Is Safari a sensible buy still

[BonFree]

Hi friends, Im looking in for a comfortable vehicle which has a brilliant ride quality that just soaks away bumps/potholes & smoothens what we call roads!
I was shuttling between buying a Hatch or a SUV/MUV. Sedan not included purposely.
Out the hatches Fabia is supposed to have the best ride but that is ruled out due to issues with Skoda.
Punto I've heard has a good ride, one's who are using would be able to comment better.

Innova was also considered but I don't know how it rides at slow speeds over potholed roads.
Scorpio, as most say is quite bumpy, again I haven't experienced 1st hand.
Therefore, I guess Im left with the Safari about which I've heard that it has a fantastic ride.

Now, the issue is that one hears numerous complaints about the Safari every now & then about it being troublesome & non-reliable. This is a big issue in today's context when reliability is a given with most cars, differences start thereon.
Also, I've heard a new Safari is around=d the corner, though don't know the exact schedule. So, considering all this which vehicle should I buy & would going in for a Safari now make sense?

[gowda79]

Tata Safari 2.2 VTT VX - 2yrs - 44,000kms - The King

Only regular services undergone and going strong, waiting for the 4th Service which is scheduled at 45,000kms.

Do you require anything else ???

Do not like to tell more about it, just own it and enjoy it 8-)

[mclaren1885]

There are plenty of Safari owners here, so you shouldn't have issues getting every detail you want out of them before you take the plunge .

Personally, I prefer the Innova to the others you have mentioned. The Innova may not ride as comfy as the Safari, but it is not bad by any means. I recently had the chance to drive an Innova from Bangalore-Goa and back. I am totally in love with the vehicle and tops the list of our next in the garage list. Nice refined yet powerful engine, sofa like comfy seats, handles a lot better than a Safari/Scorpio anyday. What more can one ask for?

[PAVAN KADAM]

1) There is no NEW SAFARI around the corner for another 5 years to come

2) The most and the only comfortable SUV money can buy, VFM

3) Regular service will keep the Dicor going for ever.

Own one since 3.5 yrs, One hell of a beast it is

Waiting to see the pics

[JayD]

My vote goes for the innova. Great ride, very comfy and fun to drive. The safari has a brilliant ride quality, but that's about it.I really did not enjoy driving it, and parking it, less so. Quality is no great shakes either. But again, there are many satisfied safari users around, so take a long test drive and make your pick.

[californiaknight]

As mclaren said, there are many in this forum who own the safari.The major reason being the comfy drive offered, the VFM and lastly the in your face design and stance it offers.Even the scorpio cannot match the stance offered by the safari.

Niggling problems are a must as this is a TATA product and it is very well known for it along with some crude plastics.However I havent heard anybody saying the car stalled in the middle of nowhere which is happening to cars twice the price of the safari and with lesser A.S.S.

Toyota Innova offers much more refinement than the safari but when you drive one and IF a safari comes your way, you normally tend to give way for it. :lolno:

[hrag]

OK here's my take on the Safari vs. Scorpio vs. Innova:

I am 5' 10" but have long legs and a relatively short torso - this makes underthigh support a very desirable & very, very important feature for me. Plus the driver's seat has to be comfortable for me - else, the vehicle goes out of consideration.

Scorpio: more reliable than the Safari (from what I've seen), superb engine but I cannot fit into that driver's seat and feel comfortable. The rest of the vehicle is not generous with space either.

Innova: supremely reliable (it is a Toyota after all), plush & classy interiors but woefully lacking in underthigh support. I sent a company Innova back and took my Safari to pick my clients up once. Even service / solution providers have to be comfortable

Safari: supreme comfort, excellent ergonomics, an imposing design even today. The ride comfort is superlative and the seats (especially the middle seat, which is a genuine sofa) are excellent. Believe me when I say the Innova looks like a slightly overgrown Santro from the driver's seat.
However, you WILL have niggles if you're lucky and WILL have issues if you're unlucky. The Safari front seats also lack some underthigh support over very long journeys if you have long legs (on very long drives, I find my 2003 Indica driver's seat more comfortable). The Safari makes up for it in lumbar support though.

Oh, and the current Safari has very little useful utility space (to store your knick-knacks, a fact one often discovers after the purchase :oops: )

My ownership thread of the 3.0 DiCOR is here
http://gearheads.in/viewtopic.php?f=46&t=116

I have no idea about the long term ownership experience of the 2.2 VTT DiCOR.

Take a long test drive in it, preferably with other people who are going to use the vehicle on a regular basis.

Edit: in 4x4 guise, the Safari can do some serious off-roading

[BonFree]

@Gowda, that's pretty encouraging! No niggles inbetween?

@Mclaren, Innova is a serious consideration.
I had a chance to drive/ride one, handling is saloon like but I found the ride to be average. Don't know for sure though because did not check tyre pressure, etc.

@Pavan, one comes across a lot of spy pics. & stuff about a New Safari. A new one might come after Xover's launch.
Is your Safari a VTT, earlier Dicor(3L) was supposed to be more reliable.

@JayD, Innova is the choice by default in the segment.
Im much concerned about Safari giving niggling problems as do not like going to garages routinely.

@California, does the Safari command respect on our roads? I mean this is pretty essential on our roads due to unruly traffic. If one can get way through looks/appeal, it translates into less botheration while driving.
Which of the 2 i.e. Innova or Safari scares away 2 wheelers & pedestrians?

@Hrag, thanks for the detailed report.
Actually Im 6.1 & found the Scorpio's driving seat really tight. I mean the seat travel is restricted & my knees almost touched the dash. I like driving comfortably with a lofty position(seat slided all the way back).
Also, while driving a Scorpio, I constantly got the feeling that if I brake hard or hit something on front, I would be catapulted out of the front windscreen, its so much in your face! The distance between the front seat & windscreen must be the least in a Scorpio.

Im impressed with the Innova's space, though shall be using the drivers seat only as drive myself most of the time. The seating position isn't great as one has to stretch to grab the steering if seat is fully slided back(long arms). Telescopic steering could have improved things considerably. Also found ingress/egress the best but not so in the Safari, one has to climb in literally.

Are the Safaris ergonomics really brilliant? I used to think otherwise, maybe because used it for some time only.
I usually do not have a great luck so chances of getting a lemon are pretty high for me!

If I opt for Safari, it would be a VTT-LX model only, no 4x4.

[gowda79]

If height is to be considered then, myself 6.4" and feel very happy to drive Tata Safari when considered to drive Innova & Scorpio (Driven only once as a TD & was )

Are the Safaris ergonomics really brilliant? I used to think otherwise, maybe because used it for some time only.
I usually do not have a great luck so chances of getting a lemon are pretty high for me!

If I opt for Safari, it would be a VTT-LX model only, no 4x4.

It depends on the drivers ability to control the car.

Bonfree, go ahead and book it and enjoy it and would suggest you to go for EX

@Gowda, that's pretty encouraging! No niggles inbetween?

Nope not at all

[BonFree]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

6.4! :o That's some height! If you can get comfy behind Safari's wheel, it should be a cakewalk for me!
I can imagine your knees fouling with Scorpio's dash whilst in driver's seats & so the


EX is a good choice, but I would like to save some precious bucks & thus LX!

No niggles so far, you seem to have bags of good luck!