[gururajrv]

Congratulations Tata! But will the momentum gained slow down after the launch of 2 highly anticipated versions of XUV? Only time will tell but the math on paper doing the rounds clearly indicates, feature loaded XUV could seriously shine its strength amongst its competitors.

Hope Tata brings out a revised feature list in the Safari to keep the momentum steady

[Sentinel17]

Congratulations
The Safari arrived and along with the Harrier defeated the Hector siblings in the sales chart and there has been no looking back since.
Just hope they keep updating the product from time to time and improve the QC.

[shortbread]

Well done, TML needs to continuously evolve the Safari/Harrier , by adding more features, a frugal petrol engine and look to push it upmarket.

[Bibendum90949]

Originally Posted by shortbread

Well done, TML needs to continuously evolve the Safari/Harrier , by adding more features, a frugal petrol engine and look to push it upmarket.

By continuously ironing out the niggles too. It pains to see good products being let down by poor QC levels. Hope the forthcoming Harrier/Safari iterations are devoid of all the flaws.

[nainan]

I finally received my beast after 5 months of booking(Feb-Jul 2021). I have been a Safari fanboy since college and have owned a 2008 model Safari 2.2 for close to a decade. Ever since I let go of my last Safari I have never been able to zero on another car which appeals to me in from a price/size/looks/features perspective and hence ever since the land rover based twins started getting discussed through the H7X to the Buzzard/Cassini/Gravitas to finally it being named the Safari have been closely following it and team-bhp was the one place where I could discuss it and make the long wait bearable. So firstly thank you to all of you for putting up with me and help shape the perspective.

In the few days since I got the car I have not had a chance to take it for a long drive but it is a delight to drive with the punchy sport drive, the superb mating between the engine and the auto gearbox(second only to the Hexa-Punch Powerglide combo). The car does feel like a refined Safari at least to me. I just wish they had gone the whole way and given it a 4WD powertrain. The auto hold is a lifesaver especially in the city. The cubbyholes all around the cabin fit most of the stuff I carry around. I just wish the under dash space for the cellphone were slightly bigger as getting my Samsung S21 Ultra while plugged in is a pain. A sunglass holder would have been a nice touch. I also feel the footwell for the driver I feel is cramped especially near the accelerator. I wish they had jacks for the bonnet and the rear hatch for the luggage is difficult to operate for the non-existent handhold for that heavy piece of metal. These are small issues more irritants. A lot of the accessories are not available and no ETA either.

Now let me come to the buying experience which left a lot to be desired. Tata seriously need to improve the sales experience and needs to do something about the lockdown advance of an additional 1-2 lakhs quite a few dealers have been demanding. Here is mine.

I had booked a Tata Safari XZA+ Adventure Persona on 25th Feb 2021 from KHT Motors Kundanahalli Bangalore and was advised a delivery time of 4 weeks. However neither did the delivery happen while others who booked in the same timeline were delivered the same.

My enquiries to this extent were ignored till I escalated to Mr. Vivek Srivatsa which elicited a token response and went into silence soon afterwards.


On 25th May 2021 Mr Vinod Kumar has made a demand for Rs. 1 lakh stating the earlier booking amount of Rs 30000 was insufficient for a Rs 25 lakh car and they would allocate the car to someone else if I do not pay up.

I escalated this with a tweet calling out clearly that the dealer is unable to resolve my issues

The tweet seems to have been forwarded back to the dealer with no escalation in Tata Motors. This seems to be a standard practice and not a very good one as it does not resolve the issue.

Post this I again escalated to Mr Ravindra Jain at Tata Motors after which I was assured delivery within 10 days of the lockdown lifting. This time finally they delivered the car on 16th July.

I personally think that Tata Motors should own up and honour their booking amount and priority and not let individual dealers put up arbitrary conditions. There is a lack of customer centricity and management of customer experience though some effort is evident. The top management seems responsive but the rank and file still seem to be oblivious to this. A couple of pics now for you all.

