[Ferruccio]

Originally Posted by Seek

Am thinking of the following accessories:
a. Explorer decals (3.5 K)
b. Front and Tail lamps chrome garnish (2.5 K)
c. Nudge Guard (15.5 K - Thinking hard about this one)
.

IMHO get the rear camera done at the dealership to protect your Warranty. I would get the Nudge Guard fitted from outside - something minimal and matte.

My Safari got front ended by a Newbie driver in a rusty pickup who could not manage half clutch on a slope and rolled right into my bumper. I wished I had a nudge bar to save my bumper.

The Explorer decals and the chrome garnish would ruin the dignified looks of the Beast, but that's just my opinion. Am sure that there are chaps who could weld fins like a 59 Cadillac on to a Storme and still make it look good

[Seek]

Originally Posted by Ferruccio

IMHO get the rear camera done at the dealership to protect your Warranty. I would get the Nudge Guard fitted from outside - something minimal and matte.

My Safari got front ended by a Newbie driver in a rusty pickup who could not manage half clutch on a slope and rolled right into my bumper. I wished I had a nudge bar to save my bumper.

The Explorer decals and the chrome garnish would ruin the dignified looks of the Beast, but that's just my opinion. Am sure that there are chaps who could weld fins like a 59 Cadillac on to a Storme and still make it look good

Yes, I have finalised it as follows:
1. Rear camera plus sensor through the dealership.
2. Skipping the decals and chrome garnish
3. Aftermarket Nudge guard

Booked the truck yesterday and the fun begins. The sales guy called today stating no urban bronze EX is available at the plant in pune and a new one will have to be produced. So 4 weeks from now on etc.

[anup7649]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Bangalore still does not have the Storme 400 test drive vehicles. Looks like TATA and its dealers are not interested in selling the Storme in Bangalore.

The test vehicles are with Prerna motors Lalbagh road.
They had arranged for me for last saturday, but by that time my family decided to go for Innova. Hence did not drive.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Bangalore still does not have the Storme 400 test drive vehicles. Looks like TATA and its dealers are not interested in selling the Storme in Bangalore.

Originally Posted by anup7649

The test vehicles are with Prerna motors Lalbagh road.
They had arranged for me for last saturday, but by that time my family decided to go for Innova. Hence did not drive.

I did receive a call from Prerana Motors and TATA Motors regarding the test drive. I have scheduled a test drive over the weekend. I will document my observations once I do a detailed test drive.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

I did receive a call from Prerana Motors and TATA Motors regarding the test drive. I have scheduled a test drive over the weekend. I will document my observations once I do a detailed test drive.

Dear nkrishnap - thanks! . I await the observations of your detailed test drive.

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[BipB]

Dears,
Please help me with your valuable suggestion on the following issue. My storme (June 2015) has done around 6,400km till date and since last one month it was not used much. Last week my dad noticed a small crack in the side wall of front Tyre (LHS). Car was due for second service and we highlighted this issue to the TASS guys two days back. TASS called up Bridgestone guys and a surveyor from their side came to TASS. His report was that this is not a manufacturing defect at all and is due to an impact like hitting on a stone or against any sharp object and denied replacing the tyre under warranty. To my knowledge this has never happened. I don’t even have single scratch anywhere else on the Tyre. Now once the car came back from service, we noticed there is one more similar crack (but smaller) at another place as well.
I checked with a friend of mine who is tyre dealer for Bridgestone. He saying that for similar cases they have got at least 50-60% discount on a new purchase and this due to TASS not making an honest attempt. They just bought all what the surveyor said and did nothing for their customer!
Now, is there something I can do to take up this issue further? I was just wondering whether I am really entitled for a replacement or not in this case. Please let me know if any of you have experienced a similar situation and how it worked for you.

[devarshi84]

Tyre warranty/ gurantee is the biggest scam I have seen till date. Any problem with the tyre is due to driving style or bad roads. This includes personal experience with goodyear and Michelin.

See if your friend (tyre dealer can fight for you. Mostly it will not yield any results.

For Ahmedabad drivers, Please avoid Shah patel &co. at all costs.

[BipB]

Here's the report from bridgestone.

On a separate note I have just noticed that my name is associated with some 'taxi driver's association'! Checked with TASS and even in their service invoice, it carries that address! Now I have to look at that issue as well, on what TASS was up to by saying I belong to taxi driver category! Excise duty cuts?

