The much anticipated, all-new Tata Safari has been launched in India, with introductory prices starting at Rs 14.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Tata had begun accepting bookings for its new flagship SUV earlier this month, with the booking amount set at Rs 30,000.
- The Safari shares its platform with the Harrier, though it is longer and taller.
- It comes with a 170hp, 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine.
- It is offered in 7 trim levels - XE, XM, XT, XT+, XZ, XZ+ and Adventure Edition.
Tata has also introduced a Safari Adventure Edition priced from Rs 20.20 lakh, which adds a number of cosmetic changes inside and out, including an exclusive new blue colour called Tropical Mist. The 18-inch alloy wheels get a blacked-out look, as do the triangluar element on the front grille and the roof rails. The interior gets a brown and white finish, rather than the standard model's black and white one.
*Tata Safari Adventure Edition and Tata Harrier Dark, Camo and Dual-Tone editions not included.
New Tata Safari design and platform
While the second-gen Tata Safari shares its Omega Arc platform with the smaller Harrier SUV, it is 63mm longer and 80mm taller than the Harrier (to accommodate the extra row of seats). The Safari also has some commonalities with the Harrier in terms of its design, as the front end of the two SUVs are quite similar. However, when viewed from the side and rear (from the C-pillar onwards), the Safari differentiates itself with its larger rear overhang and stepped roof design.
Other design changes include the roof rails with silver inserts carrying the Safari inscription, a large rear-quarter glass (for third row occupants) and a more upright rear section, with a new tailgate and revised tail-lights.
New Tata Safari engine gearbox
Under the hood, the new Tata Safari features the same 2.0-litre Kryotec turbo-diesel engine producing 170hp and 350Nm as in the Harrier. Gearbox options are also the same as the Harrier, as Tata offers both the 6-speed manual and 6-speed torque convertor automatic with the Safari.
The new Safari uses the Land Rover-derived Omega architecture, which is designed to incorporate a four-wheel-drive system and even electrification solutions. This means a 4x4 variant of the new Safari could join the line-up at a later date.
New Tata Safari interiors
On the inside, the biggest talking point is the three rows of seats offered with the new Safari. As we previously reported, the second-gen SUV comes with both 6-seat and a 7-seat layout, with the former getting a bench-seat setup in the middle row and the latter getting captain’s seats. However, the 6-seat option is only available on the top-spec XZ+ variant.
The interior also features a new black and beige interior theme, giving it a more upmarket appearance. Though, besides the new theme, the rest of the interior design and layout is very similar to the Harrier.
Coming to the equipment on offer, the top-spec Safari XZ+ trim is very well kitted as it gets 6 airbags, terrain response modes, 18-inch alloy wheels, xenon HID headlights, a panoramic sunroof, an electronic parking brake, an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with iRA connected car tech, a 9-speaker JBL audio system, a 7.0-inch digital display in the instrument cluster and much more.
New Tata Safari rivals
In terms of competition, the 2021 Tata Safari will take on other 7-seat models such as the MG Hector Plus and the current-gen Mahindra XUV500. It’s worth mentioning that later in the year, the segment will heat up with the arrival of the next-gen Mahindra XUV500, as well as Hyundai’s new 7-seat Creta-based SUV.
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