Tata Safari 4x2 GX DICOR BSIV

I bought the Tata Safari GX 4x4 in the month of July this Year. The vehicle is very good but the service provided by the Tata Dealers is 100% old style (Not at all costomer friendly) . The service centers are very poor in the NCR and non of the centre is equiooed with modern facility and original spare parts. Without good service I dont feel any vehicle can satisfy the long run requirments.

Tata Should improove the quality of there service centers as per the other compotitors in the field and should arrange all spare parts in the Authrised Service centers. and should trained the staff with there all vehicles. My over all opinion is that the vehicle is not a suitable vehicle for the luxory segment and is a good vehicle for the price tag of maximum Rs. 8 lacks. If we compare the vehicle for more than Rs 10 laks frame the other vehicles are far better in providing service and other facilities. Ashish

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I am a VERY big fan of Tata SAFARI. I have two cars and both are TATA SAFARi (4x4 petrol and 2.2 dicor).

I always recommend this car to everyone who has good budget. This is the ultimate car if you are looking Safety, comfort, toughness, looks. I have met with major accidents with 2 times. but this car saved me (not even a small cut on my body). Yes of course the car was obviously in bad shape but I was saved.

Please never hasitate to buy this lovely INDIAN car. It serves everything. for every purpose and every type of life. Normal office life, youth life, adventure etc.

I am now in melbourne and I have one dream of having my dicor here. Our this INDIAN car gives a big fight to every foreign models.I have driven Scorpio, Endevour and Tucson, but this one gives best of everything.I find its looks are best and everyone will surely look it twice if you ride on city roads. Black colour looks best on this car.

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I needed a reliable vehicle that would meet not just my daily requirements of an average city life, but would also cater to those major once-in-a-year flights of fancy I get, of long road trips - usually to destinations far and remote.

This was in mid-2006, when I had returned to India after a long stint overseas. I had no bias for any car in particular, as the sudden(to me, FOB) plethora of vehicles available on the Indian roads was an amazing change from what it used to be like not very many years ago(the long reign of the Fiat and Ambassador). So I began with a systematic checking-out of the cars I thought that I might be happy owning.

The first(and most dissapointing) was the Ford Endevour! I was actually quite put-off that the Ford motor company was trying to shove a 1970's(or so it seemed) model down the collective throats of the Indian consumer.under- powered, no music system(!) - basically none ot the little mod-cons that even the most basic Marutis or Hyundais offered! Even the spare-wheel cover was an "extra" for a whopping(or so I thought, at least) 19, 000/- bucks! The price of the car was no chicken feed, either.

I then checked out the Hyundai Tuscon - and immediately fell in love with it! The only reason I finally didn't go in for it was it's lack of "road presence" - purely a subjective POV, I agree.

Next was the Scorpio.despite all the jazz, it's designers had not been able to get over the basic jeep-like feel in the interiors. leg room was cramped for the front passenger, and nearly non-existent in the rear seats. The 4X4 version(which is what I wanted in the car I would buy) would take 4 months to deliver, the less- than-interested sales girl informed me.

Finally came the Safari.in years of olde, this car had gained the unfortunate reputation of being "junk". So it was a plesant surprise for me on being introduced to the latest DiCOR, VX 4X4. And it was an instant sale!

My dealer in Mysore, Urs Cars, had the model delivered before schedule!

My PD test drive was off road, at the base of Chamundi Hill. I put her through her paces.the sales guy in the rear seat nearly blew a valve through some of the more "precarious" parts of the test. The vehicle took it all in it's stride.

Points that were thrown up during that test drive, and right through my 3 years of driving this great car, were:

High sideways'rolling' motion.not good at high speeds!

A reluctance to come to a "grinding' halt, no matter how hard I pressed the pedal. Now that's something to do with the ABS system, which ensures that the car does not go into an uncontrolled skid on sudden application of the brakes. The experts go further by saying that while this gives a controlled and quick deceleration, the driver has time to maneuver the car safely away from the hazard, without having to worry about skidding. Good in theory, not so great practically(what if there is no room to maneuver?). With a kerb weight in excess of 2 tons, ones gotta keep this in mind while out on the highway!

