Thread Starter
#1
Hai everyone. I think it's time to share with you my experiences with the tata safari.
Scenario which lead to purchase- I sold my old safari 3.0 which had crossed 150 k km and displaying clear age related alignments. As I am a planter who stays in isolated plantations for an extended period of time I needed an SUV with most comfortable ride and biggest space. I settled for the devil I knew 'the safari' against the wishes of my friends who were really batting for the scorpio. I was really against financing a new car so was trying for an used car which costs no more than 5.5 lakhs (including basic maintenance) After a lot of searching found this car which had only about 40k Km on the odo. Brought it home without much bargaining because the car was in good shape.
What I Like about the safari .
Most comfortable car with the best suspension setup. Can take Interstate trips without any discomfort. Even friends who owned big champion suvs like fortuners and pajeros applauded the humble safari's ride quality. I have done Trips like Trivandrum-Madras without any fatigue.
Best visibility- It is so nice to drive this car in traffic because you feel like you are sitting on top of an elephant and everything is highly visible from such a height. Sedans feel like a pit once you get used to this height. Even my wife is very fond of driving this car once she got the hang of it.
Safety- This 2+ ton truck can easily take on the brutal highway network we have here.
Once inside it you know that you are safe. The body is really tough and heavy even KSRTC bus drivers give this car some respect. They usually don't charge on to me flashing their headlights. Once I mentioned this to a seasoned highway driver of the KSRTC and he said most drivers think twice before bullying this suv thanks to it's sheer size and truck like designs.
Low cost on maintenance- This car is cheap to maintain considering it's a full sized suv.
My relative spends more on his fiat punto than I spent on the safari(please note both cars serviced regularly at A.S.C s).
The engine is reliable and responsive despite the vehicle weighing well over 2 tonnes
What I don't like.
Huge turning radius- Except on exceptionally wide roads the safari never gives a full u turn in one go. It's really frustrating when all these autos and 2 wheelers block me from backing up when I literally run out of road.
poor fit and finish of dashboard and power windows.
Really truck like clutch. Reminds me of full sized tata lorries like 407.
Parking sensor with camera is a must because you can't see anything thanks to the stupid spare wheel position. It's good they corrected this in the storm.
Maintenance record in a nut shell- Regular service as per ASC directions. Tyres changed at 75K. No problem with clutch or engine still pulls like it is new. Shows the car is rugged and trustworthy. Multiple failure of electrical components like headlamps,power windows is an area of concern. Had similar problems in the older safari also.
Service N\W- Mixed bag ,not really a problem except for some glitches here and there.
Engine- Had driven all safaris except for the storm.
The first generation was horrible even the sierra turbo was way better than the 1 gen safari. Don't know which engine it had but it was very difficult to drive and had to change gears like a madman.
3.0- personally owned this one. Brought it as new and drove it extensively. Was better than the 1 gen safari but the car still felt underpowered to an extend. Refinement also suffered but it was very reliable and my former staff who bought it from me still uses it after clocking 200 k KM without an overhaul.
2.2 vtt- Best performing engine of the lot. Better FE and refinement, manages to pull the car even from the steepest inclines easily and can easily cruise at over 100 KMph all day long.
The verdict- Safari is mechanically very reliable even a notch above M&M scorpio in this aspect. But it's interior and electrical fittings are a shame. I was so frustrated when I saw tata making the same mistake over and over again in this department. This car is one of the most comfortable cars in India. This is not a pretty cute sub 4M SUV(Eco sport) or an elegant sophisticated french soft roader (duster). The safari is an old school crude but reliable mammoth and clearly has truck DNA in it's blood.
P.S- I couldn't post any pics of the car because i use a ' non smart phone' for the concept of 3G network is absent in my plantations and long battery life is a must for me.
Will surely post pics from a friend's camera in the near future.
Scenario which lead to purchase- I sold my old safari 3.0 which had crossed 150 k km and displaying clear age related alignments. As I am a planter who stays in isolated plantations for an extended period of time I needed an SUV with most comfortable ride and biggest space. I settled for the devil I knew 'the safari' against the wishes of my friends who were really batting for the scorpio. I was really against financing a new car so was trying for an used car which costs no more than 5.5 lakhs (including basic maintenance) After a lot of searching found this car which had only about 40k Km on the odo. Brought it home without much bargaining because the car was in good shape.
What I Like about the safari .
Most comfortable car with the best suspension setup. Can take Interstate trips without any discomfort. Even friends who owned big champion suvs like fortuners and pajeros applauded the humble safari's ride quality. I have done Trips like Trivandrum-Madras without any fatigue.
Best visibility- It is so nice to drive this car in traffic because you feel like you are sitting on top of an elephant and everything is highly visible from such a height. Sedans feel like a pit once you get used to this height. Even my wife is very fond of driving this car once she got the hang of it.
Safety- This 2+ ton truck can easily take on the brutal highway network we have here.
Once inside it you know that you are safe. The body is really tough and heavy even KSRTC bus drivers give this car some respect. They usually don't charge on to me flashing their headlights. Once I mentioned this to a seasoned highway driver of the KSRTC and he said most drivers think twice before bullying this suv thanks to it's sheer size and truck like designs.
Low cost on maintenance- This car is cheap to maintain considering it's a full sized suv.
My relative spends more on his fiat punto than I spent on the safari(please note both cars serviced regularly at A.S.C s).
The engine is reliable and responsive despite the vehicle weighing well over 2 tonnes
What I don't like.
Huge turning radius- Except on exceptionally wide roads the safari never gives a full u turn in one go. It's really frustrating when all these autos and 2 wheelers block me from backing up when I literally run out of road.
poor fit and finish of dashboard and power windows.
Really truck like clutch. Reminds me of full sized tata lorries like 407.
Parking sensor with camera is a must because you can't see anything thanks to the stupid spare wheel position. It's good they corrected this in the storm.
Maintenance record in a nut shell- Regular service as per ASC directions. Tyres changed at 75K. No problem with clutch or engine still pulls like it is new. Shows the car is rugged and trustworthy. Multiple failure of electrical components like headlamps,power windows is an area of concern. Had similar problems in the older safari also.
Service N\W- Mixed bag ,not really a problem except for some glitches here and there.
Engine- Had driven all safaris except for the storm.
The first generation was horrible even the sierra turbo was way better than the 1 gen safari. Don't know which engine it had but it was very difficult to drive and had to change gears like a madman.
3.0- personally owned this one. Brought it as new and drove it extensively. Was better than the 1 gen safari but the car still felt underpowered to an extend. Refinement also suffered but it was very reliable and my former staff who bought it from me still uses it after clocking 200 k KM without an overhaul.
2.2 vtt- Best performing engine of the lot. Better FE and refinement, manages to pull the car even from the steepest inclines easily and can easily cruise at over 100 KMph all day long.
The verdict- Safari is mechanically very reliable even a notch above M&M scorpio in this aspect. But it's interior and electrical fittings are a shame. I was so frustrated when I saw tata making the same mistake over and over again in this department. This car is one of the most comfortable cars in India. This is not a pretty cute sub 4M SUV(Eco sport) or an elegant sophisticated french soft roader (duster). The safari is an old school crude but reliable mammoth and clearly has truck DNA in it's blood.
P.S- I couldn't post any pics of the car because i use a ' non smart phone' for the concept of 3G network is absent in my plantations and long battery life is a must for me.
Will surely post pics from a friend's camera in the near future.
![[clap]](https://www.theautomotiveindia.com/forums/images/smilies/Clap.gif "Clap [clap]")
Finally its nice to know that those crazy KSRTC drivers respect atleast on car.
