[Lukeskywalker]

The only thing I have not yet checked is how the Storme behaves in those big dips one hits at speed on undulating highways (butterfly in stomach feeling).

Trust me I have checked this and the Storme comes out with flying colours, hit a few dips at speed, no loss of control at all, the steering feels so precise when one lands and absolutely no bobbing like in my Safari, I have experienced a few of these "almost lost it" experiences with my Safari.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by rrsteer

Now my word may not be anywhere close to facts, but Storme has been well received atleast in Punjab (where a likeness for the Safari always existed). It is quite easy to spot a Storme here...in the cities, as also on the highways.

Punjab is the stronghold for both the Bullet and the Safari. Come to think of it, even here on Team BHP and elsewhere on other forums, Bullet / Safari combo owners are pretty common. Hope its not only a latent subliminal masochistic streak that causes this.

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

Steering position - had tough time getting inside (confirmed again after Xtreme Drive event)

1. Problem with steering is correct. I could NOT sit on the driver seat unless I push the seats all the way back. But then, while driving, I dont have to push it all the way back. Design issue I guess!

I had the same problem, even though I am 2" shorter than you. I do not have such a problem even in my Zen or Baleno.

Hard front seats (compared to Safari Dicor

Someone in Tata Motors told me that the old Safari seat padding is different to the Storme's, and used to become too soft and lose support after a a few years. Maybe they over-compensated .....

Music crackled at slightly higher volumes

So its not only the test Storme I drove. You are the first person reporting this (in addition to me). Actually I did read elsewhere (TAI I think) that the speakers were below par.

All other reports, including those here, say that the music quality (in spite of the basic single DIN HU) is above average.

Disappointing.

Will getting after market speakers (JBL) and amp (Sony) solve this? But will this void the warranty?

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Innova is not very light. Plus it has smaller tires. Even innova would sink in quickly. Have seen enough innovas sinking

You are right about the Safari Storme needing to go on diet. All other competition (XUV 500, Force One, Scorpio) weigh a good 150-200 kilos less.

The Duster of course weighs just a little more than a sedan, but then its also a 5 seater, so for me at least its not in the same category.

Originally Posted by Lukeskywalker

Trust me I have checked this and the Storme comes out with flying colours,

Fantastic! Once while driving a friend's Safari Dicor pretty aggressively on the winding road towards Torna (with lots of these sudden dips), with 6 of us inside, I did experience the same "cut-off-from-the-wheels" experience.

[ebonho]

Guys please excuse me from posting this here. I tried searching for a dedicated AMC thread elsewhere but could only find one for Extended Warranty - and which has been inactive since many months. So since this is something I need to decide on quickly, I'm posting it here.

I plan to take the Extended Warranty with the Storme - which is about 7.5K.

However, the AMC's come in two options - Silver and Gold. And the cost difference is pretty big, hence the need to know whether the Gold AMC is worth the difference (about 22K) over the Silver AMC.

The Silver AMC costs 16.5K for 5 years/50,000 kms. It covers only Oil + Consumables/Parts + Labour.

The Gold AMC costs 38.7K for 4 years/50,000 kms. It covers Oil + Consumables/Parts + Labour like the Silver AMC.

Additionally it also covers Battery (?) + Wheels Alignment/Balancing.

Plus the following parts (which the dealer says approx. would cost 30K):

Brake Pads
Clutch
A/C Gas
Brake Liners
Drive Belts
Wiper Blade Kit
Suspension Parts

Spoke to Rahul yesterday and he strongly suggested the Gold AMC.

The way I see it, the ordinary service costs for the 15K, 30K, and 45K services ordinarily would total to about 25K.

One may or may not need some or all of the free parts included in the Gold AMC to justify the additional 15K the Gold AMC costs over and above that.

So which makes more sense? Experienced Safari owners please help!

[jkdas]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Guys please excuse me from posting this here. I tried searching for a dedicated AMC thread elsewhere but could only find one for Extended Warranty - and which has been inactive since many months. So since this is something I need to decide on quickly, I'm posting it here.

I plan to take the Extended Warranty with the Storme - which is about 7.5K.

However, the AMC's come in two options - Silver and Gold. And the cost difference is pretty big, hence the need to know whether the Gold AMC is worth the difference (about 22K) over the Silver AMC.

The Silver AMC costs 16.5K for 5 years/50,000 kms. It covers only Oil + Consumables/Parts + Labour.

The Gold AMC costs 38.7K for 4 years/50,000 kms. It covers Oil + Consumables/Parts + Labour like the Silver AMC.

Additionally it also covers Battery (?) + Wheels Alignment/Balancing.

Plus the following parts (which the dealer says approx. would cost 30K):

Brake Pads~ 1.8k outside to 4k with TASS
Clutch~ 8-11k
A/C Gas ~ 750-1500
Brake Liners
Drive Belts~ 8k max
Wiper Blade Kit ~ 350rs
Suspension Parts ~ full work will cost 20k for 2.2's etc. Not sure how much it would cost of Storme.

