In a herd of bulls there is always a chief whom every other bull listens to. No one dare looks up to the chief. Similarly, Tata Safari Storme stands above the herd and leads the pack in the SUV arena here in the Indian automobile market said to be one of the most thriving automobile markets in the world. Tata is one of the pole position holders on the Indian SUV circuit owing to the fact that it brought one of the first SUVs to India. Tata Safari was a rage when it was launched on the roads and continues to cleave to its stance with Mahindra breathing down its neck. Safari came followed by Mahindra Scorpio both of which became instant hits in the market. Soon Mahindra threw covers off a few more upgraded facelifts of Scorpio following which Tata finally made up its mind to work on a new design which would bring it back into mainstream at a position from where there would be no turning back. Thus, Tata Safari Storme hit the market with a massive wave of sales when it was hoisted as the flagship SUV of the automobile heavyweight at Auto Expo 2012 held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi. The launch was pretty boisterous owing to the fact that it was Tata who was under spotlight this time. Thus the new Safari Storme redefines the limits of optimum performance and gives the antecedent ruling model a new as well as meaner outlook. Let us conduct a thorough extensive research on this latest fiend on the block and unravel the reason behind its immense uproar amongst automobile enthusiasts especially those who have owned or own Safari right now. Our research starts with the exoskeleton of Safari Storme followed by interiors, ergonomics, safety and price. Finally on the basis of these, we’ll give out a loud call as to whether it is fit to set a benchmark or not.
Exteriors: –
Tata had to come up with a design which would still hold the same structure of Safari Storme as that of its previous model but at the same time give a brand new outlook in terms of its front fascia and rear fascia. On seeing the side profile of the SUV, we can say that it bears semblance with its predecessor model but then the front and rear porticos do change our mind. Since most of the youth in the present day and age go for vehicles having sharp and sleek features, thus Tata designers came up with a sleek design for its headlights as well as taillights. The frontage of the car is pretty orderly and tidy with agreeably L-shaped low beam projection headlights. When it comes to comparing the outlook of the SUV, Range Rover comes closest to the design. The proportion of the headlights has been kept quite flat in order to give a sporty appeal to the SUV. The bumper will have the same colour as that of the body of the car and thus time the fog lights have been kept at an elevation.
Five twin-spoke alloy wheels have been given to Safari Storme which makes the car look even sportier. The door handles also bear the same colour as that of the body of the car. The ORVMs attached to the car boast of indicator lights which can be electrically folded as per the convenience of the driver. Both of the side-view mirrors are controlled electronically and adding tinted glasses just feels right when it comes to setting a charm upon customers.
Now let us move on towards the rear part of the car. The taillights have been revamped and the new square-shaped design is deeply inspired by Land Rover. As per the new overhauled design, the spare tyre would be fitted beneath the chassis. This is advantageous to the tail gate as it does not have to bear much weight now. Fitting a spoiler to such a car would only add to its appeal and on top of that, we have roof rails which make the car look even meaner as it ventures into a high with overhauled cult outlook. There are two exhaust pipes that have been neatly fitted to the rear fascia the size of which is trapezoidal. The exhaust tips have been chrome-plated which gives them an extra shine. Adding chrome-plated exhaust tips to the car makes it more stout and belligerent. And while facing heavy rains, a rear defogger ensures that the there is no scope of fog settling on the glass. An additional rear wiper has also been fitted just in case fog is too dense. Tata Safari Storme is available in 7 shades namely Sardinia Red, Pearl Champagne, Pearl White, Arctic Silver, Arctic White, Urban Bronze and Astern Black. Thus, Tata designers have done us all a service by beautifully modifying and giving us a much more appealing facelift to the predecessor Safari.
Interiors: –
It is a privilege to enter the cabin of Safari Storme and experience epitome of luxury. The designing team deserves a big round of applause for that. The interiors of Safari Storme are spacious and can easily accommodate 7 people without any adjustments whatsoever. The meter dials fitted to the interiors of the car have a white backlight which gives more prominence to the meter reading and at the same time makes it look even more elegant. The dashboard has been covered with beige colour and same goes with the seats which boast of high-quality leather. The stock of plastics that the interiors hold is much better than what the previous Safari had to offer. There are two large AC vents which are tuned with a very powerful air condition that also acts as climate control at the same time. This time the analog clock has been made to look much clearer and can be viewed easily. For the benefit of the passengers as well as the driver, Tata Safari Storme comes equipped with a Multi-information Display which keeps them updated regarding the components of the car and how much fuel the car has. This time the cup holders attached to the car have been strategically positioned ahead of the gear knob so that in case if the driving wants to keep the glass or bottle, then he can do that as the holder is in close proximity.
