Team-BHP - 2021 Tata Safari Review

Got a chance to test drive the new Safari recently. The car has some serious road presence, no two ways about that.The engine is responsive in the mid range, has some lag lower down, reminded me of the erstwhile Fiat 1.3MJD, though this is also a Fiat engine. The car handled well for its size. The Ride Quality was good, rumble strips were not felt inside the car and it handled the small potholes nicely, suspension was a bit on the firmer side.

We were confused between Manual and the Automatic, so the Sales executive brought the Automatic version on the first day and the Manual one on the next day, to let us decide.

As per the Official review, the automatic version is the one to choose because of the mating of the transmission and the engine. This is what I felt after the test drive. The manual gearbox was notchy and the less is said about the clutch, the better. The travel of the clutch was on the longer side and the engagement was not smooth as well. On the other hand, the automatic transmission was a joy, with smooth shifts and making the best use of the engine's power band.(Team-BHP official reviews are spot on, as always :D)

One thing I must mention that the steering on both the Test Drive vehicles were off, something was not right about their weight, the manual vehicle's steering was pulling to the left, the steering on the automatic I drove the next day was inconsistent in its working even at slow traffic speeds, both were relatively new vehicles having 9xx and 20xx kilometers on their ODO respectively.

The Sales Executive was a cordial guy, answered all our queries and was nothing like what I've seen in most of the Tata showrooms.

variant -- Safari XT

I recently did 1150km from Pune to Kota over 15th Aug weekend.
This was done after clocking almost 2000km and getting the first service done.

Enjoyed the drive every moment. Touched the max speed of 120Km/hr.

Was very happy with the steering control and response. Lightness made is very easy to manouver and was relaxing too.

Overall, I am happy with the steering response so far. Even in ghats around Pune, found the steering very comfortable and handy.

What is the FE you guys are getting ? Manual / AT / City /Highway ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by steadfast (Post 5129314)

Can we use parcel tray in Safari if the car is used as a 5 seater always ?

Simple option to check would be when you for servicing - ask your SA to try and place the parcel tray from another one, in your vehicle and check.

1st experience with Tata service 😀
Today went for 1st service of my Safari automatic. Firstly, was not able to locate the service center as it was not on the location where google maps suggested, then when i reached the service center, before even entertaining,they outrightly said washing cannot be done as load is too much today (i had done the booking 10 days in advance) and then they said 1st service has to be completed within exact 2 months of date of delivery. Having purchased my vehicle on 10th June and today being 2 months and 9 days from the date of purchase, SA said you need to pay for 1st service. Post which they checked the details of my vehicle and to my surpise, in their record my date of sale is 19th May and not 10th June and according to them ,it's been 3 months for my car and they cannot give me 1st free service. Have called showroom for this issue and they have promised to get this rectified. Let's see what happens but 1st experience is not that pleasant. Hoping for better experience in future.

Quote:

Originally Posted by condor (Post 5129466)

Simple option to check would be when you for servicing - ask your SA to try and place the parcel tray from another one, in your vehicle and check.

Dont own a Safari. Hence asking the owners if parcel tray is possible in a Safari when used with a 5 seat mode. Booked Harrier XZA+ DT as rear parcel tray is a dealbreaker for me. If Safari has a rear parcel tray option can go for Safari.

Quote:

Originally Posted by steadfast (Post 5129580)

Dont own a Safari. ... Booked Harrier XZA+ DT as rear parcel tray is a dealbreaker for me. If Safari has a rear parcel tray option can go for Safari.

First hand info better than 2nd hand info :)

Since you have booked the Harrier, you can still do this check: May be go to the showroom at a lean time. May be weekdays.

Quote:

Originally Posted by condor (Post 5129466)

What is the FE you guys are getting ? Manual / AT / City /Highway ?
.

I have AT and cloaked 1700 km in two months until now.
The FE is 13 -14 on highways and 8-9 in bumper to bumper traffic. This is with 5 -6 people on board.

At lower speeds, the steering is a bit heavy. However not yet felt in any inconsistencies at 120-130 speed as well.

However one peculiar issue that I felt was, in ECO mode ( which I tried occasionally in heavy traffic) , the AC cooling was significantly hampered. Did anyone else experienced this?

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorqMaster (Post 5128809)

The steering issue was noticed even in the test drive vehicles right after the launch in Feb.
At parking speeds its heavy. Above 100kmph it becomes very light . In fact an inexperienced driver could cause accidents.

Isn't it supposed to be exactly opposite ? heaviness proportional to speed ? How have they managed to screw up a hydraulic steering like this ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by NitSat (Post 5129747)

However one peculiar issue that I felt was, in ECO mode ( which I tried occasionally in heavy traffic) , the AC cooling was significantly hampered. Did anyone else experienced this?

Hello,

In general, ECO mode does not only reduce engine performance, it also reduces A/C output in bigger german cars like BMW or merc.

I guess TATA has adopted the same. We need to see if others have the same condition in their cars as well.

thanks.