[raider9990]

Thank you for such a detailed review. The car looks dead drop gorgeous in Orcus White . The light colored interior looks classy but will definitely require pampering from time to time .

[anandhsub]

Great review as usual.

Can we get a few pics/comments on the bench seat variant? I am nearly certain to upgrade to this late next year ( hopefully with AWD but not a deal breaker) but the non existent boot space with the third row up makes me more tilted towards the bench seat variant. We travel as 4 adults + 1 kid with a lot of luggage so can manage with with captain seats and one of the third row seats down if need be but I believe the bench seat would be more practical.

[AZT]

As always, great review. The new XUV 500 should make this segment competitive. I want to see the Innova put in a sun roof just to see how big of a deciding factor that is between a top variant Harrier and a mid variant Innova.

[TorqueIndia]

What a brilliant review as always , seems like TataMotors mastered packaging trick and it's working ! The buzz with SAFARI branding elevated the product and it's sibling altogether !!

TataMotors sales are on fire at 27K for January , seems like Safari-Harrier duo overtook the Sino bros Hector-+!

[kamilharis]

Thanks for the review Aditya, came in quickly!

Looks like a good package overall, the car will definitely sell if priced well. The nameplate and looks alone will bring a good number of customers.

TATA still has left few areas for improvement, don't know why! They should have given two choices of colors for the interior, and more colors for the exterior as well. But I am sure TATA will bring in the Calipso Red and Dark Edition later to keep the car in news.

I am waiting for the dope Dark Edition which will eliminate most of the chromes blings and white interiors.

[ashish2135]

We have booked the Safari XZA+ in 7 seater version. I am still waiting for the price reveal to confirm my booking. The dealer had promised a test drive by 30th January and delivery by 10th February, the TD has been delayed though.

I was interested in the 2020 Harrier for quite sometime but decided to wait for the Safari due to the overall better looks and the premium feel of the interiors. We don't need the extra 2 seats but the added luggage space could be useful.

[shortbread]

Originally Posted by ashish2135

We have booked the Safari XZA+ in 7 seater version. I am still waiting for the price reveal to confirm my booking. The dealer had promised a test drive by 30th January and delivery by 10th February, the TD has been delayed though.

I was interested in the 2020 Harrier for quite sometime but decided to wait for the Safari due to the overall better looks and the premium feel of the interiors. We don't need the extra 2 seats but the added luggage space could be useful.

Congrats Ashish, did the dealer hint anything about prices?

[DeKay]

Originally Posted by ashish2135

We have booked the Safari XZA+ in 7 seater version. I am still waiting for the price reveal to confirm my booking. The dealer had promised a test drive by 30th January and delivery by 10th February, the TD has been delayed though.

I was interested in the 2020 Harrier for quite sometime but decided to wait for the Safari due to the overall better looks and the premium feel of the interiors. We don't need the extra 2 seats but the added luggage space could be useful.

Smart decision; the Safari seems like a better package in terms of refinement, NVH and the extra space is always welcome. From the reviews, it certainly feels like the rear bench seat is the way to go.
I'd have done the same thing. Please keep us posted about the TD and the colour you end up getting!

[varman742]

Thanks for a detailed and excellent review Aditya. Its really appreciated that you are able to get a detailed review out in short span of time. The car looks gorgeous but Tata could have avoided excessive chrome treatment especially at front.

For a prospective buyer like me, the cons of missing features at higher price point somewhat makes me think twice especially, lack of 360 Degrees camera, Ventilated Seats, Bigger Touch Screen etc.

Few questions from my side
- In the 7 seater version when the last row is folded, how much ahead the second row bench needs to be moved? In other words, will it leave sufficient leg room in 2nd row?
- How is the ingress in the second row? Is there a need for side step?

Thanks again!

[RaghuVis]

Excellent initial impressions Aditya. The idea of giving us a sneak peak before the full fledged review is indeed a masterstroke by the mods so thanks a lot for that!

Here are my impressions (Not a prospective customer in the segment)

1) Highly capable car worthy to be considered in 20-27L category.