The plastics and interiors are nothing less than shoddy! Dissapointing, but easy to overcome once one has really checked out all the other features of the car.

The ride is amazingly smooth.the car eats up the kilometers like its been born to. I hit 160 on a trip to Hyderabad and found out only when I casually glanced down at the speedo.she sat steady as a rock on the road at that speed, no vibrations, no steering jitter and none of that "lifting off the road" kind of feeling'lesser' cars have at those speeds.

Interiors are as roomy as one would want them.with foldable rear seats, there's very little this car wont take as luggage.

The milage is just ok, at 12 kmpl on the highways and 8.5 in the city.

The fourwheel drive is great. The car seems'unstoppable' under most terrain conditions. This quality was typified when, giving a lift to my JCB operator on the farm, I kind of reversed up a steep, slipper knoll in order to turn the car around. The guy's eyes widened in amazement and he blurted out that even his JCB would have found that particular maneuver hard going!

In the city she can be quite a'b' to maneuver and find parking for. It's got a huge turning radius, and can be quite embarrassing trying U turns in traffic. The reversing camera turned out to be more than just the gimick I initially thought it was. In most case, reversing this giant in akward spaces is easier than reversing even small cars, thanks to this gadget.

The two DVD screens in the back, while adequqte, are the least used of the cars bells and whistles. Unless one is a reall movie buff, the drive is better enjoyed looking out of the windows!

The music system has given me some problems.Blaupunkt can not seem to ever get it fixed!

All-in-all, a great car.have had NO major complaints over the three years of heavier-than-average use. The parts that have needed changing(which are very few) were all covered under the extended warranty. so have never really been out of pocket on this account. All(but one) of the authorised sevice centres I have been to have been simply amazing in their service.an eye for detail, prompt delivery, quick paperwork where required, and never anything less than pleasingly efficient.

If anyone is thinking of going in for the 2.2 VTT, go for it with eyes closed(so's you don't see the tacky plastics!) and you will enjoy miles of safe and speedy driving.

Ciao,

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After almost 2 years of uncertainity about which vehicle to buy I finally took the plunge and bought a Safari 2.2 VTT EX variant.Why Safari?My earlier car was a Mitsubishi lancer.

Roads in bangalore are pretty bad and also a lot of long drives usually takes a toll on sedans because of low ground clearance.Since I dont like my car getting scraped the only option I had was to buy an S.U.V.In India buying an imported S.U.V was much beyond my budget.

Hence the choices available were Safari, Scorpio and Innova.Innova is not an S.U.V but it is a good car.But the fact that I did not need a seating capacity of 7 people and that I wanted good looks too eliminated the innova.Also for a similar price the Safari EX 2.2 was more value for money.The Scorpio was test driven and I found that even on a normal road the vehicle felt like a ship in rough seas.

This does not inspire confidence.The Scorpio is slightly more refined than safari but it's poor handling and instability during turns and lack of comfort and front leg space which was half that of safari eliminated it.Safari is not a perfect vehicle.It has poorly finished plastics in some areas and panel gaps are not that uniform and vary from vehicle to vehicle.But one drive in this vehicle will blow you away and more than make up for these small issues.Now here are the advantages

1)Huge amount of space(Difference between an economy class and Business class in a flight)

2)One of the most comfortable vehicles available under 20 lakhs(Beats more expensive S.U.Vs on comfort).Feels like a magic carpet or air cushion.Similar to a volvo bus....

3)Good stability upto 140 kmph(Above that an S.U.V will not be safe barring the C.R.V which is not a proper S.U.V, and expensive cars like cayenne etc ) and much better than scorpio here.

4)Powerful A/c

5)Good fuel economy(I got 15kmpl on my first long drive and get slightly above 10 in city)

6)Turning radius is decent for it's size(Can be better).Scorpio is better here though.

7)Bad roads do not exist for the vehicle8)Easy to handle in the city(Depends on your driving skills.If you are beginner then it might be difficult to park).Scorpio is easier to handle in city.

9)Looks!!!!Though it is a decade old design it still looks good.The road presence is remarkable for an indian vehicle.It could put to shame a lot of expensive cars.

