[rajneeesh]

Rustom came home last evening. Some commitments have meant that I have not been able to drive him for moe than 35 KM. However, it does have immense street presence and a commanding seating position.

[aviddenis]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Thanks Aviddenis, I will be picking up an Urban Bronze Storme. I have not decided on the acessories but am interested in leather/ art leather upholstery . Could you post the photos of your seats. What all acessories have you gone in for?

Hi Rajneesh, Apologies for the delay and also on not so good quality of the pics. I am out of town and asked my son to click the photos and send across. These have been taken from outside with the window glasses up and may not do justice the seats. They will give you some indication though.

[BipB]

Originally Posted by rajneeesh

Thanks Aviddenis, I will be picking up an Urban Bronze Storme. I have not decided on the acessories but am interested in leather/ art leather upholstery . Could you post the photos of your seats. What all acessories have you gone in for?

Rajneesh, have you seen the new fabric seats on refreshed storme? After seeing that I decided to keep it as it is. It is indeed made of very good material and has a premium feel. I just got some towels stiched over it for protection. Will look at leather covers ones this has lost its charm.

[param22k]

Originally Posted by narayan

TASS is not as bad as its made out to be. Atleast in Chennai I have a good experience with Tafe. I agree they dont have fancy customer lounges or sweet talking SAs but largely they get the job done. Also lot of product issues in the past end up affecting the service experience and that may not be per se the TASS issue. With the Storme being a largely trouble free product, the TASS experience is bound to be good.

TASS might be good down south, but I've had a number of horror experiences at multiple TASS in different north Indian cities. The experiences aren't concerned with lounges and sweet talk, but rather absolutely unethical practices and abusive behaviour. I agree that a better put together product would mean lesser visits to TASS and decreased chances of a bad experience, but it still wouldn't solve the basic issue of lack of proper training to TASS personnel.

Originally Posted by narayan

On your pt reg upgrade from Dicor to Storme - I tend to agree. The Storme probably does not provide enough justification and that is TML's biggest failure - not being able to provide a natural upgrade to existing customers ( who are relatively easy to retain than go out there and get new ones ).

Mahindra has excelled here by providing the XUV as a natural upgrade from the Scorpio and I just saw this ownership review where someone who owned the earlier XUV has now gone for the refreshed model. This is what any manufacturer should aspire to achieve.

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

I too felt the Storme is not a upgrade over my Dicor when I upgraded. It's only when I lived with the Storme for about 10 days, that I could really appreciate as to what a world of difference the Storme meant. Honestly the Dicor felt like a cheap compromise.

Apache, the test drive didn't give me enough joy to consider an upgrade to Storme. However, since I haven't experienced ownership of Storme I must conceded that your perspective has more weight.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by param22k

TASS might be good down south, but I've had a number of horror experiences at multiple TASS in different north Indian cities. The experiences aren't concerned with lounges and sweet talk, but rather absolutely unethical practices and abusive behaviour. I agree that a better put together product would mean lesser visits to TASS and decreased chances of a bad experience, but it still wouldn't solve the basic issue of lack of proper training to TASS personnel.



Apache, the test drive didn't give me enough joy to consider an upgrade to Storme. However, since I haven't experienced ownership of Storme I must conceded that your perspective has more weight.

IMO one is supposed to know the nitty gritties and basics of any vehicle they own, no matter the make. This is India, filled with the moronic and the corrupt. Don't expect professional work from any ASS. As for peace of mind, TASS now recommends and encourages replacement rather than repair, they know their employees may be incapable of repair jobs, but can pull out a component and replace with a new one. They are quite honest here and Tata is the only ASS I know who returns your old part once the replace it. Extended warranty and assurance has made the Storme quite easy to own. And yes trips to the ASS are restricted to regular service only in my case.

Test drive vehicles are often abused and unkept. Especially in the lawless parts of our country. Hence a td may not reveal a true picture. Try and drive a friends car if you can. Plus the differences and improvements can only be felt when you live with the car.

