Tata Safari

Tata has revamped its premium SUV Safari recently. Now the car looks more premium than the previous version. Price for the base Smart variant starts at Rs.16.19 lakh and goes up to Rs.25.59 Lakh for the top end Accomplished+ 6S variant.

Safari is a bold looking vehicle from all sides. When come to the front, you can see the newly designed  radiator grille, Tata logo is prominently placed on the middle. Raised bonnet with long LED DRLs, Projector headlamps and fog lamps are provided. ADAS sensor is provided on the air dam. A skid plate like element provided on the car is elevating its SUV stance from the front.

It is a long vehicle, the 2741mm wheel base is evident from the sides. 19-inch alloy wheels  and roof rails  are the major attraction from the sides of this SUV. Blackened ORVMs are provided with LED turn indicators looks very premium. Safari badging on the front door and door handles are finished in chrome, looks good. Along with the thick shoulder line, the black cladding from the front bumper extending to the rear bumper making it a muscular SUV from sides. The design of the third row glass is itself a special one and is making the SUV a stylish vehicle from sides.

The long LED light bar passing through the tail gate, connecting both tail lamps is the major attraction at rear. Safari badging and Tata logo are prominently placed. High mounted stop lamp, shark fin antenna, rear spoiler and defogger with wiper are provided. The tail gate of the Safari is a powered one with gesture control. It has a boot capacity of 442 liters. The thick black bumper with the silver skid plate like elements are making the Safari a handsome SUV from rear.

The Tata Safari comes with a nice plush interior with three rows of seats for six/seven occupants. The middle captain seat and front seats are ventilated. Manual sun blinds are provided for second row passengers.

Driver seat and co-driver seats are powered seats where as the rear captain seats have manual adjustments only. Co-driver seat can be electrically move forward to find out more leg space by the left captain seat passenger.

Lot of storage spaces and mobile charging points are available inside the cabin of the Safari. You will get a cooled storage space under the front arm rest and two cup holders on the center console.

There are mobile charging points on the second and third row seats, apart from that the car is provided with a wireless mobile phone charger at the front console, is really a nice feature.

Tata Safari is a premium vehicle and can compete with any vehicle in its segment or a segment above. It has a very nice and well crafted dashboard with unique designs. Mood lighting provided inside the car makes the interior beautiful and luxurious at night.

The other premium thing is the leather wrapped 4-spoke flat bottom steering wheel with illuminated Tata logo. This is an electrically adjustable steering wheel with paddle shifters and having buttons or switches of  several other controls like radio-telephony, cruise control etc.

The SUV comes with Voice Assist Dual-Zone A/c and cabin air purifier. A/c vents are available even at the third row of the Safari, and the good thing is that, the third row passenger can also control the fan speed on that row, is really a convenient feature available with this car.

As in the Harrier the Safari is also provided with a state of the art 10 Speakers JBL music system with 13 JBL Audio modes. These JBL modes are a special of its kind in the industry, apart from the Safari, this feature is available only with the Harrier in the entire auto industry. 

The SUV comes with a large panoramic sun roof with mood lighting, can be operated by voice assist feature of the car is a nice and a premium feature of this car. Moreover this sun roof is making the car interior more airy and spacious.

Controls of this music system is housed in the 31.24 cm Harman Touch screen infotainment system. This tech loaded system houses the controls of several features of the car. 

This system can support wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Reverse parking camera and voice assist features are also configured with this system. Under this system you will get another touch screen display called, Ghost Display, for A/c controls and door lock/unlock functions.

The 26.03 cm digital instrument cluster of the car provides all the vehicle and drive related information like, tyre pressure, speed, door status, distance to empty, drive modes etc. to the driver. Moreover, the navigation can be accessed from this screen too.

Dimension

• Length(mm): 4668
• Width(mm): 1922
• Height(mm): 1795
• Wheelbase(mm): 2741
• Boot Space(mm): 420
• Tyre Size (inch): 17/18/19
• Spare Tyre(inch): 16
• Fuel Tank (Liter): 50

Engine Specification

Tata Safari is powered by a 2.0L KRYOTEC BS6 Ph 2 diesel engine, which produces the max.power of 170PS and 350Nm Torque, is paired with a 6-speed manual/automatic gear boxes.  Both the manual and automatic transmissions works well with this engine. The paddle shifters provided with the automatic variant is making the car a fun to drive machine.

Terrain response modes with LED display provided on the Safari is a useful feature while travelling through rough roads. Apart from this the car is provided with three drive modes like Eco, City and Sports. The engine response and dynamics changes according to the drive modes.

