[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by power ranger

As I stated earlier, Kudos to Tatas for spoiling a wonderful engine

Now wait for the M&M magic, soon to be released.

[m3_07]

Respected "SIR'S"

I always dreamt of owning a Safari ever since I started to understand what SUVs actually were.....ofcourse, my dreams are limited to the Indian SUVs. I visited the Mahindra Eagle thread & the features they talk about in the new eagle are "mouth watering". I am planning to buy the safari with Dec'07 in mind, hoping for christmas/ new year discounts in the offing.

Though deep in my heart, I do not like the scorpio just for the lousy leg room it offers in the rear, something tells me to wait for the Eagle.

Whatz your take on this gentlemen???

To add more problems with making up my mind, the morons at TATA screwed up by not offering the 4x4 in the LX version

[ported_head]

So it's about an eternity after everyone has finished TDing the new Safari, but I thought I'd put in my 0.02 naya paisa anyway.

Since exams are just around the corner, and I had finished studying a lot , my partner in crime and I decided to go TD the 2.2 VTT at Han Motors in Andheri (W). Their demo car was a gleaming white EX 4x2 model.

While my friend took to the driver's seat first, I decided to spend some time around in the cabin. For one, the car was already rattling. Now I'm not nitpicking, my Swift also rattles and I hate it. But the Safari had done under 10k kms. Bits of plastic on various interior trims were already on their way out. The center plastic inserts also seemed flimsy. The door trim seemed decent though. And the big heavy doors closed with a respectable thud. I loved the seating position the most. High up, super commanding view, felt like the bridge on INS Safari. The seats felt a little odd. Especially the minimal side bolstering. Something just wasn't right. And I couldn't get adjusted. With front seats pushed all the way back, the rear bench still had decent leg space and I had way too much leg space.

The EX comes with rear roof and foot mounted AC. The roof mounted AC unit at the most looks like an aftermarket Koliwada unit. Clearly seems like it was thought of after the entire car was finished. But the cooling was good, even in the hot and humid afternoon that it was in Mumbai, it created a comfortable driving ambience in no time. The EX comes with all beige inside, and it was way too much beige for me. Everywhere you see it's beige, too long and I would have felt sick inside. Of course, that is only a personal preference, and I would probably pick an LX. The real gripe was, that the interior trim had no real finesse. Not that the Scorpio has any either. But I have been in a Scorpio that has crossed 1L kms and has been abused, and there is no rattle. Problem is Safari also comes in direct competition for most people, with the Innova, which is more expensive. But for the want of better quality, people will shell out more. Tata ought to do away with the VX model and the DVD and screens and blah blah. Instead have two models, LX and EX. Charge a little more. Have ABS and Airbags as optionals on both model. And drive up the interior trim quality. So people will not feel shortchanged after 15k kms. Those who want DVD screens and video cameras will go to Milan Subway and get them anyway.

Now my turn to drive the car. So we stop, swap seats. It's quite high to get into, read not for old people. The driver's armrest comes in way of the seat belt buckle. So I reach for the gear lever, and realise that it's a mile away. And the first slots even further away. And the shift is quite rubbery. My only benchmark in this segment is the Qualis, which shifts quite slick in comparison. You cannot change the gears comfortably with the armrest around. So I slot it into first, letting the clutch go slowly ( first time in a new car and all that), and it just keeps going. Massive clutch play. And then it engages instantly. After a couple of times I got used to it. But still abnormal amounts of play, could be one off for a TD car. As soon as the clutch engages, the Safari lurches forward and then bogs down. What I like is that I got adjusted to the car instantly, and I don't get a chance to drive that many SUV/MUVs. The ORVMs have good coverage. Nice view all around.

One thing that you know straightaway is that the Safari has presence. Rickshaws scamper for shelter, anything with a smaller footprint than a Endeavour also stops in it's tracks. I feel high and mighty, like I'm sitting on Lord Jagannath's rath, being pulled by two hundred men. It makes you feel good. It's an ego booster. Works like a charm for people with too many KTs all the time.

