Two Enthusiasts Go Storm Hunting - Tata Safari Storme Test Drive Review

[TSIVipul]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

Benchmark of the segment is a relative thing , you give priority to power delivery were as many give priority to ride quality and comfort . If xuv has a better power delivery in low revs ( which I agree from day 1 ) it loses by a huge margin in ride quality to the storme .

See buddy, benchmarking can't be done on different things. Performance benchmark means a comparo of performance, comfort benchmark means a comfort comparo etc. So benchmark is not a relative thing, instead it's a direct comparo between the thing which has set the benchmark and the thing which has challenged it.
Here are benchmarks in the said segment:

• Performance: Mahindra XUV 500.
• Low speed ride and handling: Mahindra XUV 500.
• Features: Mahindra XUV 500.
• Value for money: Mahindra XUV 500.
• Ride quality: Tata Safari Storme/ Aria
• High speed ride and straight line stability: Tata Safari Storme/ Aria.
• Suspension: Tata Safari Storme.
• Fit and finish: If you consider MUVs too then it's Innova, else it's Storme.
• Front seat comfort and driving position: In MUVs it's Innova else it's XUV 500.
• Rear seat comfort: It's only Safari Storme, nothign comes close.
• Space: Aria offers best of it due to it's cab forward design, secodn comes Storme.

As far as gizmos goes then one must not even look at storme as the xuv comes loaded with it, but we all know there have been reports of power steering failures, clutch failures and gizmos going crazy at times and rather then providing utility they are actually pain which makes service station visit quite often ( nothing serious here but still a pain )
.what happens after warranty finishes and how expensive will be the xuv to maintain with those gizmos is also yet to be seen .

Buddy half of these news are fake. The XUV I kept with me had more than 20k kms on odo and the electronics I used were GPS, parking sensors, power steering, power windows, remote locking, mirror adjustments, ICE, Auto A/C(seldom) and everythign worked well, not even a single fault detected any day.
No steering failure, clutch failure..no failure at all, so I find all these news just crappy.
A bad workman quarrels with his tools and same way if the driver is not sensible then even a Innova can be killed in 20k kms. Already we have a very honest review mentioning every positive and short coming of XUV on our forum which itself proves that is the driver is good and sensible then car is also good. After driving the XUV myself extensively I found this review to be spot on, have a look at the review which is as follows:
http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ing-ownership-experience-20k-kms-crossed.html

Your report itself tells interior quality , fit and finish is segment best so the storme wins there too I hope ?

Sure, Storme definitely wins here. But yes, MUVs are not being considered here, only SUVs(BTW, XUV is also an MUV in the clothing of an SUV though!!)

4x4 option the storme has a clear superior advantage over the xuv right ?

Again here is a difference, only the low ratios give the Storme an edge else the XUV AWD is better if you consider the 4H mode of Storme. Rest this comparo is unfair also as XUV has no low ratio gearbox.

Beside being a Bol construction the storme will be more abuse friendly then the xuv here .

+100, XUV can't cope with the abuse Storme can do.

Warranty wise its 3 years and 1 lakh Kms plus add on warranty of 1 year and 50k . A clear ad vantage in maintaining the car over the xuv .

Again +100, but warranties have a lot of T&C too.

High and moderate speed handling (100-150) you gave more points to storme then the xuv ( here being a monoqoue xuv should have run circles around the storme ) so if the xuv can't handle as good as the storme then what is the use of superior power delivery when the car itself can make the driver nervous at high speeds ? .

It depends, I have always mentioned a rock solid straight line stability and a better suspension gives the Storme an big advantage as compared to XUV but in turns, the XUV feels better, but yes..DOING HIGH SPEED IN A NOT SO WELL PAVED TARMAC IN XUV CAN PROVE TO BE SUICIDAL..BUT NOT IN STORME.
BTW, I guess we can leave all this for Storme and XUV comparo. And move ahead with Storme only here

important - I have never tried handling stunts on high speeds with xuv or storme iam just relying here on your report , I myself still belive xuv must handle better then storme being a monoqoue and beside its quite low slung compared to the storme .

