Team-BHP - 2021 Tata Safari Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jude300 (Post 5217084)

It's quite surprising that you are not happy with NVH as I am quite impressed with it especially after the engine warms up. Did you have the same feeling when you did the test drive? Else, please raise it with the service centre.

Test drives may not tell the whole picture unfortunately, this engine is a bit noisy as is and quite lumpy. Safari has excellent cabin insulation from external noise but that does not include things attached to the vehicle - the engine, suspension etc makes it way through.

At idle it is quiet but as the revs go up , it is harsh enough that even non-car people sitting in the rear wondered if the driver was being too aggressive, the accelerator pedal sensitivity in MT does not help either . The change over from quiet to diesel is quite abrupt.

NVH requires extensive work including making an engine sound nice when it eventually makes it to the cabin, service center cannot do anything about it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramprebagar (Post 5217203)

The dealers tend to have high air pressure in the tyres which makes the steering feel light. When I took delivery of my vehicle, the tyre pressure was 42 PSI against the recommended 33.

I hope Tata recall and do some fix, other than this, if I get to meet the QC, I will ask them what is the spelling for QC, they should call QC team as NQT(No quality team) my other car Hyundai Venue which costs almost half of Safari has much better quality and finishing, Its not that I expected excellent quality from Tata Safari but I expected decent however its way below than decent quality. Sad to see great Safari brand getting killed by worst QC, I will explain more on this after my trip

Dear Mr. Swaroop, my suggestion would be not to be put off by the initial hiccups if you like the SAFARI.

1) I have owned Safari XZA for the last 6 months and it has been a real pleasure.
2) Despite the arrival of XUV 700 it is SAFARI which turns heads around when on the road.
3) A true brutish SUV shape which is unmatched.
4) The seating position is out of the world.
5) I have driven 650 kms with a small single break alongwith my father who is aged around 78 years. When we reached out house he comfortably walked out of the vehicle without a wince and that made my day.
6) We have driven 12,000kms and there is no niggle or a rattle
7) The service experience is friendly. They may not be most efficient but they try to do their best which is fine.
8) Mileage on highways with speeds of around 120 kms will give you 15 kms per litre and will increase by one km if you drive around 100 kms

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Originally Posted by sswaroop (Post 5216759)

We have been planning an upgrade since the past couple of years, and finally found that the Safari ticks most of the boxes. Planning on the Safari after eyeing the Harrier for quite a while, since it offers the added flexibility of the 2 extra seats. Despite knowing the hit and miss nature of the Tata service, mostly by reading about it on this Forum, we have decided on the Safari.

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Originally Posted by ankur_fox (Post 5216763)

Are you looking at an MT or Auto? The Auto is recommended if you can stretch your budget, the GOLD editions are loaded with features which we dont have from the first batch, its still awesome to drive though.

My first preference is manual, but since every review is saying AT is the better choice, want to try out both of them and then make up my mind. The office commute even in this Covid Era is going to be a pain. It used to take me 2 hours each way for a 20 kms commute without Metro construction thrown into the mix. This, and the MT coupled with the reported heavy steering at crawling speeds is making me think of the AT.

Quote:

Originally Posted by New2Carz (Post 5217055)

Write to Tata Motors on their Twitter handle. You will see immediate response. It worked for me. rl:

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Originally Posted by Jude300 (Post 5217084)

This is a common thing in most Tata dealerships. Drop a note to customercare@tatamotors.com and I am sure you will get the response. This attitude makes a huge difference in finalising sales. I recommended Safari to my friend who also had a similar experience.

Let me try these :thumbs up

I had a great experience during my visit at TATA Motors, Zedex Mobility in Gurgaon. May be because I was not expecting much from TATA based on experiences shared by fellow Bhpians.

We (the entire family) were promptly attended at reception and after knowing our interest in Safari, a sales person was introduced in no time .We knew mostly about the car and its features and just wanted a quick look at all color options, XZA - 7 seater interiors and a test ride with all of us onboard.

Before reaching the dealership, we considered following options:
• XUV700
After so much of hype and camouflaged road tests, I was expecting better design for XUV700. For me, 700 looks very similar to 500 and doesn’t give a newly launched vehicle look. I was impressed with its new interior and advanced features though. 5 Stars from Global NCAP and great reviews overall pushed us to pay a visit and try our chances for getting a vehicle in a reasonable time.
At the showroom, it was made clear that we should not expect the Diesel vehicle availability any time before Nov’22 and Petrol vehicle before Jun’22. Thus, the idea was dropped.

