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Old 4th April 2009, 23:53   #1
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Mountain Green Tata Safari VX 4x4 Booked. EDIT : Now driving it!

Hi Everyone,

I have booked a Mountain Green Safari VX 4x4.
This is a car I wanted to purchase since its launch. Coincidentally that year I bough me a cycle. A decade passed and now I am actually going to realize my dream. Great feeling! Isn't it?

First the details of my purchase process -

On-road price in Mumbai - Rs. 13,32,000/-
Dealer - Wasan Motors, Chembur
Finance - Corporation Bank, Powai @ 11.25%
Waiting Period - Estimated 4 weeks

Now the queries -

1. My wife feels the glove compartment is small. Can I fix some drawer kind of things under the driver and front passenger seats - to keep car papers and stuff. The glove compartments will be entirely taken up by my wife's beauty gear!

2. I am planning to do 30% City, 50% Highway, 15% dirt roads and 5% tough off roads (Sand, Rock and Mud).

The stock tyres are Bridgestone H/T (as told by salesman). What does H/T stand for - highway tyres? The sales guy doesn't know this. Another person (looked like an office assistant or peon) told me H/T stands for "Heavy Tight"- Meaning tyres for "Heavy" duty vehicles which offer "Tight handling". I think this is a tea time trivia they came up with!

How good are these on the highways?

Let us consider an example -(I am putting this example as I have driven this stretch many times and its kind of a benchmark for me).
On the Mumbai - Goa route, there is a fairly large ghat section right after Mahad (about 170km from Mumbai). It has many sloping twists.
If its raining heavily, up to what kmph will these tyres maintain 100% grip in this section?
My Santro (with stock tyres - non alloy wheels) looses grip above 65-70 kmph.

In the forum I read about A/T tyres which are suitable for "All Terrain". People advise Yokohama, Michellin, Goodrich etc. Meanwhile, I saw ads by MRF tyres in car mags and newspapers about "Wanderer" series of tyres for premium SUV. (They included Sumo in premium SUV list!). This tyre is available for safari. Has anyone experienced these tyres? Is it worthwhile considering these as an upgrade?
What could be the best upgrade given my estimated usage pattern?

I don't want to change the alloys to 7J from the stock 6.5J as that can bring about mysterious terms like PCD etc. into the picture.
What is the broadest tyre I can fit on the 6.5J which will not interfere with the turning radius or create any other problems?

3. After lots of reading around, I have decided to adhere to owners' manual for run-in of my car. Is there anything special one needs to do for the Safari?

4. Performance Tuning Box -
a) Is there any reliable one available for Safari?
b) The stock ECU (By Delphi, I suppose) - is it not the same thing as a
Performance Tuning Box?
c) When should one fix it? At the begining or after the Run -in?
d) Anyone who has used it on the 2.2 VTT, please let me know your take on it.

5. In Car Entertainment - As such I shall not invest into it right away due to shortage of funds. However, I have been told by someone (Outside the Team Bhp) that the default system is not very good.
The Salesperson said it is from some company called Alpine which is as good as Sony, JBL, Blapunkt etc. The system will rock if I invest in Component Speakers, Amplifiers (one two channel and one four channel) and a large subwoofer.
My ears are trained on a Sony Xplod with four coaxial speakers in a santro. I did not find this system to be mch better or worse than that during my test drive.
Please advise me on this. Is this alpine this really as good as the known leading brands in India. Normally how much one spends for the components as mentioned above.
The accessory guy attached to the showroom gave me a quote of around 35K. If we assume that this guy is not cheating me outright, what kind of quality should I expect from such an ICE - Poor, Average, Excellent or Audiophile?
I know that this is a very broad question and pin point advise will be impossible. But still provide me a drift so that I can plan a budget. (I have gone through the advanced car audio thread and have not understood a thing!)

6. Bull Bars -
The sales guy tells that a rear bull bar will prevent the car from many scratches. But it may render the reversing camera useless. My question here is -
How good is the reversing camera? Does it really helps or just a gimmick worth compromising for preventing scratches.