XUV is always more eager to take turns, no doubt and in fact with a lower weight is more confident too only the road needs to be very fine. XUV just gets unsettled in case the road is uneven, though not to the limits of going out of control or to the limits of causing uncomfort but still, it feels like the car is getting unsettled. Comparatively Storme offers a flatter ride, but then if the Storme gets unsettled then it's handful to control too, thanks to it's weight.

So as per your report and view what I can gather is the storme loses on gizmos , low rev power and eagerness in acceleration compared to xuv .

+100, it looses with huge margin.

But wins in comfort , ride quality , abuse friendly nature , better interiors ( subjective ) , better handling , better sound insulation then xuv ,

In terms of rear seat comfort(I personally feel XUV's seats better cushioned and contoured), in ride quality, abuse friendly nature and a better sound insulation. definitely Storme has an edge as compared to XUV in these fields.

So iam not able to understand why did you claimed that storme is a over hyped vehicle and had disappointed you and you rejected it in first look ? ( if its subjective opinion since you like yeti type of mini SUVs more then its fine )

See buddy, there are no major issues with Storme but still the vehicle is nowhere as I expected it to be. I expected a more civilized SUV which is now easier to drive but the cumbersome nature is still there. I wanted it to feel light when driving like you feel driving an XUV but Storme is still a KATTAR SUV - tough to drive and handful at emergency moments!!

But to be honest kudos to you for making your review more proffesional , precise and expansive and yet very entertaining with your typical style of writing and as Dharmesh said it will help many .

Thanks a lot buddy.

 

[Raja]

@all

Just want to clear 1 thing here , iam asking questions to vipul concerning the xuv and storme not to prove storme is superior . I myself like xuv (although IMHO it has some limitations and I do have some concerns about the car .and iam also know its very early to comment on the reliability of storme )

My point here is not to start debate between loyalist of both the camp , my intention is just to know why in past vipul claimed storme is a over hyped vehicle and some Jhol jugaad vehicle when in this report he is giving storme some real solid good points which most of the times matter the most to any buyer .

Vipul you too understand my point here its my curiosity , since i found those past comments of you very contradictory to this report and your general nature which is most of the time is quite balanced .

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

Vipul how can you claim that report about ps failure , clutch failures and gizmos acting weird in xuv are false and crappy when such reports and agony of owners are well documented on popular forums across the web world . Infact mahindra themselves are not sure about the brakes and clutch so they are changing it , ask iron rock he too has got it changed it pro actively .

Buddy simple as it sounds, neither I nor anyone in my circle has got such goosebumps from XUV and I guess we must wait for Iron Rock to arrive between us to tell us more about XUV and what all he got replaced due to failures, not due to any replacement scheme.
When Raj and Xover used to debate on Aria that time also I never agreed that Aria has a lot of issues because no person known to me is crying because of his Aria and same is the case of XUV. When you go through these online reports, half of them are found to be fake..in fact half of the people are such that they haven't even sat in an XUV and they are telling how 'their' XUV had got it's brakes failed and not to mention..IN THE PAST TIMES MANY OF SUCH REPORTS ARE FOUND TO BE FAKE. You talk to such owners and ask them a question or two and half of them are vanished. I MYSELF HAVE DONE THINS AND IF 2 PEOPLE OUT OF 50 ARE CRYING THEN I BELIEVE THAT THOSE 2 ARE AT FAULT NOT HOSE 48 WHO ARE HAPPY.
Yes, a person can get a lemon..no doubt but lemons are different and mistreated cars are different my dear. So I'd request you to believe these news when they are true to best of your knowledge, not any read stuff. It's like because 100 people said that Priyanka Chopra had an affair with Vipul and you have agreed. For once ask the real owners of how many faults they have found till date and there are numerous of them on our forum too.