The steering feels a little vague, it also does nothing for a few degrees of movement, more play than most cars I have driven. Also this could just be the TD vehicle or my inexperience with SUVs. The ride is quite pliant, you probably wouldn't notice potholes unless it was a crater made by an asteroid. But it pitches a lot. Quite a lot. I don't quite remember the 3.0 pitching as much. Long stretches of bad roads might get some people car sick. The gear shift annoys me while shifting on the go as well. It's rubbery, and has a lot of recoil. You can't shift hurriedly. It has to be slow and planned. My hand bounced of the gear lever couple of times, and gear got stuck in Neutral.

Massive clutch play was made worse by the fact that the bottom of the dashboard fouled with my leg everytime the clutch pedal was depressed completely. The engine is also not as torquey lowdown as the 3.0, by that I mean below 2000 rpm. After that it picks, almost like a locomotive. Quite linearly till about 4000 rpm. Power seems to tail off then. It's quite noisy at higher engine revs. I didn't keep an eye at speedo, but we were making steady progress on whatever little deserted stretch of road we could find.

Brakes were alright, had good pedal feel. But their action was a little odd. I braked a couple of times from around 80 kmph, quite progressively, no emergency braking. And it seemed to be squirming, no tyre squealing. But rear felt little unstable, like brakes were jarring. Hard to put down in words, but it didn't inspire much confidence in me. I'm not sure how I would like to brake at high speeds in that.

Safari takes corners quite well. Doesn't roll as much as I thought it would. Grips quite decently also. I have been in the 3.0 going around corners at 120 kmph or so and it was just fine. Nor did the 2.2 have any issues doing what I could at 80 kmph.

The sales executive claimed 12 kmpl in city and around 15 kmpl on the highway. Little optimistic figures, but around 10 kmpl of so in city shouldn't be bad for it's size.

The turning radius is massive at 6.0m. It was quite an exercise to make a U-Turn in a reasonably sized dealer compound. I don't know how well it would work in most cities where building parking is at a premium.

What I think of the vehicle? I quite like it personally, I would like the LX 4x2. The interior quality leaves a little to be desired, but then I hated the Scorpio's some two tone interior while looking at it from the outside. So the LX trim with black everywhere and aluminium accent in the center should be quite acceptable. I'm sure some electrical niggles remain, my friend's 3.0 had them. But apart from that, for around 8L or so OTR it's quite a decent buy. If you want better interior quality, Toyota snob value and a slightly different vehicle, the Innova G1 is likely to be atleast another 80k or so more. Though it will have higher resale. Maybe it has lesser electrical issues, but don't quote me on that.

[Turbo Head]

Originally Posted by m3_07

Respected "SIR'S"

I always dreamt of owning a Safari ever since I started to understand what SUVs actually were.....ofcourse, my dreams are limited to the Indian SUVs. I visited the Mahindra Eagle thread & the features they talk about in the new eagle are "mouth watering". I am planning to buy the safari with Dec'07 in mind, hoping for christmas/ new year discounts in the offing.

Though deep in my heart, I do not like the scorpio just for the lousy leg room it offers in the rear, something tells me to wait for the Eagle.

Whatz your take on this gentlemen???

To add more problems with making up my mind, the morons at TATA screwed up by not offering the 4x4 in the LX version

Hi,
Gone are the days when Scorpio were blammed for lesser legroom, Check out and compare the same with modern Scorpios.I bet they beat not only in leg room and headroom, but on EVERY parameter you may think of (Refinement, power delivery, brakes). Safari rearmost seats are just suitable for Gul Mohd. (Record holder for shortest person). And it rattles more than Eicher Tractors !!! Although existing Scorpio can take over The All New Safari 2.2 Dicor anytime and anywhere (If u don't believe on these lines, go for test drives of both of them simultaneously and I bet you will be taken by surprise). But if you may hold ur horses for next 2 months I bet you will get even a better bet in form of Scorpio Eagle 2.2. Its worth watching/waiting.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by anupmathur

Now wait for the M&M magic, soon to be released.

If it can stay on the road without toppling over - I dont know how well a magical engine can drive a roof.

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

If it can stay on the road without toppling over -

That is something it does not do on its ownsome. The 'nut behind the wheel' is crucial, as is the case with a lot of untoward situations!