[rrsteer]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

They are quite honest here and Tata is the only ASS I know who returns your old part once the replace it.

They are not the only one. Toyota guys always make it a point to put all replaced parts in a packet and hand it over to me.

Infact, the tata service center guys could never show me the parts that they replaced on my Safari.

[garyag79]

I saw black alloy wheels as accessories on the new Storme website. Any idea if they are available or shown to any 2015 Storme buyers?

[Rock 'n' rollz]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

They are quite honest here and Tata is the only ASS I know who returns your old part once the replace it.

Test drive vehicles are often abused and unkept. Especially in the lawless parts of our country. Hence a td may not reveal a true picture.

1. So far I have seen Tata, Fiat & Honda returning the replaced parts. No experience with other manufacturers.

2. Lawless parts of the country? Had been to Fortune Cars, Thane for Storme Test Drive. The vehicle had not seen water for at least a couple of weeks. Bird droppings all over it. Tires looked almost deflated. Sales guy "Sir if you wish to test drive it, I'll get it washed." Sorry state of affairs must say.

I am almost sold on Storme/Aria a.k.a. Hexa but the "after sales struggle" is making me think twice, delaying my decision. You seem to be pretty happy with your dealer. Any Dealer & Service Center recos in Mumbai area for Tata Motors?

I have started having this feeling that its going to be All New Innova for me.

[doc_zeus]

Hello everyone. This being my first post, am glad to post that i've nearly made up my mind to own a safari, after extensive research in the t-bhp regarding the safari and the storme. I have nearly read every post on safari there is, in the t-bhp. I've few queries. So please help out the newbie.
All the cars I owned till now were petrol run. I own a hyundai eon right now, which has run 45k kms on the odo in the past 3 years. So diesel is completely new to me(though everyone I know tell me that there's not much difference riding a petrol or a newer gen diesel). Also the decision regarding safari is completely interest based. It is my childhood dream of owning a safari. I still drool when ever I see a safari on road. I ride about 10 to 15 k kms a year on city roads and Indian highways. And near zero off-roading. People advised me diesel engines are not good for 10k kms per year riding. But I'm not sure of that at all. All aside I've made up my mind for a safari(already waited too much). I need help on some issues here.

My first query(this is really a dumb question I guess). Am not able to decide between safari or storme. After reading some scary incidents I feel safari lx(cheapest safari currently) is enough for me (fulfills my safari dream and also I won't regret much even if I face the scariest issues). Interiors, ICE etc are not a major concern for me. Nearly everything can be done after market. I like the looks of both the vehicles. Is there really much technical difference between safari and the storme?(please bear with me for such question). I know there's improvement but not sure of the magnitude. Interiors are secondary to me. Am talking about the engine and other technical points. Will storme be a more peaceful vehicle than the safari?

I like everything to be perfect in my cars. Even a tiny squeak or a rattle upsets me and I become obsessed till I find out the reason and fix it. I own a 2009 royal enfield thunderbird. So am pretty well acclimatized to never ending niggles(I have a extensive review on my bike coming up shortly). I've spent a lot of time and money(I mean a lot) to make the bike near perfect, but some thing always comes up new with these enfields. So am not at all confident on Indian manufacturers. Should I expect similar niggles constantly poking me even with the safari? because with the bike I managed a lot of free time in the garages, but that's not possible for me now. I experienced very few to zero niggles with the eon tl date, though the vehicle has been abused very very badly at times. This is the reason why I think safari dicor lx is a better bet, so that even if I face such issues I might not feel bad.

Please help me out regarding the decision to own. After reading some experiences I feel really scared about the safari and the tml. But never have I seen one regretting in terms of the driving experience. So that boosts me up. I just hope the ownership of storme or the safari to be hassle-free. So please let me know what to expect and what not in a storme or a safari. Minor issues I can get adjusted. But spending half of my life time in Tata ASC's, this I can't live with.

