[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

Thank you for reading my ownership review. I will be updating this thread regularly.

Hearty Congratulations Prasanna...!!!

However outdated the Safari maybe, with hardly any features and a roly-poly on-road performance, one thing which can't be ignored is its continued regal stance, especially in its pearl white shade.

This 20 year old beast still manages to tug at heart strings like a few other vehicles do.


The only reason we metro dwellers don't buy it is majorly due to the lack of an automatic gearbox. This one feature will help it sell at least double its current numbers.

[avinash_m]

Heartiest Congratulations again Prasanna, thread subscribed!!

Heartening to see there's still this group of cult followers, of a 20 year old designed car and that too your own Dad in this case! I don't know how but it still tugs at your heart; even after 2 years (almost) I have to have a second glance everytime I park it for the day!

Couple of changes I noticed in yours':

1. No chrome finish on the ORVMs; actually I kindof like the body colored ones more than the chromes myself.

2. Did they remove the cigratte lighter altogether!? I added another charging socket on the empty 4X4 selector slot, as I didn't want to spoil the OE look, even if I used it rarely for charging.

Wishing you a million Happy and trouble free miles with it!! Please do keep updating your thread.

CHEERS

[The Brutailer]

Man, you buy cars at the rate people change phones. Congratulations on the buy.

Though honestly I think you should’ve gone for Hexa. It’s a much modern, yet old school machine which has a much better handling, a top notch interior and an amazing, supple ride.

Safari is simply way too old to be worth 17 lakhs on road. Though I’m sure the legacy, looks and road presence can be matched by few cars in that price bracket. Wait...few cars? Can’t name even one.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Thebat

Congratulations,

Please do keep the thread updated, your thread on the RC and the Duke before that are a treat to follow.

Happy mile munching.

Thanks a lot buddy!

Originally Posted by SJM1214

Congratulations on the new acquisition.

Safari DICOR replaced with Safari Storme. One of the big example of the cult following of this amazing vehicle. May your new car take you to new places and open up new opportunities in your life. Congratulations.

Thank you!

Originally Posted by NTO

Contrary to regular belief, your review reads that your old Safari was niggle free. This proves what a proper maintenance can do to any car. You have maintained your old safari really well and I guess that has paid off. Please keep updating the thread and when I am in for a new car Safari will be on my bucket list.

Thanks NTO, there is no comparison between the cramped bouncy Scorpio and Safari.

Originally Posted by prithm

Good one Prasanna. Safari's have always been the true models of SUV along with Sumo's of 90's. Atleast for the upper middle class families which wanted a vehicle for the love of the long distance road trip all season.

.

Thank you Prithm, I am lucky enough to drive over bales of paddy even today's age.

Originally Posted by gururajrv

Congratulations Prasanna! I've read your ownerships on Safari and RC390!

I was and always a Safari fan! Macho looks smashing and it compliments your build too


PS:
Waiting for few more pics

Thanks a lot Gururaj! I will post a lot of pics in this thread shortly.

Originally Posted by Amit_Kapoor4750

Congratulations on your new ride.
. I am sure that Hexa must have given a good competition to Safari in your decision-making process.

Thank you Amit. Yes, if not for my dad's love and loyalty over Safari,I would have picked the Hexa

Originally Posted by APV

Congratulations PrasannaDhana. True Beast indeed. Wish you many more happy miles.

As you rightly mentioned, the alloys look really out of place. any plans to change them?

Thank you APV! I prefer keeping the cars stock, so no plans for a change, atleast not until the stock tyres are worn out.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hearty Congratulations Prasanna...!!!

However outdated the Safari maybe, with hardly any features and a roly-poly on-road performance, one thing which can't be ignored is its continued regal stance, especially in its pearl white shade.

.

Thanks Devdath!
Absolutely! A safari makes no sense inside the city. I prefer my ciaz anyday over the safari in urban conditions. But on bad roads and 800km a day trips,there is no beating the Safari.

Originally Posted by avinash_m

Heartiest Congratulations again Prasanna, thread subscribed!!

Heartening to see there's still this group of cult followers, of a 20 year old designed car and that too your own Dad in this case! I don't know how but it still tugs at your heart; even after 2 years (almost) I have to have a second glance everytime I park it for the day!

Couple of changes I noticed in yours':

1. No chrome finish on the ORVMs; actually I kindof like the body colored ones more than the chromes myself.

2. Did they remove the cigratte lighter altogether!? I added another charging socket on the empty 4X4 selector slot, as I didn't want to spoil the OE look, even if I used it rarely for charging.

Wishing you a million Happy and trouble free miles with it!! Please do keep updating your thread.

CHEERS

Thankyou Avinash!

The ashtray and lighter has been removed. You do get two charging ports, one in the dash and the other at the rear ac area. You are right when you say bodycolor ORVMs are better, my DICOR looked better with body colored ORVM.

