[theMAG]

Nice review. Some queries:

1. Can you arrange Storme, Duster, XUV, Scorpio by:
a. Ride comfort
b. Handling
c. Mileage (4x2)

2. Most of the improvements seem to be due to requirement rather than anything else. Did you see anything to justify the hype that was present a few months before this launch?

[dkamath]

Thanks for the to-the-point writeup, Tanveer!

I was simply nodding my head in affirmative for all the points you've covered, since it comes from your ample ownership experience of the earlier gen. Safari.

After having read Luky's first drive experience in the Storme, and also having got a chance to drive the Aria, which again is thanks to his interactions with a well-known TASS in B'lore, the move towards the rack-and-pinion steering mechanism will be the one positive change that existing Safari owners as well as prospects will surely like.

To support the above change from Tata, a tiny note on this aspect based on my experience with driving the Safari frequently on the Ghat sections decorated with one of the most ill-maintained roads you'll find in South India , the frequent twists of the steering wheels are not a pleasant experience for me, and driving the Aria on similar terrain gave me a feel of what was to come on the Storme, and atleast I welcome it with both arms, hehe.

Finally, for whatever numbers it sells, hoping that the Storme will keep owners happy

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by theMAG

Nice review. Some queries:

1. Can you arrange Storme, Duster, XUV, Scorpio by:
a. Ride comfort
b. Handling
c. Mileage (4x2)

2. Most of the improvements seem to be due to requirement rather than anything else. Did you see anything to justify the hype that was present a few months before this launch?

Ride comfort - Duster -> Storme -> XUV -> Scorpio
Handling - Duster -> XUV -> Storme -> Scorpio
Mileage - Duster -> Then I can't comment.

In terms of ride comfort, the XUV and Storme are very close. XUV is a little stiffer and jiggly at slow speeds. The Storme absorbs better but there is a little scuttle shake which gets unnerving.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by 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.

Regarding the LX, for 10L I would say its a wonderful vehicle. ABS is standard, and dynamics are all sorted out. You also get the stereo system(Albeit without the stalk mounted controls).
So as a vehicle, its a good buy. I would not consider the scorpio as competition. The Storme has left it far behind.
But its understandable. When the new scorpio comes out(I am hearing maybe next year), that may change things.

Originally Posted by absynthguzzler

Great review buttt....

I think Team-Bhp must break the mould of always having their official reviews done in the these controlled environments. The reviews were more interactive and stood out as " WHAM!!!....... this is how its done all you auto mags!!" when this amazing team used to take the vehicle out into their own domain and make merry with the car exactly how they would want to in real life. for eg: The 4x4 section in this review is designed for the storme, not designed by team-bhp!.

Err. I an assure you, Tata is based on Pune and has no controls over the NCR roads. So there was no traffic management done for the 300 kms(approx) I drove the safari.
I also got a 3.0 liter owner to drive it, and Viddy also drove it for 20kms(he drivers a hatch and a D seg sedan)
If you are referring to 4x4, we have nowhere said that this is an exhaustive 4x4 review. 4x4 gets a small post with just some observations, eg good articulation, shift on fly mechanism etc., Nowhere we have "reviewed" the 4x4.
So I am wondering where did the controlled environment come in

Atleast have an additional section added into this official review once the vehicle is available in the market. Just as an example - Khan Sultan's THAR review was mind-blowing, TSK's very own Cruze review had a lady's perspective thrown in. All these small widgets are getting lost when the sponsor of the event is the manufacturer. Everyone knows that Official review thread is the 1st option to be read, but the detail and experience is lost because value of team-bhp will be hidden in the ownership section.

Hmm, seems like I've woken up on the wrong side of the bed today but hope you guys know i mean well

That section is still there. And I am not sure what even you are talking around. Again I assure you, NCR roads are not sponsored by Tata.

Originally Posted by kaviprem

Tanveer, A very nice and detailed review. I need a clarification on this though - When you say "panel gaps still being a problem", you mean "Uneven panel gaps" OR panel gaps are too large ?

Nevertheless, a superb review. Appreciate your efforts and its sure a weekend treat to most of us !

Prem.

Its actually both, just like the old safari. Panel gaps are big, and there is lack of consistancy. Not that it will cause any malfunction in the vehicle, its just that we are in 2012, and even budget cars nowadays are manufactured with precision.

