Tata Motors has unveiled the much-awaited all-new Safari SUV in the Indian market. The bookings of the SUV will start from February 4, 2021. The booking amount will be announced within a couple of days.
The company has announced that the SUV will be launched sometime in the next month itself. Once launched, the new Safari will become the brand’s new flagship model.
It is offered in a host of variants with multiple seating configurations: XE, XM, XT, XT+, XZ & XZ+. The SUV will be available in a host of colours including Royale Blue, Grey and White. More shades will be revealed at the time of launch. The company first showcased the new Safari, which was called the Gravitas at the 2020 Auto Expo last year.
It is essentially a three-row-seat version of the Harrier SUV. As a result, many design and features are shared between both models. The company has given the new Safari a few design changes to tell it apart from the outside. This includes the new tri-arrow mesh grille finished in chrome, flared wheel arches, and larger overhangs.
However, the Safari features the same split-syle headlamp design used on the Harrier SUV with more use of chrome. At the rear, the all-new SUV features a new design to tell it apart from the Harrier SUV. This includes revised and blacked-out tail lamps, a ‘SAFARI’ moniker that is finished in chrome and placed at the bottom of the boot-lid, and a new rear bumper; among others.
The side profile of the SUV features a quarter glass panel with integrated roof rails that looks reminiscent of the older Safari models. The Safari features the 18-inch alloy wheels with the same design as seen on the Harrier SUV. It also gets blacked-out ORVMs. It features new leatherette seat upholstery, beige interiors, an electronic parking brake, rear air-con vents with controls, USB charging slots for rear-seat passengers and more.
The Safari is offered in six and seven-seat configurations. The middle row will be either offered with captain seats or a bench seat, respectively. The bench seat will have a 60:40 split for easy access to the third-row seat. However, most of its features and layout are similar to the ones seen on the Harrier SUV.
This includes the same 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a semi-digital instrument cluster, panoramic sunroof and a premium sound system from JBL; among others. Tata Motors has updated the infotainment to support the iRA connected technology that supports English, Hindi and Hinglish language with over 70 voice commands.
Mechanically, the Tata Safari will be powered by the same engine as the one seen on the Harrier SUV. This includes the 2.0-litre diesel engine producing a maximum of 168bhp and a peak torque of 350Nm.
The engine could be offered with either a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. Tata Motors has also upgraded the braking package on the SUV from the ones seen on the Harrier. The Safari features disc brakes on all four wheels to handle the additional weight.
The Safari also carries forward all the safety features from the Harrier SUV. The company has added a few more safety features such as a tyre pressure monitoring system, auto-dimming IRVM and more.
