[lohithrao]

Good news indeed! am sure Tata might have put lot of work in last few weeks just that the launch does not get delayed anymore...

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Interiors are much improved, almost on par with the german sedans (vento and all), and much better than the XUV. Cheers!!!

How, and where? Sorry, couldn't help myself.

Seriously though, Good news indeed. Tata may have already lost a lot of customers to the delay, but in the long term getting the product quality right from day 1 will repay Tata and build priceless perceived value.

[octane_100]

Phew! Finally some good news and some more good news (Apache's comments)

Seriously hope Tata can pull this thing off and I can put my money where my heart is (read the SAFARI).

Coming to our official test drives, has anybody noticed that in most of the cases, the delay in getting the official review is directly proportional to the excitement about that car on the forum

[Lukeskywalker]

Good news finally, I do pray that this time it actually happens and does not get postponed yet again.

Having viewed the production models (dont ask how and where ) I can say that all your above questions have one answer. A big YES. Interiors are much improved, almost on par with the german sedans (vento and all), and much better than the XUV. Cheers!!!

This pleases me to no end, so somewhere along the line Tata Motors have finally listened to the needs of the current customer.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Spot on!

Apart from this, there is a interesting discussion going on in the Safari issue thread between TSK and BD with regard to steering.

Yeah took a look at it, and while this may not sound like good news, BD's comments on that thread kind of indicated that the new Safari is not all that satisfying in terms of steering and "tuning".

See his comments below:

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Tanveer - just for your academic information, all this will vanish in Storme as it will have rack and pinion steering.
Time to change your car. You know what to buy! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear Tanveer - How can a "Storme" ever happen in a teacup? After driving it, you will say, "who tuned it, I wonder?". Got the drift? Yes, Safari "still has" RCBT, so it also has an idler arm with all its associated "systems". In a lighter vein, I'll leave the last line activity out of our discussion, we have better things to do and both of us know it. .

ScorpioLX4WD is not the car to buy!

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

Tuning of what?

I do not know and I will wait to drive one myself before I decide unless BD can enlighten us here.

[VeluM]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Yeah took a look at it, and while this may not sound like good news, BD's comments on that thread kind of indicated that the new Safari is not all that satisfying in terms of steering and "tuning".

See his comments below:

Tuning of what?

I do not know and I will wait to drive one myself before I decide unless BD can enlighten us here.

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. I think what BD meant was actually the opposite. That the steering of the current Safari is outdated tech and poor in general, while the Storme has a rack and pinion system, which is better. Also I remember seeing "varicor" on the engine cover of the Storme in the review, so that must be the tuning that BD is talking about.

And since he indirectly is telling tsk to buy the Storme and not the Scorp, I don't think it is going to be bad in any case.

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

See his comments below: Tuning of what? I do not know and I will wait to drive one myself before I decide

Dear n.devdath / VeluM - Tuning of this - there is something called dv/dt = acceleration. This is rate of change of speed with respect to time, or "throttle response". If you pay a highway toll and then start to drive, you are essentially accelerating through gears. The "grace / fluidity" with which the car conducts itself to your command through gears is called "tip-in / tip-out" performance. There should be no dip, neither the engine should over-rev when you change through gears. This is a very fine balance and you need to get it just right. I happened to be driving on the Mumbai Pune expressway with one of my best engineers sitting next to me with a laptop, controlling the way in which the programmable ECU commands the tip-in / tip-out process. We went up and down umpteen number of times till we were both delighted. Then, we decided to test it out in RWUP (Real World Usage Pattern) . We decimated a Fortuner! The guy could not even keep up, let alone overtake. We have done the same "tuning" exercise of the vehicles' driving dynamics also. Single lane changes are a delight to execute. "Steering lag" is now history.

I hope this post does not get deleted, if it does, I will respect the forum's discipline. I have no other intention except to share some of the finest nuances of what we call "Vehicle Behavioral Feel".

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[Lukeskywalker]

Tuning of this - there is something called dv/dt = acceleration. This is rate of change of speed with respect to time, or "throttle response". If you pay a highway toll and then start to drive, you are essentially accelerating through gears. The "grace / fluidity" with which the car conducts itself to your command through gears is called "tip-in / tip-out" performance. There should be no dip, neither the engine should over-rev when you change through gears. This is a very fine balance and you need to get it just right. I happened to be driving on the Mumbai Pune expressway with one of my best engineers sitting next to me with a laptop, controlling the way in which the programmable ECU commands the tip-in / tip-out process. We went up and down umpteen number of times till we were both delighted. Then, we decided to test it out in RWUP (Real World Usage Pattern) . We decimated a Fortuner! The guy could not even keep up, let alone overtake. We have done the same "tuning" exercise of the vehicles' driving dynamics also. Single lane changes are a delight to execute. "Steering lag" is now history.

I hope this post does not get deleted, if it does, I will respect the forum's discipline. I have no other intention except to share some of the finest nuances of what we call "Vehicle Behavioral Feel".

fantastic!! The PL model I drove almost 3 months ago, itself felt so much more refined than my 2009 Safari, I can now imagine what DB is saying, Storme, now is definitely on my replacement list.

[lohithrao]

This maybe a bit OT ..

My previous cars had the "rack/pinion" steering and i moved to safari which has a less advanced steering, now as a layman i would judge the car based on how it behaves and frankly i am happy the way it behaves now i cant comment on longevity etc as my truck is pretty new..