Important Figures

• Engine Power : 170PS@3750RPM
• Max.Torque: 350Nm@1750-2500RPM
• Engine Capacity: 1956cc, In Line 4 Cylinder
• Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/Automatc

Safety

Tata Safari is a tough and rugged SUV built on the legendary D8 platform of the Land Rover. The SUV has scored 5-Stars in both adult and child occupants safety in the crash tests conducted by the GNCAP and recently launched Bharat NCAP. 

It has provided with six air bags as standard and seven on higher variants. Apart from this the car is filled with several active and passive safety features including ADAS technology. Some of them are giving below..

• 7 Airbags ( Six in lower variants)
• All Wheel Disc Brakes
• ISOFIX
• Seatbelt Reminder for All 3 Rows
• Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
• Hill Hold Control
• Traction Control
• Roll Over Mitigation
• Corner Stability Control
• Brake Disc Wiping
• After Impact Braking
• Panic Brake Alert
• ABS with EBD
• Rear and Front Parking Sensors
• 360 Degree Camera
• Central Locking
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Rear Washer Wiper
• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go
• Autonomous Emergency Braking
• Blind Spot Detection
• Lane Departure Warning
• Forward Collision Warning
• Rear Collision Warning
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Traffic Sign Recognition
• High Beam Assist
• Auto Headlamps
• Rain Sensing Wipers
• Auto Dimming IRVM
• Driver Doze Off Alert
• Hill Descent Control
• Hill Hold Assist
• Rear Fog Lamp
• Connected Vehicle Technology with iRA 2.0
• Emergency Call and Breakdown Call Assist

In conclusion, the Safari is a well engineered SUV available with 6 and 7 seat configurations. It has a nice plush interior and very comfortable seating. The car is provided with a powerful diesel engine and also giving you the flexibility of opting the manual or automatic transmission variant. After all, the Safari is a 5-Star rated SUV by BNCAP and GNCAP in their respective crash tests. The top variant of the SUV comes with ADAS features too. Definitely you can consider the Safari if you are planning to buy a vehicle of this size and features.

As always, Drive safe & Happy Driving. 

Note: All images used in this blog has been taken from Manufacturer's website for presentation purpose

TATA HARRIER

Tata Motors recently has recently revamped their top selling premium SUV Harrier with new look and advanced technology features. Now the car looks smarter than the previous version. Price of the base-Smart variant of the Harrier starts at Rs.15.49 lakh and goes up to Rs.24.49 lakh Ex-showroom, for the top end Fearless+ variant.

The Harrier looks very bold and muscular from the front angle. Raised bonnet, big radiator grille and large air dam with silver accents are all contributing to this manly look of the Harrier. 

Apart from the muscular and manly look, the Harrier looks very handsome with its long LED DRLs and sequential LED turn indicators. Bi-LED Projector headlamps and fog lamps with cornering function are well placed on either side of the radiator grille and air dam, are making it a very premium and a stylish SUV.

Harrier is an SUV from the sides with its large 18-inch alloy wheels and thick wheel arches along with the muscular lines and creases provided on the doors and side panels. 2741mm wheelbase is very evident from the side view of the car. Door handles are in body colour. Black ORVMs with turn indicator looks premium. Roof rails and shark fin antenna are also provided on all variants.

Like the front, it is a bold looking SUV from the rear. The long LED light bar and tail lamps are elevating the look to a premium level. Rear defogger, spoiler, camera and rear wiper are provided. Electrically operated boot lid having gesture control function, it can be opened by waving the foot under the car. The boot has a storage capacity of 445liter.Unlike other SUVs and Hatchbacks that provides the spare wheel in the boot, in the Harrier it is located under the car, is ensuring a good cargo volume. Also, the cargo capacity can be enlarged by folding the 60:40 split seats.

The Harrier comes with a well-furnished and upmarket interior. It has a good, nice dashboard with 31.24cm touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. This system houses Alexa voice assist feature too.

A 28 cm driver infotainment system is provided on the car will support the onboard navigation and provides other vehicle related information like Distance to empty, Tyre pressure, Service reminder etc. 

The Harrier is provided with a nice flat bottom steering wheel with illuminated Tata logo on the middle. Radio telephony, cruise control and paddle shifters are also provided.

 

This steering wheel can be adjusted electrically for a suitable driving position. The Harrier comes with five speaker and four tweeters with a sub-woofer Harman Kardon music system, which can be controlled from the touchscreen infotainment system is a very premium one in the segment. It is also provided with sixteen JBL music modes-is a feature only available with the Harrier and Safari, is a unique and very first in the entire global automobile industry. 