 

[Gurrala74]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

Buddy you called me sedate driver or rash driver??

Sorry, It was a typo error, I meant Sedan type rash driver !!

Yes, Every vehicle will have emergency situations and you need to know what happens then, but I my self never get into a expected emergency means at higher speeds and not maintaining proper distance with the vehicle in front of you.

There are some unexpected emergencies which cannot be avoided and we need to face them and control, but as most of the times I see people get into a created emergencies and mess up the whole thing which is purely due to the driving style and later on blame the vehicle and manufacturer.

A Storm or XUV can be driven and applied brakes sensibly without making any tyre marks on the road and if want to make tyre marks on the road I can make them with any vehicle

 

[Raja]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

Dear I specially mentioned my question was regarding your past comments and not this report atall .

Iron rock dint have failure of his clutch , they were pro actively changed to avoid anything unpleasant in future .
I know what iam talking vipul and I have enough sensibilities to understand what is a fake report and honest report , when I say ps failures and clutch failures and gizmos acting weird iam talking about owners who update their ownership report quite frequently on forums which you know too .
Infact there is a dedicated thread of niggles on xuv , which makes you doubt if xuv is really a vfm car or not .

Yes I have driven the Innova and its easy to drive muv and nowhere has the invincible feeling one gets driving the storme , safari , Scorpio and even xuv . Here its more of a personal taste thing then car per se because Innova is completely boring vehicle for me .

Anyway things are clear here for me , I have no further questions to ask .

 

[MrRanger]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

Buddy, now for once try to understand my words and the way I did it.
Have you seen the torque curve of any diesel car? All the diesel cars have enough torque to keep them moving at idle rpm even if they are in top gear and hence I did used 3rd gear for the job. Has the car stalled? Were any jerks felt? NO, because the torque delivery of 2.2 VTT Varicor is more than enough to keep the beast moving, though without urgency, it still keeps moving. I know what I did was wrong, and my own gearshift pattern is start, push till 2500-3000 and shift up and if revs fell below 2000 then shift down and my dear, I am quite used t keeping nay car in it's power band. You name the car and I'll tell you the shift style..nearly every car in the 40 lac price bracket. I guess you have understood me to be a pure novice, then let me tell you I have been driving from the time I was 15 and have already kept cars like Scorpio, Safari, Armada, Innova, Swift, Indigo, Laura and Corolla.

I'm just wondering what your explanation says. You are teaching me some torque class I'm glade to attend your class, before I'll tell you whatever I know about Automotive world.

1st come to your scenarios and claims
scenario: check the engine turbocharger response, torque/power out put when vehicle is pulled in 3rd gear from idel to 3500 RPM
I dont know who has drawn the relationship of torque vs RPM I'm completly ignoring the graph.

@ALL please watch his carefully I'm explaining what is the role of GEARS in torque utilization
lets consider an example to understand RPM/torque/Gear ratio relation ( some one claimed gear ration is nothing to do with torque so to make you understand please pay attention)
assume > a engine at 1000 rmp producing 100ftlb torque
> A driver gear(close to source/engine) has 10 teeths and output gears 1st gear 60 teeths, 2nd 50teeths, 3rd 40 teeths, 4th 30 theeths and 5th 20 teeths.
now gear ratios are 6:1,5:1,4:1,3:1,2:1 respectively from 1to 5.
Now a driver gear drives 1st gear means torque on 1st output gear willbe
{6:1 = drivergear torque(100ftlb) : 1st gear torque}
so 1st gear torque would be = 6*100lbft = 600lbft. so this torque you actually feel when you drive vehicle not engine torque.