I'm little of the topic I guess. But I am not sure where to post my queries. So am always welcome to corrections, if any.

[apachelongbow]

Originally Posted by Rock 'n' rollz

1. So far I have seen Tata, Fiat & Honda returning the replaced parts. No experience with other manufacturers.

2. Lawless parts of the country? Had been to Fortune Cars, Thane for Storme Test Drive.You seem to be pretty happy with your dealer. Any Dealer & Service Center recos in Mumbai area for Tata Motors?

I have started having this feeling that its going to be All New Innova for me.

Apparently even Toyota returns old parts back. And the irony is that my regular service dealer is Fortune motors, Thane.

Originally Posted by doc_zeus

Hello everyone. This being my first post, am glad to post that i've nearly made up my mind to own a safari, after extensive research in the t-bhp regarding the safari and the storme. I have nearly read every post on safari there is, in the t-bhp. I've few queries. So please help out the newbie.
All the cars I owned till now were petrol run. I own a hyundai eon right now, which has run 45k kms on the odo in the past 3 years. So diesel is completely new to me(though everyone I know tell me that there's not much difference riding a petrol or a newer gen diesel). Also the decision regarding safari is completely interest based. It is my childhood dream of owning a safari. I still drool when ever I see a safari on road. I ride about 10 to 15 k kms a year on city roads and Indian highways. And near zero off-roading. People advised me diesel engines are not good for 10k kms per year riding. But I'm not sure of that at all. All aside I've made up my mind for a safari(already waited too much). I need help on some issues here.

My first query(this is really a dumb question I guess). Am not able to decide between safari or storme. After reading some scary incidents I feel safari lx(cheapest safari currently) is enough for me (fulfills my safari dream and also I won't regret much even if I face the scariest issues). Interiors, ICE etc are not a major concern for me. Nearly everything can be done after market. I like the looks of both the vehicles. Is there really much technical difference between safari and the storme?(please bear with me for such question). I know there's improvement but not sure of the magnitude. Interiors are secondary to me. Am talking about the engine and other technical points. Will storme be a more peaceful vehicle than the safari?

I like everything to be perfect in my cars. Even a tiny squeak or a rattle upsets me and I become obsessed till I find out the reason and fix it. I own a 2009 royal enfield thunderbird. So am pretty well acclimatized to never ending niggles(I have a extensive review on my bike coming up shortly). I've spent a lot of time and money(I mean a lot) to make the bike near perfect, but some thing always comes up new with these enfields. So am not at all confident on Indian manufacturers. Should I expect similar niggles constantly poking me even with the safari? because with the bike I managed a lot of free time in the garages, but that's not possible for me now. I experienced very few to zero niggles with the eon tl date, though the vehicle has been abused very very badly at times. This is the reason why I think safari dicor lx is a better bet, so that even if I face such issues I might not feel bad.

Please help me out regarding the decision to own. After reading some experiences I feel really scared about the safari and the tml. But never have I seen one regretting in terms of the driving experience. So that boosts me up. I just hope the ownership of storme or the safari to be hassle-free. So please let me know what to expect and what not in a storme or a safari. Minor issues I can get adjusted. But spending half of my life time in Tata ASC's, this I can't live with.

I'm little of the topic I guess. But I am not sure where to post my queries. So am always welcome to corrections, if any.

Let me see if I can answer some of your questions. Since I owned both the Safari earlier and the Storme now, I may be able to answer your questions with some personal insights.

The current Safari (post 2012) is niggle free in the mechanical sense. The mechanicals and the technical bits have matured, settled down, and there should be no failures or issues, unless you get handed a lemon, and Tata is known to produce lemons in between. However extended warranty, and good relationship with your service centre should take care of it. Infact Tata can be the most generous company if you develop a personal rapport with your support staff.