The car is provided with a digital control unit under the infotainment system having the controls of dual zone A/c, car lock/unlock etc.

Seats of the car are very comfortable. Both front seats are ventilated. Driver and co-driver seats can be adjusted electrically. Driver seat have 6-way adjustment with memory function whereas the co-driver seat has 4-way adjustable functions. Both these front seats are ventilated. 

Back seats are also very comfortable for three passengers. Mobile charging points, A/c vents and manual sun blinds are also made available for rear passengers. The car is provided with bottle holders on all four doors and there are storage spaces on the center console and cooled storage space under the driver arm rest. For rear passengers, two cup holders are available on the rear seat arm rest.

Panoramic sunroof and mood lighting provided with the car is making the interior very premium.

Engine and gear box

The Harrier is provided with 1956cc Kryotec 2.0L Turbocharged diesel engine which produces 170PS@3750RPM, is paired with 6-speed manual and automatic transmission options. The engine works well with both transmission options and so it is very comfortable to drive in city and on highways. 

You can select the desired drive mode and terrain modes from the drive and terrain mode selectors provided on the center consol, is a very convenient feature.

Important Figures

• Max.Power (PS@rpm): 170 @ 350
• Max.Torque (Nm@rpm): 350@1750-2500
• Engine Type: Kryotec 2.0 L Turbocharged Engine
• Engine Capacity (cc): 1956
• Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/6-Speed Automatic
• Length (mm) x Width (mm) x Height (mm): 4605 x 1922 x 1718
• Wheelbase (mm): 2741
• Boot Space (Ltr): 445
• Seating Capacity: 05
• Fuel Tank Capacity (Ltr): 50

Safety

Harrier is the one of the safest vehicles and is one of the few Indian made vehicle which was scored 5 stars in Global NCAP test rating. The car comes with six airbags as standard across variants and seven in higher variants.

Recently it has scored 5 stars in Bharath NCAP for both adult and child occupancy safety. Apart from its strong body, the Harrier is loaded with lot of active and passive safety features, some of them are giving below.

• Six Airbags as Standard and Seven on higher variants
• Emergency Call/Brake Down Call Assistance
• Electronic Stability Control (ESP)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• ABS with EBD
• ISOFIX
• Central Locking
• Height Adjustable Seatbelts for Driver and Co-Driver
• Traction Control
• Corner Stability Control
• Adaptive Cruise Control (Available with AT variants)
• Autonomous Emergency Braking
• Forward Collision Warning
• Rear Collision Warning
• Traffic Sign Recognition
• High Beam Assist
• Lane Departure Warning
• Blind Spot Detection
• Lane Chage Alert
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Door Open Alert
• 360 Degree Camera
• Front & Rear Parking Assist
• Hill Descent Control
• Hill Hold Assist
• Roll Over Mitigation
• Rain Sensing Wipers
• Driver Doze Off Alert
• Panic Brake Alert
• After Impact Braking
• 3-Point Seatbelt with Reminder for All Seats etc..

In conclusion, the Harrier is the safest SUV now available in India which has scored 5-star safety rating in adult and child occupants' safety from both GNCAP and BNCAP. Moreover, it will lure you with its manly look and large road presence. It is safe, comfortable, fun to drive and a bold looking SUV. Harrier has everything that a customer deserves from a vehicle at its price range. Definitely you can consider the Harrier if you are in search of a vehicle of its class.

As always, Drive safe & Happy Driving. 

Note: All images used in this blog has been taken from Manufacturer's website for presentation purpose

Maruti Suzuki Jimny

Finally Maruti Suzuki has introduced its most awaited SUV into the Indian market. Even though its a new vehicle for we Indians, globally it is the fourth generation of the Jimny. It is available in two variants with manual and automatic transmission options and the price of the base variant Zeta-Manual of the Jimmy starts at Rs. 12.74 Lakh and goes up to Rs.15.05.lakh ex.showroom, for the top Alpha(Automatic) variant.

It is a male in all sense. Look at the powerful grille, tough looking bumper and wheel arches and round LED projector headlamps and fog lamps. The top variant of the Jimny is provided with headlamp washers too.

The Jimny is provided with 15 inch alloy wheels. Look at the design of the alloy, which truly evokes the purpose of the vehicle, it is a tough terrain cruiser.

