2010 Tata Safari 2.2 VTT Dicor Gx

SSB · 16th August 2010, 13:25

The beast is finally here and after a lot working around schedules to write this, here goes.
The background
Being fairly notorious in the family for changing cars, I decided that enough was enough and even if it took me one month(that is a long time by my standards), I would test drive every potential vehicle till the time everybody in the family(Mom, the wife, the baby and the 2 dogs) was happy with the vehicle. Over the past 5 years my cars have been, Opel Astra (Sold for upgrade) – Honda City (Sold for upgrade) – Tata Safari 2.2 EX (Sold for raising funds for an emergency) – Mahindra Scorpio (More of an in between vehicles option) – Fiat Linea 1.3 E+(Sold very recently as the roads in Gurgaon were not suited for the car)
Things went down to the extent of my wife joking about making me sign on stamp paper that the next vehicle would stay for at least 3 years.
The specifications
Diesel with good Mileage.
Good for at least three years with a carrying capacity of at least 5 in comfort plus enough room for our canine family members at the back(A Bull Mastiff and a Labrador).
Excellent ground clearance and ride quality.
Safe as a tank in terms of road presence.
ABS – Since the Linea gave us a taste of how important this could prove to be while driving.
Preferably within the same budget as the Linea so as to not strain our budgets
The contenders
Given the above and the fact that we use a single car with a driver instead of two cars, a whole lot of vehicles were considered.
Mahindra Xylo E4/E6/E8 – Loved the captain seats and the comfort. However, it felt grossly underpowered in addition to the handling, which scared me out of my wits.
Mahindra Scorpio Sle/Vlx – Indifferent dealer, waiting time of a month and not even a token discount led to this being scrapped.
Force Gurkha – Caught up on an old thread on the website and checked it out just on a whim. No test drive vehicle, indifferent and ignorant dealer who actually tried to convince me against buying it. Well, he succeeded.
Mahindra Bolero 4wd – The less said the better.
Figo Titanium/Polo Tdi highline – Well, the ladies of the house were involved in the decision so one fine weekend a ‘why don’t we check it out?’ turned into a test drive session. This was no brainer – Out.
Tata Sumo Grande – Now this was interesting. Sitting just below the Safari Lx, this was humongous in space, decent power and a very practical car with roof integrated AC ducts et al. With some aftermarket body cladding, I was sure this would look good. But then, we saw the 2010 Safari and it was first love all over again with nostalgic memories from our earlier 2.2 coming roaring back and of course the new seats, centre console and the availability of our favourite colour, Pearl White just shut out the competition.
The unanimous verdict
2010 Tata Safari 2.2 VTT Dicor Gx – Pearl White.
Coming up – The dealership and initial drive experience.

h@r$h@l · 16th August 2010, 14:10

Congrats on your safari.

Awaiting pics and OTR details. Any discounts offered by the dealer?

Drive Safe!!

SSB · 16th August 2010, 15:04

The dealership experience
To start with, I was very wary of the sales rep who had sold me the linea at ABS motors, Gurgaon. This was because of the total loss of interest after the vehicle was sold and a stupid delay in registration as the guy misplaced my papers. Thankfully, a different rep named Sandeep was assigned to me this time and boy, did he not disappoint! He was not only knowledgeable about the car but also very unhurried in his approach. My first impression was maybe because he was trying to sell me a Euro III variant so during the entire process, I told him that I wanted to buy a BS IV Sumo Grande and half expected him to start pestering me or lose interest. But this guy patiently talked to us and compared both the cars with advantages and disadvantages of both. Wifey and I were Maha impressed! Also, he took just a Rs. 5000 deposit initially and held the vehicle for us for the first couple of weeks after which we paid a bit more just to keep the showroom manager happy while we were busy arranging the extra down payment. On the date of delivery, I took for him a box of sweets and couldn’t hold my thoughts so asked him as to how he could be so patient? He replied very calmly,’ Sir, ‘itne saal ho gaye gaadi bechte huye, genuine customer to pehchaan hi sakte hain.’ - After so many years in this profession, the least I can do is recognize a genuine customer.
Also, on the date of delivery, I took a leave and went to my bank in Delhi to get the draft and while returning had to stop over at a friend’s place. I called Sandeep up requesting for the entire documentation to be done so as to make sure I spent the minimum time possible in the showroom. All he asked for the same was a scan of the draft and voila, it was done. The PDI was done and delivery taken.
The Niggles
So it’s a Tata and obviously ‘everything’ could not have been ok. But after a lot of trouble free mile crunching with our earlier Safari, we knew that there were only niggles and nothing major.
The car was veering left and the front left fog lamp was cracked and ABS motors promised to rectify at my convenience. Also, there was/is a Ting noise from the clutch every time it is pressed but this has been documented and discussed in KaviPrem’s thread on his Safari so wasn’t too concerned.
I took the car to the service centre on the 14th and found that the camber angle was ’out’. I flipped it and demanded to see the famous Mr. Malik, the works manager at ABS motors. I met him, detailed the issues and put in an official complaint against the shoddy PDI, the point being that an issues like camber angles and cracked fog lamps could not be missed during PDIs. All I’ll say for this experience is that the man didn’t disappoint. He didn’t try to shift the blame, accepted responsibility and gave me a solution that was on my mind as well - A complete inspection with the PDI checklist on a date of my choice (In this case, the 18th)and a formal complaint against the PDI done. Further details on the outcome of this later.
The Drive so far
It’s a Safari and the drive didn’t disappoint. If anything, it just brought back sweet memories from our earlier 2.2. The sofa on wheels is just that - Comfortable to the point of putting you off to sleep. I will not extol the virtues of the engine as that has been reasonably and fairly documented in various threads. What do deserve mention though are the following features:
New seat covers and fabric inserts in the dual tone upholstery along with the dark grey( almost black) plastics. We absolutely love this. Never before has the safari looked so classy.
ABS – Tested this first during the PDI. We are still yet to fully soak in the fact that we have a safari that does not ‘skid’
The only wait is for the camber angle to get sorted as the handling is suffering quite a bit because of it.
Everybody in the family loves it and me; well I am in love all over again.
After market wish list
Infiniti Trinity speakers, Blaupunkt 4 channel Amp, HIDs and Sony bluetooth enabled HU(from my old safari)
Hood Deflector, Front Nudge Guard and Mini Fridge (No Bull bars) – After scavenging my bank accounts in a month or so.

