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-   -   2015 Tata Safari Storme : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/165169-2015-tata-safari-storme-official-review-59.html)

Thank you for the appreciation. I will update my ownership thread in some time. It is long overdue. Will put in as many details as possible for everyone's benefit.

My Tata Safari Storme Ex is 7 years old now. 60000 kms of fun, friendships, adventure and more.
Tyres are still original and I think it will last around 5000 kms more. All parts are still original except rear bumper guard which was kissed by s friends car.
For the first time, this month, age has caught up. Following things went wrong:-
1. Front tie rods had to be replaced as the knob got worn out by mud when the rubber seal was damaged.
2. Bonnet lock cable broke when I yanked too hard on the lever. Opening the bonnet was a huge effort as due to lockdown, all garages were closed and I had limited tools. The front fender had to be carefully removed. After that, the bonnet lock was unscrewed and the entire lock was removed to open the bonnet. As I did not have a long spanner of required size, I couldn't do the easy way of unscrewing the two nuts holding the U lock from the top of bonnet through the grill. Internet was of no help. Nor was the solution found here.
3. Battery discharged for the first time after seven years because of less driving during lockdown.
clap:
The minor troubles it gave were as follows:-
1. Front right power windows malfunctioned due to worn out rubber beading of windows.
2. In hills, the diesel torque curve results in delay of a fraction of a second in acceleration unlike a petrol car which is really responsive, which at times almost landed me in a soup as I almost lost control of the vehicle as it slowed down on slopes.
3. The headlights are not as bright as other SUVs and the side headlight feature of Mahindra XUV is surely required.

Otherwise, the storme has stormed through all tough hill roads of north east india, highways of UP, rajasthan, gujrat
Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab haryana NCR agra lucknow pRayaGraJ...
It's a pleasure to drive, a pride to own and as comfortable as mothers laps...
Salute to my Safari Storme.

Safari storme 2013
VX 4x2

When cycling though the different modes in the MID,
Instead of showing me any temperature reading it shows “OC” on the display.
Does this mean 0° C?
Since my car is a pre facelift, I’m assuming I had a sensor fitted from the factory.
Can someone help me with how to get an actual temperature readout, if possible.

The temperature sensor got removed somewhere around 2014. And since then the MID kept showing 0c because the software for it was not flashed. Did your car previously show a temperature here? If yes - that means the ambient temperature sensor died. If it has never shown anything other than 0c - the car never had the sensor.

You can pick one from the ASC or boodmo.com & install it. This post might be helpful for you -

Temperature sensor in Storme VX 2015

Driving seat adjustment help needed
So I have been driving for almost over 15 years now with vehicles that I drove being primarily sedans and hatchbacks. Recently got my first SUV which is the Storme and for the first time I am struggling with right knee joint pain since I started driving this. I have faced occasional left knee pain in severe bumper to bumper traffic in other cars, but highways with less clutch use have been very comfortable. I will just list down my current setting and observation and request the experts at the forum to guide me with this.

• I am under 35 years of age with a height of 5'10" and weight of 85kilos. Medium built with not too long legs.
• Safari has a chair type seating as compared to hatches and sedans which are more reclined and lounge type seating.
• Safari Storme has a long clutch travel whereas all the cars that I drove so far have been petrols with short clutch travel. and here is where the problem begins.
• To ensure that I can fully press the clutch pedal, I bring the seat forward so that I can press the clutch fully using my toes (your shoes will get stuck in the lower part of the dashboard above the clutch if you use the middle of your foot to press the clutch as we do in cars with smaller clutch). I ensure that the knees are not fully straight when pressing the clutch fully and there is a slight bend in the left knee to prevent any strain on the back.
• When the seat is set to as it's mentioned in the previous point, the right knee has to bend a lot to press the accelerator. This is due to the long clutch. So technically where my left knee is almost 160degree straight. My right knee has to be at around 100 degree.
• The driver seat under thigh support is also on the lower side as well hence the right knee has no underthigh support and it's totally suspended and balanced on my muscles.
• I feel the accelerator pedal and brake perhaps are slightly higher for chair type seating. The truck would have benefitted a lot with an accordion type press accelerator attached to the floor.
• I anchor my right foot in front of the brake pedal and tilt the foot to press the accelerator. This I feel had made my muscle memory to always keep the right foot in front of the brake. So in case of an emergency I would always stomp the brake instead of the accelerator.

So, now I have ended up with right knee pain. Any suggestions or any corrections that anybody can suggest please. Also if fellow Storme owners can chip in that would be great.

Increase the height of your seat, you could use a longer seat bolt and spacers to achieve this, the only downside is that in traffic you may need to tip toe the clutch a bit. On longer highway drives simply shift your feet position to in front of the accelerator , since you are driving for so many years - trust your instincts to stomp the brake pedal regardless.

I have been driving SUVs for over 18 years now, specifically Safaris for 13 years now (dicor, storme, Safari 2.0).

I haven't had any issues with driving position or knee pain. I am 6'2. My drivers are 5'6 and 5'8. They haven't expressed any discomfort either. In my opinion the ABC pedals are perfectly positioned.

You need to drive the last gen bolero to actually experience how raised pedal position feels. I think your past experience with baleno has got yourselves accustomed to a certain driving position.

I think experimenting with the seat height might help. I keep my storme seat in the lowest setting. Just experiment different iterations of seat height settings and find what works best for you. :thumbs up

I would say don't use your toes, use the feet to do the hard work. Putting pressure with your toes tightens many muscles untill the knee. I had knee ligament tear in 2011 after a bike accident and had knee pain in bumper to bumper traffic and in extended driving as well. I am able to keep the knee pain in check with regular walking. BTW I am 34 now and I feel we should be built strong like our previous generation but that's a different thread discussion altogether. I would advise you to start walking and exercising now.

I had this too when I drive manuals after driving automatics for a long time but got over it, I believe it’s because the specific pain trigger point in the knee suffers because of not getting enough workout but once you get used to that so does the knee and as others here have mentioned cycling and walking can also help.

I faced the same issue when I switched to a Scorpio some years back. I remember the nagging, annoying pain and it’s no fun!

Give your legs a little time to adjust and also exercise - running and cycling help!

Also why not try some driving shoes? Puma has got some very good options. Search for Drift cat, Ferrari, Mercedes and BMW on the puma store. I got myself a pair of Ferraris for they fit me and suited my driving style the most. And I must say they are very good for long drives!