Spoke to Rahul yesterday and he strongly suggested the Gold AMC.

The way I see it, the ordinary service costs for the 15K, 30K, and 45K services ordinarily would total to about 25K.

One may or may not need some or all of the free parts included in the Gold AMC to justify the additional 15K the Gold AMC costs over and above that.

So which makes more sense? Experienced Safari owners please help!

My input in bold. I drive a 2.2 without warranty

Every oil change is almost 2.5k for me outside TASS.
Amaron Hi-Way battery for 4500R
Alignment/Balancing ~ 500-750Rs.

If you browse around you will get correct figures. The 30k and 60k service is costlier than 15k,45k ones coz one have to change the diesel filter. Service is cheaper or on par with Swift etc.

Edit: Oil filter is now cheap! 1,500rs.


About ICE:

I have seen worse speakers in Honda ( pix should be here at Team-BHP). Stock ICE isnt bad. I am not sure if the OE HU has 2 preouts. I would suggest that you hear some other installs before deciding on ICE rather than picking brands you have heard about or so from advertisements. I so love my ICE that I currently have in my 2.2 which was built up in steps.

I got the ipod cable ALONG with my 2.2. Do the provide these with Storme?
And do they also suggest oil change for every 7500kms if the Safari is doing more city rides?

[narayan]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Hi Narayan, where did you see this?

From my sources, they are yet to even begin production of the export models. And those who have sat on the front facing third row seats find them pretty uncomfortable (in comparison to the jump seats).

Also, there "might" be a cheaper no-frills version coming out "soon" which will be positioned below the LX.

Hi ebonho -you can see this if you google for storme images. I think this was displayed at the auto expo

[Rahulk76]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Guys please excuse me from posting this here. I tried searching for a dedicated AMC thread elsewhere but could only find one for Extended Warranty - and which has been inactive since many months. So since this is something I need to decide on quickly, I'm posting it here.

Spoke to Rahul yesterday and he strongly suggested the Gold AMC.

Here you go for details regarding AMC
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...t-reviews.html

[Lukeskywalker]

I got the ipod cable ALONG with my 2.2. Do the provide these with Storme?

Yes, JKDas, the cable comes with the Storme.

If the way the current 2.2 clutch keeps wearing out even in the Storme, I'd strongly recommend Gold AMC for that alone.

[Rahulk76]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

Yes agree the 4X2 with a 2 tonne weight will sink in sand. To just have a glimpse of what exactly can the Safari or Storme do which 95% of public will be doing at the max, as far as offroading is considered is as below

Amit -> Perfectly covered by you. I feel except 5% of hardcore offroaders 95% would do the similar kind of things with safari as shown in video not everyday but once in a while. But then thats the brutal fact. Numbers speak for itself

Originally Posted by n.devdath

While I do agree that the Storme could turn out to be a reliable vehicle, the Scorpio AT tranny fail at Leh was NOT a defect. It was a one off case.

Despite all the debates we might have, the Scorpio has proven to be more reliable than the Safari, till date.

I m hoping the Storme breaches this record, honestly.

I sincerely hope so too.


One thing for sure, i would like to highlight here are the two things which could help

1. Quality of the parts
2. Workmanship (Skills of the workshop guys) at TASS.

Imagine putting 8.5 ltr of engine oil when capacity is mentioned as 7.5 . Imagine to change the brake oil, the guy puts in cloth to soak the oil .. what the.. i have seen this happen on my safari and i protested like anything.

Now this is why most of the ppl like to stay put at workshop to oversee their repair/services.

Sad to quote this line which one of the TML Guy told me "You get what you pay for". Talk about that lolz.

If this is taken care of in Storme...for sure sales will rise and see happy owners

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by jkdas

My input in bold. I drive a 2.2 without warranty

That's great to hear bro, and thanks for your detailed reply. Appreciate it!

Spoke to the AMC guy at National. Here are the corresponding prices for the Storme:

Suspension 18K x 4 (says based on Safari exp., by 50K kms, some suspension work would be needed - not necessarily replacement of whole assy. as priced here)

Clutch Assy. 12K (says based on Safari clutch, as Storme is too new, by 50K kms, most users would need replacement)

Brake Pads 2 x 4 = 8K (says on an average Safari guys change these at 25-30K kms of normal city use)

A/C Gas 6K

Mirrors 7K x 2 (says these are covered in Gold, not in Ext. Warranty; says even IRVM covered if needed)

Caliper Kit 2.5K (I do not know what it is)

Drive Belt 2K

Wiper Kit (once) 0.5K

Alignment/Balancing ~ 500-750Rs.

This is covered in all 3 AMC's - Silver, Gold, and Platinum. I am guessing you would need it once every 10,000 km/service?

If you browse around you will get correct figures. The 30k and 60k service is costlier than 15k,45k ones coz one have to change the diesel filter. Service is cheaper or on par with Swift etc.

