Tata Safari Storme Review & Pictures

[nakash13]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

If you are looking at LX go ahead and buy it now.If VX[top end], it is worth a wait.

Thanks manojodungat.
As we planning to book VX 4*2 Urban Bronze tomorrow.

 

[Gurrala74]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

From July 2010 i am waiting to book Safari.
That time come to know about safari merlin-Storme. Thanks to TAI.
Now this News.



Do i wait to take delivery of advance version of Storme in 2013 diwali?

Nakash,

It is just a base less speculation and nothing more !! It will be mid 2013 I hope by the time the present Storm will be launched across India, so how some upgrade come so soon

 

[nakash13]

Boss this are speculations . This are just media reports . And if this upgraded version comes it will be expensive too . If you have no immediate need for a car wait till they come with a upgraded version . and if not go and buy it now .

And +100 to Manoj his advice seems perfect because anyway all the bells and whistles if they come will come in top end version only mostly . So if your budget is 15-17 L wait and see .

Thank you Raja.
Now depends on my family.

Nakash,

It is just a base less speculation and nothing more !! It will be mid 2013 I hope by the time the present Storm will be launched across India, so how some upgrade come so soon

Now i am confused.My heart says wait till Sep 2013.

 

[Raja]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Now i am confused.My heart says wait till Sep 2013.

Your heart says wait then please wait . Wait till September 2013 and see what happens . Think over it and take a desicion all the best and let us know what you decide

 

[dharmesh]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Now i am confused.My heart says wait till Sep 2013.

I would say , go for it now. These are just speculations and there is no concrete information or press release from TATA Motors. And who knows, they might take ages to launch the Storme with new features as they did with original launch of Storme. It is always mind boggling decision.
When we buy mobile also, there is always a new mobile with better spec launching sooner.
But the question is

1. How long one should wait?
2. Can you have enough patience and handle the frustration?
3. What if the launch takes much longer than expected?

So it is better to go with what we have today. And Storme is not launched across India yet. It will take them atleast till feb-march 2013 to do that, and do you think in matter of few months they can come with new features, dashboard and that also niggle free? I dont think they will take that risk.

 

[autosafari]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Excellent report Iron Rock.

That was a brilliant effort and nicely written balanced review.

Its a fivestar thread and also deserve loads of reputation points.

A request to fellow TAIns

The Thread for assumptions, imaginations (and then bashing and fighting based on assumptions) is closed.

So we should have a healthy discussion here about Storme (+ and -) and our discussion should be anchored around this wonderful review by Iron Rock. This thread and IR's fine review demand such a treatment.


By the way, Storme is by no means mediocre and IR's words are the testimony for us.

The engine is extremely refined in the segment with class leading NVH levels, there is hardly any turbo lag felt even in the 4x4 version (compared to the Aria which feels sluggish at lower revs). Yes, but the gearbox needs to be worked upon to stay in the rev range. No more shoulder strength required for gear shifting either.

..it would be very difficult to stall the Storme even for an inexperienced driver.

The gear shifts are nice and short, no long throws and gear lever looks classy. No vibrations in the gear at cruising speeds.

..This is not a sprinter though but more of a cruiser. It cruises 100 Kmph at a leisurely 2200 RPM in the 5th gear.

The clutch is amongst the lightest in its segment, this will be fatigue free in city driving, clutch response is good, more so, due to the torquey nature of the engine.

Braking is extremely good with discs all around.

Brake feedback is nice as well. In our braking tests, we confirmed the ABS (coupled with EBD) worked perfectly fine in emergency braking situations, unlike claimed in elsewhere earlier.


Even though the vehicle we had hardly run in, it was smooth and felt refined. New Safari has taken the NVH and engine refinement a notch up above the competition.

It will be a good long distance cruiser and equally grunty and torquey for offroad needs. Undoubtedly, with more miles on clock it would feel even smoother.

​

Ride Quality is the biggest USP of this vehicle. Quite simply the suspension soaks up everything that you can throw at it, our test review specifically covered all types of roads from concrete express ways, tar highways, semi laid roads, off-road farm tracks, no roads, loose muddy trails and err a dry river bed as well. Big potholes are most welcome when you are in a Safari.

No more pitching and bouncing and bobbing around. The suspension behavior is immaculate at all speeds, indeed the best SUV ride.

There are no after effects after passing through pot hole at good speed, the vehicle stays where it’s meant to be, and front doesn’t bounce awkwardly.
It’s one of the best suspension setups for an indigenous vehicle.

Yes the Safari Storme has just become nimble and easy to navigate in tight city situations.

Overall, the ride quality, suspension setup, the ability to soak up the worst of off-road potholes and the best of city speed breakers gives the Safari a real edge among competition. In this department it could easily put to shame many cars even in the Rs.25 Lakh range.

In terms of safety, Tata has done a brilliant job by keeping ABS with EBD standard across all models; hope all manufacturers in India across segments adopt this approach.

Side impact bars, crumple zones, engine immobilizer, child locks and audio warnings around seat belt / headlamp on are standard across all variants.
Note that intermittent seat belt warning remains on beyond 20kmph.

The light clutch, all disc braking and near zero turbo lag with a short turning radius make it a joy to own and drive.

The suspension by far is its biggest strength, its ability to take the rough with the smooth and at the same time being an effortless highway cruiser gives it an edge.

However, Tata needs to really think harder in areas like design and features and go all out, especially in the wake of intense competition.

Likes:

• Brilliant suspension setup for all kind of terrain.

• Refined VariCor heart with excellent NVH levels.

• The best Safari till date based on the X2 chassis.

• Strong road presence and fantastic comfort in the first 2 rows.

• 4x4 ESOF with limited slip differential and low ratios giving it a go anywhere credentials.