Someone in this forum said that Front Bull Bars are a great danger to the pedestrians. They also interfere with the crumple zones of the car. So having a bull bar will actually reduce the safety quotient of the car?
Is this really true? ( I see so many cars, especially Scorpios with bull bars). If the safety compromise is really not this big, is it worth compromising in favour of scratch prevention?


Guys, please help me out here.
The only sources of information outside Team-Bhp for me are my sales guy and my sisters driver. For some reason the driver guy keeps his intuition above all technical logic. And, the sales guy has his main focus on reducing my expenses and hence disapproves of all add-ons and accessories.
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Old 5th April 2009, 07:52   #2
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@ sen2009

good going buddy congrats for the beast!!!!! regarding the VX ICE let me tell u that the sales guy is right . for that matter ALPINE is actually the godfather of all music system. if i call sony excellent then ALPINE is pure magic.
compare the two on frequency response and believe me u might hear some details in ALPINE that u never would have heard in sony. for the record i have both...... components and a woofer or a baas tube with amps will send ur music quotient flying high...
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Old 5th April 2009, 11:30   #3
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Fantastic purchase. Read on.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
Hi Everyone,

I have booked a Mountain Green Safari VX 4x4.
This is a car I wanted to purchase since its launch. Coincidentally that year I bough me a cycle. A decade passed and now I am actually going to realize my dream. Great feeling! Isn't it?

First the details of my purchase process -

On-road price in Mumbai - Rs. 13,32,000/-
Dealer - Wasan Motors, Chembur
Finance - Corporation Bank, Powai @ 11.25%
Waiting Period - Estimated 4 weeks

Now the queries -
Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
1. My wife feels the glove compartment is small. Can I fix some drawer kind of things under the driver and front passenger seats - to keep car papers and stuff. The glove compartments will be entirely taken up by my wife's beauty gear!
Not too sure about this. Is the glove compartment that small? Making internal alterations in a diesel vehicle - especially a TATA - will give rise to unrequired rattles even if the damn thing is idling. So watch out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
2. I am planning to do 30% City, 50% Highway, 15% dirt roads and 5% tough off roads (Sand, Rock and Mud).

The stock tyres are Bridgestone H/T (as told by salesman). What does H/T stand for - highway tyres? The sales guy doesn't know this. Another person (looked like an office assistant or peon) told me H/T stands for "Heavy Tight"- Meaning tyres for "Heavy" duty vehicles which offer "Tight handling". I think this is a tea time trivia they came up with!

How good are these on the highways?
These are called Highway Terrain Tyres and are meant solely for cruising at about 80-100 kmph straight line to stay safe. Ofcourse there maybe members who have done more, and taken cute corners in the mountains, but doing that in a top heavy vehicle like a Safari is asking for a good deal of trouble.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
Let us consider an example -(I am putting this example as I have driven this stretch many times and its kind of a benchmark for me).
On the Mumbai - Goa route, there is a fairly large ghat section right after Mahad (about 170km from Mumbai). It has many sloping twists.
If its raining heavily, up to what kmph will these tyres maintain 100% grip in this section?
My Santro (with stock tyres - non alloy wheels) looses grip above 65-70 kmph.

