[ebonho]

Just got BEASTIE home guys! My new Astern Black Safari Storme EX.

P.S. Snow White is my 2005 Baleno and Red Riding Hood my 1998 Zen.

Teaser photo .....



Special thanks here are due to so many guys for their help and advice and Team BHP in general for being a storehouse of the most amazing stories and info on everything to do with the Safari legend and the new baby, the Storme, in particular.

Thanks Sagar for living the dream first and goading me to get my own bull quickly. Thanks Rahul and Amit for your help for all frantic phone calls. Thanks Tanveer for the fantastic Official Review with the perspective of the old and the new. Thanks ACM for your valuable advice on a family man's perspective when I was still confused between the Aria and the Storme. Thanks Lukeskywalker for the fabulous early bird test inputs and the thread I was glued to daily till Tanveer's came along. Thanks GTO for the thread on the Storme at the Auto Expo way back last year (man I have been waiting for so long - I hope and pray Beastie lives up to the hype and expetations!). A BIG thanks to all Safari owners and oldtimers like adc, jkdas, verditer, pavan kadam, and others whose name I may not remember off hand now, who have shared their stories and experiences and drive reports and photos and tech advice here. I have enjoyed every one of them, and been waiting patiently to start my own.

So this is the begining!

Introduction: Wanted a bigger car for my growing family. Something that could take on bad roads and long distances. Something running on diesel. Good ground clearance and suspension. Something big and tough and powerful and enjoyable to drive. Something where my immediate family of 5 could stretch out and be comfortable in, and once in a while, I could take my parents in as well.

Budget:Was initially looking for something around 11 Lacs, but then stretched that further to 13 to get the car I really wanted.

Alternatives considered:

Innova – Liked the insides and the handling. But found it sluggish, especially while climbing with load. Also does not have image and snob value thanks to the millions of taxis all around. Too car like. Not raw and rugged and truck like – important factors for me for my next car. None in the family too excited by it either. Also too expensive when you got around to comparing value for money spent in terms of what you get as tangibles versus what they leverage as a brand.

Xylo – Liked it actually more than the Innova. Space wise, last row, peppy engine, more butch feel. But kind of lost interest once I started reading more about it (handling, braking, suspension). Plus the looks are really difficult to stomach, even if you keep rationalizing that you would be on the inside looking out. That and the negative reports I was geting from some auto journos I know about the brakes and handling being scary on the highway at decent speeds.

Force One - Briefly was also excited about the based mainly on two things - the sheer size and the Mercedes engine and Lotus tuned chassis. Read a lot about it and tried unsuccessfully to get a test drive. The amount of hoops I was made to jump through for such a basic thing kind of put me off this car permanently. I did ride my bike down to the showroom to check out the car in the flesh. The car looked imposing no two ways about that. But the battery was not inside. Some repairs were ongoing. And the interirors were basically too rough and crude and basic (especially the seats, and the third row/floor). Plus for something costing quite a lot (close to the XUV), it did not have any ABS or airbags or any other features. Never drove the car and the experience of trying to get to drive it plus all these surrounding things built up and the Force One exited unceremoniously from the consideration set, with the soon to come Storme looking much better as the known devil from a much bigger and established player, and a vastly improved product to boot, at the same or in fact sllightly lower rice point.

Also had the Sumo Grande MkII in my consideration set (the butch looks of the haathi attracted me initially), but never got around to test driving one. Plus it was too close in price to the segment immediately above – Scorpio and Safari, and esp. when you consider 20 bhp down on power. Also read of dicey brake isues and the fact that it had pretty primitive leaf spring suspension and so would be the jumpy sort.

On the other side, for some reason, I was never ever considering or attracted to either the Bolero (too basic, one class lower all around, and esp. on power), the Scorpio (too small, one very uncomfortable long distance drive in the middle row), or the XUV 500 (too "blingy" styling wise, also cramped on the inside, did not give an air of toughness or solidity which I wanted). It was just the Xylo from Mahindra I tried out.