[jkdas]

BipB; I too had similar issues years ago but TASS said the same nonsense you too heard. I might have posted about this in my thread.

[BipB]

Originally Posted by jkdas

BipB; I too had similar issues years ago but TASS said the same nonsense you too heard. I might have posted about this in my thread.

JK sir, just went through your thread. Seems I am in a similar, hopeless situation! My friend advised to take this issue to consumer court. But I just feel I won't be able to prove the case.

[garyag79]

Originally Posted by BipB

Dears,
. His report was that this is not a manufacturing defect at all and is due to an impact like hitting on a stone or against any sharp object and denied replacing the tyre under warranty. To my knowledge this has never happened. I don’t even have single scratch anywhere else on the Tyre. Now once the car came back from service, we noticed there is one more similar crack (but smaller) at another place as well.
.

Standard reply from all tyre dealers- Bridgestone, MRF, Apollo, Michellin. Your dealer is the only one who can help you else replace it. Not advisable to drive with a side wall cut.

[GKMahajan]

Originally Posted by BipB

Dears,
Please help me with your valuable suggestion on the following issue. My storme (June 2015) has done around 6,400km till date and since last one month it was not used much. Last week my dad noticed a small crack in the side wall of front Tyre (LHS). Car was due for second service and we highlighted this issue to the TASS guys two days back. TASS called up Bridgestone guys and a surveyor from their side came to TASS. His report was that this is not a manufacturing defect at all and is due to an impact like hitting on a stone or against any sharp object and denied replacing the tyre under warranty. To my knowledge this has never happened. I don’t even have single scratch anywhere else on the Tyre. Now once the car came back from service, we noticed there is one more similar crack (but smaller) at another place as well.
I checked with a friend of mine who is tyre dealer for Bridgestone. He saying that for similar cases they have got at least 50-60% discount on a new purchase and this due to TASS not making an honest attempt. They just bought all what the surveyor said and did nothing for their customer!
Now, is there something I can do to take up this issue further? I was just wondering whether I am really entitled for a replacement or not in this case. Please let me know if any of you have experienced a similar situation and how it worked for you.

Dear BipB,

If you have the money, time, patience, lawyer, etc - then - okay - you might be able to do something about it.

My experience is that they dump poor quality tyres on you and you can do nothing about it.

I had an experience when the tyre failed at the point it touches the rim. STILL - they say that it is due to some external object! On a tyre which has run less than 500 km!! So, now I suggest - stay away from a fight! Unless - of course - you have more than enough of the above listed items!

Just swallow your pride, write-off the money and go ahead in life.

This is just my opinion..

Surely, you have already got multiple suggestions and you will get more.

[navpreet318]

I was just informed by the dealer that the Storme 400 Test Drive vehicle has reached them here in Dehradun and they would be happy to give me a TD tomorrow morning.

Hoping that it is all that we are expecting it to be ("SSS") and that our blind faith of booking it without a TD was a gamble that will pay off.

Will give a short report post the TD tomorrow.

[navpreet318]

So today we test drove the Storme 400 4X2 with 140kms on the Odo.

Lets start with the exteriors.
Overall fit and finish is better than our 3L one. The panel gaps are present but lesser and uniform in nature. The doors, boot and bonnet are all lighter pointing to lighter sheet metal.
This is a major plus point. The doors and especially the boot door had to be adjusted every 30K-40K kms else they started rattling due to the heavy weight.
The plastic cladding and the bumpers has seen a major upgrade. The plastic is better finished and is in general made of better quality.
The light rubber strip between the plastic cladding and the sheet metal body will ensure a better fit in all weathers and less rattles/vibrations.
The front grill is made of good quality plastic and is better engineered. (Ours has broken connectors and has been replaced about 4 times. Poorly engineered.)

The Interiors.

First before entering the interior what you experience is the doors. (I have experienced them before a number of times on the new storme but this is always rewarding.)
The doors open with a very muted sound. Even the click is muted. And then before getting in one always wants to close it to hear its sound. A nice muted thud.
Coming from someone who has been used to years and years of the clack-bang of the old safaris, this is indeed a wonderful experience.