In the forum I read about A/T tyres which are suitable for "All Terrain". People advise Yokohama, Michellin, Goodrich etc. Meanwhile, I saw ads by MRF tyres in car mags and newspapers about "Wanderer" series of tyres for premium SUV. (They included Sumo in premium SUV list!). This tyre is available for safari. Has anyone experienced these tyres? Is it worthwhile considering these as an upgrade?
What could be the best upgrade given my estimated usage pattern?
I will not get into the technical upgrade (dimensions). However, I would strongly recommend either of the three brands mentioned above. Wanderer is a new brand from MRF and is priced almost the same as Goodrich. I would plonk my money on Goodrich - its the most VFM because of longeivity (according to most users here). Michelin is the top drawer, and Yokohama is somewhere in between - I think its a softer compound as compared to the BF's. That probably also explains why some people I have talked to have said that the BF's are the noisier tyre.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
I don't want to change the alloys to 7J from the stock 6.5J as that can bring about mysterious terms like PCD etc. into the picture.
What is the broadest tyre I can fit on the 6.5J which will not interfere with the turning radius or create any other problems?
I would invite Safari users to talk about this. I would also encourage you to do your own math by reading up on tyre upsize calculations right here on TBHP. Get your basics right, then nobody can take you for a ride.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
3. After lots of reading around, I have decided to adhere to owners' manual for run-in of my car. Is there anything special one needs to do for the Safari?
If you are adhering to the owners manual, why do something special? Visit more temples? Write an ode to Ratan Tata? Hang the lemon + pumpkin thing on your car?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
4. Performance Tuning Box -
a) Is there any reliable one available for Safari?
- yes the petes. Though there have been recommendations here that the pete's box is better suited for Euro or japanese engines and not Indian ones. I would not want to play around with an engine thats already quite susceptible for the vagaries of everyday life. And I am talking about all the new generation Indian manufacturer engines here.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
b) The stock ECU (By Delphi, I suppose) - is it not the same thing as a
Performance Tuning Box?
- no its not. Its a chip governing the running of your car - like your carb.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
c) When should one fix it? At the begining or after the Run -in?
- Never if you can help it. If you do want to fix it, please use your car for a good 10k kms and when you do fix it (for a whopping 30k) you will probably be able to admire and cherish the difference. I would rather spend my money on upgrading the suspension to bilstein's or something.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
d) Anyone who has used it on the 2.2 VTT, please let me know your take on it.
- I have not. But just some random talk I give.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
5. In Car Entertainment - As such I shall not invest into it right away due to shortage of funds. However, I have been told by someone (Outside the Team Bhp) that the default system is not very good.
The Salesperson said it is from some company called Alpine which is as good as Sony, JBL, Blapunkt etc. The system will rock if I invest in Component Speakers, Amplifiers (one two channel and one four channel) and a large subwoofer.
My ears are trained on a Sony Xplod with four coaxial speakers in a santro. I did not find this system to be mch better or worse than that during my test drive.
Please advise me on this. Is this alpine this really as good as the known leading brands in India. Normally how much one spends for the components as mentioned above.
The accessory guy attached to the showroom gave me a quote of around 35K. If we assume that this guy is not cheating me outright, what kind of quality should I expect from such an ICE - Poor, Average, Excellent or Audiophile?
I know that this is a very broad question and pin point advise will be impossible. But still provide me a drift so that I can plan a budget. (I have gone through the advanced car audio thread and have not understood a thing!)
- Please start a separate thread on this on the ICE section. Alpine is pretty much the consumer's number 1 brand amongst mass market sellers in the world. If your ears are trained for Xplod, please have them cleaned.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
6. Bull Bars -
The sales guy tells that a rear bull bar will prevent the car from many scratches. But it may render the reversing camera useless. My question here is -
How good is the reversing camera? Does it really helps or just a gimmick worth compromising for preventing scratches.
Ofcourse it (the reversing camera) helps. The sales guy wants to sell you a rear bull bar. Avoid it. And learn how to drive better.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
Someone in this forum said that Front Bull Bars are a great danger to the pedestrians. They also interfere with the crumple zones of the car. So having a bull bar will actually reduce the safety quotient of the car?
Is this really true? ( I see so many cars, especially Scorpios with bull bars). If the safety compromise is really not this big, is it worth compromising in favour of scratch prevention?
- Front bullbars are a misnomer. They are practically useless and are more dangerous to you than to others around you. Imagine having a headon collision. Your car's crumple zones were not designed to take into consideration a bull bar affixed onto the front. Avoid it. Its heavy (will decrease fuel efficiency), will reduce parking radius, and IMO looks friggin ugly in whatever configuration it comes in (happy boy, lazyboy, carry boy, whatever). Another insight into how Indians love big cars and gated communities. I think people would love bull bars all around the car. Its useful only if you are going to war or something with the car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
Guys, please help me out here.
The only sources of information outside Team-Bhp for me are my sales guy and my sisters driver. For some reason the driver guy keeps his intuition above all technical logic. And, the sales guy has his main focus on reducing my expenses and hence disapproves of all add-ons and accessories.
The sales guy wants to make money off you. The sister's driver should be rendered the role of a driver and not that of a customiser. Ensure people around you stick to the roles they were assigned and treat them that way. You've come to the right forum, now plonk that keyboard away for the next couple of nights to stay abreast of your new car. And dont forget to get hold of the pre-delivery inspection checklist from this forum. Its worth its weight in...gold?