Aria – Test drove the Aria for a good 30 odd kms. With family. The Aria was coming with really attractive discounts, but three things which finally went against it was the relatively sluggish feel, the looks, and the seating position while driving which was more car than truck like. Actually to be brutally honest, it was mainly the image and the looks, though it had a lot going for it inside and outside, as well at a now more sensible price. And it was a lot of car for the price, no two ways about it. It was me, wife, and two elder kids for the Storme vote-wise, versus my youngest for the Aria (she liked the football field sized sleeping area and the small ledge on the glass of the 3rd row where she could sit right in front of the dedicated pillar A/c vents - that and the thousands of cubby holes on the roof where she was planning on storing her doll stuff!).

Cars which were very briefly thought about and discarded as quickly post their respective launches and reviews and first sightings in the flesh on the roads – Maruti Ertiga and Renault Duster. Too small mainly. And not enough car for the money the way I looked at it. The Ertiga was a cramped van. The Duster a big 5-seater hatchback car with good ground clearance. Both very low on power as well as the "solidity" I was looking for.

Safari – Actually I think I always wanted to buy the Safari, but somehow never thought as a biker that I should enjoy the guilty excess of indulging myself with four wheels as well as two. So all the “sensible” choices were tried out and given a chance first. So that I feel nice that I am thinking of my family first and not just giving in to lust. I loved the Safari the first time I drove a test Safari which had some issue with the front wheel which would make the most horrendous sounds at intervals on steering. But I loved it! I wanted it right there and then. I read every thread on the Safari. But the (then) Merlin kept holding me back. The brain told the heart, don’t be impetuous. Wait. Something better is coming. The Baleno was and is still rocking. No need to hurry. But by God, did TATA try my (and my family's) patience man!!!!!!!!!!!!

Storme – So finally the Storme is launched and I get to drive it and see it in the flesh and read all about it. I love it. The looks grow on you. You begin to love the elegance of the tyre-less tailgate look. You revel in the high squarish bonnet ike its astronomically priced now stable mates. Its somehow different to the Safari. I cannot describe exactly how. Its “tighter” all around. Of course the obvious things are there like the better interiors, lights, brakes, etc. I am talking more of the “feel.” The downside, if there is one, that its more carlike and not as trucklike as the Dicor is. Again just the “feel.” I am not the most technical of car guys, and this is my thread, so please pardon my amateurish attempts at describing what I thought and felt as I moved towards purchase of my car. The kids loved it. They were jumping all over inside, over the seat backs, on the floor spread out. The wife loved it. That settled it. What more was there to think about? The only concern now was the finances and the planning of what to fit in it as accessories. The sound too was not the best (in the test cars) and the seats not as juicy as the Dicor’s. Besides these small things, the car was perfect and the decision was made and stamped and sealed!

Choice of Variant - I know most feel the LX is the most bang for buck, but honestly I could never understand that. All told, the EX in Pune costed just 60K more than the LX and to be honest, the extra features available like the fogs and the roof A/c and the rear wash & wipe as well as the smarter livery (I did not quite like the beige black combo seats) meant that for me at least the decision was made to go for the Storme EX. The VX 4x2 was a full 2 lacs more and did not have a lot more save the air bags to justify that price. Alloys and leather seats I could happily live without or put on later at a fraction of the price. Ditto for reverse parking guide IRVM and steering stalk music controls. I seriously do not understand the pricing of the VX. The VX 4x4 was even more way out of my budget, and honestly for my use I did not really NEED a 4x4. I may live to regret it later, but honestly TATA is twisting a customer's hand by ensuring we have to take features we do not really need or want if we want to buy a 4x4. I know its just business, but I choose not to give them that extra business.

Choice of Colour - It was always going to be black for me, right from the time I can remember wanting and lusting after a Safari. No other color. Yes the Storme black is different. It more a really dark gunmetal grey in the sunlight than an ebony black. Yes the urban bronze is also very yummy. But the urban bronze is also becoming extremely common. Soon to become the Storme equivalent of the Dicor Pearl White. Which means the current novelty value and exclusivity will soon be diluted to an extent - especially since the same color seems to have found favor with other manufacturers as well (Duster, BMW X1, even the Wagon R). Black will never go out of style, and for me it is THE quintessential Safari. So with dire warning of gets too hot, difficult to maintain, scratches show up, looks dirty and dusty very quickly, swirl marks, water marks, etc. ringing in my ear (out the other instantly), Astern Black it firmly was. No amount of dealer persuasions of "saar, urban bronze very rich color, two tones, looks different every hour of the day, etc etc" could dissuade me.