Originally Posted by S@ndy

Mind-Blowing review Tanveer! 5-Stars is the bare minimum I can give for this thread. Tata could've used this oppurtunity to iron out all the niggles of ol' Safari. Well, nonetheless, good to see that safari is now a whole lot better to own and mainly overtakes ol' Safari in terms of everything but ICE is a big letdown here. The HU looks like an aftermarket fitment and the one they remembered after making the whole vehicle. The interior could've been influenced by Range Rovers. is there an Automatic for Safari? Is there any probability of coming of Jaguar's rotary-style gearknob in Safari anytime? If so, then my cheque-book is ready to be used!

Again, your attention to the most minute details is appreciated and deeply respected. This review would help a lot of BHPians like me!

Keep revvin'
S@ndy

There is no plan to bring in Automatic, this is what the Tata reps told me.

Originally Posted by r0ckstar.1

Tanveer, forgot to ask the important question in my post. Not sure if you have already answered this anywhere, but, "would you replace your existing safari with the new storme now"??

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Great review Tanveer,

One question for you. Will it replace the White Elephant in your garage ?

Your review also makes it a part of the consideration set for the SX 4 replacement. I will take the decision after I have driven the Storme, the Duster and the Ecosport (once it is launched)

The VX 4x4 is very expensive. Considering that the white elephant may go for 5-6L only, it means I have to put in 9L+ if I have to get the storme 4x4.
So I really do not know.
However, after driving the storme, I cannot buy the scorpio 4x4(my original plan).
Wish the LX 4x4 was on the cards, it would have been a much easier decision.

Originally Posted by turbo1787

Brilliant review Tanveer Sir.
I had been waiting for this since ages.
One aspect which I would like to know about is whether there is scope for fitting in a touch screen-double din HU(The workshorse should have some jazz too), or would it be too tedious a task?.
Thanks for the most to-the-point review

You will lose the cup holders if you go for double DIN. Or you will have to use very small cups

Originally Posted by theMAG

Nice review. Some queries:

1. Can you arrange Storme, Duster, XUV, Scorpio by:
a. Ride comfort
b. Handling
c. Mileage (4x2)

2. Most of the improvements seem to be due to requirement rather than anything else. Did you see anything to justify the hype that was present a few months before this launch?

1 (No idea about duster)
a. Ride comfort : Storme > XUV >> Scorpio
b. Handling : XUV>Storme>>SCorpio
c. I think XUV would be the best(lightest + 2wd has less losses)

2. Its an iconic vehicle, so yes, there always be a hype. I would say, since its the most improved safari yet, the hype was justified. But Tata has not done what they really could have. This vehicle could have gone to the next level.

[theexperthand]

Great review Tanweer - rated a well deserved 5 stars.

From the pics, the illumination of the headlights looks good. Given that many people still prefer the spare mount on rear door, just wondering who will come up with an after market spare wheel mount for the rear

One doubt - are these really wheel caps, or alloys?

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Wheel cups don't protrude and aren't easy to remove. That's a good thing! The older Safari's cups easily fell off (with a light kick or during offroading):

--Anoop

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

One doubt - are these really wheel caps, or alloys?
--Anoop

Of course they are alloys. I am talking about the small center cup type caps. Older safari(with alloys) had protruding one.
Look at my safari. In this pic, they are gone(fallen off somewhere)
I currently have on one remaining

The reason was simple, they protrude, and with a kick you can dislodge them. They sell for 150rs a piece in places like chor bazaar(brand new is around 250+)

The new ones are much harder to remove. Though I wish they had gone for ones which cannot be removed without removing the wheel.

[narayan]

Thanks Tanveer for the much awaited review.
1. Was surprised to note that the Safari/Storme have better bhp/ton and Nm/ton than the Scorpio but still feel lethargic. Must be the gearing in which case wonder why TaTa did nothing about it ?

2. Scorpio has greater wheel base but still lesser rear leg room. Because the seats are placed lower and forward to accomodate a third row ?

3. There has been so much said about the "hydroform chassis". Would like to understand what this has done to the Storme in terms of benefits to the buyer ? The main improvements reported are better turning radius ( thanks to R&P ), lesser body roll ( different springs ), better interiors ( better platics ), marginally lower weight ( partly contributed by lighter tail gate ). Hence what exactly has the hydroform chassis done - sorry for asking. Also how would this compare with a Scorpio chassis in terms of rigidity/kg weight ?