10)One of the best suspensions available11)A good engine churning 140 BHP.It is a huge change from earlier safaris.But engine refinement is slightly better in scorpio12)Interior looks are much better than scorpio...13)Good service network14)4 year warranty on every nut and bolt except battery and tyres!!!15)Excellent visibility

Cons1)Poor plastic quality2)Poor quality control(Every car will differ slightly)3)Size may be a slight issue with beginners.4)Comparing with scorpio some fancy features are missing like automatic vipers(good), cruise control(useless in India), tyre pressure monitoring(useful but can be fitted after market).

But overall the Safari 2.2 VTT is gem of a vehicle to carry you in style and comfort over the worst roads.Buy the car if you like long drives.A long drive in this car will make you fall in love with it.The feeling of driving a safari cannot be explained and can only be experienced.It makes you feel like a king sitting on a throne which moves or a recliner fitted with an engine and moves!!!

There might be small issues(came to know from owners) but nothing major.As for me the only issue faced was that one door lock was not opening properly.This was fixed during first service.The Safari is now selling in good numbers (almost half sales as innova) which is a positive sign that the market has accepted in when cars like civic sell in single digits.But before you buy do couple of test drives and make sure u love the vehicle completely.Reclaim your life!!!!!!!!!!!Waiting to get back to my Safari ....

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(I edited this article on 10th Oct 2009. Please read again)

I'm a proud owner of a Tata Safari 2.2 VTT Dicor since almost 1 year now. It's an amazing vehicle, but like all cars, has its own pros and cons. Let me get on the general experience first.

Buying the car was extremely easy. Bought it from Pandit Automotive in Pune. The dealer was extremely helpful and courteous. He took us for a test ride to Taljai hills(an area in Pune where the motocross is held). The monsoon gods had blessed Pune and the motocross track was completely muddy and slushy. The dealer engaged the 4 wheel drive and I had the best test drive of my life. It was amazing. The dealer even allowed a 2nd test ride after a couple of days.

Bought the top end diesel model, but without the 4 wheel drive. Initially, I was skeptical about whether I would be able to manouvre it in heavy Pune traffic. But, it took me only 2-3 days to get used to the vehicle and I have driven it in some of the most crowded and narrow streets Pune has to offer. It's a breeze to drive.

A month after getting the vehicle, a small creaking noise started coming from below the chassis. It came only after the vehicle was driven for about 10 to 15 kms. Took it to Pandit's service station inside Shahu College in Pune. They kept the vehicle and tried to investigate. After about a week, they said that they are unable to find the problem. I went in to visit also once and most of the stuff under the bonnet had come out. Pandit then called Tata Motors directly and an engineer from Tata directly came to inspect the vehicle. The engineer assured us that if that problem could not be solved, then Tata would give us a free replacement new Safari of the same type. This was an amazing gesture from Tata. However, after a week more of tinkering and the problem was solved. Apparently, some welding under the chassis was not done properly.

Anyways, I was back on the road with my gentle giant. I had gone in for a Safari because I frequently need to use it in off road / dirt track scenarios, which also get slushy during the monsoons. No other car is capable of handling such roads. However, Safari negotiates such roads with ease, including steep inclines on muddy dirt tracks. The ad campaign about reclaim your life is really true.

Anyways, here is a list of Pros and cons of the vehicle.

Pros:

Superb road handling

Very good fuel efficiency: I get 12 kmpl in the city and have got 16 kmpl on the highway

The rear view camera(comes only with the top end model) is an amazing accessory and extremely helpful when backing up(The stepney blocks a huge chunk of the rear windshield)

Aircon is extremely efficient. Even in almost 40 degrees heat, vehicle cooled pretty fast after being baked in the sun for a long time

Lot of boot space. Carry as much luggage as you want

Cons:

The gear shift lever in 1st, 3rd and 5th position blocks the CD player. It's extremely difficult to remove/insert CDs

The dashboard is not very luxurious looking, say compared to Honda CRV etc.