The good and bad about equipment levels - Honestly speaking, the Storme is just perfect and has everything that I need and want for my family SUV cum bedroom on wheels brief. It is big, imposing, tough, powerful, good looking, refined, classy, and has good quality equipment in the things that it does provide. You do not see cost cutting anywhere.

Sure you can add a whole lot of fancy do-da's to it, some of which I plan. A fridge, headrest screens, GPS, reverse parking, heat films, deep pile carpets, and a roof luggage carrier. I know many would be aghast at the thought of marring the looks of an iconic SUV with a taxi style luggage carrier but my logic is retty uncluttered. I am paying for the internal space because I have a family of 3 kids who are growing and would like to stretch out. If I cram the insides with cross country luggage, then in effect the SUV becomes a very comfortable bigger 5 seater. I would rather mar the looks, expose the luggage to the nature, and have compromised handling, speed, and mileage because of the luggage on top than to eat away at the inner space. And I do not know how easy or convenient it is to mount and dismantle the rack for trips only so currently the thought process is the fit and forget.

Maybe somewhere down the line I will spend on the ICE as well. I (and my wife) were really pleasantly surprised to find the quality of the sound in our car to be MANY times better than the two test cars we had been disappointed with (sound cracking at higher volumes). A 4 channel amp with front components and rear co-axials (JBL Harman) was identified and planned, but I honestly do not feel the need for it currently. Maybe somewhere down the line.

Ditto for seat covers. Use what the company has given first. Unlike for my Baleno (where I genuinely did not like the graphics of the OE covers and put on Autoform black faux leather covers from the showroom itself), I actually like the fabric seats of the Storme and feel that rather than wasting them by covering them up immediately (you would NEVER see or use them again once covered over), I would use them for a year or two, and when they start looking slightly scuffed, then maybe go in for some seat covers like Autoform or Stanley.

The only other thing I could want in the future would be tyre upgrades, which I did toy with briefly. But again, instead of losing money in the exchange on brand new tyres, I would rather use and abuse these first to wherever they last until, and then go in for better tougher grippier A/T tyres. I like the Continentals as well as the BF Goodrich. Lets see how far the stock Bridgestones go first.

Alloys I don't really feel the need for honestly. This is a heavy brute of a car. The weight advantage would be negligible. And lots of people have told me that for rough use the steel pressed rims are actually more reliable. Plus most importantly, the steel rims of the Storme actually look pretty good and almost like silver alloys themselves. So I would rather spend that 30-40 K on something else. Diesel maybe!!!!

What do I miss?

Like everyone else, a 2 DIN system with a nice screen would have been nice. Steering controls would have been nice. Cruise control and auto climate control would have been nice. Intelligent/auto headlights and wipers would have been a nice touch. At least 2 front airbags would have been nice and should have been provided to all variants frankly. Its really NOT a luxury TATA. Some more space in the 3rd row with more comfortable seats would have been really nice. For some reason my kids (especially my 6 foot son) feel that our Storme is smaller in the 3rd row than the test Stormes! Wonder why?!!!! A charging point in the 3rd row would have been nice (come ON man TATA, do I HAVE to buy a VX to be deserving of that?!!!). Light under the bonnet and in the co-passenger vanity mirror would have been nice. Some higher air flow and quicker cooling of the rear A/c would have been nice. Still on the A/c, it would have been nice to be able to have a meaningful conversation inside the car with the fon A/c blower set at 3 and definitely at 4. Some more under thigh support to the driver seat would have been nice. A dead pedal near the clutch would REALLY HAVE BEEN NICE TATA!!!!!

