RETURN OF THE LEGEND CALLED TATA SAFARI

It’s not for the first time that Tata Motors has come out with a 7-seater SUV. The examples are many, including Sumo, Aria and Hexa. But there’s one name that strikes a much stronger chord with enthusiasts all over the country—the Safari. The car was last seen on sale in the country and now it has made a comeback as a 7-seater version of the Harrier SUV. Earlier this week Tata launched the car in the market, and I had a chance to sample it a few weeks prior to that.

LOOKS

Yes, this is the XL form of the Harrier if we can call it that, but there are many differences between the two cars. The face is similar but there are elements that give this one a distinct identity. The grille with tri-arrow pattern is different and unlike the Harrier which gets black skid plates, this one gets them in silver colour. The car is longer than the Harrier but crucially the wheelbase remains the same. It also gets 18-inch wheels which are a size bigger than the Harrier. It is towards the rear that the car reminds you more of the earlier Safari with the stepped-up roof, roof rails and the side cap. The tailgate is also refreshing and there’s no way you can mistake the Safari with the Harrier while looking at it from behind.

INTERIORS

The Cabin gets a new Oyster white theme while many design elements do remind you of the Harrier. The 8.8-inch touchscreen system is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while it also gets voice recognition. The Safari is also a connected car with Tata’s Intelligent Real Time Assist or iRA connected car tech finding a place on the SUV. The top XZ variant of the SUV features a 9-speaker JBL system, leatherette upholstery, 7-inch TFT display instrument cluster, electrically adjustable driver seat and an electronic parking brake which wasn’t seen on the Harrier. The second row is a good place to be in especially with the captain seats and a large panoramic sunroof. You can also push forward the front passenger seat by pulling a lever while sitting here. The access to the third row is not as seamless what surprises you is the amount of space on offer. The overhangs on the exterior have helped. If you fold down the third row then 750 litres of boot space is on offer.

ADVENTURE PERSONA

At the launch of the car, Tata Motors also introduced an ‘Adventure’ persona variant of the car which will come with black tinted charcoal grey machined alloys, a piano black finish in its grille, roof rails inserted along with a Safari mascot placement on the bonnet. On the interiors, it gets earthy brown interiors, dark chrome interior accents on air vents, knobs, switches, inner door handles and instrument cluster along with a piano black interior pack on steering wheel, grab handles, floor console frame and IP mid pad finisher.

ENGINE

The engine is the same as seen on the Harrier. Unlike a few of its recent cars the company is offering the automatic right from the word go. But there’s no Petrol engine on offer here and unlike the previous Safari there’s no 4×4 option available as well. The Automatic certainly gives a better, more refined drive experience as the manual shifts still can get smoother. However, the car does get 3 driving modes which are called Eco, City and Sport and the dynamics of the car change quite a bit with the change in these modes.

RIDE & HANDLING

The Safari, like the Harrier, is built on the Land Rover D8 platform derived Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture or OMEGARC. That means it has in it to take on the tough terrains. The brilliant ride quality was a highlight on the Harrier and that is exactly the case on the Safari as well. The car feels sturdy and gives the occupants great confidence. Yes, there’s some body roll but the dimensions explain that. And this may not be a 4×4 but the electronic stability program gets rough road and wet modes to give you more traction in tricky situations.

VERDICT

The Safari has become even more versatile than it ever was, and the only missing checkbox is perhaps all-wheel drive capabilities. It is an attractive-looking car which gets an inviting cabin. And yes, the Automatic is certainly going to pull a lot more people to a Tata dealership. The SUV starts at Rs. 14.69 lakh (ex-showroom) and goes up to Rs. 21.45 lakh for the top variant and that range also might just get a lot more buyers interested.