Last edited by Red Liner : 5th April 2009 at 11:34.
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Old 5th April 2009, 12:33   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...I have booked a Mountain Green Safari VX 4x4.
This is a car I wanted to purchase since its launch. Coincidentally that year I bough me a cycle. A decade passed and now I am actually going to realize my dream. Great feeling! Isn't it? ...
Congrats Sen2009! So, the waiting begins!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
... 1. My wife feels the glove compartment is small. Can I fix some drawer kind of things under the driver and front passenger seats - to keep car papers and stuff. The glove compartments will be entirely taken up by my wife's beauty gear!...
Keep the papers in the glove compartment and for your wife's requirement, better to have a dedicated box and not thing of adding anything extra as a box. More rattle chances.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...2. I am planning to do 30% City, 50% Highway, 15% dirt roads and 5% tough off roads (Sand, Rock and Mud).

The stock tyres are Bridgestone H/T (as told by salesman). What does H/T stand for - highway tyres? The sales guy doesn't know this. Another person (looked like an office assistant or peon) told me H/T stands for "Heavy Tight"- Meaning tyres for "Heavy" duty vehicles which offer "Tight handling". I think this is a tea time trivia they came up with!

How good are these on the highways?...
HT = Highway Terrain tires. But the "Heavy Tight" ROFL!!!! Some people have great imagination.

I am sure the Safari owners will be able to give you more info. Especially Hrag and Suman who have recently gone for a tire change.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...I don't want to change the alloys to 7J from the stock 6.5J as that can bring about mysterious terms like PCD etc. into the picture.
What is the broadest tyre I can fit on the 6.5J which will not interfere with the turning radius or create any other problems?...
I reckon that if you go for 7J, you might end up scrapping when making complete turns. So, recommendation to stick to 6.5J and not too wide tires.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
3. After lots of reading around, I have decided to adhere to owners' manual for run-in of my car. Is there anything special one needs to do for the Safari?...
Same recommendations as RedLiner!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...4. Performance Tuning Box ...
Do not think that Pete's has a box for Safari. There is a another Italian box, I think. But then, seriously, do you want a box for the Safari?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...5. In Car Entertainment - As such I shall not invest into it right away due to shortage of funds. ...
What is your taste? Head down to the ICE section at your own risk! LOL!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...The Salesperson said it is from some company called Alpine which is as good as Sony, JBL, Blapunkt etc. The system will rock if I invest in Component Speakers, Amplifiers (one two channel and one four channel) and a large subwoofer.
My ears are trained on a Sony Xplod with four coaxial speakers in a santro...
After listening to Sony, Alpines will be God send. Enjoy!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...6. Bull Bars -...
Personal preference. Safety wise, not good. But if you want a extra lamp, then will be a good idea. Check out some of the garage of the existing Safari's to have a idea.
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Old 5th April 2009, 12:46   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
Now the queries -

1. My wife feels the glove compartment is small. Can I fix some drawer kind of things under the driver and front passenger seats - to keep car papers and stuff. The glove compartments will be entirely taken up by my wife's beauty gear!
hi buddy, congratulations,
first od all, avoid such a mod.