How many kms completed and usage pattern - Still early days. Getting used to Beastie. Kids jUst finished their exams and vacations have started. Running in going on so driving gingerly. Getting use to how to drive a big diesel after driving a peppy smooth and slick petrol sedan for many years. Completed 600 kms. Mainly home to office and back with couple of bypass Dehu Road, chandni Chowk drives at night to stretch Beastie's legs. Plan some decent out of city drives in the vacations with the family. Need to get the acessories fitted and the first service out of the way first. Maybe a quick dash to Goa for a couple of days and back is what the doctor's ordered ..... Filled 1000 bucks of diesel thrice up until now. Getting about 200 km before the yellow light start blinking. Around 18.5 liters each time.

Comments on the exterior styling & design - What do I say? Love it. When I park Beastie in the office parking lot and walk toward my building, I turn around at least 2-3 times to check Beastie out! Love the high flat muscular bonnet. Love the front-on spread out Rottweiler type stance (same rotie grin as wel!). Internally, wish the buttons on my door hand rest could have been more forward. Have inadvertently opened the fuel lide twice already (my son has the onerous responsibility of stepping out to close it shut! LOL). The tilt of the steering is also a little vague I think. There is ample reach to stretch my arm out, but the tilt is different to my Baleno and it has been felt in my right wrist and shoulder on a couple of occasions. A proper long drive will confirm if this is really an isue or not.

Overall build quality and fit & finish - Too early to tell really. The door beadings are not smooth and are intermittently visible when the doors are shut. All doors shut well, no rattles yet. There are some minor squeaks from my right though, which the SVC guys have said was "wind cutting noise" and have worked on. Dunno about that. I am still getting it slightly off and on. Nothing unlivable though. The 60:40 middle row bench, the 60 backrest and the 40 backrest are not flush with each other, with the 60 backrest forward by more than a cm over the 40backrest. Pointed it out to the SVC guys who promptly showed me another EX with the same issue. But a VX (with the leather seat covers - padded?) had the backrests perfectly flush with each other. Don't know whether to make an issue out of this. Safari owners have asked me to live with these "small" things for my peace of mind. I am not convinced.

The tumble knob of the 40 seat was rotating freely and not working. Replaced under warranty. The right headlight bank after a couple of light Pune showers and one water wash got completely fogged with consensation and water droplets inside. Replaced under warranty promptly. After replacement, I realised that the projector was not working (I was feeling something off in the lights for a few days - till I left the car on and stepped out to check and discovered that only the left projector was working). Guys sent to my office to change what turned out to be a fused bulb.

Interior design & quality - There is just too much beige. A nightmare for any family with kids. I would have liked more black or darker tones on which foot scuff marks and stains from the inevitable dropped food/drinks would not be too visible. That out of the way, the car is really elegant simplicity and space inside. A rich spacious feel. Something I did not get in any of the other vehicles I described above, barring the Xylo to an extent and the Force One. But the Storme's interiors score over both of them as well in elegance and quality. Nothing is overdone. The clock has a lovely purple backlit effect at night. There are ample lights. Soft touch dash. Glove box damped opening. Locks nicely. Nice chrome locks inside. Sadly no bottle holder space for middle row. Nice gear knob. Nice leather covered steering. Dials too plain though. Could have been a better dsign/color I feel. The key has a lighted halo. But getting the key into the slot is a fight. Still.

The overhead shades could have been slightly bigger (or with extensions). I feel they are not enough for the acres of glass real estate letting in bright sunlight. Also, there is no notch to get the finger under and pull them down. Right now I am still tugging at the plastic protective covering. The seats are nice, firm. Good lumbar support, not so good under thigh support. Dead pedal severely missed in traffic within the city. On highway cruising it should not be an issue at all. The seats have some rounded hard plastic guards on the corners that in one or tow places are not sitting flush with the fabric and the hem of my pant once got caught in one while exiting the car. The quality of seat covers, fabric, texture and feel and fit is top notch though. Really nice and classy.

I have already mentioned about the slight lack of alignment in the backrest of the middle row 60:40 seats. I do not think that can be adjusted. Might have to live with it. No restraints or seat belts for the 3rd row jump seats? Why? I would think at least around the waist belts should have been provided. No charging point in the 3rd row for EX and LX. Come on TATA! How much would it have cost you? Now I will have to figure out how to get a cable long enough to go under the middle row bench to the middle row charging point for the portable fridge which I plan to keep in the 3rd row. Pain!

