The next-big launch from the Tata Motors will be the Land Rover inspired new Tata Safari Strome that was unveiled earlier this-year at the 2012 Delhi Auto Show held at New Delhi. Now our good friend at IndianAutosBlog has spotted the Tata Safari Storme at some Tata Motors dealer without any camouflage. However, we are unsure if it’s a test-mule or this SUV have started shipping to dealers.
The Tata Safari Storme looks visually identical to its previous generation. Might be Tata Motors is hoping to hold the loyal buyers of Safari who like its current styling and they have decided not to play much with its basic design but looking at the new competitors, it doesn’t mange to impress you instantly, it will take you time to accept the new changes. The shape and size of the new car has not changed much. One can easily figure out that it’s a Safari.
On the outside, the changes include the square shaped headlights have been replaced with more angular and edgy projector headlights. The side of the car looks pretty similar to the outgoing model though the different side claddings are give aways of the new car. Styling changes to the rear include a new tail gate with the spare wheel now mounted under the body. A thick horizontal strip above the repositioned number plate is a noteworthy and also the dual chrome tipped exhausts complete the rear redesign.
On the inside, it features high quality of fabrics and plastics compared to the current Safari. The car feels much better than Scorpio but loses out to XUV 500 which feels a class apart from inside. The four spoke steering wheel and gear knob makes their way from the Aria and comes wrapped in leather. Its instrument dials are easily readable with white background light. Some of the buttons and plastic feels even better than Aria and we are sure this time it won’t be criticize much for its quality of interiors.
Other than the cosmetic bits, the new Safari shares its platform with its elder sibling Aria which is lighter and well-built than its earlier chassis. Under the hood, the engine remains unchanged it is the same 2.2-litre DICOR unit which produces 140 PS of peak power at 4000 RPM and 320 Nm of torque at 1700 RPM, with a variable geometry turbocharge. However, Tata will tweak this engine especially for this new SUV to make it more responsive and fun to drive. The power and torque output of this engine remains the same.
This new vehicle is expected to be placed in between the current-generation of Safari and their flagship model Aria. Therefore, it will be more expensive than Scorpio and will dare to challenge Mahindra XUV500. It is expected that the price range might start from Rs. 12 lakh, but that don’t make any sense because the XUV500 is a generation ahead of Safari Storme in terms of styling and features.
We think Tata Motors has taken a very long time to reveal this new car and after seeing the XUV500, we are afraid how people many will choose for this car. It’s hard to conclude for now as this car is yet to be launched but one thing is for sure, if Tata Motors wants to survive with this car, they will have to offer it at a killer price. But if it could have been launched before XUV500 then its percentage of success would have been much higher than now.
Also see – Tata Safari Storme scheduled to launch in April 2012
Source – IndianAutoBlog