Quote:
5. In Car Entertainment - As such I shall not invest into it right away due to shortage of funds. However, I have been told by someone (Outside the Team Bhp) that the default system is not very good.
The Salesperson said it is from some company called Alpine which is as good as Sony, JBL, Blapunkt etc. The system will rock if I invest in Component Speakers, Amplifiers (one two channel and one four channel) and a large subwoofer.
never buy the ICE from the showroom. post this query in the ICE section, you will be amazed with the number of options you will receive!

Quote:
6. Bull Bars -
The sales guy tells that a rear bull bar will prevent the car from many scratches. But it may render the reversing camera useless. My question here is -
How good is the reversing camera? Does it really helps or just a gimmick worth compromising for preventing scratches.
the rear bull bar is an eyesore according to me.

Quote:
Someone in this forum said that Front Bull Bars are a great danger to the pedestrians. They also interfere with the crumple zones of the car. So having a bull bar will actually reduce the safety quotient of the car?
Is this really true? ( I see so many cars, especially Scorpios with bull bars). If the safety compromise is really not this big, is it worth compromising in favour of scratch prevention?
i have fitted a front guard on my scorpio and i am pretty happy with the tough looks it imparts to the vehicle.
Guys, please help me out here.
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Old 5th April 2009, 13:25   #6
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First of all many congrats for buying a 4x4 Safari. below is my opinion on your queries.

1) Use the pockets on the back of front seats for storing your documents (its part of seat covers you will buy)

2) For your needs H/T's are fines.Most upgrades will interfere with the turning radius and you will have to cut the inneer bumper and/ or the underbody stone guards. Although in 6.5J you can fit a 255 Vs the stock 235 tyre without worrying.

3) Just drive as per mentioned in the manual dont strain the engine.

4) Dont mess with the 2.2l engine.

5) Stock ICE will do till you upgrade later, post your query in the ICE section then.

6) Bull bars negate the crumple zones although helpful in city traffic but dangerous during a highway crash. Even the bumper is part of the crumple zone for safety of pedestrians thats why you no longer see steel bumpers.
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Old 5th April 2009, 13:47   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raj_5004 View Post
i have fitted a front guard on my scorpio and i am pretty happy with the tough looks it imparts to the vehicle.
Guys, please help me out here.
You got your answer in the post above raj...
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Old 5th April 2009, 15:09   #8
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Congrats on your new 4x4,
I agree with dadu , DON'T MESS WITH 2.2L ENGINE.
Reverse camera has a very good video quality even if its dark outside . but has a very wide angle, so you cannot depend on it to park your vehicle.
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Old 5th April 2009, 16:36   #9
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Hey congrats on your new 2.2. Welcome to the safari club. Like you even i wanted to own a safari from the day it was launched and i was in autoexpo 1998 too. Happy that you too realised a dream.
Please dont do any mods to the 2.2. Its very good in its original avatar itself. ICE mods are always there and you can take your time as the vehicle settles.
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Old 5th April 2009, 17:54   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Liner View Post
You got your answer in the post above raj...
yes buddy, even i knew the positives & negatives of the bull bar before getting them fitted on to my scorpio. but then... i just wanted them on my SUV!
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Old 5th April 2009, 19:16   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
This is a car I wanted to purchase since its launch. Coincidentally that year I bought me a cycle. A decade passed
Congratulations! That must be an awesome feeling!
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Old 5th April 2009, 22:32   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
I have booked a Mountain Green Safari VX 4x4.
...
On-road price in Mumbai - Rs. 13,32,000/-
...
Waiting Period - Estimated 4 weeks
...
My Santro (with stock tyres - non alloy wheels) looses grip above 65-70 kmph.
Congrats for your beast.

Just a suggestion- since, you already own a Santro- how old is it? What is your NCB on it?

For my VX 4x4, I was able to bring down the insurance cost from ~38k to ~16k by just negotiating with the dealer and transfering the 50% NCB on my ~7 years old Wagon-R to my Safari. Bargain for insurance. You do NOT have to sell your Santro to transfer NCB. Refer insurance thread for more. I was able to bring down OTR price for my vx 4x4 in Pune from ~13L to ~12.7L. Waiting period is OK for 4x4. Mine was delivered in 1month.

