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Tata Safari Storme owner's perspective on the 2021 Safari

This may also provide the rest of the world with some perspective as to why many old Safari owners raised pitchforks when the Gravitas got slapped with a Safari badge. And somewhere, it may, perhaps, shine a light on how this generation is an inevitable departure and areas where it is an improvement over the old one.

BHPian vigneshkumar31 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

New Tata Safari - Perspective of an old Safari owner

Good cars come and go. But only few go on to become icons.

Preamble Note: The Official Review of the 2021 Safari is up and running on Team-BHP. If you're looking for an objective review of the car, that's the thread you need to look up. This is purely my personal perspective, as an old Safari owner considering the New Safari. This is an honest effort to scrutinise the new, through the windshield of the old. Some points may echo with fellow Safari owners, as we sit at the same height. This may also provide the rest of the world with some perspective as to why many old Safari owners raised pitchforks when the Gravitas got slapped with a Safari badge. And somewhere, it may, perhaps, shine a light on how this generation is an inevitable departure and areas where it is an improvement over the old one.

The Tata Safari

There are a few cars in India that command the kind of attention, respect and cult status like the Tata Safari does. When the old Safari stands discontinued, everyone wants a Safari in their garage and are singing praises and fables, few bought it when it was available. But to truly understand where it all started we need to wind back the clock to 1998.

Tata launched the Safari, as the first Made in India 4x4 SUV in 1998. The Safari completed Telco's trident "Si-Su-Sa" (Sierra'91, Sumo'94). The Safari was launched at a whopping Rs. 8.25 lakhs back then (this is 1998, petrol was 23 Rs/Litre). And people still bought it. The SUV was a breath of fresh air above the din of small cars flooding the market, both home grown and from overseas. The Safari with its contemporary European lines, tall stance and roomy interiors, instantly identified it as an aspirational SUV. The 4x4 badge and hardware, coupled with generous ground clearance, completed the off-road package. It was even exported to the UK in the subsequent year.

The name Safari was never meant to be the mass market cash cow for the company. It elevated Tata's stature, just like the car, to a new high. The Safari was not cheap, it was not built to cater to the masses. If it did, it wouldn't have been the icon it is today. It was solely and squarely pointed at a particular kind of discerning customer.

Credit: Infographic by CarDekho

Tata Safari, as the name unmistakably suggested, was sold with the promise and potential to go anywhere, in style, and people bought into that narrative. At this point, we need to convince ourselves that even though the utility and the exploitation of the 4x4 capability of this vehicle may not statistically suggest a large proportion of its sales, over the two decades and four generations, it won the hearts of people. The 'go anywhere, lifestyle SUV' was its core identity, its raison'd'etre. I cannot insist enough, how integral the 4x4 trait of the Safari is, to its very existence, so for the lack of a better superlative - This is how God willed it - Safari 4x4. And every Safari has lived by that code till date.

Popping the hood of the first generation Safari, riding on 15" radials, we would find a 2 litre Peugeot turbo diesel XD88 putting out 90 PS and 186 Nm. Today's Safari boasts twice as much of those figures, rides on bigger wheels and even lets you see the sky while you drive. Is that enough?

Tata Safari 2021

In this season of vaccines, Tata has also got a shot in its arm with the launch of its newest flagship, the Safari '21. The New Safari has received a lot of traction in the market and our forum, especially after the Gravitas was rechristened the Safari at the last moment (don't try Tata, we know). It's a good three row car and seems to tick a lot of boxes for a lot of folks.

But there's a small problem. I am still not able to refer to the Safari'21 without a prefix or a suffix. Maybe in a vain attempt, to somehow differentiate it from that legendary Safari. Speaking of which, we must remember that the legend of Safari was not made in a day. It was built, like all stuff of legend, slow and steady by the old Safari owners, like this author, who put big bucks on a taxi brand and brought home a Safari and kept it on the road, despite more popular options that flew off the shelves. There was this feeling of unintentional exclusivity which brought us Safari owners together, and on the roads, we were the only ones who saw eye to eye, quite literally.

The Safari was never a handler. It was not a fast car. It had a tall floor plan riding on relatively narrow tracks. It was heavy, very heavy and could give you a heart attack if you dare attempted a lane change at highway speeds. Safari owners would tell you their wage but never their mileage. Simply put, it had enough reasons going against it.