From the sides, you can see the wide wheel arches with thick claddings on it. Spare wheel is provided on the back door of the Jimny. Roof mounted antenna is provided on the right part of the roof. Top Alpha variant is available in dual tone colour which looks good with this small SUV.

Tail lamps are provided on the bumper of the Jimny. The boot door opens to side as in the Gypsy. The vehicle having a very little boot area of 211 liter, which is very less or insufficient to accommodate the luggage of four people on long trips. But the boot space can be increased by folding the rear split seats, but that is possible only if there is no passengers at back seats.

When you step into the car, you will notice the new fresh interior of the Jimny. At the front you will get a clean dashboard with a 9 inch Maruti's Smart Play Pro+ infotainment system.

This system can support Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The ARKAMYS tuned 4-speaker music system and rear view camera are integrated with this system. The car is provided with a thin hard plastic dashboard, it gives a rugged look. Everything in this vehicle is crafted with the purpose of off-roading.

Switches of several controls like Hill decent and Tracion control are provided at the central panel. A 12 V charging socket is also provided there.  The leather wrapped steering wheel is provided on the car is equipped with switches of cruise control and audio controls. It is a very light and smooth steering wheel which feels so good and smooth even on the off-road conditions.

Seats provided in the Jimny are very wide and very comfortable. As per Maruti, these seats are shock absorbing seats and so the passengers can expect a very smooth ride even on the bad patch/rough roads. As it is a narrow vehicle it can accommodate only two people comfortably at the back seat. It is a perfect four seater SUV.

Driver seat height  can be adjusted manually. Thus you will get a very clear outside view from the driver seat of the Jimny, which is an ideal and a must have requirement for a 4X4 vehicle like this. 

Rear seats are also comes with two headrests, there are ample headroom and legroom. As at the front you will get excellent visibility from back seat too, thanks to the large glass windows. But you won't get an A/c vent at rear. Only two bottle holders are there, which is provided on the central console. Mobile charging points are not provided for rear passengers. 

When comes to the engine, the Jimny is provided with a 4-cylinder K15 B engine which produces the max.power of 104.8 PS@6000 rpm and max.torque of 134.2 Nm@4000 rpm. It is a very smooth and refined engine. 

This engine is mated with a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic gear box variants. Both  transmissions are well mated with the engine to offer a smooth driving experience. When come to the manual transmission, the gear throws are little longer than usually we find in Maruti vehicles, but it offers very smooth gear shifts. As it is a 4X4 vehicle you will find a small gear lever with 4 Low and 4High options, which works well at off-roading and rough and slippery  road conditions.

While considering the dimensions of the Jimny, as it is a proper SUV with 4X4 set up, we have to consider its ground clearance first. The Jimny having a ground clearance of 210mm which is very good figure for an off-roader. More details are given below...

Dimensions & Other Figures

• Length (Spare Wheel with Cover): 3985mm
• Width: 1645mm
• Height: 1720mm
• Wheelbase: 2590mm
• Ground Clearance: 210mm
• Gross Vehicle Weight: 1545Kg.
• Seating Capacity: 04
• Boot Space: 211 Liters
• Minimum Turning Radius: 5.7m
• Approach Angle: 36 Degree
• Departure Angle: 47 Degree
• Ramp Breakover Angle: 24 Degree
• Fuel Tank Capacity: 40Liters

At the safety front, it is provided with several safety features which includes,Hill hold assist, Hill descent control, Six Airbags,

Rear parking sensors, ABS, EBD,ESP, Brake Assist, Rear View Camera, Side Impact Door Beams,, Engine immobiliser, Fog lamps, Brake Limited Slip Differential, Front & Rear Wiper+Washer,Back Door Defogger, ISOFIX Child seat Anchorage etc.

To conclude, the Jimny is a nice and compact 5-Door SUV and it is the only vehicle that we can call as a proper SUV with 4X4 function in its price segment. After all it is from the house of Maruti, which promises a low maintenance cost and best after sales support. Definitely  you can consider the Jimny if you are in search of an off-roader, it is going to be a budget friendly long lasting SUV for you.

As always, Drive safe & Happy Driving. 

Note: All images used in this blog has been taken from Manufacturer's website for presentation purpose.

Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep Grand Cherokee is a stylish, powerful and a well built SUV. It is available only in one variant and having a price tag of Rs.77.50 Lakh exshowroom.

It looks really bold from the front. The bold 7-slot grille and larg bumper with airdam are giving it a tough look. LED Headlights and DRLs are provided.

