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-   -   The big black brute truck comes home!!!! ( Safari 2.2 VTT EX ) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/62515-big-black-brute-truck-comes-home-safari-2-2-vtt-ex-3.html)

Congrats on the new buy. Do post more pics and looking forward to your drive-experience to Bangalore.

adc,

Alloys are for EX 4x4 onwards.

Tejas

Hearty congratulations on the great deal, EX at the almost LX price! Also, the black colour on it looks awesome - a sure head turner.

Congratulations for the new member in the family! first thing, do a smooth breakin,

next get ready & get LEHed & post a nice travelouge.clap:

Come over to Automatrix mangalore for the service. juss saw a couple of Rf Motors Lineas in here for service. and for the record Automatrix has been voted the No 1 in fiat SSI! come to mangalore and tell the guys at Automatrix that i suggested them as the better of the lot service station! they will serve you pretty well considering the fact that i am a task master and they shiver at the very mention of my name lol:

Sorry guys for abandoning the thread for almost 2 weeks.I am in the middle of a project and hardly find time to even check my personal mails nowadays.But still manage to find excuses to drive the beast around.

The car exceeded my expectations and is doing fine.But hope tata pays attention to quality issues.

Kilometers done= 1240
1)small squeek from rear right door when moving on really bad roads or big speedbrakers.As if rubber rubbing against a smooth polished surface.I suspect it to be form the door beeedings which may not be flush fit.
2)Rear a/c blower control slider lever has lost the small plastic cover.(Planning to diy if not available at A.S.S)
3)Central lock of rear right door does not open well.


Apart from these minor issues not a single problem with the engine,gearbox or suspension(Assuming that 1st gear taking an extra effort in engaging is normal in all safaris).Also no rattles of any kind.Also As a consequence of damping very little engine sound in cabin which is completely masked by the blower sound if a/c is on.Also no booming sound thanks to dynamat xtreme.Also CD player plays decently for the music i listen to like bob dylan,doors, Credence clear water etc(post the damping using closed cell foam and dynamat xtreme)
Planning for illusion components in front + 2 channel amp + sub + monoblock
or illusion components in front + 4 channel amp + sub as myu budget would allow.These upgrades would take a month or so.

Now i do not restrict the safari to any particular routes and take it everywhere including narrow roads, non existant roads and overtake almost every other car on my way to office in Baghmane tech park.So if you see a black safari near BTP with KL registration do waive and stop me.Would like to meet other team-bhpians around....

Impressions about the vehicle:
Looks and feels like a step above the normal.You start developing a super ego.The problems faced till now are hardly noticeable normally except for the rear door lock issue.Comfort is not a hype it is phenomenal.But you will appreciate it more during a long drive.Car is very responsive provided you keep it on the boil around 1500 RPM atleast,very less gear shifts needed.30 second idling during start and stop could be a bit of an inconvenience for a non enthusiast who likes to treat his car with binary logic.The size of vehicle is compensated by the good all round visibility.Refinement is much more than was expected.Mileage was 15 during a long drive from Kochi to Bangalore.This could have been due to unconscious hypermiling due to lesser braking applied over speed breakers and bad roads, maintaining a smooth rpm etc.In city mileage is easily above 10.I do not switch off engine during traffic jams.A/c was on during 80 percent of the time as bangalore climate is quite good.Bad roads are a piece of cake.I did not find the stock bridgestones bad.They are adequate and do their job well for a stock tyres.
Safari is the VFM car to own if you like to do long travels on our "international standard" highways where every other car will scrape their bottom scratch it's head and finally give in while the Safari will fly you through like a low flying aircraft!

FWB,

Good review.

Agreed with you on the points noted on the impressions of the vehicle. And yes, great change is minimal, pulls really well for a 2 tonner!

I reckon you have not yet done the retro-fits and the re-flashing of the ECU. I think this might do away with the 1500RPM limit. Do check it out.

And yes, even I have started dis-regarding the quality of the road, I just drive!

My truck got it's first service courtesy concorde motors hosur road.All retrofits were done.My vehicle was type-A.I couldnt speak to the Tata engineers from pune as they had left by the time i reached A.S.S to collect the vehicle.The A.S.S guys A.F.A.I.K have no idea what the upgrade is about...rather than some vague info.I think DADU's post is more informative....

