[vigneshkumar31]

Originally Posted by GTO

With cars, the more the cupholders & such storage spots, the better. On my drive last weekend, see the kind of stuff I fitted in. Two coffee flasks, water bottle, Savlon disinfectant spray and a hand sanitizer. All MANDATORY for long drives. Still had lots of room for more.

Attachment 2120732

Attachment 2120733

@GTO When can we expect your personal impressions on the Safari based on your time with it?

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by Sebring

That's because you have probably experienced cheap Chinese rip-offs. I have top-of-the-line Philips LED set up, all from the US. If you're in Bangalore, I invite you home for an illuminating session.

"...or such top notch brands.." - wasn't this obvious ?

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

You mean Fiat's 2.0 D has worse response than the 2.2 diesel of Mahindra? That's news to me. No offense meant.

Silent surge of power, sounds familiar isn't it? Our forum has mentioned several times about the response of mHawk. But let's look at these ones from Autocar.

Quote from Autocar review on Compass diesel MT.

Unfortunately, the MultiJet engine is not the last word in refinement. There’s a distinct clatter from the engine, you can hear a ‘swoosh’ from the turbo when accelerating and the engine booms and strains the when you rev it hard. Quiet as a Hyundai 2.0 diesel this engine is not.

Gearshifts on the six-speed gearbox are slick and you’ll love the feel of the metallic gear knob. What does make the Compass a bit troublesome to drive in slow-moving traffic is the clutch. It’s well-weighted but also snappy, so you have to modulate it with great care. In fact, the clutch action made launching the diesel Compass a tricky affair during our performance tests. We managed a 0-100kph time of 11.84sec but a more progressive clutch is sure to have resulted in a better time.

Quote from Autocar on the Scorpio MT.


|Fire the Scorpio’s 140hp diesel and it’s the refinement that stands out. The S11’s engine sounds more like the XUV500 now and it is more refined in the cabin than before. The responsiveness of the engine has also improved, despite a bigger turbo. There’s almost no wait before the power kicks in and you get a good punch from 1,500rpm, all the way up to 4,500rpm; and the dash from 0-100kph takes just 10.8sec – massively fast for an SUV this size. It’s even faster than the new Swift!

Prasanna, you've got to take this one out for a test drive, just for kicks.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

I haven't heard the Safari, but 2.2 in XUV is quite refined from outside. It gets a bit coarse as it grows older but on a relatively new car, refinement is close to Hyundai diesel, which to me is best in business when it comes refinement among diesel.

I was thinking about the response more than the refinement there. I was under the impression that the Fiat's 2.0 diesel was much more eager and responsive than the 2.2 mhawk.

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Silent surge of power, sounds familiar isn't it? Our forum has mentioned several times about the response of mHawk. ; and the dash from 0-100kph takes just 10.8sec – massively fast for an SUV this size. It’s even faster than the new Swift![/i]

Prasanna, you've got to take this one out for a test drive, just for kicks.

Wow! 10.8 seconds! That must be one fun SUV to drive. I have driven the 120 bhp mhawk, and it felt much more eager than the 140 bhp 2.2 Dicor of Tata.

I have also driven the XUV 500, and was totally impressed by the way the car performed.

While that I already knew, the 2.2 mhawk is still a better performer than the 2.0 MJD is definitely surprising to me. Or is it just the "tangible" effects of the poor refinement taking a toll on how the 2.0 engine actually "performs" ?

On the other hand, the rumoured 190 bhp output on the new XUV500 has to be segment best, performance based! Mahindra makes faster SUVs in comparison to Tata. Their 2.2 battle always had the Scorpio/XUV 500 beating the safari/Hexa. What got me surprised was that Mahindra still gets ahead inspite of Tata plonking the Fiat's 2.0 diesel.


As for as taking the new Safari for test drive, I am pretty much excited as we have a Harrier XZ dark edition MT booked already (in place of my brother's totalled Rapid) and another brother is trading his 2018 Vento for a new Safari. I will have those beautiful SUVs with me for a while The last time I drove Harrier, it still came with that initial version of 2.0 D which was a lot louder and a bit slower than what it might be now.

[Predator_ONE]

Originally Posted by pelican90

TML would be shooting themselves in the leg if they price the Safari at a more than 1L premium for the lower models going up to 1.5L for the top end.

I did a test drive today at Prabhadevi, Mumbai and here is my experience. Positives have been focused by many so I will just focus on the stuff that were deal breakers for me.

