Tata Safari – Is It The Indian Land Rover?

Ever heard about the Tata Safari? It is the first SUV that was designed and developed entirely in India. The Safari went on sale in 1998, since then there haven't been many changes to the styling of the vehicle.Tata Motors changed the engines, bringing in better powertrains over a period of time. The Safari has managed to create a cult following and still sells in-spite of its dated styling. The first generation Safari used the engine from Tata's truck line-up (Tata 407 truck). So what is the Tata Safari all about? The Tata Safari is an SUV, which is based on a body-on-frame layout. The first generation model was too heavy and suffered from high body-roll. The second generation model has been revealed in India (not yet on sale though), and has drastic improvements. The design remains more or less the same but some styling cues have been borrowed from Land Rover. Called the Safari Storme, it borrows its elder sibling's, the Aria's X2 platform, which is made of hydro-formed chassis sections. The vehicle also features dual-mass fly-wheel and has been made to comply with EuroNCAP norms, so you can expect to buy one in the near future. The Tata Safari has good amount of interior room. The vehicle will seat 5 in comfort, but the last row of seats are best for children. The interiors have vastly improved too (in terms of quality) but the dashboard layout is not to everyone's taste. Power comes in from a 2.2-litre DiCOR diesel engine which is equipped with VTT (Variable Turbine Technology). This engine has been developed in collaboration with engine experts AVL and produces 140 BHP of power output at 4000 RPM, along with 320 Nm of torque at 1700 RPM. The engine is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The Tata Safari competes with the Mahindra XUV500 (a vehicle which we reviewed earlier, you can find the story here). It costs around $20,000 (at today's exchange rates,) its standard features include alloy wheels, reversing camera, ABS, front airbags, DVD system, LCD screen, climate control, leather seats, electronic shift on the fly 4-wheel drive, etc. The Safari has a tremendous fan following in India and the brand name itself is strong enough to attract many to buy one. Faisal Ali Khan is the owner/operator of MotorBeam.com, a website covering the auto industry of India. from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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