Now come to your test: > you were in 3rd gear that means though engine produced 100ftlb but you got 400lbft torgue on 3rd gear 200 lbft less than 1st gear.
> may be this torque will be insufficient to move massive multi ton vehicle from its inertial position so all force will fall on teeths and there is a chance to break these teeths and damage vehicle.
> so in this scenario you actually forcing vehicle into distructive way by violating companies standard norms (or common sense of driving).
>your test got No sense when it comes to see turbocharger begaviour

So vipul please dont write pages of comments just try to understand our points as Gurral said this is matter of driving style so no issue with fortuner or STORME its your problem.

vipul Here I'm just analysing your review with my experience and technical knowledge I'm not bashing you,
Me and many members are not convinced by yours few test statergies so we are asking questions, Sorry if they are too direct to handle .

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

Dear I specially mentioned my question was regarding your past comments and not this report atall .

Iron rock dint have failure of his clutch , they were pro actively changed to avoid anything unpleasant in future .
I know what iam talking vipul and I have enough sensibilities to understand what is a fake report and honest report , when I say ps failures and clutch failures and gizmos acting weird iam talking about owners who update their ownership report quite frequently on forums which you know too .
Infact there is a dedicated thread of niggles on xuv , which makes you doubt if xuv is really a vfm car or not .

Well I have also seen such threads and I have found a lot to complain but the way Mahindra is moving up making changes in XUV very quickly and improving the car with new and better equipment again and again has given me a lot of confidence on te vehicle and Mahindra.

Yes I have driven the Innova and its easy to drive muv and nowhere has the invincible feeling one gets driving the storme , safari , Scorpio and even xuv . Here its more of a personal taste thing then car per se because Innova is completely boring vehicle for me .

That's your subjective opinion buddy because in terms of handling, Innova is still head and shoulders above the said cars and I gave the example of Innova in handling itself.

Anyway things are clear here for me , I have no further questions to ask .

I hope I was able to answer them satisfactorily.

 

[dharmesh]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

One thing I am not getting, that where did Innova come into the comparison, Storme is SUV and Innova is MUV. So please keep Innova out of the comparison.

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

1st come to your scenarios and claims
scenario: check the engine turbocharger response, torque/power out put when vehicle is pulled in 3rd gear from idel to 3500 RPM
I dont know who has drawn the relationship of torque vs RPM I'm completly ignoring the graph.

I drew that relationship and it was just to give an example and I know that it's 100% wrong.
Rest the purpose of pushing the vehicle from 1000 to 3500 rpm in 3rd gear was to just check how the engine delivers it's torque and as much I know from my experience torque vs rpm behavior has nothing to do with gears.
Gear means load variation, none else. Any engine which has turbo lag under 2000 rpm will have it weather it's in first gear or in fifth gear and any engine which has strong top end will have it in any gear...EXCEPT THE OVERDRIVE GEAR.
I have drawn a lot of torque vs speed or power vs speed characteristics till date only of the basis of same observations and my dear I am over confident in saying that that everytime the curve I drew on paper was identical(not exactly same as I don't know the numbers) to the dyno test reports. The day you start feeling your car, the day you start talking to your engine via your left hand and right foot..THAT DAY YOU WILL UNDERSTAND ME. There may be an age difference of over 5 -10 yers between you and me and hence in terms of experience I guess making a comparo will be like comparing a Swift(You) to Alto(Me).

@ALL please watch his carefully I'm explaining what is the role of GEARS in torque utilization
lets consider an example to understand RPM/torque/Gear ratio relation ( some one claimed gear ration is nothing to do with torque so to make you understand please pay attention)
assume > a engine at 1000 rmp producing 100ftlb torque
> A driver gear(close to source/engine) has 10 teeths and output gears 1st gear 60 teeths, 2nd 50teeths, 3rd 40 teeths, 4th 30 theeths and 5th 20 teeths.
now gear ratios are 6:1,5:1,4:1,3:1,2:1 respectively from 1to 5.
Now a driver gear drives 1st gear means torque on 1st output gear willbe
{6:1 = drivergear torque(100ftlb) : 1st gear torque}
so 1st gear torque would be = 6*100lbft = 600lbft. so this torque you actually feel when you drive vehicle not engine torque.