Fit and finish is still atrocious. Ok not atrocious but doesn't become of a 2015 car. The body dies are old and the plastics are cheap, so you will expect squeaks, rattles all around, and every 3000kms the rear door needs to be aligned to take care of the squeaky noise. Mechanically the Safari uses the earlier Dicor engine and not the new varior one, hence the pickup and top speed might be lower compared to the Storme. Also the fuel economy is slightly lower when compared to the Storme, due older gear ratios.


Since I also happen to own a 2013 thunderbird, believe me Tata is way way better in terms of being nigglefree compared to the bullet or any RE. The only thing is to be careful in choosing your fuel bunk (no kerosene please), follow all regular service and you should do fine.

The Storme is a much much improved animal compared to the Safari. Infact it is a new car under some old body panels. It feels, rides and looks like a new car, and the interiors do justice to the 15+ lac pricing. There is no squeaks, rattles or misaligned panels and there is no tailgate rattling to speak of.

90% of all the reported issues of Tata products on this forum is made by people who either don't own the product or who have 'a friend, relative etc' who owned it and faced issues. That aside, Tata are paying for the hastily rushed dicor they released which indeed was full of bugs and issues. They however rectified all the issues during subsequent years but the bad publicity continues to haunt them still.

If you do want to buy a Storme, I would recommend it. After all you don't have any SUV below 30 lacs which provides same ride quality, power and driving pleasure as the Storme or the Safari. Or if you have the money you can wait for either the new Endevour or the new Fortuner, both which seem to be great.

[doc_zeus]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Let me see if I can answer some of your questions. Since I owned both the Safari earlier and the Storme now, I may be able to answer your questions with some personal insights.

The current Safari (post 2012) is niggle free in the mechanical sense. The mechanicals and the technical bits have matured, settled down, and there should be no failures or issues, unless you get handed a lemon, and Tata is known to produce lemons in between. However extended warranty, and good relationship with your service centre should take care of it. Infact Tata can be the most generous company if you develop a personal rapport with your support staff.

Fit and finish is still atrocious. Ok not atrocious but doesn't become of a 2015 car. The body dies are old and the plastics are cheap, so you will expect squeaks, rattles all around, and every 3000kms the rear door needs to be aligned to take care of the squeaky noise. Mechanically the Safari uses the earlier Dicor engine and not the new varior one, hence the pickup and top speed might be lower compared to the Storme. Also the fuel economy is slightly lower when compared to the Storme, due older gear ratios.


Since I also happen to own a 2013 thunderbird, believe me Tata is way way better in terms of being nigglefree compared to the bullet or any RE. The only thing is to be careful in choosing your fuel bunk (no kerosene please), follow all regular service and you should do fine.

The Storme is a much much improved animal compared to the Safari. Infact it is a new car under some old body panels. It feels, rides and looks like a new car, and the interiors do justice to the 15+ lac pricing. There is no squeaks, rattles or misaligned panels and there is no tailgate rattling to speak of.

90% of all the reported issues of Tata products on this forum is made by people who either don't own the product or who have 'a friend, relative etc' who owned it and faced issues. That aside, Tata are paying for the hastily rushed dicor they released which indeed was full of bugs and issues. They however rectified all the issues during subsequent years but the bad publicity continues to haunt them still.

If you do want to buy a Storme, I would recommend it. After all you don't have any SUV below 30 lacs which provides same ride quality, power and driving pleasure as the Storme or the Safari. Or if you have the money you can wait for either the new Endevour or the new Fortuner, both which seem to be great.

Thank you for your quick helpful reply@apachelongbow. First dicor and then a storme. This is exactly the kind of addiction(no offense) i am expecting. If i own a safari, then my next vehicle should also be of a safari lineage. The ownership should be that good. You've just added fuel to my burning safari desire.

I had a doubt that if the mechanical issues were persistent even with the current storme, then whats the point in spending another 3 or 4 lakhs for a storme, compared to a dicor lx. This is cleared for me now. So to my understanding storme is way better than the dicor in technical department.

