Team-BHP - Dream Comes True -: Tata Safari LX

Today I got delivery of my Tata Safari LX. Safari was my dream vehicle and my dream has finally come true. Here are the details of the entire process.

Selection -:

After selling my Grande I was again searching Teambhp for its replacement. Was confused between Safari, Scorpio, etc. Read the ownership threads of Safari and Scorpio. Decided to go and have a test drive of Scorpio. Went to Narain Motors which is very close to my house. The sales Agent quickly attended us and offered a test drive. The variant was VLX. Here is my opinion.

+ Loved all the gadgets which were being offered in VLX.
+ Loved the Micro Hybrid technology.
+ Engine noise was less.
+ Engine response and pickup was good considering its a 2 ton vehicle.
+ Good built.
- Ride was little bouncy.
- Interiors not that great.
- Due to the shape of AC vents of center console, directing air to a particular direction is little difficult.

PS These are just my opinions and not to hurt owners sentiments.

After listening to all the discounts and offers moved out of the showroom. Our next stop was Goldrush for the test drive of Safari. Sales Manager Mr. Shakeel was our friend and attended to us personally. After discussing the price of various models he gave us a test drive. The model was EX variant. Here are my opinions.

+ Again silent cabin and less NVH levels.
+ Acres of space. Comfortable front and middle seats.
+ Ride was less bounce compared to Scorpio. Maybe because it is heavy than Scorpio.
- Fit and finish not good as already discussed here.
- Huge turning radius.
- While revering view is hindered due to the spare wheel on the tail gate.

Now we had to choose between these two. My budget was not high so only Scorpio LX and Safari LX fitted the budget. After comparing the features of both the SUV's decided to go for Safari. Also I was getting a higher cash discount than Scorpio so Safari was the choice. Now we had to chose the colour. Contacted Mr. Shakeel to ask for colours and he informed that only two colours are readily available. Black and white. Since black is difficult to maintain went with white.

Features that I got in Safari LX over Scorpio LX-:

1. Arm rest on middle row seats and on driver and co driver seat.
2. Rear wash and wipe.
3. Side cladding.
4. Door pockets on all 4 doors.
5. Coat hooks.
6. All power windows have express down feature.

Again these are purely my opinions and features that suited me.

Discounts and freebies-:

Was offered 30k discount and 20k loyalty bonus. Was also given free teflon and antirust coating. Also got scuff plates for all the doors. Got body cover also.

Booking Experience and Delivery -:

Next day went and booked the Safari. He informed that their are 5 Safari's in transit. Gave a cheque of Rs. 1.50 lakhs. Now had to arrange for finances. Took a loan from Tata Finance. It took them 4 days to issue the loan. Everything was done. Now the wait starts. The wait was really painful. Finally the day arrives when I finally bring my beast home. Went to the showroom and did a PDI. Everything was fine. Odo reading was 31.2 kms. All the paperwork was done in a hassle free manner. They handed me a box of cookies and a photo was clicked. I was given 10 lt of free diesel.

PS I would like to thank verditer and anujmishra who answered all my questions patiently and their answers really helped me in finalising the Safari.

About Safari -:

It is surely a head turner. Now those crazy taxi drivers dont jump in front of it like they used to do earlier when I was using Figo after selling off my Grande. The speed breakers are not a hindrance any more. Safari moves over them with a thud. Ride as everyone knows is excellent. Driving in city is little difficult due to its dimensions but it is a question of getting used to. Taking U- Turns is difficult in congested roads due to huge turning radius. Scorpio is better in this department as its turning radius is small and its easier to drive in traffic. The doors open wide for easy entry and exit but it is difficult for elders to climb in easily due to is height. NVH levels are very less and feels as if we are sitting in a petrol car.

Since I owned Tata Sumo Grande here is the comparison I have made.

Safari VS Sumo Grande -:

1. From the drivers seat of Safari you get a commanding view and much better view of the road than in Grande.
2. The engine responsiveness of Safari is better. It has better pickup. Ya I know that Safari has a much more powerful engine but it is just my opinion.
3. The interiors are miles ahead of Grande. The quality and fit and finish is awesome.
3. The seats are offer better thigh support than in Grande. Safari seats have better padding and so better support.
4. Presence of Gas struts on the sides of Bonnet. It is a very helpful feature to have in cars of this size. This was absent in Sumo Grande.
5. Steering wheel is small and better to use.
6. The ride is miles ahead as Safari has coil springs compared to Grande's leaf springs.
7. Due to side facing seats entry is much easier from back door unlike Grande in which one had to fold the middle row to enter the last row.

These are the things in which Safari scores more.

Have driven for a couple of Kms. Here are my observations.

Ride Quality -:

Ride quality is a great improvement. Now I dont feel jerks anymore. It glides over broken roads with a mild thud. Even the speed breakers are not a problem now. Due to coil springs I can take it over a speed breaker with a greater speed compared to Grande in which I had to literally crawl due to its bounce suspension setup.

Interiors and other useful features-:

Interiors are also good and TATA have provided lights for every switch. Even the key slot is illuminated around it so that we do not have to search for it in the dark They have also provided red lights on all doors so that if the doors are not closed properly then we can be warned as these lights will remain open. Also presence of puddle lamps on each door is a great feature. The puddle lamps are located below each door. Follow me home feature is great. Lots of pockets are also present to keep magazines etc. The door pockets are nice touch as we can keep bottles or cups in that. 2 cup holders are present behind the gear lever. But if we keep bottles in these then changing gears becomes difficult as the bottles obstruct the movement.

Drive-:

The drive is smooth. Pickup as I have aid earlier is great. Even when driving with windows open their is hardly any engine noise. Their is a slight grunt when engine is revved hard. Engine noise is much less compared to Grande which remained harsh all the time. NVH levels are extremely well controlled. No vibration what so ever. Grande has huge amount of NVH. 1st gear is little difficult to slot but rest of the gears are smooth.

My Impressions -:

Pros -:

1. Amazing power and pickup.
2. Plastic quality decent.
3. NVH levels are low compared to Grande.
3. Settled ride quality.
4. Headlights seem to be good.
5. Presence of door pockets is good to keep magazines and stuff.
6. Express down feature in all the 4 power windows.
7. Seat belt warning, Fuel low warning etc. are very helpful.

Cons-:

1. Plastic quality not up to the mark.
2. Huge turning radius.
3. Closing the doors in quite a task.
4. Slotting 1st gear is difficult.
5. Positioning of audio system. Gear lever close to head unit slot.

MODS-:

Planning to install Pioneer Head Unit and JBL speakers. Have to do research on this and choose the models. Would also install solar films. And yes would get the horns changed after few months.

Here are the pictures :