• Innova Crysta
My father and wife are huge fan for its reliability and proven track record. Rest of us in family think that the top model does not justify its cost and Toyota may change the current version
drastically in next few months. Also the typical passenger vehicle tag kept us away from a visit to the showroom.

• Safari 2021
Being a big time fan of TATA Safari, it was my default choice. I was really delighted when TATA launched Gravitas as Safari. We were eagerly waiting for a full size 7 seater SUV with good GC and Safari checked all such boxes.

Variant – XZA, Automatic was top of the list. Sunroof was skipped as it will be hardly used in harsh summers and polluted atmosphere during winters.

Color – Orcus white, TATA could have added more options for Safari. Calypso Red DT looks too good in Harrier.

Test Ride experience - Test ride vehicle was readily available and sales person quickly completed the formalities. It was a huge change for me to get behind the wheel of Safari after driving Fluidic Verna for 8 years and Santro for 7 years before that. I was driving automatic for the first time in my life and have no idea if it was good or bad, it was comfortable for sure. I kept my left hand on gear knob for no reason and my left foot was always reaching out for Clutch. Steering was not heavy in low or high speeds. People in the 3rd row were happy about the space but complained about the rough ride in bad patches – is it a known issue?

As we are buying it through corporate lease, we were not entitled for exchange bonus or any other benefits. Dealership initially offered a 20K discount on Ex-showroom and later topped it with another 20K. I am not sure if this is something from TATA but the other dealer in Gurgaon was not offering anything close.

A very pleasant experience in showroom, proactive communication over call and messages (a WhatsApp group created for updates till delivery or for any questions), additional discount, a confirmation on PDI in yard and a promise for timely delivery has changed my perception.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 5217158)

Safari has excellent cabin insulation from external noise but that does not include things attached to the vehicle - the engine, suspension etc makes it way through.

At idle it is quiet but as the revs go up , it is harsh enough that even non-car people sitting in the rear wondered if the driver was being too aggressive, the accelerator pedal sensitivity in MT does not help either . The change over from quiet to diesel is quite abrupt.

I might agree on the engine note being harsh at really high revs based on our own official review but I have not personally experienced it as I have not revved my Safari hard so far.

But I would beg to differ on normal throttle and normal ride scenario. The NVH on my AT Safari took me by surprise. I hardly feel its a diesel mill when it's warned up and even the suspension is not noisy. But expectations differ too. My observations are comparing with the Diesel variants of its competitors and the Ecosport.

Hi all, With respect to my previous posts, I give below my further observations and more importantly my comparison of service with Mahindra. Mods, if this post seems inappropriate please delete it. I have crossed 14500 kms in the Safari and now I’m coming to grips with how to handle the beast and get the most out of it. I now maintain 60KMPH speed in 3rd gear or 80KMPH in 4th gear for 20 mins so that DPF gets cleared. With regards to the NVH, I too found it to be very high when the Safari is pushed aggressively. In fact it was more of only noise and no real performance on pedal to metal type of driving. However, treat her gently and she keeps on munching miles without a fuss. 100- 110KMPH is the sweet spot.
I have the Mahindra Thar 2019 Model aka Thar 700 which has clocked 40000 kms so far and is covered under extended warranty. Hence my comparison of ASS is based on my experiences only and not meant to offend anyone. On 2nd December I gave the Thar for routine 40000 kms service. Immediately ,I started getting updates on whatsapp from Mahindra Hamesha along with job card details. As there was some abnormal sound from the engine, I asked the SA to look into it too. From then on, things started going downhill. It’s been 18 days and now the SA informed me that some spares were not available and hence the delay. The reason for delay from Mahindra is inexplicable as rocker arm assembly is not made to order. Compared to TATA where there was lethargy initially, I would choose TATA over Mahindra any day given the recent events and how they are panning out. In fact I get regular updates from the higher echelons of TATA and TAFE asking me about my experience post the DPF issue.
As we are all motor freaks I’m sharing pictures of my ride. Peace and drive safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 5217158)

That was an excellent comparison: i used to consider Mahindra service to be superior to Tata. Probably, Tata has already caught up. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kosfactor (Post 5217158)

That was an excellent comparison: i used to consider Mahindra service to be superior to Tata. Probably, Tata has already caught up. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavenkat (Post 5217334)

Dear Mr. Swaroop, my suggestion would be not to be put off by the initial hiccups if you like the SAFARI.

It is always good to light a smile on others faces :thumbs up