The middle row when it folds and tumbles forward against the front seats, does not lock when pushed right against the front seats, but in a position a little away from the back of the front seats. This robs the open space real estate slightly (for playing, sleeping, house shifting/around the world luggage, etc) and hopefully can be adjusted. The stalks of the lights, indicators, wipers, etc. have a very nice soft premium feel to them. I like. The buttons on the door for the power windows not so much - both in terms of size and feel (slightly larger/longer and more premium feel when being pressed needed) as well as position (I have already mentioned about them being slightly too back - I have pressed the fuel open button a couple of times by mistake).

The car should have had a few more storage areas with lids for things like receipts, change, knick knacks, etc. - either between the front seats, or on the dash. The huge open depression in the center is confusing as to what to do with it. Also, I have never figured out why none of the cars I have driven, I can adjust the headrests to a position where I can actually comfortably reast my head against while cruising on the highway. They are always too behind at the top. The Storme is no exception.

Another thing I feel is not properly designed and not enough thought given to is for the ingress and egress into and out of the 3rd row area through the tailgate. (1) There is no soft black rubber scuff plate type protection for the painted surface there and with kids being the primary occupants of this area, this is sure to get scratched and scuffed in no time and look shabby. and (2) The really small and fixed footstep to climb into that area is ok. I don't know why it could not have been made to fold though. The real issue is while getting off. It is IMPOSSIBLE to locate the step from inside the car while trying to get off, beause it is too small, and the curve of the rear bumper makes it invisible from the top. So the only option is to jump off (or be carried off as in the case of small er kids). This is really really poor design man. Am really surprised no one has mentioned this til now and TATA in all its testing did not think this needed looking at?!!!!

Interior space and comfort - Loads of space in first two rows. The 3rd row somehow feels smaller. Definitely in comparison to a Dicor, but even in comparison to the test Stormes! Good comfort. One of the main reasons for buying the Safari Storme was for its space and comfort. We are not disappointed. Great headroom. My dad loves the headrooom and was thrilled when he sat in the co-passenger seat for the first time. The jump seats could have been much more comfortable if they were slightly wider, and the inner fascia not so curving inward towards the top. The Tavera has great jump seats. Almost benches which can and do seat two pretty comfortably. Some re-thinking needed by TATA to the middle row - make the back toltable, and make the seats/bench slidable so that some space can be feed up for the 3rd row people byt sliding the middle bench slightly forward. Why has TATA not done this all these years? I have really no idea.

Air conditioner - At night even No. 1 is more than enough and things get chilly really quickly all over the car, all the way to the back. Soon one has to shut off even the green Econ mode. But in the daytime, the rear A/c blower speed at the max (No. 3) is less than optimal I feel. Should definitely have been more. Even the front vents in terms of volume of air being pumped out are not really that impressive (based on stories I have heard about the Safari A/c being one of the best). No. 3 is loud, No. 4 is deafening. Come one TATA, surely you can manage more air, without it sounding like a gale force typhoon inside the car?! And in terms of volume of air flow, I am pretty sure my Baleno at max speed flows more air than the Storme. Would be willing to bet. If the A/c is not put on, there is a weird smell that comes. It is not the smell of the outside. It is a not pleasant "car" smell. I also think outside smell is coming into the car (like the Dicor malady - but I would like some experienced souls to confirm before I bring it to the notice of the SVC).

Engine performance & driveability, Gearshift / transmission quality, smoothness, response time etc. - The engine is very smooth. It is very silent inside the cabin. The only time it behave like a diesel is when you shut it off and the whole car and the gear knob shuder to a standstill. Otherwise the crank up and the sound while accelerating is most un-diesel like (i love the Storme's sound - I am comparing to the Dicors and Scorpios and even the Innovas I have driven here). I am still getting used to driving a diesel. I hate guys getting into gaps which I would have jumped into in an instant in my Baleno. I am also not able to pick up in a spirited fashion in the first gear as it becomes to strained at 20-30 kmph itself.