The electrical fuses fuse off often(happened when the vehicle was newer. Problem seems to have disappeared now). There are a few spare fuses provided and also a good map of which fuse to replace for which problem. It can be done without taking it to service station

The front seats arm rest position is not very ergonomic. It comes in the way when one tries to fasten the seat belt

Very strange problem - The factory fitted DVD player becomes possessed by a spirit when I shift into reverse gear. This happens whenever I'm tuned in to the radio. As soon as I shift into reverse, the radio transmission is nuked and all I hear is a steady static hiss. The service centre too could not fix the problem though it is reproducible 100% of the times

No lock for stepney / cover - The stepney fixed on the rear boot door has no lock and anyone can make away with it(Yes, it will fetch the thief a good Rs. 1, 000 to Rs. 3, 000 depending upon tyre condition). I solved this by locking the zipper using a manual key lock

Rear view mirror is not anti glare. Also, you cannot get one fitted(if you own the top of the line model) because the mirror comes with built in LCD display for rear view camera. Tough luck here!

Small noises(kich kich kich types) will always follow you wherever you go.

Rear two seats(in the boot) are completely useless. Cannot be used for long rides at all(Unless you are interested in busting up your spinal cord and having a sore ass)

Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with my Safari and my experience with Tata Motors. Also, if you are going in for the top of the line model, then I would suggest you go in for 4wd. It's an amazing feature to have for an extra moolah of just Rs. 30K. The 4wd can be selectively engaged

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Many who wear a tie to work everyday mostly live life under compulsion and are not meant for this vehicle. It is especially for those liberals who could wear a T-Shirt or a Jean to work and are still efficient at whatever he / she does.

Amazing is its new engine, which gives you that 16 wheeler feel to command but with a new found promptness. I am amazed to arrive at 14-15km/lt mileage on the highway cruising at 100-110 km/hr. It is fun to take it at 130km/hr but the steering tends to get light beyond that limit.

I miss having not bought a 4x4 Ex model, but my LX still quenches my thirst for little off-roads. I understand being home grown spares would not be too costly so anyone would not mind bouncing this companion around for the real play. Save me if traffic wardens warn me, but this vehicles on highway is fun even on traffic jams as you get to make your own road through corners and paddy fields.

Even in Delhi Traffic I am happier inside than my small car, as interior is spacious enough to let you enjoy the comfort of a living room with some soft music to stay composed while you look above other cars to judge how long to practice patience before you hit the accelerator. The Jump seats at the back are not meant for grannies neither for your sweet mother-in-law but is best for your young devil (3-15 yr old) to count cars you zoomed by on highways.

The middle seat is very comfortable and at par with front row seats; so at times one of us often jump to the back to get the feel of being chauffer driven around. I got myself OE fogs lamps fitted in the front and rear in my LX and it is blessing in fog and while driving in the highway at night. Got rear after market sensors, works good to reverse like a Maruti 800, I recall the 1st week I often got down to check before reversing.

They say as elections approaches keep your TATA SAFRAI under surveillance and tight security as often it assists politicians and party people to reach destination only seen once in 5 years during election. It is amazing at making roads between ‘sarso da saaag’ and taking loads with ease. True TATA lounge are not like other car lounges, so you may not be able to throw your weight around to patient looking poor souls called customer care executives. But they surely attend Safari owners with a difference, or maybe the Safari owners are different.

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Had purchased the Dicor 2.2 Lx Quartz Black with gr8 enthusiasm in November 2008. Till date the vehicle has done 14ks on the odo.But sorry to say, this vehicle nearly claimed my life three times within this year. The vehicle engine died down along with the the power steering & the brakes locking up in the months of May-08, Sept-08 & Oct-08. The first instance I was with my family, the second one with my friend & the third one, I was driving down alone frm Kolkata to Siliguri (Dist-600Kms). On all occasions I was above 80km/hr, but luckily there was thin traffic and was able to idle the car to a halt.The 1st two occasions required the veh to be at the service station for a week each.

For the last incident, i.e, 27 th Oct-08, the vehicle is still at the work shop. Apart frm these incidents, the vehicle has been to the workshop seperately four time for faults like the a.c & power windows malfunctioning, coolant leakage etc etc. The Tata authorities are going to replace the engine under warranty as they have been unable to detect the fault till date.

Please anybody considering to buy this vehicle, think twice b4 putting ur money on the Safari 2.2.You just never know when this vehicle will give up on u & trust me I know what happens when it does...If you need any suggestions or have faced similar problems, pls feel free to contact me...

Regards

Vikram

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