[tp_dominator]

Edit:- This is going to be a long post since I had started writing an ownership review, but the journey of the car itself has been short-lived with me, so I would try to capture the essence of my ownership of 9 months and 24,000 kms. This car is now sold and will be replaced with another one shortly. Kudos to mods for encouraging me to share the report nonetheless.

Man proposes, God disposes.

The above line holds very true for me for what I can only call blessings showered upon me to have been able to own, drive and write reports about various cars which I have owned in a short span of time. Without wasting much time, let me introduce to you all my Tata Safari Kaziranga XZA+.

The Day I Got Her Home


Likes

• Great looks
• Pliant suspension
• Smooth Automatic mated to a potent engine
• Good audio quality from the JBL speakers
• Ample space for 5 people even with a child seat
• Proper Big Car feel
• Ventilated Seats
• Good boot space with the 3rd row folded
• EPB with Auto Hold

Dislikes

• Infotainment is buggy - needs to be restarted every once in a while
• Small fuel tank - lower range on the highways
• Poor reverse camera quality
• Pathetic fog lamps and high beams
• Boot space with all three rows up
• Lesser space for knick knacks in the front row

After a brief stint with my Azure, Ford Ecosport S Diesel, where I drove it for nearly 77k kms in a little over 3 years and whose ownership review is there on Team-BHP, I was constantly on the lookout for a bigger vehicle ever since we knew our family was about to grow with a little one joining our lives soon. The basic requirements were as follows (in no particular order):-

1. Good boot space - my wife loves to carry the house along with her and with the addition of a little one, the boot space on Ecosport was going to be an issue - precisely one of the reasons why I chose it over XUV 300 over 3 years ago.
2. Pliant and smooth suspension - I had started despising driving my Ecosport over rough patches since it resulted in a lot of cabin movement and jerks were felt inside the cabin due to super low sidewall height. Once it gained enough speed, the issues were less but with a baby on board that would not have been an option.
3. Diesel and automatic - the combo I wanted since forever - restricted only by budget. Also, added advantage of getting a good fuel efficiency.
4. As feature rich as, if not more, the current Ecosport S. Once you get used to certain features, its probably very difficult to leave them - for example auto dimming IRVM.
5. Budget to be under 25 lakhs with BH registration (so max ex-showroom cost to be 23.5 lakhs).
6. ISOFIX child seat mounts - though its now available in most cars in the given budget.
7. Presence, features and looks of the car and should most definitely have that fun to drive factor.
8. Timeline for purchase was anywhere after August 2022.

Below vehicles were considered before purchase:-

Hyundai Alcazar:- I was quite sure of getting this car since it fitted all my requirements including the features list and a frugal diesel automatic. But this was rejected by my Mom who did not find it spacious or comfortable enough. Though, as a family car package, this was hard to beat. Reluctantly I agreed on letting this one go.

MG Hector(Pre-facelift):- We walked into the MG showroom right next door of the Hyundai one in Wakad, Pune and once we sat inside the Hector, the quality interiors immediately made us forget the Alcazar. However, this car is plagued with a perennial problem of not providing a diesel automatic, which was non negotiable. Hence, this too was rejected. If MG had a diesel auto Hector, it would have been sitting in my parking space right now.

Mahindra XUV700:- I had booked a XUV700 in January 2022 and this was supposed to be delivered in March 2023 as per the Mahindra portal. We were in August 2022, so I did not even bother contacting any dealer as I knew, I won't be able to get my hands on one soon. Further, few missing features like auto dimming IRVM and the niggles reported at Team-BHP were making me apprehensive of moving ahead with this one. Though, a great vehicle in all respects, this had to be the last resort if all else failed.

Jeep Compass:- Diesel Auto out of budget, like wayyy out. However, was one of the most feature rich and premium looking car. Combined with my knee constantly rubbing the left console and a general feeling of crampedness, this was out of contention after a test drive on the diesel manual.

Tata Safari:- Around the same timeframe IIRC, Poitive had updated how he tackled the knee console issue with the Safari/Harrier by adjusting the seats on his excellent thread. "Choosing a car upto 22 lakhs". I had liked the Safari earlier but constant niggles reported and this specific knee console issue were putting me off. Also, when I had booked the XUV700 in January 2022, I tried getting a TD of the Safari which was elusive and never happened. However, things had changed by August 2022 and dealers were eager to sell their Safaris. Suffice to say, with the updated features like ventilated front seats, and my requirements, this was the most close to perfect vehicle for me. One TD on the bad roads and I was sold on the car. The JBL 9-speaker audio is also one of the best in the segment and the whole drive experience was pretty enjoyable.