Cheers,
-BJ
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Old 6th April 2009, 06:13   #13
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Congrats!!!

Congratulations dude! I totally understand how you feel.

I have the same feelings for safari. Have not bought one yet but am planning to buy one soon

I am not in a position to suggest anything that you have asked but I would say one thing, "Listen to everyone they all are your friends and wish you the best but do what makes you feel great about your passion about Safari".

No one understands your feelings at this moment better than you yourself. Go out and have fun! Enjoy!

My best wishes for a great and fun ownership experience.
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Old 6th April 2009, 16:20   #14
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Wow! So many replies!
Guys.. you are one hell of of a lot of mental support! Do you know that?

As suggested by Redliner, happywheels, Raj, Dadu, I will refrain from adding under seat drawers. However, wife is continuing her fuss about this. I'll check out if I can fit a box ( Similar to the shape and size of the refrigerator) in the trunk. That should be able to hold car papers and some other stuff which is not regularly used.
"The glove compartment will not be used as anything apart from as a dressing table drawer" - condition set by wife for the purchase. So hafta figure something out!

Bull bar idea is cancelled. I am ready to take as many scratches as it takes to reduce even one percent risk to a pedestrians life. And ofcourse not to forget the cases of head-on collision and crumple zone!


@bh96 -
The santro is registered in my sisters name. So I guess I wont be able to get the ncb from there. although I have driven it for the most part!
However, you surely came up with a brilliant idea. I have already suggested this to one of my friends who is upgrading from an Indica to a Corrola.

Performance Tuning Box - As suggested, I am keeping the idea on hold for at least a couple of years. As such I found the 2.2 Vtt engine to be quite agile, especially in 3rd gear around the 2000 RPM mark.
Also, I checked out Pete's website. It seems they don't have one for Safari. Same is mentioned by Happywheels.
Given that I am not at all unsatisfied with the performance of the engine (that too on a demo car which has been driven very roughly for more than 60-70K kilometers), I don't think I would need a box either.

Tyres -
This is something I want to upgrade. I have listed down 7/8 tyre dealers from yellow pages. I am planning to do a tele calling today evening asking them about the price of Goodrich and Geolander A/T (235/70 or 245/65) R16 tyres and the buy back they would offer on the stock Bridgestone H/T.
I really hate that confidence hampering slippery feeling when it rains and I am driving on twisting roads.
I am not considering 255 as some poeple on the forum said that one faces turning radius, heavier steering and scraping issues with those.
Max I'll go upto 245. But more than the size, I will look for something which will increase wet road stability.

@ Redliner - I have completely cut off the sales guy and the driver guy from their "friendly philosphical guidence" giving roles. Plus I have also compiled, printed and spiral bound the four part PDI on this forum. It really is worth in gold. I never knew there were so many things one could have in a car, let alone testing and checking.

I really thank you all for all the trouble you are taking up to provide me with these inputs. I am sure, with this I shall leave little unturned in the way of becoming a truly informed customer.

And, my special thanks to Aman (for the exceptional photos of your night time snow riding) and Tsk (for your travelogue of Rajasthan Trip). Had it not for your threads, I wouldn't have been able to convince my decision making authorities (Wife, Mother, Sister, Office Colleagues and many more) that 4x4 is indeed worth the extra money.
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Old 6th April 2009, 18:03   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
..."The glove compartment will not be used as anything apart from as a dressing table drawer" - condition set by wife for the purchase...
With a condition like this, NO PROBLEMO! Please use as a dressing table!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
...The santro is registered in my sisters name. So I guess I wont be able to get the ncb from there. although I have driven it for the most part!...
Mmmm.... am not sure if the same person needs to be the owner of both the vehicles. I reckon it is just the 'vehicles' NCB, so I believe it should be possible.

Maybe someone else can confirm or correct me, please.

Quote:
Originally Posted by sen2009 View Post
... convince my decision making authorities (Wife, Mother, Sister, Office Colleagues and many more) that 4x4 is indeed worth the extra money.
Amen to that!
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