[narsingh]

Dear BHPians,

I have been visiting the Team-BHP platform for many years now, mainly for its authentic reviews, as well as for the views of BHPians, which are based on first-hand experience and therefore very reliable. Last week, I finally decided to apply for membership. Grateful to Team-BHP for the approval.

I am from Delhi, in my mid-50s, took voluntary retirement last year, basically to do all those things in my 50’s which I would have otherwise done in my 60’s and 70’s. Going on long self-drive road trips and playing Golf are high on the list.

I have been a driving enthusiast since my teens, learnt driving at 13-14 years of age, way back in early 80’s. A good 40 years’ experience already behind me. Started with my father’s Premier Padmini (Fiat), which I loved. Fondly remember halting the Fiat during long journeys in summers to top up the water in the radiator, which used to be boiling hot. Also, remember the ‘totka’ of seasoned mechanics to add turmeric (haldi) to water for stopping leakage in a radiator. It was a lucky car, saved me a number of times. I maintained it till 2003 and had to finally let go due a badly rusted floor.

Have owned and extensively driven much of the Maruti stable at different points in time, namely the Maruti 800, Maruti Van, the Gypsy, the Alto VXi, the Esteem and till recently, the DZire ZDi (I loved her, but had to let go due to the 10 year rule in Delhi). Currently, we have a Honda City 2017 and a Honda Brio 2017 in the family.

But my most valued (as well as most recent) acquisition is a Tata Safari XZA+, Daytona Grey colour (this should be music to BHPian Cardeep’s ears, who longs to see a Daytona Grey Safari in NCR). Taken her for a couple of long road trips and returned very happy and satisfied, in all aspects. Going for the Tata Safari was a leap of faith, based mainly on the official Tata Safari review by Team-BHP, and the lonnnngggg thread on Safari with extensive inputs and feedback from BHPians who own it. It took me 3-4 days to read all the posts in the Safari Review thread, but helped me make up my mind. Thanks guys .

When I started exploring SUVs in the market in January 2022, I had shortlisted the XUV 700 and Tata Safari. XUV700 is a great product from Mahindra and ticks most of the boxes. My decision not to go for XUV700 was mainly based on: 1) very long waiting period, 2) middle row does not slide forward-backward, 3) seats a bit stiff, 4) some features of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) seem a bit impractical for Indian driving conditions, 5) the memory-based movement of driver seat every time the door opens is a nuisance, 6) no air purifier, 7) door handle design not to my liking, and 8) Auto Hold feature only in the top model.

In Tata Safari XZA+, I got everything that I wished for in an SUV, except for the ventilated seats, but that is a minor compromise. The head-turner looks of the Safari more than make up for minor hiccups that an owner would come across once in a while. The air purifier, the wireless Apple Car Play and wireless mobile charging are very thoughtful additions by Tata in Sept 2021. The air purifier in particular is a great feature and its performance is awesome. In few minutes, one begins to feel the freshness in the cabin air.

After this introductory post, hope to contribute meaningfully to the forum in the times to come. Look forward to exchanging notes with other Safari owners.

Warm regards and best wishes to all,
Nar Singh.

[ampere]

Welcome to the forum! Its nice to read your introduction especially the vehicles you have owned at different times.

Would love to see where all you took them!

Welcome again and see you around.

[SS-Traveller]

Welcome to the forum. That was an interesting and detailed introduction.

Originally Posted by narsingh

...remember the ‘totka’ of seasoned mechanics to add turmeric (haldi) to water for stopping leakage in a radiator.

Indeed - half a teaspoon of turmeric powder stopped minor leaks in the radiator pipes. Then there was 'Lifebuoy and sugar mix' to stop a leaking oil sump, wet rag to make a fuel pump start working again - and the list goes on.

...let go due to the 10 year rule in Delhi.

Too many people have had to let go of too many great cars due to this rule, including me - 3 cars, in 2018 (Swift ZXi), 2019 (Scorpio VLX 4wd) and 2020 (Thar). The urge to travel was forcibly curbed due to Covid-19 for 2 years, but the bug is back again. Since your profile indicates that your interests include Tourism involving long drives, I look forward to hearing more from you regarding this.

Cheers, and enjoy your time on Team-BHP.

[TusharK]

Hi narsingh,

Welcome to Team-BHP!

Enjoyed reading your introductory post. It would be great if you could share the adventures you've had over the years with the community.

Cheers!
TusharK