On a relative not, my OHC at 80k kms had developed vibration in steering column and was a pain on bad roads, noise + vibration the only solution suggested by the *** was to replace the entire column...

Originally Posted by VeluM

I think you've got the wrong end of the stick. I think what BD meant was actually the opposite. That the steering of the current Safari is outdated tech and poor in general, while the Storme has a rack and pinion system, which is better. Also I remember seeing "varicor" on the engine cover of the Storme in the review, so that must be the tuning that BD is talking about.

And since he indirectly is telling tsk to buy the Storme and not the Scorp, I don't think it is going to be bad in any case.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

We went up and down umpteen number of times till we were both delighted.

We ve seen the kind of passion you put in the Thar, and the limitations imposed on the product (and probably you) by the so called "business teams". I know, TML too would have similar constraints but I hope that you have more authority, to do, what you want to do, not what has to be done. I hope you get the drift.

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

We have done the same "tuning" exercise of the vehicles' driving dynamics also. Single lane changes are a delight to execute. "Steering lag" is now history.I have no other intention except to share some of the finest nuances of what we call "Vehicle Behavioral Feel".

What can I say, apart from the fact that all Safari fans are waiting with bated breath now, especially after this post of yours.
Please do not disappoint us, by the product, and by its after sales, even if it means a longer wait.

[lohithrao]

WOW now after reading this i feel i should have waited for strome, i know sir you had advised the same

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear n.devdath / VeluM - Tuning of this - there is something called dv/dt = acceleration. This is rate of change of speed with respect to time, or "throttle response". If you pay a highway toll and then start to drive, you are essentially accelerating through gears. The "grace / fluidity" with which the car conducts itself to your command through gears is called "tip-in / tip-out" performance. There should be no dip, neither the engine should over-rev when you change through gears. This is a very fine balance and you need to get it just right. I happened to be driving on the Mumbai Pune expressway with one of my best engineers sitting next to me with a laptop, controlling the way in which the programmable ECU commands the tip-in / tip-out process. We went up and down umpteen number of times till we were both delighted. Then, we decided to test it out in RWUP (Real World Usage Pattern) . We decimated a Fortuner! The guy could not even keep up, let alone overtake. We have done the same "tuning" exercise of the vehicles' driving dynamics also. Single lane changes are a delight to execute. "Steering lag" is now history.

I hope this post does not get deleted, if it does, I will respect the forum's discipline. I have no other intention except to share some of the finest nuances of what we call "Vehicle Behavioral Feel".

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[HKS]

Yes, I saw the story even here last night. Tata Safari Storme Launch in September: Scoop | CarDekho.com

[neel385]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

Dear n.devdath / VeluM - Tuning of this - there is something called dv/dt = acceleration. This is rate of change of speed with respect to time, or "throttle response". If you pay a highway toll and then start to drive, you are essentially accelerating through gears. The "grace / fluidity" with which the car conducts itself to your command through gears is called "tip-in / tip-out" performance. There should be no dip, neither the engine should over-rev when you change through gears. This is a very fine balance and you need to get it just right. I happened to be driving on the Mumbai Pune expressway with one of my best engineers sitting next to me with a laptop, controlling the way in which the programmable ECU commands the tip-in / tip-out process. We went up and down umpteen number of times till we were both delighted. Then, we decided to test it out in RWUP (Real World Usage Pattern) . We decimated a Fortuner! The guy could not even keep up, let alone overtake. We have done the same "tuning" exercise of the vehicles' driving dynamics also. Single lane changes are a delight to execute. "Steering lag" is now history.".

This is GOOD news. If this much work has also gone into all other aspects that ailed the current Safari such as niggles, road behavior, braking etc, we are all in for a good surprise and the wait would have been worth it!

[DHABHAR.BEHRAM]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

We ve seen the kind of passion you put in the Thar, and the limitations imposed on the product (and probably you) by the so called "business teams". I know, TML too would have similar constraints but I hope that you have more authority, to do, what you want to do, not what has to be done. I hope you get the drift. . What can I say, apart from the fact that all Safari fans are waiting with bated breath now, especially after this post of yours.
Please do not disappoint us, by the product, and by its after sales, even if it means a longer wait.

Dear n.devdath and all - thank you for your spontaneous comments, coming straight from your heart. This indicates how badly you as customers are still searching for that elusive but "really good SUV" in India. I can feel your passion. I believe we know the answer now. Drive it as it should be driven to believe it, don't take my word for it.

Yes, passion does make a difference, but in the end it is a passionate team's effort and it is the team which must get all the compliments, not any individual. Some of our young engineers are, without any doubt, the best talent in the counrty and I have told them so many times. We can do anything.

I am also doing "something". Keep guessing! .

Best regards,

Behram Dhabhar

[HappyWheels]

Originally Posted by DHABHAR.BEHRAM

... I believe we know the answer now. Drive it as it should be driven to believe it, don't take my word for it.
...
I am also doing "something". Keep guessing! .

Dear BD,

Not a question - but a thought - are you in anyway responsible for the delay of this launch?

It is good to hear from the horses mouth the various facts - no more of the "little birdy" & "source who cant be named" news, though they did keep the tempo going.

Looking forward to the launch and the offering from the product.