[power ranger]

Originally Posted by ported_head

The engine is also not as torquey lowdown as the 3.0, by that I mean below 2000 rpm. It's quite noisy at higher engine revs.

Nice to know that somebody acknowledges my observation that the 3.0 is better

[anupmathur]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Gone are the days when Scorpio were blammed for lesser legroom, ....
.... But if you may hold ur horses for next 2 months I bet you will get even a better bet in form of Scorpio Eagle 2.2. Its worth watching/waiting.

Turbo Head, what you say might be true, at least to some extent. However, why most of us here are diehard Tata fans is perhaps because of brainwash from early childhood - behind every truck it is written: OK TATA BUY BUY!

[simply_sunny001]

Originally Posted by Turbo Head

Safari rearmost seats are just suitable for Gul Mohd. (Record holder for shortest person). And it rattles more than Eicher Tractors !!! Although existing Scorpio can take over The All New Safari 2.2 Dicor anytime and anywhere

@Turbo Head, this thread is all about the new Safari 2.2 so please abstain away from making comparison between 2.2 and anything else.

at most you can compare the 3.0L and new additions in 2.2L

there must be several threads comparing Scorps and Safaris,so please post there.

and its strictly irrelevant to compare an already released vehicle with something that doesnt even have a Launch date.

i believe Mahindra is not paying for such remarks.

No Offence Meant

[ramkya1]

Originally Posted by m3_07

Respected "SIR'S"

I always dreamt of owning a Safari ever since I started to understand what SUVs actually were.....ofcourse, my dreams are limited to the Indian SUVs. I visited the Mahindra Eagle thread & the features they talk about in the new eagle are "mouth watering". I am planning to buy the safari with Dec'07 in mind, hoping for christmas/ new year discounts in the offing.

Though deep in my heart, I do not like the scorpio just for the lousy leg room it offers in the rear, something tells me to wait for the Eagle.

Whatz your take on this gentlemen???

To add more problems with making up my mind, the morons at TATA screwed up by not offering the 4x4 in the LX version

Hai,

The Eagle may not see 07, you may have to wait for the 1st qtr 08. Now that the Dicor 2.2 is out, they may be rethinking their tac to better the product. If you can, wait for the eagle, its reported (too many reports already) to be one of the best Scorpios and also most expensive. If you can it would be best to wait and don't hope for much discounts, they don't give off much.

Scorpios of yesteryears had lots of gaps, SOME of which are plugged on the new ones. The LX is a great VFM now and with the middle sliding seats, leg room for the middle row is great. Yes, the last row is a compromise, OK for children below 10.

The Dicor is a great SUV too in many respects. I drove one recently on the freeway, it's stability is amazing and its a great cruizer.

Happy Driving,

--Ramky.

[m3_07]

Friends..............TATA is "not offerring any discounts" either this Diwali OR coming christmas. This is what all the dealers in B'lore had to say.

Hope some good things rein into these guys to offer goodies to the consumers. The 2.2 launch looks like it is hyped...not much cars getting registered though.

Sorry to say....I still would want to own a safari for whatever screwup's it has. As Anupmathur rightly said that it is "brainwash from early childhood"

[harjeev]

Hi
there is this thing bothering me.
There is a small flap on the right wash wiper. Its there on every safari and as far as i remember has been there always on all safaris

What is that for?

[extreme_torque]

Originally Posted by harjeev

Hi
there is this thing bothering me.
There is a small flap on the right wash wiper. Its there on every safari and as far as i remember has been there always on all safaris

What is that for?

Not too sure but i think aerodyanmics. The windscreen unlike cars, is pretty straight and at high speeds the wiper blade might come up due to wind resistance.

[suman]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Not too sure but i think aerodyanmics. The windscreen unlike cars, is pretty straight and at high speeds the wiper blade might come up due to wind resistance.

Spot on! In my younger days (that was way back in the last century lol!), we used to get these as add-ons for sedan wiper blades as well- we put them on more for "show" rather than the aerodynamics of course

[himanshugoswami]

Originally Posted by suman

Spot on! In my younger days (that was way back in the last century lol!), we used to get these as add-ons for sedan wiper blades as well- we put them on more for "show" rather than the aerodynamics of course

imagine trying to improve the aerodynamics of a mark II or III amby