Thanks a lot buddy, I have noted it all down and I am sure this will come handy some day.

Now come to your test: > you were in 3rd gear that means though engine produced 100ftlb but you got 400lbft torgue on 3rd gear 200 lbft less than 1st gear.
> may be this torque will be insufficient to move massive multi ton vehicle from its inertial position so all force will fall on teeths and there is a chance to break these teeths and damage vehicle.
> so in this scenario you actually forcing vehicle into distructive way by violating companies standard norms (or common sense of driving).
>your test got No sense when it comes to see turbocharger begaviour

Then what is the reason vehicle gets stalled in higher gears? I mean the teeth must break instead of stalling the vehicle. Take it this way:
You mean that if load is high and gear is also higher, then instead of moving the vehicle the teeth of gears will be broken. But what happens in real world is that vehicle gets stalled. So what's the reason behind that?
I am yet to see a gearbox with broken teeth till date and hence will appreciate if you provide some pictorial description with source of info.

Man if you found my previous post as Childish or bashing please report to Mods let then decide, I know why you are addressing my posts as childish because i already called your post in other thread as kiddish, dont try to give it back to me just try to understand why i said that, Sorry fellow members its bit off topic for off topic reply.

Well I am not shallow enough to do such girlish acts my dear. I have enough guts to stand up and express myself which i have done and right now you people are discussing the same with me. But yes, this piece of writing shows the way you think of the way you feel the response of others.

vipul Here I'm just analysing your review with my experience and technical knowledge I'm not bashing you,
Me and many members are not convinced by yours few test statergies so we are asking questions, Sorry if they are too direct to handle .

I am happy with my strategies and hence I need no approval from anyone if they are fine or not. You people said that I should do a TD and I did it despite of being out of time(BTW, it's because of an another member whose words are always respected by me) I did the TD and clicked a lot of pics and videos too. Now it's your turn...hehe..you started this game of "Prove your words with pics or videos" and now I want video description from your side on the driving style, right gear shifts etc and if possible then on a Storme.

 

[Raja]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

@xover,

Buddy were are you and your set of questions you ask every one who drives the storme ?

 

[THE XOVER]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

@xover,
Buddy were are you and your set of questions you ask every one who drives the storme ?

Thanks buddy,

I am keenly following this thread,but as Vipul said most of my questions are already asked by you folks.


BTW,one more thing,when Vipul said that for the first time in his life he is knocked out by a TATA product,that line just sealed it for me.Now If Vipul who loves his toyotas and Skodas is impressed with this product(his benchmark is high,infact very high trust me),you can bet my word that the masses will be completely floored and Storme'd' by this product.

Ever since I have read this review, I am in eternal ecstasy.



THE X-OVER

 

[Superbad]

finally , very good report vipul. kudos for that.

Ps: if you are 5.11 and the steering was touching the way it was for you , then i can forget doing a TD of the storme. all i would be left is bruises on my knees.

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: 2 Enthusiasts go Storme hunting - TATA SAFARI STORME test drive review!!

I am keenly following this thread,but as Vipul said most of my questions are already asked by you folks.

BTW,one more thing,when Vipul said that for the first time in his life he is knocked out by a TATA product,that line just sealed it for me.

Well buddy on the knocked out point I must say that yes, after testing the car thoroughly I was for once left speechless when the companion asked me to name any other SUV which is more comfortable under 20 lac and when I replied my answer was 'none'. Rest I am again quoting that specific part, though I have mentioned some minor negatives too, but still those negatives were negligible considering what's on offer. I am sure reading this again will make you even more happy, also I have highlighted a point or two more.

Comfort and NVH:​

Comfort and NVH…once again, as expected Tata has set a new benchmark. Though finding that perfect driving position felt next to impossible in the Storme but if you see overall seating then it’s the most comfortable thing money can buy under 20 lacs. NVH has definitely improved a lot over the outgoing model but still there are some signs of BOF like juddering when passing bad patches at good speeds etc.
OVERALL, THIS IS THE FIELD WHERE I AM JUST KNOCKED OUT BY STORME…HATS-OFF TO TATA HERE.