2nd is better and while I try to change up at 40+, it pulls cleanly and smoothly often to 50+ as well before slotting into 3rd. 3rd is the real nice punchy open city road gear as well as where I am most often in the city from 40 (somethimes loer to 30 as well though never lugging - there is a strange "resonance" that comes in - not knocking) all the way up to 70+ before slotting into 4th (just a couple of times in my daily 10 km commute). There is still a notchy feel in the transition gear shift between 1st to 2nd as well as before slotting into 3rd (though that is becoming smoother). 3rd to 4th in smooth, as is 4th to 5th (90+ all the way to 100 - did touch 110 on a couple of occasions of some of my night drives to the bypass, but mainly kept to 100).

Fuel efficiency - I am getting around 200 kms for every 1000 bucks of diesel (around 18.5 liters - man what a pleasant culture shock it was for me when I filled Beastie the first time - 1000 bucks just getting me 12.5 odd liters for my Baleno and Zen). So I guess between 10and 11 kmpl currently, around 60:40 city and highway.

Suspension & ride quality, Handling, on-road behaviour and grip levels, Comments on the steering, braking, high speed stability etc. - Very nice. The suspension feels taut and reassuring, even in biggish potholes. I do need to really slow down for the big speed breakers in 2nd though, as the car's front end would dive if you take it too fast, and sometimes you can feel the suspension rebound on the expansion stroke as well. Don't know if I am using the correct terminology but am sure you understand!

The car also feels much stiffer and tighter than the Dicor all around. While swerving, cornering, and braking, as well as going over undulating sections of the road at higher speed, where different wheels are at differnt planes and elevation. Though yes on unevenly undulating roads, at higher speeds, the Storme does bob around somewhat a little disconcertingly for me, coming as I am from driving my Baleno stuck to the ground like a leech at much higher speeds (as an aside, when I drive my Baleno nowadays, everything feels so soft as if non-existent, the clutch the gears etc. + I feel as if I am with my backside on the ground almost in a reclining position).

I haven't done any ghat roads yet, nor taken her for a proper drive on the expressway, so I will reserve that part of the handling comments till I do. But I like what I feel till now. The steering should have been slightly more weighted at higher speeds though. That would add to the confidence I feel. Maybe just a matter of getting used to the new feel. Again I am comparing to my Baleno here. The grip leavels are great. The brakes are fantastic and really reassuring. No scary moments ever, no drama. Just a quick and effortless scrubbing of speed without any dramatic movements or sound at all. Nice!

Any niggles, problems or part replacements faced - As mentioned above, the right headlight assy. was changed in warranty for fogging and condensation. The projector bulb was replace as it had fused. The left 40 seat of the middle row had its tumble knob assy. replaced in warranty as it was defective. The floor boards on either side had loose lastic cladding which was ointe out and had to be tightened. It is still moving though the SVC guys say it is normal and they cannot tighten beyond a point for fear of overtightening and cracking the plastic. The left ORVM position was too inside and could not be adjusted outwards beyond a point even at max internal knob adjustment. As a result I could see 70% car and 30% road. The internal lock position was adjusted and am happy with the position now.

Besides these, the still slight (though much reduced) sound from right side and the smell in the car, both of which I am hopeful of getting solved sooner rather than later. Also, I do not know if this qualifies as a niggle but of my 5 tyres, 4 of them are January manufactured (between weeks 1 to 4 of 2013) while one of them ( I think the rear right one) is the 51st week of 2012. I brought it to the notice of the TATA guys as well but they said they work on a FIFO system on the production line and there is no way of controlling a tight bunching of tyre manufacture dates. My car has 19th of Feb on the seatbelt labels stitched at the bottom.

Quality of after-sales service - Good so far. I am looking forward to a long and hassle-free relationship and ownership experience, and have armed myself with an Extended Warranty (std is 3 years and 1,00,000 kms - Extendd is 4 years and 1,50,000 kms) as well as a Silver AMC package (all service, parts and consumables paid for till 50,000 kms) to help me along the way. I guess the reason I did not go for the Gold (extra 22,000bucks) was that it was open to arbitration and approval of TML's warranty team (though I hear they are very helpful and not stingy or difficult) and the fact that Storme is a much improved vehicle and should touch wood not require most of the expensive stuff included extra over the Silver (mainly suspension and clutch).