Thanks for your detailed feedback, negatives are what that help up make a decision more than the positives. Overall I concur quite a lot with what you pointed out but I'd like to address a few aspects where I feel it might have been a bit harsh, given you listed them as deal breakers.

PS: I haven't TDed the Safari (will, very soon) nor have I even seen it in person, my opinions here are extrapolations based on what I've already experienced in my 3 months old Harrier BS6; assuming the flagship would've atleast marginally improved in most of the aspects over it & not regressed instead.

Originally Posted by pelican90

Negatives:
1. Steering is very poor, its light at high speeds which kills confidence and is a disservice to the car’s high speed capabilities.

A major complain in BS4 models (Harrier), but was significantly addressed in the BS6 & is very manageable now (as opposed to "very poor"), but still could have been a bit heavier if one's very critical. Rather I would say the weight at parking speeds would be more of a concern for strict cityfolks (though hardly ever mentioned, I would like to add that too improves dramatically once you get over 10 km/h). TDs are offered to allay apprehensions just like these, in case.

All this talks of various aspects in isolation makes one loose the sense of relevance of the bigger picture, as a whole. Like, objectively speaking, who would like to bet on the high speed handling of a Scorpio or the XUV (vs the new Safari)? Anyone?

Originally Posted by pelican90

2. The white upholstery is a deal breaker, one shouldn’t be expected to buy a top model and then invest in seat covers

A concern for many. Definitely. A "deal breaker? " I would say for a few. It sure is maintenance intensive but also it doesn't looks like my lungi thrown on the seats either. Your call.

Originally Posted by pelican90

3. The fit and finish misses and panel gaps are Tata trademark now

None on the Harrier since a long time (BS6) but could be very much present on the initial batches of the Safari, as was in the Harrier.
Random observation: (If right) Its very resistant to misalignment under casual impacts of daily life (parking, commuting etc) as compared to the family's Celerio.

Originally Posted by pelican90

4. The NVH levels are still not fitting for a vehicle that demands 25L. Even the 2.2D and 2.0P engines from Mahindra (seen in the thar and to be seen in the XUV500) seem a generation ahead in terms of pure refinement and response

Mahindra's mill could be more refined but the MJD 2L isn't a screamer either, I would say "very acceptable" (unless you're revving hard in the 'Sport Mode', all day). Its very similar to what it sounds like from in other cars. Although what surprised me sometime back was the pull in the Mahindras's home grown mills. Very respectable. But again, we're talking about the whole package here, we just dont buy the engine (or the steering)

Originally Posted by pelican90

5. The music system (though JBL) has a poor response. Even a 10-15K after market upgrade to a stock system would yield better low frequency output and clarity

I'd have to politely disagree. I don't know the limits of aftermarket boxes but of the stock systems I've seen, the JBL is best sounding one till date & from what others say, its a very close second to the Hector's system, in any car under ~ 30L.
If you're a basshead like me, you can tweak the very functional equalizer presets on the ICE and get window shattering, cloud thumping bass from the system. The equalizers. Please.

Originally Posted by pelican90

6. Horn is inconsistent

True for my effeminate hands I have to say. Half the time, I fail to depress the hornpad from some tangents but my brother makes it scream under his rugged palms everytime he taps. See for yourself, especially womenfolk.
I'd further like to add that the hornpad is the ugliest piece of plastic alongwith the pathetic rubberpads under the handbrake (Harrier) in an otherwise very classy cabin.

Originally Posted by pelican90

7. The armrests for the captain seats are ergonomically flawed

Quite narrow from what I've seen in the pictures, must've been wider.

Originally Posted by pelican90

8. Co-driver electronic seat adjustment is a big miss for a top end at this price

For those who mind. I'd have fancied ventilated seats.

Originally Posted by pelican90

9. The Top end variant at 25+ lacs should have have LED’s. Bi-xenons are pretty sad.

.
The setup looks good on paper and is okay for driving at moderate speeds (80 - 85kph) but an upgrade wouldn't hurt for high speed cruising (100 - 120 kph). A 1.5 - 1.6K upgrade to Philips/Osram halogens would be the quickest & most convenient without any additional ramifications (road legal, warranty) for a decent 15-20% upgrade in efficiency. For experts, they know better.