• Light Clutch, effective all round disc brakes and adequate handling for a BOF (Body on frame).

Dislikes:

• Pricing of the EX and VX models could have been better.

• Dated design, bland interiors and ergonomics that gives a perception of being a mere facelift.

• Fit and Finish, quality at places could be better, squeaks and rattles needs eliminating, long term reliability needs proving.

• No cruise control, climate control, MID. Missing Dual DIN and deprecating features like reverse camera and DVD Player is baffling.

• Lack of a front facing third row (its a question of internal space management and packaging). 3rd Row jump seats are ineffective and practically useless.

Note: Pajero Sport is coming with a basic stereo and no touch screen or bluetooth. No cruise control or stability control.
Fortuner came without any features (no cruise control, basic ICE and remined like that for three years)

That do not mean that Storme should imitate them in marketing foolishness. Rather they should learn that Pajero is not selling and Fortuner is selling only because of the other T.

 

[tornado78]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Medicore Performance:
Now what is the benchmark Figure of SUV Segment under 10L or may be you can say 15L

Ride Quality: What is the benchmark or which car you can consider as benchmark under 15L

Fuel Economy: Please Benchmark Figure for a vehicle under 15L

Looks: Pure Subjective, when people can appreciate quanto or xylo (ugly ducklings)

Brand: Thats perception, tata image from begining is of Taxi and low cost budget cars, Safari people buys purely on looks and its middle seat and superb ride quality. TML failed to do the pricing right for Aria from Day one and for information the base 4x4 pleasure was launched at Rs 12.91L (approx) in 2010which makes it around 15L. so it was not a mere 10L category at the time of recovering economy after the major slump.

My Benchmark vehicles are:

Performance: XUV for 13. some seconds from 0-100 kmph and storme 14.92 are not very far. Remember 250 kgs of extra weight (but not to be consider as an excuse).

Ride Quality: Aria and Aria and Aria no other vehicle is near to this vehicle ride quality, seocnd is Storme.

Handling: Duster than XUV than Aria and than Storme (not very far as this LOF not mono)

Fuel Efficency: Duster, XUV and than Storme (not very far from 15kmpl of xuv to 14 kmpl of storme)

Price: Lx 4x2 is cheaper than Duster 110 and has almost equal equipments and has 2 more child seats.

 

[manojodungat]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

BTW.Guys is there any update on the Kerala launch.

I haven't come across any news about it, even in mallu news sites. Is it that some dealers received some Demo vehicles and a grand launch is yet to happen?

Vichu any update buddy?

 

[jayadev]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Now i am confused.My heart says wait till Sep 2013.

If I were you I would wait.
It is Tata and all the odds indicates that somebody somewhere realized his/her folly. they may reduce the price or upgrade with better features soon enough.

I have been witness to this since last 3 year considering any of their cars or variants. eg.Indica Vista,which became Manza like in very short period and is quite cheaper too comparatively.

 

[Tornado]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Tata has seriously tried to keep the prices under control almost near the Dicor Safari. So 'half cooked ' type remarks are expected. But the design is really nicely cooked for that pricebracket.

Now , concerned fellow TAIn needs to elaborate on ' confused design' so as to discuss it further.

The rumour , you heard about the upgrade , if it turns out be a news, I will be happiest person.But same critics will start bashing the storme for its upgraded price bracket forgetting about the fully cooked , non confused design.

 

[Theferrarifan]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Now hows the design confused? In real it looks elegant and bold. A confused design is of the XUV. Not hating, just an opinion.

 

[anoopbv]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

I think it is time for another round of thread cleanup from the mods..and this is my first post :(

Well, I have been going through these safari threads for some time. People have this habit of blaming TATA for everything. The same mistakes from other manufacturers go unmentioned. Give it a break guys. Lets atleast hold on to the thrashing till Storme actually starts failing :). I hope that doesn't happen!

 

[jayadev]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

The rumour , you heard about the upgrade , if it turns out be a news, I will be happiest person.But same critics will start bashing the storme for its upgraded price bracket forgetting about the fully cooked , non confused design.

Maybe the manufacturer have some Idea about thier product but we poor beings are utterly confused .sure.


Can you explain me what is a Safari storme and a Safari. are both of them different SUV or different segment or an upgrade or something unheard of?

In case if any of the above why is it both are being sold side by side on shelf (I noticed in Tata website)

If base version is not a 4x4 but a people mover,what is the purpose of those jump seats?
IMO Now in said base version Storme territory, Aria also joined with huge price cuts, what is this called?

I expected this Premium Flagship SUV at least with a GPS,a simple tool for off-roaders, I would have ignored Tom cruise and touchscreen.Nuff said

 

[TSIVipul]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Whenever someone compares the Storme with Fortuner I am like at least it should be seen what is being compared to what. If there is anything like 'overall product' then comparing Storme to Fortuner is a sheer insult of Fortuner. While I personally found XUV far better performing UV as compared to Storme, in fact as an overall product too(at least for me).

 

[dharmesh]

Re: Tata Safari Storme Road Test Review

Whenever someone compares the Storme with Fortuner I am like at least it should be seen what is being compared to what. If there is anything like 'overall product' then comparing Storme to Fortuner is a sheer insult of Fortuner. While I personally found XUV far better performing UV as compared to Storme, in fact as an overall product too(at least for me).

Who is comparing Storme to Fortuner, in which post? No need to bang your head. Storme is being compared with Scorpio and Duster(here I will ). For me XUV have created it's own market and Storme has long way before it can catch up with XUV in terms of sales number. So my request was and also now is that please can we have fruitful debate or pros and cons of Storme. And yes comparison with other cars, no one can avoid it.