mess with something which is rated among the best in class.
You are right about the equipment levels. At 12.6 approx for VX 4x2, it seems a little appalling to have so little equipment.

[StarScream]

Good review tsk1979. Your answer to a question about tugging the hoses in the engine bay was quite telling about the improvements Tata has made under the skin.

In my opinion, a purchase decision boils down to this - it is an improved product, but it will throw up niggles, so the service needs to be up to the task. Now the question I have is does Tata in NCR have a superior level of service center of the kind Maruti has in Service Masters and Hyundai in Motor Plaza? I believe they do have a company-owned service setup in Bombay but what about NCR?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by StarScream

Good review tsk1979. Your answer to a question about tugging the hoses in the engine bay was quite telling about the improvements Tata has made under the skin.

In my opinion, a purchase decision boils down to this - it is an improved product, but it will throw up niggles, so the service needs to be up to the task. Now the question I have is does Tata in NCR have a superior level of service center of the kind Maruti has in Service Masters and Hyundai in Motor Plaza? I believe they do have a company-owned service setup in Bombay but what about NCR?

I take my vehicle to the other end of ncr(Gurgaon) Autolinks. So yes, it is a problem that you can't just walk into just any TASS and expect your problems to be resolved.
This is esp true for 4x4, as due to its rarity, most workshops do not understand the nuances and special things required.
For example I had to inform the workshop in Noida about the 4x4 rear axle requiring a different oil. They were going to put in regular oil(which could have resulted in failure over time).
Speaking of company owned outlets, there are none in NCR(that I am aware off). That said, if my experience with concorde Bangalore is anything to go by, company owned matters little, its the attitude of the people on the ground which makes the difference.

[Enigmatic]

Great review tsk1979, well done.

However the storme well, after all this wait it leaves me a tad bit disappointed.
Well its good, its damn good considering what the 2.2 was. However thats not setting the bar to high is it ??

Here it is, if the XUV had not been launched in the market, then the storme would have made a hell of a lot more buzz. However with the XUV and then the Duster, the expectations of common people from a "new" car have increased. I know its not right to compare the storme to the likes of XUV etc, but if it falls in the same price bracket, they will end up being compared. Pretty much like Tata always claimed their Aria to be in the endeavor/fortuner category but it did end up being compared to the XUV.

And the key aspect "reliability". Well it still remains to be seen what happens on that account. It certainly seems to be better built but for how long is the question.

In all I have always loved the Safari over its competition, it has that "zing" factor about it. I do hope this one will bring back its glory days

[chinkara]

Great review, rated 5 stars.

Some humble observations from my 15 min test drive:
1. I agree with vid6639 that the driving position is not as comfortable as the old Safari (I am 6'2", and have taken 6 test drives in the past 3 months).
2. The handling is quite good, better than the older one.
3. The turning radius is impressive.
4. Space utilization is poorer than my Wagon-R (and also the XUV). Small things like rear bottle holders, parking ticket bands, sunglass holders, tablet holding spaces matter, although they might not be decision makers / breakers
5. Like tsk, I also found the tyre mechanism more convenient (I was sad enough to disengage and re-engage the tyre), but the like the tyre at the rear looks. I actually asked if old Safari backdoor fits in Storme , the sales guy was not sure.

[johny_desparado]

Good review mate , got to give it to them , their marketing department comes up with brilliant ads when compared with the advertisements of the mahindra's . Not really impressed with the rear end look without the wheel . Looks too bland , I feel, perhaps they must have reinforced the rear door to hold the wheel better !

[condor]

@TSK, excellent review, and top-notch pics, as always. Two points really sum it up:

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Truth is, I had a hard time driving my old Safari after spending a couple of days with the Storme.

Originally Posted by GTO

I am also disappointed at the lost opportunity. Slapping a new body onto the contemporary X2 chassis would have made for an "all new" Safari; one that would've created a lot more buzz and had a wider appeal in the marketplace.

The point that GTO made is something I have already said in the earlier review by @LukeSkyWalker. It is almost like the entire effort that went into the inside was un-done by the single decision to not have a new styling. The current approach would have been good in 2007, or even 2009. Not now. Not after the XUV. Had TML brought about a new look in 2007-2009, then they would have been leading, but today, they will take atleast a decade -if they ever do- to catch up with the competitor.

Having said that, I think TML missed at least two points:
1. Bottle holders for rear passengers
2. the 3rd Head Rest for rear seat.

TML could also give, at least as an option, the front facing single seats for the 3rd row, that we saw in the pics of the European version.

And a small wish-list:
1. 17" Wheels, like in the Aria.
2. At least as an option, the front facing single seats for the 3rd row, that we saw in the pics of the European version.

[Aceman82]

Thanks for the Brilliant review Tsk. Rated this thread as 5 stars since there is no other higher stars to give .

Coming to the Storme , what is your take on the Lx model ? I understand that Vx model is not VFM and for that amount of money in the 4*2 avatar the XUV would be better bet both in terms of features and possibly resale value but where would the Lx model fit in in the VFM factor ? For a comfortable 5 seat usage + rare 7 seat usage would the Storme Lx fit the bill (or) would it be better to stretch for XUV itself and play it safe ?

Also i saw your inputs on the lack of under thigh support for Tall drivers in the front seat. How bad is the problem + the issue of steering wheel touching the thigh ? Driver Ergonomics was never Tata's strongest point (if my Indica is anything to go by) but the above two points seems to deal breakers for Tall drivers (6.1) like myself.