My ownership review of my Kumki is here. And I urge you to read it, or go ahead and read any other Safari ownership thread, to understand that the tag transcends the tangible.

Before we pit the new against the old, the traditional summary:

Pros (over the Old Safari)

  • Engine (Segment Staple 2.0 FCA diesel motor)
  • Automatic Transmission Option
  • Front Facing Third Row
  • Lightest Safari. Ever
  • Safety tech and features
  • Sunroof. Big, Panaromic
  • Updated and contemporary tech - HU, iRA etc.

Cons (over the Old Safari)

  • No 4x4/AWD Option
  • Remains an Unrated GNCAP Safari (Inexcusable for '21 at 25L)
  • Lacks the towering Road Presence of the Old Safari
  • Ground Clearance, rather Ground Near-ance
  • No match for the 'Second Row Sofa' - width, height and comfort of the old bench.
  • Lacks unique identity to be unmistakably a Safari.
  • Impractical white interiors

What's in the name?

We have to address the elephant in the room before proceeding any further. Please allow me to rant about the issue of nomenclature. When the Gravitas got called the Safari suddenly, the world had only two kinds of people left- (1) People who didn't mind it and (2) Old Safari owners.

There is much chatter justifying Tata's ownership and right to deploy the Safari nameplate which the company wholly owns, into any product of their choice. The company has been lauded for the masterstroke in milking the emotional quotient and brand value of the name at the opportune moment to push the Gravitas into the market. I agree and so will not challenge the legality of the move and laud the marketing acumen of the team, which has paid off good dividends in terms of sales, probably unimaginable with just a 'Gravitas'.

But isn't Tata morally obliged to accord a more responsible treatment towards that beloved tag? Before you jump off your seats quoting the obvious again - that Tata is free to do what it likes to sell what it sells. Markets need money and if it makes invoking the recall value of an old marque why not? So what if it's just an extended Harrier, why not use a well known name on a modified version of an existing car?

Then why not this?

The Suzuki Grand Vitara '21

  • The All new Premium 3 row SUV from Suzuki.
  • Japanese Samurai Pedigree.
  • Katana sword design to bleed your eyes if you stare too long.
  • Ground Clearance : Unknown (Just like Safari '21)
  • AWD: No (Just like Safari '21)
  • Safety Rating: Unrated. (Just like Safari '21)

Or this?

Original Image Source: Motoroctane.

Suzuki Gypsy King '21.

  • The all new Small SUV for the urban wanderer
  • Snorkel?: Yes
  • Works?: No.

I'll clarify again - Calling the Gravitas as Safari is definitely not incorrect, but we wish they treated the product behind the name more responsibly before slapping an icon on its nose.

With that rant over and the weight off my chest, let's throw the prejudice behind the third row and proceed with objectively analysing the new Safari for what it is.

Tata Safari 2021

Ever since the Safari '21 was launched, it has piqued my interest solely based on its name and its automatic claim as the successor of my current ride. So I've been meaning to put it to test whether it can indeed replace and upgrade my current ride- the old Safari.

I have been in the hunt for a worthy successor for my Storme and it's proven to be quite the task, unless you upgrade to a full segment up - the full size premium D2 SUV. I have discussed that segment threadbare and put up my findings here. (Note: Its got some interesting trivia and rare engine maps included.)

For what it means to me, and to many others like myself, I took the time to analyse and write this thread on the new Safari. A simple test drive and a hasty write off cannot do justice to the weight of the Safari. So I spent quite some time with it, thanks to my close friend Mr D., who trusts me implicitly in matters of wheels and was kind enough to let me live with his brand new Safari for some time. My observations in this thread are the result of the several days I spent driving his car (and another TD Automatic variant) within the city, in traffic, night drives, sunroof utility, highway drives etc. Some background on my friend Mr D - Our two families went for a trip to Jaipur from Delhi when he was visiting us in my Safari a couple of years ago and he was thoroughly impressed with the Safari, particularly its stance, the large glass house with all round visibility and the manner in which it minced the highway. He swore that day that he would buy the next Safari, and now, years later, he did. He brought home one of the first Safari '21s in Chennai. I had given him the pros and cons in full text, and had let him decide about the car and the variant. As an owner, Mr. D's first hand experience inputs are also intertwined into this thread, as I interviewed him about various tit bits of ownership, to get a new owner's perspective.

He went for a White XZ+ Manual 7 Seater.

Read more on vigneshkumar31's take on the new Safari and check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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