Originally Posted by The Brutailer

Man, you buy cars at the rate people change phones. Congratulations on the buy.

Though honestly I think you should’ve gone for Hexa. It’s a much modern, yet old school machine which has a much better handling, a top notch interior and an amazing, supple ride.

Safari is simply way too old to be worth 17 lakhs on road. Though I’m sure the legacy, looks and road presence can be matched by few cars in that price bracket. Wait...few cars? Can’t name even one.

Thank you Brutalier

It looks like I change cars often, but that is not true. I had DICOR for 6 years, bought ciaz in 2015(sold my sumo gold at that time), kwid and celerio in 2016(as i sold my chevy beat at that time) and Storme in 2018. Bikes, yes,I change them frequently.LOL

Hexa was my choice too. But then there are a few reasons to choose safari over hexa

1. Safari is more spacious
2. Hexa rode stiffer
3. Dad was sold onto buying a second safari. No convincing helped.

Though it is a 20 year oldcar, (they do claim the chassis is new and the engine is upgraded with every update), I really do feel it is a VFM package at 17 lakhs. Compare a creta at 16 lakhs and Vento at 16 lakhs OTR! Safari is a lot more spacious, comfortable, and has a very reliable engine. As you said, the cult following and presence are unmatched. Comparing the same top spec scorpio which costs same, I find safari rightly priced.

It may lack in features and handling, but it does the primary job exceedingly well - taking 5 people in extraordinary comfort over any kinds of roads. Not to forget the durable, very solid construction. it can take abuse extremely well. My dicor is a great example for that fact.

[lazy]

Congrats Prasanna.

While I do understand the reasoning to buy the Strorme, there is this question I really must ask.

The XUV refresh just came out, and the W7 is about the same price as V400.
Given the XUV's additional safety of ESP and Hill Hold, plus some other useful additions like the 155bhp, and better interiors, would it have swayed your decision (even a bit) ?

(if you are wondering why I ask, well, this question is on my mind)

cheers
lazy

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by lazy

The XUV refresh just came out, and the W7 is about the same price as V400.
Given the XUV's additional safety of ESP and Hill Hold, plus some other useful additions like the 155bhp, and better interiors,

Let me pitch in with my views till he comes in on this: -

1. The V-400's interior quality is far, far better than the XUV's. Not as glamorous, but qualitatively better.

2. He doesn't need Hill Hold or ESP since this is a driver driven vehicle, majorly.

3. 155 Vs 156 BHP is as good as the same numbers and hence the extra power or even the better power-to-weight ratio doesn't matter to him.

Now, let's see what the V-400 offers in comparison to the XUV: -

1. Ride quality. This factor alone is sufficient for any Safari owner to buy it a second time.

2. Presence. The XUV looks modern, while the V-400, especially in pearl white, simply towers over everything else, including the Fortuner and the Endeavour.

3. Build quality. The XUV may have crash tests as its saving grace but the when someone touches and feels the V-400, it comes across as the better built vehicle.

I'll leave the rest for Prasanna to answer.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by lazy

Congrats Prasanna.

While I do understand the reasoning to buy the Strorme, there is this question I really must ask.

The XUV refresh just came out, and the W7 is about the same price as V400.
Given the XUV's additional safety of ESP and Hill Hold, plus some other useful additions like the 155bhp, and better interiors, would it have swayed your decision (even a bit) ?

(if you are wondering why I ask, well, this question is on my mind)

cheers
lazy

Thank you! Storme Varicor has better interior quality than the XUV in my opinion. Not as appealing visually, but it feels better put together and the quality of materials is very good.

155bhp is almost same as varicor 400. But you forgot that storme makes 400 Nm torque! So no worries there.

Hill hold/ESP, I don't think it is a necessity, given that I drove a non abs, 2 disc wheeled dicor for 1.4 lakh kms happily.

XUV drove better, but safari rode way better. And Xuv did feel flimsy in comparison. And to my dad, it was yet another van. Not taking away anything from that car. It is an impressive car, but just doesn't match expectations of a Safari owner. And to be added is that refresh looks ridiculous when compared to outgoing xuv.

Honestly if not for my dad, I would have gone for the hexa. Hexa is leaps and bounds better than the mahindra. Xuv would have been my 3rd choice.

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Let me pitch in with my views till he comes in on this: -

1. The V-400's interior quality is far, far better than the XUV's. Not as glamorous, but qualitatively better.

2. He doesn't need Hill Hold or ESP since this is a driver driven vehicle, majorly.

3. 155 Vs 156 BHP is as good as the same numbers and hence the extra power or even the better power-to-weight ratio doesn't matter to him.

Now, let's see what the V-400 offers in comparison to the XUV: -

1. Ride quality. This factor alone is sufficient for any Safari owner to buy it a second time.

2. Presence. The XUV looks modern, while the V-400, especially in pearl white, simply towers over everything else, including the Fortuner and the Endeavour.