When come to the sides of the Cherokee, you will notice how long it is, it is a long vehicle with 4,914mm length. 20 inch alloy wheels are provided. Jeep Grand Cherokee badging are provided on both sides. ORVMs are in black colour and turn indicators are provided on them. Roof rails provided on the Cherokee is enhancing its size from sides.

The rear portion of the car looks very nice with its LED tail lamps and simple design. Rear spoiler,wiper and a sharkfin antenna are provided. The tailgate is provided on the Cherokee is a powered tailgate and so you can open and close it with a push of a button. It has a boot space of 1076 liters, is a decent figure.

The Grand Cherokee comes with a very premium interior. You can feel the quality at every touch points. It comes with a very beautifully laid dashboard with a 10.1 inch touch screen system, beautiful A/c vents and a touch screen system for the front passenger (which comes as optional). 

The 10.1 inch touch screen system is also integrated with 360-Degree camera. This system can support Android Auto and AppleCarplay. 9 speaker Alpine music system is also integrated with this system. This high end music system with nine speakers and sub-woofer provides excellent sound quality.

Also you get a 10.6 inch digital display at the driver side. Heads-up display with navigation is also available with Cherokee.

The IRVM provided in the Cherokee is a special one. It is an auto-dimming digital display, which is a cool and premium feature available with this SUV.

Grand Cherokee is provided with well cushioned leather seats.Front seats of the Cherokee are excellent. These are very comfortable seats. Both the seats can be adjusted electrically. Front seats are ventilated, so having both heat and cool function where as the rear seats are provided with heating function only. Also you can opt heating function for the steering wheel too.

There are lot of storage spaces inside the cabin. Bottle holders are provided on all four doors. Wireless charging facility is provided at the front. Also you get USB type A and C charging points at front and back. A 3-pin charging point is also provided for the rear passengers. This vehicle is available with 2- Zone A/c, which is a nice feature and its controls are made available to the rear passengers too.

As it is a long car and so there is no complaint about the space inside the cabin. It has a wheelbase of 2,964mm which makes the vehicle very spacious and giving a good ride comfort. The large sunroof provided on Cherokee makes it more airy inside.

At the driving department, it is a powerful machine. First of all its steering, it has a beautiful steering wheel wrapped in leather, having Tilt & Telescopic adjustments and are provided with cruise control and audio control switches.

The Cherokee comes with 1995cc four cylinder Turbo petrol engine, which produces 268bhp power and 400nm torque. The Cherokee comes with an 8 speed automatic gear box. Gear selector rotary knob is provided at the center console. 

Cherokee is also provided with four drive modes namely, Sand/Mud, Snow, Auto and Sport. Moreover, the SUV is equipped with paddle shifters, to make the drive more engaging. It is a proper 4X4 SUV.

The visibility from the SUV is excellent and is very helpful while driving in the city or doing some fun with off-roading. The ride comfort at the rear seat is also good, you will get a good amount of head room and legroom at the back. You can travel and feel the comfort of a sedan in these seats, but can expect some amount of body roll on tight curves or on rough roads, which is quiet natural with this kind of SUVs because of their high ground clearance.

Important Figures

• Length: 4914mm
• Width: 1979mm
• Kerb weight: 2097mm
• Wheelbase: 2964mm
• Ground Clearance: 215mm
• Engine Displacement: 1995cc Turbo
• Max.Power: 268.27bhp@5200rpm
• Max.Torque: 400nm@3000rpm
• Transmission : 8 speed automatic
• Seating capacity: 05Nos.
• Boot space: 1,076 Liters
• Fuel Tank: 87.Liter
• No. Of Airbags: 08 Nos.

At the safety front, you will feel the safety while inside in its tough shell.This tough built SUV comes with lot of active and passive safety features, some of them are given below.

ABS with EBD, Brake Assist, Hill start assist, front and rear fog lamps, 8 Airbags, TPMS, Front & Rear camera, Rear view auto-dim digital display mirror, Rain sensing wiper, Rear window defogger, Car loactor, Automatic SOS call, Pedestrian/Cyclist emergency braking, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & go, Blind spot and Cross path detection, Driver drowsiness detection, Active lane management system etc.

To conclude, the Grand Cherokee is a nice well built luxury SUV which can cocoon its occupants like a luxury sedan and can tackle any terrain with ease with its practical off-road capabilities. This dual character makes it a perfect allrounder in its segment. Definitely you can consider this vehicle if you are in search of a luxury SUV of its budget.

As always, Happy Driving.

Note:All images used in this blog has been taken from Manufacturer's website for presentation purpose.