First 5 services are covered in all AMC's (1K, 5K, 15K, 30K, 45K). The first two do not involve any consumable. The 15K and 30K services cost approx. 7-8K each, and the 45K is costlier as more stuff is replaced and that is 10-12K.

About ICE:

I have seen worse speakers in Honda ( pix should be here at Team-BHP). Stock ICE isnt bad. I am not sure if the OE HU has 2 preouts. I would suggest that you hear some other installs before deciding on ICE rather than picking brands you have heard about or so from advertisements.

I am no music afficionado (my wife with her Trinity College piano background is though). But I can definitely make out cracking when you increase the volume. And it sounds "flat" (for want of a more technical description).

P.S. The components I was referring to were those suggested to me by the Poona Motors guy.

Originally Posted by Rahulk76

Here you go for details regarding AMC
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...t-reviews.html

Thanks a ton bro. I did not find this. Probably was not looking in the correct place. Will take the discussion there and post the details which I just got from National on the 3 AMC's - Silver (16K), Gold (39K), and Platinum (60K). All 50,000 km/4 years.

P.S. My Baleno has done just 60,000 km in 8 years. But I'm hoping the Storme makes me do more.

[Musa]

Not sure if this has been posted before: http://www.tatamotorsfullthrottle.com/

There are 3 types of events, Experiences, Rallies & Trails.
The best is the Experience and the next one The Tata Motors Full Throttle Kutch Experience is scheduled to start from Vadodara on the 24th of January, 2013. Spanning over a period of 4 days, the expedition will cover 1000 Km across Gujarat and travel to Gir Forest, Somnath, Porbandar and Dwarka before culminating at the Little Rann of Kutch near Ahmedabad on the 27th of January, 2013. The highlight of the expedition will be the drive across the Little Rann of Kutch.

Cost: Rs. 10,000 per participant - all inclusive.
And you pay for your own fuel.
Not bad eh?

Now I wish I had a Tata
If anyone goes, hope they post their Experience on T-Bhp!

[Lukeskywalker]

Suspension 18K x 4 (says based on Safari exp., by 50K kms, some suspension work would be needed - not necessarily replacement of whole assy. as priced here)

The TML guys were stressing that the suspension in the Storme is far better than Safari as the components used were of higher quality, the bushes they claimed had "infinite" life, the bushes are normally replaced at 60k kms.

Clutch Assy. 12K (says based on Safari clutch, as Storme is too new, by 50K kms, most users would need replacement)

Again depends on usage, in current Safaris, I know many who's clutch had to be replaced by 25k kms (mine included) under warranty.

Brake Pads 2 x 4 = 8K (says on an average Safari guys change these at 25-30K kms of normal city use)

A set of front brake pads cost some 1500 in the open market, they can't void warranty on brake system because of pads wear, my first set lasted me 60k kms.

A/C Gas 6K

Not been replaced under normal usage in my case, it was replaced when the condenser assembly had to be replaced again under normal warranty.

Mirrors 7K x 2 (says these are covered in Gold, not in Ext. Warranty; says even IRVM covered if needed)

Buying a warranty just in case these break is not wise.

If TML are really confident that the issues of the Safari are a thing of the past, then they should actually dissuade prospective customers from taking additional warranty/AMC etc. to instill confidence in the customer's mind. But then, that's wishful thinking.

[NST440]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Punjab is the stronghold for both the Bullet and the Safari. Come to think of it, even here on Team BHP and elsewhere on other forums, Bullet / Safari combo owners are pretty common. Hope its not only a latent subliminal masochistic streak that causes this.

Well , i booked my Storme LX Pearl White and am pretty excited about the same. The wait period is 20 -25 days & i will be getting a 2013 model

The booking experience at Tata Dealership (read Cargo Tata) was very good & the sales rep was quite humble. Till she comes i may not have sound sleep as it would be my second safari after my 2.2 dicor ex which was a nice machine as well. Awaiting her to see in my garage standing next to my 2004 RE Machismo & 2012 RE C500, & yes i am from Punjab

[Fortuner71]

Expected delivery of my strome 4x4 is 25 Jan eagerly waiting .

[girishglg]

Had a chance to see the Storme for the first time in flesh yesterday and must say it is a looker from the front profile. The grille and headlights seemed thin in the pics but in reality seem quite chunky and well put together. They seem to mimic in some ways the Landy cousins (if we can call them)

However the side profile and back are nothing to write about and seem yes like a Safari afterall. The biggest letdown of the otherwise neat interiors are the single din music system. What on earth were these guys thinking while adding it. Seems totally out of place

Overall only the performance should speak not the looks

[Musa]

I had gone for the Stome Terrapod event a week or so ago and obviously, the chaps there took down my contact details. Today, I got 2 calls from different dealers (Concorde & KHT Motors) on whether I am interested in the Storme / Aria. Told them both that the TML person at the event has promised to arrange the 2 day TD of the Aria and that I am waiting for that before I decide. Lets see if they get back.

Good to see Tata dealers getting proactive, have not experienced these return calls on my earlier visits to Tata dealers.