A better requisite of Safari Storme lies in the cubby holes which have been made much deeper than what they were in the previous model. This allows more items to be stored. Loading a CD and playing it while the car is moving in the third gear is not a hassle as such. A new knob has been fitted behind the gear which enables the car to move from two-wheel drive to four-wheel drive. The car is well equipped with features such as power steering and power windows which give the passengers a comfortable and easy ride. Headlight controls are there on the steering wheel. There has been a slight change in the design and positioning of the door pad as well. The third row of seat can be folded easily in order to accommodate more members or make up more room for storage. Not only the third row of seats but the middle row seats can also be folded in 60:40 patterns. The seats of driver can be adjusted in many ways as per their convenience. Thus, altogether the interiors fare as good as the exteriors.
Engine & Ergonomics: –
Naturally we can be presumptive if asked to post a layman comment on the engine of this car as by judging its muscular and burly outlook; we can ascertain that it would naturally have lots of power beneath its hood. Tata Safari Storme is powered by a 2.2L DICOR DOHC diesel engine which has the capacity to dole out peak power of 138bhp at an rpm rate of 4000. All the power generated by the engine is uniformly distributed to all the wheels of the car. Safari Storme runs on five-speed manual gearbox. Adding to this, the maximum torque which it can deliver is 320 Nm at 1700 rpm. The engine has a displacement capacity of 2179cc and is capable of delivering an impressive performance with appreciable acceleration in terms of an SUV. With such an engine configuration, Tata Safari Storme can give a strong head-on the Mahindra XUV500 said to be its toughest rival. A benefit of Tata Safari Storme is that it is powered by a diesel engine rather than a petrol one. As we know well how prices of petrol are skyrocketing thus more and more people are picking diesel vehicles rather than petrol.
Safety and Handling: –
Firstly, Safari Storme is equipped with central locking system which would prevent it from being stolen or being subjected to forceful entry. There are 6 airbags for the passengers and adding to that Anti-Lock Brake System is operational which is piled with Electronic Stability Control which monitors the stability of the car and gives update to the driver in case of danger. Electronic Brake Distribution has basically been fitted in order to make sure that in case if the car meets with an accident then the wheel does not jam in any manner. These features also ensure that the traction control of the car is not lost no matter how adverse road conditions are. There are a few more safety features which have been installed in Safari Storme. Many a times we have parking problems in case if the car is big and the space for parking is too compact. Thus, in order to tackle this situation Tata engineers fitted Safari Storme with parking sensors which sound an alarm whenever the car is too close to a pavement. Fog lamps of high intensity have been fitted to the car in order to make sure that the even if the visibility is low; the driver would still be able to drive through with a proper vision.
Tata Safari Storme has been launched on the X2 platform as per which the driving experience in much more enhanced. The wheels of Tata Safari Storme get immense support from the ABS system which tune it up in order to attain more friction so that there can be a stronghold on the road. This is the reason why the traction control is high and there are very few chances of the car swerving away from its path. The ground clearance is 195mm which is enough to support wheel balancing. The rear wheels have disc brakes attached to them whereas the front wheels have ventilated brakes. There is a double wishbone to which the wheels of Safari Storme are connected and along with that, the front wheels and rear wheels are compiled with a torsion suspension which helps the car to tread through rough terrains without much hassles. Thus, a smooth and comfortable ride is what Tata Safari Storme guarantees without any second thoughts.
Mileage: –
There are primarily two variants of the car one of which has 2WD (Two-wheel drive) giving out a mileage of 14kmpl whereas the other one 4WD (Four-wheel drive) gives out a mileage of 13.2kmpl. SUVs usually are not able to give appreciable mileage but Tata Safari Storme surpasses our expectations with its engine tuned up in such a manner that there is ample scope of saving lots of fuel.
Price: –
The base price of Tata Safari Storme starts from Rs. 995,000 to Rs. 1,366,000. The prices are justifiable as per the features that Safari Storme boasts of. Thus the car has been in rage since it was launched. The price of range of Safari Storme falls somewhere on the same line as that of Mahindra XUV 500 and this is the reason why the rivalry between both these heavyweights is intense.
Verdict: –
The new Tata Safari Storme has come out to be one of the most promising SUVs of 2012 ever since it was launched at this year’s Auto Expo held in New Delhi. The car fares well in all perspectives be it Exteriors, Interiors, Engine, Safety and Mileage.