Issues Resolved:
1)Rear right door lock was not functioning well and was replaced.
2)Squeeking from rear right was due to door beeding which was lubricated(Dunno if that is the right thing to do).Anyway resolved.
3)Wind shield washer was not functioning for front from the time i bought the vehicle.Replaced relay and the issue is resolved.

Retrofits/upgrades done:
1)Tail gate dove tail joint based latch.
2)A/c fuse upgrade,insulation of some piping condensor something etc...
3)ECU cover which is quite sensible considering that ecu is exposed to heat,dust and water.
4)ECU software upgrade
5)Timing belt change etc
6)etc

Oil change:
Oil change was not done as part of service as the viscosity of oil seemed good and even if there are particles it would remain in oil pan due to oil filter.But planning to get this done probably in 1 month and another 1000 kms.That way i could extend my next oil change to maybe 10k or so....

Regarding vehicle performance:
I did not have enough time to make a good observation but here are some pointers
1)Earlier the 1000/1200 to 1500 band seemed sluggish now that seems improved.(This could be due to a)Faster response to input given at accelerator pedal by E.C.U b)Change of predictive AFR value stored in ECU when engine approaches that R.P.M(Only my opinion)

2)Vehicle feels more smooth not in smoothness feel(ie lesser vibration) but it feels that RPM progess is more smooth(Probably better map).Feels more like a VGT engine now...

3)As my vehicle has only run for 1450 kms i would be the wrong person to take feedback from....

Total Bill:
Rs 495 including taxes
Overall:
Happy with the beast and the overall experience ....

Here are some pics of the beast.Compressed them using image optimizer...

Hey Free Wheel,

Good Review!!!, I am moving into Bangalore , planning to buy and SUV , closing in on SAFARI/SCORPIO. Finding very difficult to choose. Awaiting Fortunnner as well to get launched.

Drive Long .

Using the vehicle in Bangalore is a breeze...Overtook a skoda,corolla and couple of cars on way to electronics city... started at 8 from Vignan Nagar-Beml-gate-airport road-silkboard and reached concorde at sharp 8:45 for the service.45 minutes was all it took(Coming back took more time owing to traffic jam).Handling in city is not a problem and I make use of it's abilities in climbing kerbs,slopes,size(to ward of pests like autorickshaws) and good visibility to the best and does not feel clumsy at all even in peak traffic.

hi ragesh.... Both Safari and Scorpio are Indian SUVs.While Scorpio has better gear ratios owing to which it is more peppy, the safari is the most comfortable of the two.Safari is no slouch and is adequately powered.Remember that the point of buying an SUV is not outright acceleration.Still the Safari can smoke out a Scorpio easily on the run...ie from say a speed of 30 to 40 onwards...But the comfort and space in Safari is a bargain for the price.Scorpio might have better QC which might result in lesser niggling/small issues.But inspite of small QC problems the Safari is way ahead in terms of overall experience.Even stability of the vehicle is leagues ahead.The mHawk is not a bad buy in anyway but if you are a guy who does not want compromise on comfort and stability go for Safari.Also unlike Honda or toyota these vehicles are not run in using motors attached to the crankshaft to smoothen out the vehicle.So a good Run in can work wonders.Buy Safari or scorpio only after test driving them multiple times and falling in love with them.Cross check whether your expectations have been met by the vehicle.If not Safari i would recommend the innova rather than scorpio,reason being that scorpio is a vehicle which is neither here nor there...

hi ragesh...if your budget is 20 plus lacks(Fortuner)...there are lots of options in the market even today....If pajero feels outdated check out Outlander......Looks much better than Fortuner....or the Vitara with Maruthi A.S.S too ....But looks are subjective...

Note from Mods : Please try to use punctuation properly and not...type...like...this... Take a look at this thread for details. Thanks.

Can people who bought 2.2L after July confirm that their vehicles are smoother like the 2.2L's with ECU remap?

And 495 for the latch?

JK.... i think it has to do with the new ECU image.In an earlier post i had mentioned that smoothness has improved only in how the RPM changes, but after driving today for almost an hour i can confirm that overall smoothness and sound has also improved....Why dont you plan a trip to bangalore and get it done here?I can book an appointment for you if you need?...

495 was price of latch plus some miscellaneous fitment plus service labour i guess....Dont have the bill with me now....but will check and reconfirm...


Note from Mods : Please try to use punctuation properly and not...type...like...this... Take a look at this thread for details. Thanks.