Got it home in just 2 days. Booked on 6th September 2022 and got it delivered on 9th September 2022.

Let me spare you the details of the delivery and start with the review. However, delivery was just satisfactory with the car missing one rubber stopper on the bonnet and shabby cleaning of the car. However, my sales advisor at Saibaba Tata, Pune was among one of the best I have come across.

Drove about 120 kms on the day of the delivery and concluded the day with dinner at Sunny da Dhaba at Lonavala with my friend, as the family was away at the time of delivery.

Within a week I had completed a 1000 kms with one round trip to Kolhapur and got the first service done.

Issues noted before first service:-
1. The famous left pull - the steering would just move to the left at higher speeds if I was not holding it tightly enough - fixed with a subframe shift which took a whole day.
2. DEF was low - topped up.

Long trips undertook with the car:-

1. Regular Pune-Sangli-Kolhapur runs.
2. Pune-Alibaug/Kashid beach.
3. Frequent home runs to Bilaspur via Nagpur.
4. Pune-Panchgani.
5. Pune-Goa.
6. Frequent Pune-Mumbai runs.
7. Pune-Ahmednagar-Aurangabad.

Near Kashid Beach


At Panchgani


First Drive On The Samruddhi Mahamarg


On the way to Goa at Amboli Ghat


Durg Bypass while returning to Pune


Modifications on the car:-
1. Ceramic coating with PPF on headlights, ORVMs, all outside Piano black surfaces (excluding the roof) and interior piano black surfaces from Aquatint, Pune.
2. Nano ceramic films installed on all glasses except sunroof again from Aquatint, Pune.
3. Aozoom LED headlights on the fog lamps and high beams from Car Cupid, Pune.

The Aozoom LEDs


While the car has various positives highlighted by others as well, below are a few points which I encountered particularly on my long journeys. Points to note here are due to the nature of my job as well as my driving pattern, I like driving for as long as possible without taking a break. This is true for solo drives which I mostly undertake and others opinions or experiences might differ from mine.

1. The seatback is stiff and this made me uncomfortable on 10-12 hour long journeys. My back would start paining and nothing short of stopping would help.

2. The left pull would come back to haunt me everytime. Multiple alignments needed after every 5000 kms. Also, the steering was a touch too light at highway speeds. Needed a firm hand on the steering always. This would make my shoulder start paining unless I took a long break.

3. The throttle response is dull and it meant pushing the accelerator hard to gain speeds once lost due to traffic - leading to lower FE as well. However, with time I got used to this behavior of the car and used cruise control to counter it. However, CC is also slow to resume the set speed after it has been disengaged.

4. While on the point of the accelerator, the A-pedal is placed at an awkward angle which made my ankle numb and pain started transmitting to my calf area and subsequently to the under-thigh. I never had to check the A-pedal angle before buying a car. These are some basics which a manufacturer selling a 25 lakh rupee car should have been able to address and assess. The feet don't fall naturally to the pedals, combined with not being too close to the pedals due to the knee console hitting the upper-thigh or the knee region, this added to overall discomfort.

5. Small fuel tank of just 50 litres. My Ecosport had a 50l tank too but then the efficiency was also around atleast 70% better in similar circumstances. This meant scouting for a fuel pump at the 500 kms mark before I could proceed further safely.

6. The car fishtailed on quite a few emergency braking situations. No warnings were shown on the MID. This made me lose confidence on the car.

7. The pièce de résistance - the front seats. I mean apart from the stiffness, how bad can somebody design a seat on such an expensive car. The car lacks under-thigh support and this became evident on the long journeys. Moreover, this might apply to a very few individuals who are of similar shape and size as me. But this was a H-U-G-E deal breaker for me. Also, if one monitors closely, the driver's seat is at an angle to the steering so you are always sitting in a cross position. This, with the nervous steering and the left pull - compounded the problems to a very uncomfortable level.


I seriously started missing my Ecosport which was just perfect barring a diesel automatic and the bumpy ride. Every long journey I took, firmed my belief that something was actually wrong and all these things were not in my head. I feel more fatigued at the end of every drive than what I felt on the Ecosport. With the last journey which I took and came back to Pune on 19th June, 2023, I had made up my mind that enough was enough and this is not the car for me. I was ready to bear the loss I would take after selling my 9 month old, 24k driven car. But comfort on trips was paramount. This had to be the basic premise of buying a D1 segment vehicle - the basics of seating and driving need to be right which Safari royally failed to do with me.


20th June - the car was put up for sale and I had parted ways with it in a week. The car was otherwise trouble free barring the need for constant wheel alignment/subframe shift required. Just that the drive experience was never good on longer journeys. In the city though, it was manageable and quite comfortable with the awesome suspension.