Originally Posted by pelican90

10. Tata sales and after sales service is a big hit and a miss. Many still don’t feel confident in investing so much in this segment for such a risky proposition (even though TML has improved its still miles behind the others)

Heard many times online. My personal experience has been very satisfactory (tochwood) & exactly felt like how it should be. I somehow feel the aftersales experience is better in Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities somehow even though contradictly there's just one dealership for 3-5 districts.

[Kosfactor]

Out of curiosity.

I have observed concerns about Harrier \ New Safari steering at high speeds, its too sensitive etc. Is this because the drivers have moved to harrier \ New Safari`s hydraulic steering from an EPS of their previous car?

[RavenAvi]

A brand new Safari leaking diesel all the way into a dealership's service centre.
The culprit turned out to be an unlocked return line, obviously missed by Tata's QC team.

[Predator_ONE]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Out of curiosity.

I have observed concerns about Harrier \ New Safari steering at high speeds, its too sensitive etc. Is this because the drivers have moved to harrier \ New Safari`s hydraulic steering from an EPS of their previous car?

It is sensitive but definitely not "too sensitive". Very manageable, I would say but definitely on the lighter side, a bit more weight would have made it perfect.

Generally, EPS are light & dead & you expect more weight when moving to a hydraulic unit. You definitely won't be disappointed at parking speeds but would be expecting a wee bit more weight at higher (~ 120+ kph) speeds. It's probably nothing to do with EPS » HS transition imo & more about the Harrier unit being a bit light by itself. Overall, for most, it won't be a deal breaker by any measure unless they're into corner carving 7 seaters on twisties.

On, the other side, however, for most of its intended cruising band (40 - 100 kph) you'll appreciate the feel & feedback provided by the hydraulic steering over a typical dead & lifeless EPS unit although for a hydraulic unit it is no Jeep Compass wheel either. Hope I somewhat explained myself

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Out of curiosity.

I have observed concerns about Harrier \ New Safari steering at high speeds, its too sensitive etc. Is this because the drivers have moved to harrier \ New Safari`s hydraulic steering from an EPS of their previous car?

Interesting perspective. However, I don't think that might be the case. Especially considering a lot of senior folks/mods who drive hydraulically steered European machines also have previously said its a tad too sensitive.

Additionally - those coming from EPS small cars, won't generally find a hydraulic system more sensitive, since its the EPS calibrations that generally tend to be over-servo-ed and HPS that tend to feel heavier & slower in most comparisons in such an upgrade for most users. When I moved from using an HPS for a decade into an EPS - thats what I felt too. And I liked the faster calibration. It certainly seems the Harrier/Safari steering is calibrated with too much precision and might be a bit "too fast" in responding when cruising at high speeds for average drivers than other cars in use. Probably in initial phases the users get caught off guard when a relatively heavy and large car suddenly starts turning in a point-and-shoot hatchback like manner on steering inputs. Over a few weeks of use I believe most would find it just fine after their own calibration in muscles is done. For cars that I have read about over last decade - 99% tend to have a comment that they have a "dead and vague center and no feedback". 0.5% get it just right, remaining have scary, too fast action. We are too hard a lot to please.

[aansh singhania]

A new ad seems to be in the works for the all new safari. This one seems to be a bit more in line with the old one

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RfeVgNvL9-I

[blackwasp]

Thanks to Adbhut Singh for sending this image in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page!

Tata Safari web ad quotes Team-BHP review:

[CarGuy_DM]

I don’t understand how people are going to take delivery of the Safari on 22nd February when the price is not out even 5 days before deliveries. How botched up this is from Tata?

[Venkatesh]

After the Monday Blues, here is the Tuesday Chaos. I think its the Reclaim Your Life week till the price reveal on February 22

https://youtu.be/w0V_zsyT6uk

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

After the Monday Blues, here is the Tuesday Chaos. I think its the Reclaim Your Life week till the price reveal on February 22

Fittingly, like the car the ads and the models and settings too have a very metrosexual vibe to them, compared to the original.

Cheers, Doc

[venkyhere]

the problem is, "lifestyle ads" look comical if the product niggles are being highlighted in forums and celebrated by brand haters. Imagine how these 'reclaim you life' adventure drone shots of a car with dust plumes in its wake will look , to a person who just previously read about fuel tank hanging low after the bolts came off, because someone in TMIL factory QC dept, failed to do his job ?
If the product is stellar, it will hardly need ads - in this age of social media and instant wildfire news spread, word of mouth (via social media) is the biggest ad. If there is something good, it is shared to 10 people ; if there is something bad, it is shared to 100 people - that's the human psyche