The interiors are cohesive. The black and silver with textile seats are a combination I personally prefer over leather or beige color.
The different plastics fit together properly. There are no uneven lines. Everything like the AC vents have a solid feel to them.
A few items like the power window switches etc. could do with a bit more quality and solid feel. My wife says the Swift has more solid switches.
The Automatic Climate Control is missed here. The stereo is decent and frankly I don't care for that too much.
The MID is a feature which I would miss considering that it packages a lot of information smartly.
Also why can't Tata change those dials throughout the life of the Safari and Storme!! Oh Come on! And why can't you design so that the top of the speedo and tacho is not cut off by the steering!

No reverse camera as stock is missed but I would not get it installed as a Tata accessory either. Factory fitment and outside factory fitment will always have a difference and I don't want rattles creeping up due to panels being removed.

The steering is nice to hold. Its got a good quality feel to it. The plastic used in it is of good quality as are the buttons.
The seats have lost some of the under thigh support in the front even though the seating position is better now.
The rear seats have good amount of under thigh support. Too much for short people though. But my mother was happy that for her, sitting cross legged would be very comfortable.
Overall the cabin has an airy and good quality feel to it. I have to say that it is better built than almost all of its competition.

The Experience!

This is where the engineering has finally shined! Gone is the truck!
The steering is direct and has not vague play. You don't have to wait for the steering to send a whatsapp to the wheels to turn!
It is direct and straight. A thing missed sorely on all safaris. I for one have never seen a safari with a straight steering. It will always be tilted to one side straight from the factory.
Hopefully over time this steering would not turn sideways other than when I want it to.

The suspension is tight. I just love how the damping has been tightened all the way up. I have done the same with the R1200GS and I just love the way it handles. Similarly the new storme with its tight damping handles pretty well for a large SUV it is. Quick direction changes and composed at all times without seesawing endlessly like the old safaris.

Yes the sharp bumps are felt in but in the form of a muted thud and not a crash.
And the surface undulations are felt through but at the same time due to the feel there is confidence generated which urges one to push through.

The cabin is really silent. Even when the engine is pushed to high rpms or when pulled from low rpms, there is no boom in the cabin. Just the constant thrum of the diesel engine increasing with the revs.


The 400!

Yes! The 400 is present and makes its presence felt at all times. The engine is rev happy and ready to be pushed in any of the gears. The Shove of 400 will be felt and felt very nicely.
The engine is surprisingly tractable! I hated the 3L which had issues in start stop conditions on steep inclines in mountains. I have had the clutch burn up and give us a lot of trouble at times. Even the 2.2L safari had this issue at times. The low end was always a problem.
Not any more. This one pulls well. Not as well as a scorpio in first gear but still will not give a problem anywhere.
I have a perfect track to test this on the way to mussoorie where it will have to prove its mettle and I'm pretty sure this will pull through.

Another issue was picking up from low rpm in second and third gear. Especially in third gear.
The third gear was a trouble for the safari. One had to rev hard in the second and then shift to third because of the tall gap in the ratios. No more. Shift just like one would in a Swift and this engine will quietly do its job. The engine was pulling well from under 1000 rpm in second and third gear wherever we were slowing down. In fact normal traffic roads can be driven in third without the need to shift gears.

This is one of the reasons I like this engine. We test drove it on the regular roads which we use daily. It felt as easy to use as our Swift.
The clutch is a different story altogether! It is lighter than the swift. Almost half as light! Lets not even talk of the 3L's clutch.

Overall for a daily drive vehicle this will do its job rather well. Its light clutch, tractable engine, well defined gear ratios, well built silent cabin and comfortable silent suspension will make life a lot lot easy.

The little stretches I could push showed that it will be a good mile muncher on the occasional highway runs.

All I'll now be on a lookout would be the reliability and the niggles. I'm hoping that the materials used for the manufacturing last the test of time, weather and usage.
The start is good. Hoping that it will remain the same over time. And hoping that I will get good after sales service from our dealer here.(We're pleased with the dealer principles due to their active nature but there is still room for improvement in the staff).

And yes. It is Smooth. It is Silent. It sure does Surge!

[ISO]

Originally Posted by navpreet318

So today we test drove the Storme 400 4X2 with 140kms on the Odo.

Thank you so much for sharing your test drive experience. Especially with reference to old 3L and 2.2L.

Would you please also compare Varicor-400 with XUV-5OO?