3. Build quality. The XUV may have crash tests as its saving grace but the when someone touches and feels the V-400, it comes across as the better built vehicle.

I'll leave the rest for Prasanna to answer.

Nailed it brother You have said what I was about to say.

And add 2 more points- space and uniqueness! People in my locality knew it was my car just by seeing a cycus grey safari. Now, they will easily identify with the pearl white storme. As I told before, only a handful if stormes run in my city. Whereas there are hundreds of XUVs.

XUV might perform better and overall better equipped. But for my usage, the car needs to be abuse friendly(rural roads are never kind) and last long. Safari lasted brilliantly for 6 years with even more life in it but we decided to sell it away. Hence, from experience, we went with the storme.

[mercedised]

Congrats on getting the vehicle, I hope it serves you happy miles as long as it stays. Please keep us updated.

Being a Safari fan and owner, it never fails to impress me.

However, for a vehicle costing 17L OTR Tata should given it a better touchscreen infotainment, cruise control and climate control (is it there?), I am surprised these are still not there in this mighty SUV.

PS : Just read your comment on Ride quality, I own a 2003 Safari TCIC and heck it has got better ride quality than Hexa. I have been in Hexa twice but still found the suspension of the mighty SUV better than it.

[Vikram Arya]

Congratulations on the new Safari.

I also must add that this is one vehicle that I would probably buy if I come back for good. Yes, it does not have a lot of electronic nannies/gizmos that a large number of vehicles in this class currently come with however it still exudes that old world charm and presence that is still hard to beat. I'm mean come on, who needs a lane departure system or blind spot monitoring in India's chaotic traffic conditions. All these electronics add unnecessary complexity and are very expensive to fix once they go bad.

One important feature that Tata Motors should have added is the reversing camera in view of the vehicle's large proportions. I can go on but that would be nitpicking and in any case, you've covered that fairly comprehensively in your post. The only thing that I disliked was the alloy wheel design, I'm mean really Tata, is this the best you could do. I'm sure you can get rid of these and get decent looking wheels from the aftermarket.

It is a fairly well-appointed vehicle for its price and it seems the company has really improved the reliability aspect of the drive train over the last few years.

On a different note; I was curious that, did you not want to wait for the upcoming new generation Safari that a lot of automotive forums including this one are talking about?

My best wishes once again for blissful and trouble-free ownership experience.

[kaviprem]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hearty Congratulations Prasanna...!!!

The only reason we metro dwellers don't buy it is majorly due to the lack of an automatic gearbox. This one feature will help it sell at least double its current numbers.

Exactly, non availability of AT is the only reason that I had to buy a non-Safari. Rest all are good with Storme.
I dont want to bring in Mahindra v/s Tata battle, but from the product line perspective, XUV is no comparison to Storme. Both may have its own pros and corns. But, definitely XUV is not to my liking. neither the styling nor the design/curves and its interiors.

[PrasannaDhana]

First odo update:

I got my storme from dealer at 57km on odo. Current odo stands at 1290km

A few pics

[Asish_VK]

Congratulations on the Storme ! Safari is one of my favorite car ever sold. Great choice of color too

I'm sorry, but I have to confess, the Dicor looked better than the Storme.

Good to know that you had a 1.2+ lakh km niggle free ownership of old safari, where everyone says Tata cars wont last long / have lot of niggles and issues. Shows proper maintenance and passion towards it make the car serve you good.

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

First odo update:

I got my storme from dealer at 57km on odo. Current odo stands at 1290km

A few pics

Man ! How tall are you, Safari looks puny in the second picture Or is it the photo's angle gives the illusion ?

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

Congratulations on the Storme ! Safari is one of my favorite car ever sold. Great choice of color too

I'm sorry, but I have to confess, the Dicor looked better than the Storme.



Man ! How tall are you, Safari looks puny in the second picture Or is it the photo's angle gives the illusion ?

True, dicor is more charming than the storme. Tata reliability issues is a myth, atleast to me who have owned 6 Tata UVs, 5 of them except the earliest Tata estate were totally niggle free and reliable. Dicor specially had zero issues till 1.4 lakh km when I sold.

That must be the photo angle, I am just 6'2.

[Prowler]

Congratulations Prasanna. Aside: For your size, you need a Safari/Storme.

Very well scripted Ownership pages. You have covered all angles.

We should start a SOUL chapter in Tamilnadu.

[Flyer]

Tata Safari, What an Icon! Still remember the days when cars like Tata Safari and Estate ruled our roads. It was a car that every enthisiast wanted to have then and with the number of options available today it has become the posession of only its true fans. Eventhough its been here for 20 years it still turn heads even today. It still retains that strong build quality unlike tata's newer cars but have only requisite safety features. In the present scenario as an overall package i think Safari is a bit overpriced. Congratulations PrasannaDhana on your new Safari Storme. Subscribing to this thread for more updates.