Coming up – Pics of the beast

nkrishnap · 16th August 2010, 15:57

Congrats on the beast. The white looks majestic. Do post the pictures.

Enjoy many more miles with the white beast.

SSB · 16th August 2010, 16:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by h@r$h@l

Congrats on your safari.

Awaiting pics and OTR details. Any discounts offered by the dealer?

Drive Safe!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Congrats on the beast. The white looks majestic. Do post the pictures.

Enjoy many more miles with the white beast.

Thanks a lot guys. Pics coming soon along with OTR details. Am just waiting for the clouds to clear up. For the past two days, it's just been,'Rendevous with Murphy' for me. The moment the car is cleaned for the 'photoshoot', it just starts pouring.

So today, I either click the photos in the basement or post semi clean pics.

Ketan · 26th August 2010, 20:23

Congratulations SSB!!
I'm sure you must be enjoying your new ride, we are still waiting for pictures.

PAVAN KADAM · 26th August 2010, 20:45

Nice write-up,

Congratulations on your new Dicor

jkdas · 26th August 2010, 23:17

Congrats on the Safari. Hope you got the EW along with it ( something I missed :( )

Quote:

The sofa on wheels is just that

Same words I had used when I bought one ! I was driving home last weekend and I was again thinking of these words coz I drive so relaxed and without much effort or care for anything that it treads over.

kaviprem · 27th August 2010, 06:32

Congratulations SSB for returning to Safari !!!
I am happy my thread was useful to few of us in TBHP

If you have read through my second (5K) service details, I had mentioned that the ting sound in clutch is gone after a bracket was changed. Ideally, it should have been caught and done in PDI and at least in 1st (1K) service. Anyway, it was not a functional problem. So, it was all OK.

Good luck and congratulations for literally "RECLAIMING YOUR LIFE"

Prem.

HappyWheels · 27th August 2010, 11:44

Congrats SSB!

Awaiting your report and I hope Murphy has been kind to you, lately.

HappyRoadie · 27th August 2010, 13:21

Congrats SSB. Nice detailed report. Eagerly waiting for photos.

Kairalee · 1st September 2010, 15:07

Congrats and a very nice write up SSB.

Have you fixed the front nudge guard for your Safari yet? If yes, please post pictures soon and let me know the brand and price you paid for it.

dadu · 1st September 2010, 16:58

Congratulations SSB, keep us posted on your runs.

babureddy · 1st September 2010, 18:46

Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post one-liners that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the overall quality of this forum.

Please read our rules before proceeding any further.

GTO · 2nd September 2010, 16:51

Congratulations on the car! Please note that Team-BHP does not permit booking / buying experience threads in the Test-Drives section anymore. For the benefit of members & guests alike, it is now imperative to include a complete report on the car (the driving experience / comfort / features, what you like, what you don't like etc.).

This thread is temporarily closed. Please PM me or report this post once you are ready to update with a complete driving report; that's when it shall be re-opened. Thanks for your support.