A big thanks for Mr Vivek Srivatsa and Mr Ravindra Jain for their quick response and help in getting things moving but it did not have to be this hard.

[400notout]

Originally Posted by nainan

I finally received my beast after 5 months of booking(Feb-Jul 2021).

Wow. Just wow. Let me be the first to congratulate you. I have been following your following of the H7X and man I can vouch for your patience. Your determination and perseverance is exemplary. You are one loyal person with a pure heart your friends and close ones are blessed. Heres wishing you many great miles on your beast.

[NitSat]

Safari 4*4 launch (Speculation or for real)

There is lot of clamour (perceived demand) for 4*4 version. Whether it actually materialise in market sales , only time will tell.

Sharing the link from a vlogger-

https://youtu.be/-lzW7w5lW7M

However I’m not sure about the authenticity of his claims. According to him , there is eminent Diwali launch for Off roader version of Safari.

[charade]

Visited the Tata Motors showroom (Puneet Motors, Prabhadevi) twice over the last month or so. I'm simply amazed at the complete lack of interest shown by the sales agent (SA). Here's the story:

After the second wave lockdown eased off in Mumbai I left an enquiry about the Safari through Carwale. Promptly, someone from Tata Motors call centre called me, got my basic details and the lead was passed onto the nearest showroom. SA called me and I was clear that I wanted to test drive the automatic. First the SA made a big fuss about sending the car home. Fair enough, I said I'll come to the showroom. We fixed a date and time. I showed up at the showroom but the car was already out for a test drive. Understandable since it was a Saturday and I expect they got a walk in customer. But after waiting for 45 mins also I couldn't get started on my test drive. Honestly, my expectations were fairly low when I went in so I wasn't disappointed.

The SA was in touch over the phone. But I couldn't make it to the showroom for a few weeks due to personal issues at my end. However, one thing which irked me - the SA told me that the showroom is closed on Sunday, which I later found out to be untrue.

Anyway, by the time I made the visit to the showroom for the second time, the first SA had stopped responding to my messages. I later found out that the SA had quit. In any case, there clearly was no process to pass on leads to the rest of the team.

On visit no. 2, it was my wife and I. We were assigned to SA2. The new SA2 had no idea about basic features and didn't seem interested in selling the Safari to me. And wait, did I mention the test drive automatic was out for a test drive. No problem, we will wait. In the meantime we thought of checking out the Altroz and Nexon for my in-laws who are looking to replace their 11 year old i20. Nexon not available for a test drive. Ok, how about Altroz Petrol? Yes, available. Let's go. My wife starts the car and it sounds like a diesel. SA2 had no clue whether it was a patrol or diesel. The test drive was a short one and conducted in silence. Not once did SA2 try and explain any of the features in the car. Oh well.

We got back to the showroom and we were told that the Safari automatic is still not available for test drive. We had been waiting for an hour now. We waited some more and finally gave up and decided to go home. SA2 did not share his / her contact details. Just as well I thought to myself.

Anyway, as we got into our Brio we saw another customer and his SA get into the Safari automatic (parked right next to our Brio) for a test drive. My wife was livid. And even with my low expectations of the Tata Motors sales teams, I couldn't help but feel a tad disappointed.

In any case, for now I have decided to wait for the XUV 700 reveal. Maybe the SAs will be more inclined to talk then.

[gk.pavan]

Originally Posted by @og_adi

I think it is because of this feature which increases volume with speed (Speed Dependant Volume). It can be removed by unchecking the following option-

You can find it in the volume setup option under the settings menu.

This worked! Thank you very much.

[Note to self: read the manual before going public on internet forums ]

[gk.pavan]

Originally Posted by gk.pavan

Mechanical Issues:

1) The co-driver door needs to be slammed really hard.

2) There is a definite braking sound that has gotten less creaky since day 1. Boy, the feeling is not great. The first time I applied brake just outside the showroom and the sound of two metals gnashing sank my heart. Glad it only got better. Will it go away after the 1st service?

3) Accelerator seems to be harder than needed.

