[aburagohain]

Hello All,

I am considering an LX 2.2, does anyone have any information regarding retro-fitting a height adjustable driver's seat please?

The sales person at Concorde Motors Bangalore was very confident that any seat can be modified to include a mechanical height adjuster easily for 5-6k, anyone can throw some light on the same? Got information that the electronically adjustable seat of the Indigo XL comes for 40k+, wonder how much would be charged for a mechanically adjustable one for Safari, if bought off Tata Accessory.

One way for me to find out for sure is to visit the lanes of the car accessory market here in Bangalore, thought it is better to ask in the group first..

Booked a TD, waiting patiently now.. still not able to make up my mind, 2.2 LX or 3.0 EX 4x4.

Cheers!

[adc]

So finally back in Calcutta on Sunday 11.30 night after a stupendous 10 day journey to Calcutta - Panagarh - Malda - Siliguri - Lava - Lolegaon - Rishyap - Samsing - Suntalekhola - Bindu - Murti - Gorumara - Gumbadara - Kalimpong - Siliguri - Panagarh - Calcutta.

Absolutely effortless driving, no issues whatsoever. Engine noise minimum, no issues with handling or suspension. I am absolutely suprised - the 2.2 went through all kind of roads with awesome performance.

The best part is the driving comfort one gets, I drove directly from Siliguri through the hellish NH34 till Moregram and then the Durgapur expressway to Calcutta - around 690 km, had a lot of work pending on Monday hence the decision to drive directly to Calcutta whatever time and effort it takes. Drove for 11 hours straight through two way traffic and through all kind of craters and potholes, first break I took at Saktigarh, after around 560 km or so of driving. The tiredness that one gets in any other car is very much reduced over here - this the best part of driving a Safari.

FE on the hills was around 11.5 approx and on the highway [mind that this is majority NH34 - speeds vary greatly and the avg speed finally comes down to 50-60 km/hr] with AC on around 14 approx.

I will be posting the some pictures shortly and also of the rollers [the blue pair rollers at the side and the black pair rollers at the back of the differential]. Totally in a mess now due to tax returns coming up on Oct 31st.

[djbobo]

Turby, Adc - how about some pics?

[hondadude]

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

cos whats the real SUV without 4x4 and without 4x4 safari 3.0L clutch plates/pressure plates go kaput on hills a lot.

That sounds interesting. I would love to know the relation between 4X4 and clutch plates. Please share more detail.

[power ranger]

Originally Posted by aburagohain

Hello All,

Booked a TD, waiting patiently now.. still not able to make up my mind, 2.2 LX or 3.0 EX 4x4.

Cheers!

Hello aburagohain
3.0 all the way. Took a second test drive of 2.2 just to confirm as I was not happy with 2.2, the first time I drove it ( see my post number 59, I guess on page 11/12).
The 3.0 is a class apart. I am very sure of this after I drove it for the second time. I took it on an open stretch. To start with the engine appears marginally silent than 3.0. But you rev it up and you hear a whining noise, which is never seen in 3.0. The engine noise gets quite irritating when rev past 60 kmh. Here again the 3.0 has no such issue. A maruti and a mercedes can travel at the same speed but it how it gets there and the quality of ride is what matters. As I have stated earlier, 3.0 is more like a German car.

The only improvement I see in 2.2 are :
No smoke when you rev it up
Steering response is amazing.
I think those who already own 3.0 or those who pick up the last set of 3.0 available in the market are going to cherish this prized possession in a long time.
Kudos to TATAs for screwing up a fantastic machine in the name of a new model

[NVM]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Nice review NVM,
Its nice to head that the safari handles this well on the type of roads that you said. I fell in love with the beast though my test drive was not too great.
Regarding the horn were you honking the horn with the windows open or closed. I too found the horn to be a little low on the decibel front with the windows rolled up, but with the windows down the horn was ok. Maybe its because of the noise insulation done by Tata Motors. Though I would be upgrading the horn when I get the delivery of my beast.

It was with the windows up. I did not dare open them to the hot dusty Chennai air.

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by adc

So finally back in Calcutta on Sunday 11.30 night after a stupendous 10 day journey to Calcutta - Panagarh - Malda - Siliguri - Lava - Lolegaon - Rishyap - Samsing - Suntalekhola - Bindu - Murti - Gorumara - Gumbadara - Kalimpong - Siliguri - Panagarh - Calcutta.

Absolutely effortless driving, no issues whatsoever. Engine noise minimum, no issues with handling or suspension. I am absolutely suprised - the 2.2 went through all kind of roads with awesome performance.

The best part is the driving comfort one gets, I drove directly from Siliguri through the hellish NH34 till Moregram and then the Durgapur expressway to Calcutta - around 690 km, had a lot of work pending on Monday hence the decision to drive directly to Calcutta whatever time and effort it takes. Drove for 11 hours straight through two way traffic and through all kind of craters and potholes, first break I took at Saktigarh, after around 560 km or so of driving. The tiredness that one gets in any other car is very much reduced over here - this the best part of driving a Safari.