16th August 2010, 13:25	#1
SSB Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 7 Thanked: 0 Times	2010 Tata Safari 2.2 VTT Dicor Gx The beast is finally here and after a lot working around schedules to write this, here goes. The background Being fairly notorious in the family for changing cars, I decided that enough was enough and even if it took me one month(that is a long time by my standards), I would test drive every potential vehicle till the time everybody in the family(Mom, the wife, the baby and the 2 dogs) was happy with the vehicle. Over the past 5 years my cars have been, Opel Astra (Sold for upgrade) – Honda City (Sold for upgrade) – Tata Safari 2.2 EX (Sold for raising funds for an emergency) – Mahindra Scorpio (More of an in between vehicles option) – Fiat Linea 1.3 E+(Sold very recently as the roads in Gurgaon were not suited for the car) Things went down to the extent of my wife joking about making me sign on stamp paper that the next vehicle would stay for at least 3 years. The specifications Diesel with good Mileage. Good for at least three years with a carrying capacity of at least 5 in comfort plus enough room for our canine family members at the back(A Bull Mastiff and a Labrador). Excellent ground clearance and ride quality. Safe as a tank in terms of road presence. ABS – Since the Linea gave us a taste of how important this could prove to be while driving. Preferably within the same budget as the Linea so as to not strain our budgets The contenders Given the above and the fact that we use a single car with a driver instead of two cars, a whole lot of vehicles were considered. Mahindra Xylo E4/E6/E8 – Loved the captain seats and the comfort. However, it felt grossly underpowered in addition to the handling, which scared me out of my wits. Mahindra Scorpio Sle/Vlx – Indifferent dealer, waiting time of a month and not even a token discount led to this being scrapped. Force Gurkha – Caught up on an old thread on the website and checked it out just on a whim. No test drive vehicle, indifferent and ignorant dealer who actually tried to convince me against buying it. Well, he succeeded. Mahindra Bolero 4wd – The less said the better. Figo Titanium/Polo Tdi highline – Well, the ladies of the house were involved in the decision so one fine weekend a ‘why don’t we check it out?’ turned into a test drive session. This was no brainer – Out. Tata Sumo Grande – Now this was interesting. Sitting just below the Safari Lx, this was humongous in space, decent power and a very practical car with roof integrated AC ducts et al. With some aftermarket body cladding, I was sure this would look good. But then, we saw the 2010 Safari and it was first love all over again with nostalgic memories from our earlier 2.2 coming roaring back and of course the new seats, centre console and the availability of our favourite colour, Pearl White just shut out the competition. The unanimous verdict 2010 Tata Safari 2.2 VTT Dicor Gx – Pearl White. *Coming up – The dealership and initial drive experience.*
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 14:10	#2
h@r$h@l Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne, Aus Posts: 1,450 Thanked: 741 Times	Congrats on your safari. Awaiting pics and OTR details. Any discounts offered by the dealer? Drive Safe!!
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 15:04	#3
SSB Newbie Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 7 Thanked: 0 Times	Part II – The story so far The dealership experience To start with, I was very wary of the sales rep who had sold me the linea at ABS motors, Gurgaon. This was because of the total loss of interest after the vehicle was sold and a stupid delay in registration as the guy misplaced my papers. Thankfully, a different rep named Sandeep was assigned to me this time and boy, did he not disappoint! He was not only knowledgeable about the car but also very unhurried in his approach. My first impression was maybe because he was trying to sell me a Euro III variant so during the entire process, I told him that I wanted to buy a BS IV Sumo Grande and half expected him to start pestering me or lose interest. But this guy patiently talked to us and compared both the cars with advantages and disadvantages of both. Wifey and I were Maha impressed! Also, he took just a Rs. 5000 deposit initially and held the vehicle for us for the first couple of weeks after which we paid a bit more just to keep the showroom manager happy while we were busy arranging the extra down payment. On the date of delivery, I took for him a box of sweets and couldn’t hold my thoughts so asked him as to how he could be so patient? He replied very calmly,’ Sir, ‘itne saal ho gaye gaadi bechte huye, genuine customer to pehchaan hi sakte hain.’ - After so many years in this profession, the least I can do is recognize a genuine customer. Also, on the date of delivery, I took a leave and went to my bank in Delhi to get the draft and while returning had to stop over at a friend’s place. I called Sandeep up requesting for the entire documentation to be done so as to make sure I spent the minimum time possible in the showroom. All he asked for the same was a scan of the draft and voila, it was done. The PDI was done and delivery taken. The Niggles So it’s a Tata and obviously ‘everything’ could not have been ok. But after a lot of trouble free mile crunching with our earlier Safari, we knew that there were only niggles and nothing major. The car was veering left and the front left fog lamp was cracked and ABS motors promised to rectify at my convenience. Also, there was/is a Ting noise from the clutch every time it is pressed but this has been documented and discussed in KaviPrem’s thread on his Safari so wasn’t too concerned. I took the car to the service centre on the 14th and found that the camber angle was ’out’. I flipped it and demanded to see the famous Mr. Malik, the works manager at ABS motors. I met him, detailed the issues and put in an official complaint against the shoddy PDI, the point being that an issues like camber angles and cracked fog lamps could not be missed during PDIs. All I’ll say for this experience is that the man didn’t disappoint. He didn’t try to shift the blame, accepted responsibility and gave me a solution that was on my mind as well - A complete inspection with the PDI checklist on a date of my choice (In this case, the 18th)and a formal complaint against the PDI done. Further details on the outcome of this later. The Drive so far It’s a Safari and the drive didn’t disappoint. If anything, it just brought back sweet memories from our earlier 2.2. The sofa on wheels is just that - Comfortable to the point of putting you off to sleep. I will not extol the virtues of the engine as that has been reasonably and fairly documented in various threads. What do deserve mention though are the following features: New seat covers and fabric inserts in the dual tone upholstery along with the dark grey( almost black) plastics. We absolutely love this. Never before has the safari looked so classy. ABS – Tested this first during the PDI. We are still yet to fully soak in the fact that we have a safari that does not ‘skid’ The only wait is for the camber angle to get sorted as the handling is suffering quite a bit because of it. Everybody in the family loves it and me; well I am in love all over again. After market wish list Infiniti Trinity speakers, Blaupunkt 4 channel Amp, HIDs and Sony bluetooth enabled HU(from my old safari) Hood Deflector, Front Nudge Guard and Mini Fridge (No Bull bars) – After scavenging my bank accounts in a month or so. *Coming up – Pics of the beast*
	() Thanks