4. From a 4x4 capability perspective, how would you rate this against the Scorpio and XUV ? From my limited observation the M&M vehicles seem to have better articulation and approach/dep angles thanks to the minimal overhangs. With lower kerb weights as well, won't the M&Ms be better off than the Storme ? Does the LSD tip the scales in favour of the Storme ?

All in All, I feel the Storme at this price point and feature set seems to be a good buy for someone who is already sold on a Safari or the idea of buying a TaTa UV. BUT for the outliers who are not yet convinced on TaTa, I feel the Storme does not do much to pull them away from a Scorpio/Duster/XuV --- and for this reason the sales numbers may not really go up. If realibility turns out to be poor, its all the more bad for the Storme. On a related note, I am surprised why no BHPian has still not reported having booked/bought the Storme.
Tanveer - would you conside the Storme as your next vehicle ?

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by narayan

Thanks Tanveer for the much awaited review.
1. Was surprised to note that the Safari/Storme have better bhp/ton and Nm/ton than the Scorpio but still feel lethargic. Must be the gearing in which case wonder why TaTa did nothing about it ?

Lethargic? No ways. Just a hint of turbo lag is there(much less than older one). Once you cross 1500, the storme simply runs away.
Old safari had pronounced turbo lag

2. Scorpio has greater wheel base but still lesser rear leg room. Because the seats are placed lower and forward to accomodate a third row ?

It could also be to meet some CMVR requirement . Jokes apart, third row has more space.

3. There has been so much said about the "hydroform chassis". Would like to understand what this has done to the Storme in terms of benefits to the buyer ? The main improvements reported are better turning radius ( thanks to R&P ), lesser body roll ( different springs ), better interiors ( better platics ), marginally lower weight ( partly contributed by lighter tail gate ). Hence what exactly has the hydroform chassis done - sorry for asking. Also how would this compare with a Scorpio chassis in terms of rigidity/kg weight ?

Of course I do not know all the tech aspects, but the new steering gives better turning radius, and as for the springs, its not just the new springs, its over suspension architecture which also gives the new storme a much more sorted ride and handling than its predecessor.

4. From a 4x4 capability perspective, how would you rate this against the Scorpio and XUV ? From my limited observation the M&M vehicles seem to have better articulation and approach/dep angles thanks to the minimal overhangs. With lower kerb weights as well, won't the M&Ms be better off than the Storme ? Does the LSD tip the scales in favour of the Storme ?

I do not think the scorpio would have better rear articulation. It will be in same ball park.
XUV does not have a low range(its like the CRV). So no point comparing XUV.

Between safari and scorpio
Scorpio + => Lower weight
Safari + => GC(200mm vs 180mm), LSD at rear

I do not have grade-ability figures of scorpio however

All in All, I feel the Storme at this price point and feature set seems to be a good buy for someone who is already sold on a Safari or the idea of buying a TaTa UV. BUT for the outliers who are not yet convinced on TaTa, I feel the Storme does not do much to pull them away from a Scorpio/Duster/XuV --- and for this reason the sales numbers may not really go up. If realibility turns out to be poor, its all the more bad for the Storme. On a related note, I am surprised why no BHPian has still not reported having booked/bought the Storme.
Tanveer - would you conside the Storme as your next vehicle ?

I am in the market for 4x4, and at 13.6L the storme 4x4 is too expensive. So I am also an outlier. Lets see what options come to the market next year, till then I flog the white elephant.

[HappyRoadie]

Excellent review. According to the specification sheet it is clear that Storme is wider and has more height compared to existing Safari. Is there significant difference in the width?

[CARDEEP]

@Tanveer & Vidyut, thank you for all your efforts.

Must comment that this review was worth all the anticipation & wait that all had to endure, & your promises that you repeatedly posted in the other thread.

IMO, the Storme does live to the expectation & does not stay to the tea cup. It would have been a different case if they had named the SUV Super Storme or Hurricane.

However, I wish few things Tata could better, the QC & interior fit & finish, but I guess it would take few more years for them to improve. This still is their best product... flag-SHIP in every sense.

I still wish they offer front facing 3rd row seating on future variants, & if not possible in the current iteration, at least 4-point seat belts for side facing seats.

I have driven my cousin's Safari (Gurgaon to Delhi Cantt), & if it betters its ride & manners, THIS IS IT .

Regarding problems faced by you, because of being taller, I (&, as a matter of fact, none in my family) won't face a single problem, we brothers are a mere five-&-a-half feet tall only...LOL. We can be seated anywhere in Storme.

Thank You guys again.... Have been looking for the thread like anything in the past 2 days, & have rated the thread 5-Stars after going through the review.