2) Sad to read about ride impressions. Not fair comparing, but every car in this segment is no match to the ride comfort of Hexa. The failure of Hexa feels like public's fault rather than TATA's.

3) TATA will definitely launch more colors(Dark Edition is definitely given!) and different interior color in 6 months. I think we have to accept that TATA will never think differently from this strategy and move forward sadly.

4) Heard in one of the review that production cars will have some more tuning in terms of steering feedback. 2 years on Harrier and almost a year of uninterrupted time for correcting all these and they still need reviewers to point out such things!

5) Barring the diesel Altroz pricing, TATA has not goofed up pricing in recent times. Hope they continue to offer their old strategy of more car per car.

By the by, any indication on when the price is going to be revealed?

Originally Posted by TorqueIndia

TataMotors sales are on fire at 27K for January , seems like Safari-Harrier duo overtook the Sino bros Hector-+!

Will have to wait for sales breakup but I feel that is not the case. Safari booking are going to commence only on Feb 4 with deliveries planned in March. There are some reports that customer production is yet to get started. These numbers looks more like Altroz turbo petrol effect.

[ts1506]

Excellent overview as usual.

We have booked a Safari XZA+, currently awaiting pricing. Dealer is claiming that our car will reach by 4-5 Feb and delivery by 2nd week of Feb, so fingers crossed.

It does look like a solid addition to the Tata range, with distinct differentiators over the Harrier.

However, a few things really irks me - What is with the 2 parking sensors? Even Harrier gets 4, so does many cheaper hatches.
The connected car features also seem to be a bit lacking - remote start and climate control are big omissions.

I love the fact that the 3rd row is actually decently sized for average height adults, unlike the seats on the Hector Plus which we were also considering.

[Pkumarblore]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

3- Tata should ensure the sales advisors are trained well enough both technically and in soft skills/ etiquettes. They cannot treat a Tiago customer and Safari customer alike

Hi,
I completely agree with this. I was with my friend at a Tata Showroom in Bangalore last month when my friend wanted to have a look at the Harrier and finalize it. I can safely say that their SA's(may not be all) still live in the Indica era. I mean the SA's presentation skills, etiquettes, product knowledge left a lot to be desired. My friend is yet to finalize. He is now awaiting the Skoda Kushaq. Lost opportunity for the Tata SA.

[turbo_delight]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Congrats Ashish, did the dealer hint anything about prices?

Autocar review is up.
Towards the end of the video, they say that they expect a premium of 1 Lakh over the Harrier.
I think this will be an introductory price till XUV500 is not launched so that it does not give room to Mahindra for "their introductory" price.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2lS7R22NkM

[museycal]

Great detailed review Aditya! A big thank you to the Mods for the quick turnaround of this review.

Scouring through few observations and comments on the thread, I undertook a very amateur attempt at mounting the spare wheel on Safari's tailgate. Please excuse the quality. Though, I have to admit it does look good!

[libranof1987]

Thanks for the detailed review, Aditya!

A friend who had the chance to drive it said it's quite the package. Hopefully QC is spot-on.

I'm just curious why, and to some extent disappointed, that there isn't a AWD/4WD variant. Would it game-changing, a USP, or segment-defining, no! But why wouldn't Tata offer the capability on this vehicle. If they intend to compete with XUV or, if they're really ambitious, whatever Skoda/VW have lined up, why wouldn't they go all guns blazing. A missed trick in my opinion.

Else, this is as good as Ertiga/XL6 vs Safari and Maruti will laugh away to the bank.

Originally Posted by Sk8r

3- Tata should ensure the sales advisors are trained well enough both technically and in soft skills/ etiquettes. They cannot treat a Tiago customer and Safari customer alike

Agree with the first part of your point. The part in bold is ridiculously elitist. It is bad enough that people expect better treatment than commercial fleet owners would (in Tata/Mahindra showrooms) but Tiago vs. Safari?!

Talk away on dealers needing to up their game on knowledge, intent and PR, but expecting different treatment just basis price of the car is pretty poor for 2021.