16th August 2010, 15:57	#4
nkrishnap Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,983 Thanked: 7,407 Times View My Garage	Congrats on the beast. The white looks majestic. Do post the pictures. Enjoy many more miles with the white beast.
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 20:23	#6
Ketan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,002 Thanked: 442 Times View My Garage	Congratulations SSB!! I'm sure you must be enjoying your new ride, we are still waiting for pictures.
	() Thanks

26th August 2010, 20:45	#7
PAVAN KADAM BANNED Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: NAMMA BENGALURU Posts: 5,602 Thanked: 2,549 Times	Nice write-up, Congratulations on your new Dicor
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 06:32	#9
kaviprem BHPian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Trichy Posts: 953 Thanked: 834 Times View My Garage	Congratulations SSB for returning to Safari !!! I am happy my thread was useful to few of us in TBHP If you have read through my second (5K) service details, I had mentioned that the ting sound in clutch is gone after a bracket was changed. Ideally, it should have been caught and done in PDI and at least in 1st (1K) service. Anyway, it was not a functional problem. So, it was all OK. Good luck and congratulations for literally "RECLAIMING YOUR LIFE" Prem.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 11:44	#10
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Congrats SSB! Awaiting your report and I hope Murphy has been kind to you, lately.
	() Thanks

27th August 2010, 13:21	#11
HappyRoadie BHPian Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lucknow Posts: 538 Thanked: 303 Times View My Garage	Congrats SSB. Nice detailed report. Eagerly waiting for photos.
	() Thanks

1st September 2010, 15:07	#12
Kairalee BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 150 Thanked: 41 Times View My Garage	Congrats and a very nice write up SSB. Have you fixed the front nudge guard for your Safari yet? If yes, please post pictures soon and let me know the brand and price you paid for it.
	() Thanks

1st September 2010, 16:58	#13
dadu Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,803 Thanked: 462 Times View My Garage	Congratulations SSB, keep us posted on your runs.
	() Thanks

1st September 2010, 18:46	#14
babureddy BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 191 Thanked: 8 Times View My Garage	Post deleted by the Team-BHP Support : Please do NOT post one-liners that add little or no informational value to the thread. We need your co-operation to maintain the overall quality of this forum. Please read our rules before proceeding any further. Last edited by GTO : 2nd September 2010 at 16:53.
	() Thanks $Received Infraction$

2nd September 2010, 16:51	#15
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,737 Times View My Garage	Congratulations on the car! Please note that Team-BHP does not permit booking / buying experience threads in the Test-Drives section anymore. For the benefit of members & guests alike, it is now imperative to include a complete report on the car (the driving experience / comfort / features, what you like, what you don't like etc.). This thread is temporarily closed. Please PM me or report this post once you are ready to update with a complete driving report; that's when it shall be re-opened. Thanks for your support.
	() Thanks