Cost of upkeep & maintenance - Nil so far. Pickup and drop has been arranged from my office. For small isues (like the bulb), they have sent their technician to look after it to my office. The people at National (Mr. Ramkishor Sharma the GM, Mr. Hiremath the CRM, Mr. Mahadev and his team in charge of the Service, Mr. Nagesh in charge of Warranty and AMC, and Mr. Firoz Khan and Mr. Amol Deshpande from Sales) are really great, prompt, and a pleasure to work with. Not to mention Mr. Sumit Dattawade from Tata Motors who has been a huge help and source of reassurance every step of the way.

Some photos from Delivery Day - March 13th, 2013 (no it wasn't a Friday!). Special thanks to Team BHP and all who contributed to the most excellent and comprehensive Pre Registration and Pre Delivery Checklist (printouts are circulating amongst the impresse staff at National as well - duly watermarked of course!)

[aks_karthik]

Congrats Ebonho,
Really a Beast and attractive in Black Color.
Still I am having dilemma between Safari Strome EX( as VX has all Beige interior) and XUV 5OO W8.
Waiting for your full review and more photos.

Enjoy and Drive Safe

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[amit_mechengg]

Congrats!!! Finally after the long wait, the real wait is over. By the way the color is looking awesome in the sunlight.

[Rahulk76]

Congratulations on the new ride :-) Wishing you many thousand kms of smile.
Drive safe !

[abeerbagul]

Great looking beast! We have a Safari Dicor in the family and this is a very nice evolutionary upgrade.
I get a feeling that this vehicle will really do well in the market and keep its owners happy and satisfied. It looks so much more sophisticated as compared to "in your face" Mahindra designs.

[nkrishnap]

Congrats on getting the Storme home. The shining beast looks very good in the sunlight nice choice of color.

Enjoy many more happy miles with the Storme.

[kaviprem]

Congratulations Ebonho ! Its slowly started "STORME" raining in TBHP.
Wishing you many more happy miles and safe driving.

Prem.

[akhilesh51]

Congratulations on the BEASTIE! Wish you the very best of time and get to make your own roads

Your write-up is brilliant and wouldn't be surprised if Tata induct you in their Focus groups for new products. You have really hit on the points that mattered to you and your family rather than dwell on could haves and would haves.

[Rajseniorhr]

Congratulations on the Beastie! Wishing you many miles of safe driving!
All send and done, still must confess that the Safari in the background ( in photo 3) looks butch and smashing! I suppose even SUVs have to grow up and mellow down!
BTW - It is raining STROMEs in here and within a short span we have had atleast three - a backseat story, a 4x4 and this. Indication of things to come?
Regards
Raj

[apachelongbow]

Congrats doc, now u have a Safari and a bullet, perfect combination as per me. Will buzz you when I am down in Pune, lets have a Safari meet

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Congrats Ebonho,
Really a Beast and attractive in Black Color.
Still I am having dilemma between Safari Strome EX( as VX has all Beige interior) and XUV 5OO W8.
Waiting for your full review and more photos.

Enjoy and Drive Safe

Thanks Karthik (belated, since you posted this on my over-enthusiastic truncated thread quite some time ago!). Hope you like the detailed review and photos now.

How's you dilemma going?!!! Or is it solved?

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

Congrats!!! Finally after the long wait, the real wait is over. By the way the color is looking awesome in the sunlight.

Yes bro, thanks for all your help. Much appreciated. Got a late Feb car eventually. Yeah I love the shade, though every morning it is covered in a golden dust film. I am currently using the Jopasu, and then cleaning smudges and those brown/yellow spots with a wet cloth and then buffing with microfiber. That's my routine every morning (don't trust my washing guy with her just yet).

Originally Posted by Rahulk76

Congratulations on the new ride :-) Wishing you many thousand kms of smile.
Drive safe !

Thanks bro! Please all of those artistically composed photos of the two beasts nose to nose here now. Also first impressions of the short drive you had. Your advice has been a real help.