FE on the hills was around 11.5 approx and on the highway [mind that this is majority NH34 - speeds vary greatly and the avg speed finally comes down to 50-60 km/hr] with AC on around 14 approx.

I will be posting the some pictures shortly and also of the rollers [the blue pair rollers at the side and the black pair rollers at the back of the differential]. Totally in a mess now due to tax returns coming up on Oct 31st.

Man thats really some driving 11hrs straight and the avg fuel eco is also good 14. I ve read in the overdrive review today that the beast delivers 17.99 on the highway, but that must be under a constant speeds. But i personally think that 14 approx on the type of conditions you drove is a pretty decent average. On normal highway driving i think that it ought to deliver atleats 16+
Waiting for your pictures and whats the total milage on the beast as of now? Also have you started having any of the typical TATAs trademarked problems.
Plus as you have explained that with the ease the beast took on the different kinds of roads gives me even greater confidence in my decision to book my beast.

[simply_sunny001]

Originally Posted by hondadude

That sounds interesting. I would love to know the relation between 4X4 and clutch plates. Please share more detail.

i was told by the TASS guys at Dehradun that the 3.0 safari has old hydraulic clutch which was used in 2L safari

and this clutch is not able to pull well in case u are on steep slope and u have to stop and go type(clutch peddling) talking abt 4x2 till now

they told that in case of 4x4 u just release the clutch slowly after putting the vehicle in gear and 4x4 low

maybe some other knowledgeable guy can answer u in detail

[djbobo]

Is the 2.2 being registered now? The dealr in Delhi says it'll take another week. We'll give you the truck but with a temp. no valid for a week. But as far as I know acc to Delhi laws thats illegal and its the dealers responsibilty to register and then deliver. Anybody knows more about this?

[hondadude]

Originally Posted by simply_sunny001

i was told by the TASS guys at Dehradun that the 3.0 safari has old hydraulic clutch which was used in 2L safari

and this clutch is not able to pull well in case u are on steep slope and u have to stop and go type(clutch peddling) talking abt 4x2 till now

they told that in case of 4x4 u just release the clutch slowly after putting the vehicle in gear and 4x4 low

maybe some other knowledgeable guy can answer u in detail

Thanks for attempting to explain. I am sure if I understand the above. May be someone else can take a shot at this one.

[suman]

Originally Posted by hondadude

Thanks for attempting to explain. I am sure if I understand the above. May be someone else can take a shot at this one.

Dude, what he's trying to say is that on steep inclines we may have a tendency to use the clutch to prevent the vehicle from rolling back (initially) - not recommended for the Safari (or any other heavy vehicle for that matter). If you have the 4x4, engage & go up the slope without any major fuss at the point of clutch release (since all 4 wheels are in "drive").

Hope I've got it right Sandeep?

[tsk1979]

Nope suman.
The point is 4x4 L ratio. Suppose every turn of the engine produces 1/2 turn of the wheels in 1st gear in H ratio. In L ratio it will be 1 turn of engine producing 1/4 turn. So you multiply the torque.
Its like climbing in second gear vs climbing in 1st gear. 4x4L gives a gear ratio which is even lower than 1st gear.

Once in the gypsy I was attempting a very steep muddy climb in 4x4H. The car got stuck, and soon little bit clutch burning smell was also coming.
I shifted to 4x4L and then slowly started accelerating. She lurched forward and I could make that climb.
To put things in perspective, an hour before a tractor had gotten stuck there, and the driver had to engage the L gear to get it out, and that too aided with wheel planks.
We had to reach up quickly because there were reports of some villagers stealing wood from the farm. Recent rains had made the uphill track not navigable, and the normal route was 40kms as compared to 2kms in this case!

[suman]

Yes but Tsk, you cannot go about engaging 4L at every incline - only for steep, muddy & slushy inclines. The 4H would normally do the trick if it was a steep TARMAC incline (where a normal 2WD & clutch dumping would result in the kind of burnout that Sandeep is referring to)

[tsk1979]

If your wheels are not skidding, 2WD or 4WD will not make a difference.
As for the Safari 3.0, I think it has enough low end torque to make the steepest of inclines.
What the dealership is saying there is not enough low end torque for the safari to climb steep inclines, which I believe is all nonsense. Have driven the 3.0 up very steep ramps and lack of torque is the last thing.

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by suman

Yes but Tsk, you cannot go about engaging 4L at every incline - only for steep, muddy & slushy inclines. The 4H would normally do the trick if it was a steep TARMAC incline (where a normal 2WD & clutch dumping would result in the kind of burnout that Sandeep is referring to)

As I understand you would need 4L for steep inclines because the low ratio multiplies torque which is required to crawl up that steep incline.
4H will be used in case you need the traction of 4 wheels. Although the torque is multiplied in case of 4H too but the multiplication ratio is not as insane as it is in the case of 4L. The top speed in 4L ratio for safari is 40 kmph (correct me if I am wrong here)