I agree. Around this price range there's no other SUV that gives the VFM as good as safari. Even if i can afford the endeavour or the fortuner, i'd still get a storme, as leaving the beast behind would haunt me forever.

I'm certainly leaned towards the storme now. With a strong hope that i won't be sold a lemon, i think it's time for a visit to the TML showroom. Thanks for your support.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

The Storme is a much much improved animal compared to the Safari.

There have been quite a few Dicor guys who have driven my Storme (some quite extensively, stretching her legs on the Expressway and on the climbs) and they all to a man say the exact same thing.

But on the flip side of guys like you, there are equally quite a few like Tanveer and Param who even though impressed, will not exchange their old rides for a new Storme.

I personally feel that is more a testimony to how good the Dicor already is vis a vis how not so much better the Storme is.

[Libra]

Tata motors has an interesting sales setup. At the booking stage, the waiting period was two weeks, two weeks and an escalation later it became three more. Three weeks later it became another three weeks. An escalation at bombay house and it is still around three. Overwhelming demand maybe but why can't they be open and honest about deliverables. It can help a customer take an informed decision. I hope the ethos of tatas go beyond the notice boards and translate into real action.

[rajneeesh]

Originally Posted by Libra

Tata motors has an interesting sales setup. At the booking stage, the waiting period was two weeks, two weeks and an escalation later it became three more. Three weeks later it became another three weeks. An escalation at bombay house and it is still around three. Overwhelming demand maybe but why can't they be open and honest about deliverables. It can help a customer take an informed decision. I hope the ethos of tatas go beyond the notice boards and translate into real action.

Libra I believe you have opted for an Astern Black 4X4. I was at Concorde South Ex today to get my number plates. I took delivery of my Storme on July 10 after opting for a Urban Bronze 4X4 instead of Arctic Silver. I believe Astern Black and Arctic Silver 4X4 have a long waiting period.

By the way, I am very happy with the Urban Bronze as it not as common as Silver. 70 % XUV' 500's are Silver (4 of my neighbours own Silver XUV's). It is pretty popular colour choice with Duster owners.

[BipB]

Originally Posted by doc_zeus

Thank you for your quick helpful reply@apachelongbow. First dicor and then a storme. This is exactly the kind of addiction(no offense) i am expecting. If i own a safari, then my next vehicle should also be of a safari lineage. The ownership should be that good. You've just added fuel to my burning safari desire.

I had a doubt that if the mechanical issues were persistent even with the current storme, then whats the point in spending another 3 or 4 lakhs for a storme, compared to a dicor lx. This is cleared for me now. So to my understanding storme is way better than the dicor in technical department.

I agree. Around this price range there's no other SUV that gives the VFM as good as safari. Even if i can afford the endeavour or the fortuner, i'd still get a storme, as leaving the beast behind would haunt me forever.

I'm certainly leaned towards the storme now. With a strong hope that i won't be sold a lemon, i think it's time for a visit to the TML showroom. Thanks for your support.

doc_zeus, In my opinion, stretch your budget a little more and get the 2015 Strome. I had been using a Dicor since last four and half years. Exchanged it with a 2015 storme 4 weeks back. It was indeed painful bidding adieu to my almost trouble free Dicor, but the grin that came on to my face after driving the new storme for a few kilometers from the showroom did wipe out all worries! As apachelongbow said, it is a different animal altogether! The ‘sway or boat like movement is almost gone. My 10 year old daughter’s first comment during a long drive was ‘Dad, I don’t feel like vomiting anymore!’ I am not saying it is completely gone, but very well controlled. Power delivery is much linear and the Clutch is super light. A friend of mine who owns an etios found it lighter than his car’s. Have done 1,800kms since purchase and is yet to find any issues. Had a small niggle with one of the door latches getting struck, but TASS cleared that in 15 minutes. Go for it, reclaim your life!