Originally Posted by abeerbagul

Great looking beast! We have a Safari Dicor in the family and this is a very nice evolutionary upgrade.
I get a feeling that this vehicle will really do well in the market and keep its owners happy and satisfied. It looks so much more sophisticated as compared to "in your face" Mahindra designs.

Thaks Abeer. I agree - this iteration does have a classy understated less is more touch about it that I liked ever sonce I saw the first Storme in the flesh. I especially like the high imposing flat nosed bonnet. Gives a tank-ish look and feel.

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on getting the Storme home. The shining beast looks very good in the sunlight nice choice of color.

Enjoy many more happy miles with the Storme.

Thanks Krishna. Yeah, sunlight makes her lok diferent hued from different angles. Even different times of the day depending on how the sun catches it.

Originally Posted by kaviprem

Congratulations Ebonho ! Its slowly started "STORME" raining in TBHP.
Wishing you many more happy miles and safe driving.

Prem.

Thanks so much Prem. Sorry forgot to mention your name in the Safari veteran list (esp since I have enjoyed reading your Safari thread page to page).

Originally Posted by akhilesh51

Congratulations on the BEASTIE! Wish you the very best of time and get to make your own roads

Your write-up is brilliant and wouldn't be surprised if Tata induct you in their Focus groups for new products. You have really hit on the points that mattered to you and your family rather than dwell on could haves and would haves.

Thanks Akhilesh. As ACM correctly pointed out, even if the car is your daily office ride, the whole family needs to get totally involved in the purchase decision. I run a very democratic setup at home (well, at least my wife makes me feel as if I am the one running it ) and no input or opinion is too frivolous -especially where dolls and vanity mirrors are involved!

Originally Posted by Rajseniorhr

Congratulations on the Beastie! Wishing you many miles of safe driving!
All send and done, still must confess that the Safari in the background ( in photo 3) looks butch and smashing! I suppose even SUVs have to grow up and mellow down!
BTW - It is raining STROMEs in here and within a short span we have had atleast three - a backseat story, a 4x4 and this. Indication of things to come?
Regards
Raj

Thanks Raj. Yes I agree, my pulse still races every time I see a chakachak black Dicor on the road man. In fact just yesterday all the way from Magarpatta to MG Road I was tailing one and purposely stayed on his tail just to admire it (and also compare the lines he was taking and how much his bull was juping or swaying!). I guess like me and many new Storme owners out there, the Safari too has finally grown up!!!

Originally Posted by apachelongbow

Congrats doc, now u have a Safari and a bullet, perfect combination as per me. Will buzz you when I am down in Pune, lets have a Safari meet

Thanks buddy! I have heard that mentally and psychologically, Bullet owners are best equipped to becoming Safari owners! I am actually so delighted that the workshop is only 7 kms away that I have already driven down once for a checkup for some small issues, even though the National guys have been most helpful and rompt in aranging pickups and drops from and to my office. (P.S. This is said with my tongue firmly not in cheek ....)

[Sommos]

Many congratulations Ebonho for your Beastie.
Wish you many happy mile munching from the beast and absolute niggle free performance.
Enjoy your ride and drive safe.

[neel385]

Congratulations Ebonho! Wish you many pleasant miles ahead! Waiting for some actual utility reports on the jump seats.

[ebonho]

Silly point functionally, but been bugging me (and contributing to expenditure of lots of elbow grease every morning), so thought I would ask of the other Storme owners.

There is this single trail of dried water marks on the back glass (towards the left) which refuses to go away. InitiallyI thought it was a vestige of the pre-delivery cleanup at the workshop.

Then it kept reappearing. So I thought maybe A/c water condesation or something. Since Beastie is not being regularly water washed.

Turns out there is a small nozzle in the red glass of the roof spoiler brake light, which is dripping water - every time the car shudders to a start and every time the car shudders to a halt. I guess its the rear wash n wipe spray nozzle - but my question being, is this sort of "drip incontinence" normal? (actually its more stress incontinence LOL)

P.S. Thanks for your wishes, Sommos and Neel!