4) At slow speeds, I can feel the drag/weight of the machine. At high speeds, the beast is unleashed and I feel the power. Fun to drive car at high speeds, despite the size/weight.

Instrument/Infotainment Issues

1) TPMS error: After getting the air filled at a Shell bunk, the TPMS showed false alert and the PSI as 31 while the attendant re-did the entire exercise and the meter was again set at 33. The warning message vanished after 100KMs.

2) Erratic volume at high speeds: If this is a design to overcome NVH, I want to disable it. At highspeeds, the volume gets louder.

3) Android Auto: It does not always connect and when it does, a watermark "Preproduction Hardware : Not for resale" shows up. Apps like Spotify do not open though they are available on the connected phone.

Overall: Happy with the buy and confident that these niggles will be fixed.

Updates after 1st service.

Hard door: Seems to be fixed. Lubricated.
Braking sound: Gone. H/E, when the auto-hold is deactivated by pressing the accelerator, there is a sound of release from a clamp (?). This is my first car with Auto-Hold. Can't say for sure if this is expected.
Accelerator: Smoother
TPMS error: Fixed. Sensors were reset.
Erratic volume: Fixed, it was under settings. Thanks to a BHPian @og_adi for the tip.
Android Auto: The software on the infotainment system needed an upgrade and was done during 1st servicing. Now, it works like a charm.

None of these were really deal-breakers, to begin with. As I mentioned in my original post, the mechanical aspects of the car viz.. engine, control, gearbox and features like Auto-Hold, Cruise are top class.

Happy to declare the car as niggle free. Enjoying the beast. Now, I am looking for reasons to drive

Will I buy this car again? YES!

A note about the Service experience: I got the first service done at Key Motors, Kanakapura Road, Bangalore. Cordial and professional setup. Communicated clearly and set the right expectations.

Mr.Ramesh Pai seemed very conscientious and took a genuine interest in getting the issues fixed. I made a casual remark about some smudges seen after the washing/wiping and he offered a complete re-wash, which I refused. It was a small speck and could easily be wiped off. But, I could see how greatly he valued the customers' experience. I walked away impressed.

"TASS being a hit or miss" read on frequent occasions on this forum seems to be a thing of the past (yes, sample size=1 and rooting for a repeat experience)

[gk.pavan]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

2. You are being very gentle on the brakes, give it a few full bore stops and that noise should go away. This is normal.

The plus point is that turn by turn directions from google maps is displayed on the driver`s MID.

- Yes, the braking noise has gone away. Thank you.

- Wow! Did you mean the maps can be seen on the instrument cluster? How do you turn it on? I have not seen this yet.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by gk.pavan

- Yes, the braking noise has gone away. Thank you.

- Wow! Did you mean the maps can be seen on the instrument cluster? How do you turn it on? I have not seen this yet.

Yes wherever it is now showing you the DTE, it will change to Navigation arrows while google maps is running on Android Auto. We did not change any settings, it just showed up as is. We did not notice this before the first service, I guess they did some updates.

[caffeineAM]

Originally Posted by charade

Visited the Tata Motors showroom twice over the last month or so. I'm simply amazed at the complete lack of interest shown by the sales agent (SA).

You should name the dealer so others here can avoid them.

[charade]

Originally Posted by caffeineAM

You should name the dealer so others here can avoid them.

Well, this is Puneet Motors at Prabhadevi. Do note that there are other BHPians who have given positive feedback about the dealer. It's possible that it's more a sales agent issue.

Dealerships are service industry and I think experiences can vary a lot depending on who is dealing with your specific case. That said, I think it's Tata Motors' responsibility to ensure some basic service standards and processes. At the very least hold their dealers to it.

[Venku2015]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Yes wherever it is now showing you the DTE, it will change to Navigation arrows while google maps is running on Android Auto. We did not change any settings, it just showed up as is. We did not notice this before the first service, I guess they did some updates.

You need to just turn ON the ''Cast'' button in the left-hand side menu of the infotainment screen, and you will see the track played, navigation info etc.