Now If Vipul who loves his toyotas and Skodas is impressed with this product(his benchmark is high,infact very high trust me),you can bet my word that the masses will be completely floored and Storme'd' by this product.

Well, you are quite right buddy, that yes benchmarks are a bit too high for me. In fact many known guys frequently complain that I am expecting too much for the price and hence if I look at the overall product then it's still on the VFM side. Though XUV easily eclipses it in this front but still when I came to know that the VX costs 14.10 lac on-road here at my place, maybe I haven't found it as VFM as XUV is, but then I still found it VFM. AT LEAST I AM GETTING THE THING WORTH 14 LACS FOR MY 14 LACS if I look at the overall product.
Only irony is as Raja once asked, why not? And still my reason is same, it's not the car for me. I like the cars which feel light and agile while driving and Storme still isn't there as per my requirement.

One more point: Every car has some specific part which I like or dislike, like I love the gear lever of my Corolla, same way I am in love with the door pad design of Storme. The rear door pad felt like it has came straight from some 25-30 lac costing car. I don't know how many other members have noticed the minor details too, but I have done it. There are some very neat touches or say very fine details like:

• Door handles.
• Roof integrated lights, though they aren't any special but I loved them.
• Door mounted speakers.
• The wooden finish on dash.
• Positioning of the volume control stalk and the way all the controls are positioned on it.
• The Tata logo on wheel feels good to touch.
• I love the way the handbrake looks.

Ever since I have read this review,I am in eternal ecstasy.

Reason? I mean why it is so?

However, since you have not measured it during your test, it would be inappropriate to discuss/debate on the assumed distance traveled after braking. Also, you yourself have mentioned in earlier discussions / comments that you released the brake and reapplied the same during the test. So your guess will not be the actual distance to stop after braking for Storme.

That's the reason I have said one can expect a particular distance and the estimated distance is my rough estimate, but yes - braking is improved is what I am sure of.

 

[Raja]

My request to xover is like allways dear can you highlight positive and negative points of every review done on TAI by the members and find if there is some resemblance with this super massive in depth review of vipul ? .
This is a special request to you xover from me , take your time but come up with detail stuff and you can avoid the abs part .

So far I see one common theme people bash or at times have very low expectations about storme then they see it drive it and their view about it changes atleast they don't find the storme useless or atleast they don't hate it .

Same with vipul he first thought storme is a major "disappointment " and nothing but a " overhyped "and " Jhol jugaad " SUV from tata .

But after test driving it can we say vipul that your opinion has changed and atleast you no longer feel its a Jhol jugaad vehicle from tata. ? Because as per your own words you say you are knocked out by storme in certian areas .

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Breaks Cover (Launch Coverage: Pg.322+)

Okay guys, let me clear some confusions here:

• I haven't said that "the 'overall' vehicle knocked me down", instead I said it in the "Comfort and NVH section".
• I haven't said that "Storme corners better than XUV", instead I have continuously said "straight line stability is better than XUV".
• I guess I have said that XUV is better at turns "when road is well paved, or surface is even", so I think that saying "XUV is better at high speed handling too as per Vipul" will be unfair.
• I said "Storme has class leading fit and finish" but I never said it has best "interior quality", if MUVs can be involved in this then Innova is the benchmark for fit, finish and quality..all three. Else it's Storme down right.
• At last, I guess I have already mentioned the point somewhere that "Storme disappointed me because it's nowhere near what I expected, especially after reading the initial reviews in this thread itself and a lot of comments too, yes I won't call it overhyping the car, it's just I felt that the car was still not as great as it was being projected, second time I TDed it thoroughly and tested it being practical comparing it with the competition and found it competitive".