Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/)

-   -   Tata Safari Storme : Test Drive and Review. More pics: pg 47 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/120250-tata-safari-storme-test-drive-review-more-pics-pg-47-a-10.html)

Just hate those ugly and tacky black plastic knobs for controls. I mean come on Tata this is 2012. The front grille looks pretty silly as well. It looks like a big oaf with a stupid grin on it's face. Major dealbreakers for people who prefer an aesthetically pleasing vehicle.

By its looks I think its just a remodeled old Safari you can still find some cues from the older Safari in this Storme version

and that front looks just like a smiling elephant than an agressive beast like of XUV 500

Great job!
To me the only sore point seems to be interiors. It just doesnt look upmarket, like a 12 lakh plus car! I know people who genuinely off road do not care so much for the interiors, but the competition is far ahead and lot of people buy it just for the size and this segment may be keen on better interiors. I dont see how the storme could turn segment leader in the entry level SUV segment with the XUV and the duster coming up.

The Storme overall looks decent and a considerable improvement from the previous generation Safari apart from the chrome overdose.

Now will it sell?
Well Storme should have been launched atleast a year or two back as a replacement to existing safari. Now it has to fight out with Scorpio,XUV and to be launched Duster which all seem better product than Storme.
But if Tata can manage to sell this for say 50K more than current Safari, would be encouraging for people to buy.

Guess re-pricing Aria(with upgrades) and current Safari would have got the numbers to Tata.

Indianautosblog is saying that Storme will be launched by July. Still couple of months to go I guess. I hope Duster will also break cover by then which will heat up this segment. Tata Safari Storme launch in July; Current Safari to stay on

Given the price i believe Indian manufacturers are offering a good vehicle. However designing has surely taken a hit. XUV was definitely an overkill. One of the major appeals of tata safari when it was launched was its presence. Its road presence was its essence. Whether it was offroaders or non offroaders everyone admired that. Somehow that essence has been lost in the storm. And the lack of a rear mounted extra wheel is one major reason. I believe that rear mounted wheel is one of the core characteristics of an SUV look. Hate the underbody positioning of the spare wheel that has become a trend these days. The appeal of storm, fortuner, pajero sport would incease so much by simply that addition.

Agree with you, Raghav. Its the rear mounted wheel which gives that macho looks to an SUV. Thats precisely teh reason why I bought a Safari over Scorpio.

I like the fact that they have retained the analog clock though expensive for manufacturer than digital , which i guess is made of premium Quality materials , some where i heard that Tata's supply analog clocks from their hosur plant to most of the high end cars even Aston matin's ..

I have a Scorpio with front facing Third Row. This was one of the major reasons why I chose Scorpio over the Safari. However, over time I realized that the Scorpio is not an eight seater by any means, unless you have a family of midgets. I end up leaving the Third row at home 90% of the time as all three rows cannot be used comfortably at all.

As far as reliability, I have had two clutch slave cylinder failures within 45K kilometers which required the vehicle to be towed to the dealership. I had to cough u almost 7K to rent a Taxi to get my family to our destination. So, based on my experience, I wouldn't bank on reliability of Scorpio any more. The earlier Scorpios were very basic. Pretty much a Bolero with better engine and suspension. Now they are experimenting with fancy things. After my experience, I have completely ruled out the XUV500.

Safari is definitely superior in terms of design/ergonomics/comfort etc. Quality control used to be it's biggest Achilles heel. However, with Tata tightening their QC and Mahindra loosening their QC, I feel right now your risk of having issues, is equal when it comes to the Safari/Scorpio. If anything at all, it maybe better with the Storme as Tata will be keen to make the vehicle succeed and Mahindra is not as focused on QC any more.

Come on guys, do you think Tata Marketing division has any sense? After the Aria flop, they have not done anything to revise the features/prices. Instead, they are still running ads showing 1 Lakh + discounts.

Tata is is too bureaucratic to adjust to market realities quickly. They killed the Safari by letting it run with a underpowered 2.0 liter IDI engine for too long. Soon as Scorpio was launched with a powerful and modern (by those standards) engine, they should have updated the Safari to compete. They did nothing until 2007 when they put a over weight 407 engine based engine into the Safari. They could have temporarily sourced a 2.5 liter DI Turbo engine from somewhere.

Storme is no doubht a good product. However, I feel that Tata will kill it at birth due to their typical flawed strategies.

Even a 2.5 liter IDI would have helped the old Safari as an interim measure till they got the DICOR's in.

With the Storme, TM has missed two important steps:
1. Body Styling not renewed completely.
2. Interiors not changed

Both of the above have negated the advances & changes on the inside. What should have rightfully been presented and seen as a new vehicle, is now being seen as a refresh.

On top of this, if they mess up on the pricing, then this one will go the same way as the Aria.

1) Its always a challenge to replace a good-looking vehicle albeit now dated. If you change it too much, people will hate you for messing around with a good looking vehicle. If you don't change it much, people will hate you for not bothering at all. I think Tata's tried a middle-path here which might ruffle the fewest feathers :D. I didn't like the rear the first time I saw it but after seeing the Storme in person, I can't deny that it still has the same awesome presence. Of course, I am a Safari fan-boy so there's a slight bias!

2) Interiors while not as contemporary as their own Aria or the XUV (arguable with red interior lighting) are still elegant and clean. After having lived with the old Safari's totally messed up interiors, the Storme looks immensely classy and when you see it in person you'll appreciate that. Doesn't have too many gizmos or 2-din et al but like I said earlier, if everything works well always and ages gracefully I am satisfied. There is no point in having too many things that become additional points of failure after you step out of the showroom!

I quite agree about the perception. I hope Tata does a good job of highlighting the non-visible changes which are way more significant. Somehow I get the feeling Tata is aiming the Storme at repeat customers who'll be interested because it took care of their pain-points but for a first-time prospect who considers the Storme, its a tougher sell.


I hope they give a LX 4x4 with ABS at less than 10 L and then I don't care about anything else!

Quite agree. However, the problem is that it will only be the pure SUV/4X4 fan who will really be interested in the new chassis, suspension, steering mechanism etc. and the associated improvements in the ride quality. The new buyer is more likely to be swayed by the rest of the "bling" which the Storme has avoided. While personally I love what the Storme has to offer, I would presume that there might be a whole lot of others who will simply do a feature to feature check of the Storme with other vehicles in the category such as the XUV and the Duster/Ecosport in the future and then take a purchasing decision. In this kind of a scenario, it is the pricing that will make the difference. Hence, if TATA is to make any major inroads into the SUV market share with the Storme, it all hinges on the pricing proposition as of now.

Spotted two Safari Stormes being tested on Pune Bengluru highway near satara. Closely followed them for few minutes, had a good look from front side while running. I would say the Storme looks simple and mature. After having look @ storme in personal, for me XUV500 seems overdone now. It will do wonders if priced aggressively.

Compared to TATA the R&D capability of Mahindra is very much limited. It is true that Mahindra has very good market success story. Still it does not have quality potential that Tata can offer.

Hi 4x4addict, don't mean to undermine you, but do you have access to proven sources when you say that Tata's QC is tightening and Mahindra's is on a decline?

I am just curious because am on the verge of buying a new car and both XUV and Aria are in my shortlist.