Tata Safari Storme review, test drive

The biggest step up over the old car is the way the Safari behaves on the road. It’s genuinely among the best-riding SUVs we’ve driven. The combination of its pliant, tall springs and stiff chassis delivers a ride quality that is so absorbent and silent, it gives you the confidence to drive over ruts and potholes without scaling back the pace much.

The slow steering offers very little feedback, the body rolls quite a bit, and it simply doesn’t feel agile. Even in the city, the Storme isn’t the most nimble SUV to drive. You always feel its girth and the slow steering, combined with the large turning circle, is not the most ideal for tackling heavy traffic. What does help, though, is that the traditional Safari strengths of a low window line, the big windscreen and the high seats give you a bird’s eye view out.

Off the road, the Storme gets all the four-wheel-drive hardware (low ratios, limited-slip differential) you need to tackle the toughest of terrain.