[vibbs]

Thanks for the wonderful review TSK. Rating the thread much deserved 5 stars.

I had caught a Storm on the roads of Dwarka a few days back. It was the same colour as used for the review. I am a fan of the safari looks so although I am happy that they have retained the legendary looks, I also fear, this might be a hindrance to most. The absence of the spare wheel at the back makes the Storme look a tad too narrow and may be seem a little taller than it actually is. They could have done something at the back to mask that feeling.

Also I feel they should have played around with the interiors and given a front facing third row instead of side facing jump seats, just to make it more viable as a more than 5 seater.

That said I am happy that this is a vastly improved Safari and if tata had changed the exterior styling a bit more and provided slightly more contemporary interiors, they could have garnered more interest with it.
The real test though will be to see if they can manage to provide a stress free ownership experience.

[Shanksta]

A wonderful effort by Tata!!

But, For starters what is it with Indians and Chrome? The huge chrome "patti" on the front looks ghastly and Tata has given the Storme step-motherly treatment by removing two of its most prominent highlights:
1. The headlamps. ok! ok! i agree the new one's look good but the old ones were better. Don't you guys agree??
2. The spare wheel on the boot. As Tanveer mentioned it will improve ownership and ease, also it may be illogical but that spare wheel on the boot should'nt have been removed.

Other than these two and the new rear(looks very boxy and in some angles Volvo-like) the rest of the car looks pretty ok rather good. Hope it does well in the market(even though i highly doubt)

[param22k]

Great job with the review, tsk. A good round of applause for your effort!

Frankly, the Storme has disappointed me and I'm going to be sticking with my current truck till Tata comes out a compelling enough vehicle to warrant an upgrade ..... or I decide to dump Tata and go with some other brand.

Along with the vehicle, Tata really needs to work on their after-sales. Their high selling Safari dealer still doesn't know what standard jobs have to be carried out during 90k service, as I experienced last week. No transfer case or front and rear axle oil change. Sigh, am so used to their incompetence now.

[Dr.Suraj]

A BIG applause!

That was a FANTASTIC, EXHAUSTIVE, UNIBIASED, EXCELLENT POINT OF VIEW REVIEW !

Mind blowing!

I am 300 kms away from home in a dingy hotel but still read through the whole review on my Note in a dim lit situation & low battery.

I just could not stop reading it and was eagerly looking forward to this.


AMAZING REVIEW.

That said - my 2 bits :

1. Again heartening to see that Tata seems to be moving in the right direction
2. BUT - disheartening to see incomplete results
3. Wish some things were NEVER omitted like rear view camera
4. What I see as a MAJOR issue - is the ABSOLUTE LACK of creature comforts or techno features as compared to XUV 500 (main competitor)
5. What it makes up for is a BETTER actual SUV and the amazing comfort.

Once again thank you for an awesome read and lovely pics!

[parsh]

Whew! Finally finished through. Hats off for the wonderful pin-pointed detailed review, makes the wait worth, and as GTO says, what a way to bring curtains down on the year 2012.

Good to see:
1. Better suspension, new platform
2. Better handling around corners, and as said already, it will still need to be driven respectably around corners considering the size and height and higher CG and would not be still easily chuckable around corners I guess. XUV and Duster may still play spoilsport in this respect
3. Better ride on rough roads (not the capability, it always had the capability)
4. Better encapsulation of the Rear Aircon Blower-Cooler just like Ertiga (it is not an independent a/c, must be run by the same condenser and compressor). I think it must be the same old unit by Sanden, now better fit in the roof. Still they could have made better provision of roof-level vents with blower in the bonnet/elsewhere.
5. Fit and finish looks better just from pictures than earlier, I guess
6. Good transfer case ratio
7. Good drivability even in RPMs from as low as 1200 in 4th gear which should ease handling daily traffic

Not so good to see:
1. Panel gaps - BUT hey even latest gen Innova has big panel gaps, who are we kidding. But if these are uneven, not good
2. Still a heavy truck, why Tata can't still lower its weight?
3. Still no front facing 3rd seats, why Tata?
4. No 2-DIN support, guess they could have easily made provision for the space atleast if not provided by default

Big Q remains whether after all these years of unending wait Tata made its propsective customers to undergo, will it come up trumps on the reliability (lets discount the falling plastic parts ) atleast now and will be able to compete with its main rivals XUV and Duster. Will have to wait and watch.