The Last Photo For The Ads




The search for a new car led me to two contenders - the Scorpio N and the XUV700, both of which have got the basics right - seats are supportive, steering is well weighted at speed and not nervous, great under-thigh support on both and moreover the A-pedal is not at an awkward angle. Lets see how the new ownership goes. That's it from my end.


Disclaimer:- The above views expressed might not apply to a lot of owners but this has been my experience. I was not willing to do this write up but had to let it out of my system before I embark on a new ownership journey. Wish other existing and future owners a trouble free and joyous ownership with their Safaris.


The Last Photo At The Handover



The Final ODO Reading


The Next Ride


Please feel free to chip in with your experiences/suggestions and I would be happy to answer any queries. I know what I have done can be termed as plain stupid or financial suicide, but sometimes, somethings are more important than money. For me, since my usage is high, the car needs to be comfortable first, niggles can anyway be sorted later.

Thanks for reading!

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[KharbandaKartik]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

Edit:- This is going to be a long post since I had started writing an ownership review, but the journey of the car itself has been short-lived with me, so I would try to capture the essence of my ownership of 9 months and 24,000 kms. This car is now sold and will be replaced with another one shortly. Kudos to mods for encouraging me to share the report nonetheless.
I]Man proposes, God disposes.[/i]

My wife drives a Honda Jazz and whenever I have to drive it, within 10 minutes of driving my neck starts to pain, I can't imagine driving that for more than the city runabouts. However, we don't bother to change as it is only used for cities and the running is low.

In your case, it makes a lot of sense to sell and get something comfortable for the highways, you may have lost some money but that would fare better in long term. XUV700 seems a good choice, I suggest you take a longish test drive before you purchase.

[Aviator_guy]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

20th June - the car was put up for sale and I had parted ways with it in a week. The car was otherwise trouble free barring the need for constant wheel alignment/subframe shift required. Just that the drive experience was never good on longer journeys. In the city though, it was manageable and quite comfortable with the awesome suspension.


Thanks for reading!

I couldn't help but notice that your Safari had BH registration. Probably the first instance in this forum where I have seen a BH car is declared sold (I have seen some ads for sale though but not after they are sold).

Curious to know about the BH car resale experience, process etc if you don't mind sharing the details. It is still a grey area for me and many others in this forum.

[DCEite]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

4. While on the point of the accelerator, the A-pedal is placed at an awkward angle which made my ankle numb and pain started transmitting to my calf area and subsequently to the under-thigh. I never had to check the A-pedal angle before buying a car. These are some basics which a manufacturer selling a 25 lakh rupee car should have been able to address and assess. The feet don't fall naturally to the pedals, combined with not being too close to the pedals due to the knee console hitting the upper-thigh or the knee region, this added to overall discomfort.

I hear your pain. Infact for me, one of the dealbreaker for the Harrier/Safari was my left knee touching the lower part of dashboard console in an uncomfortable way. I think this is an ergonomic issue with the Harrier/Safari (and even smaller TATAs like Punch and Nexon). Someone with long legs will not find comfortable seating position !

Your decision to sell off this car is correct. There is no point sticking to a car with a fantastic engine but with poor ergonomics.

[abaliga]

It is better to replace a car rather than live with something that you are not comfortable with, it happens more often than one would think, living with a vehicle gives us a detailed perspective on the nuances that can never be fully observed with a short or even a longish drive before the purchase, you are not alone and here is one such anecdote

We had purchased the Ecosport TDCI Titanium Plus in 2019 after 4 test drives, my Dad's favorite car at the time since Ecosport's launch in 2013, but after the purchase we did not like it for the following reasons

- Stiff ride at lower speeds, it was something that we did not notice as much in our test drives, but once we started living with it on monsoon ravaged roads filled with potholes, it was unbearable
- Long turning radius despite being a sub compact car, our 2023 Octavia has a turning radius smaller than Ecosport
- Huge blind spot around the A pillar which could hide an entire car at times
- Hard clutch after 5k kms made city drives a pain
- Distinct resonance observed only on the back seat at around 2k-2.2k rpm, noticed this on other Ecosport diesels too, no issues with bearings (car was run only 25k and was in top shape)

After a long trip in 2022 where I got to experience the back seat, it was clear to me that it was time to let the Ecosport go after only 25k in 4 years despite its stellar handling, driving dymamics, amazing service and overall reliability

The news of Octavia getting discontinued advanced our new car purchase and letting the Ford go was not that difficult a decision

All the best with the new purchase, hope you enjoy the car fully this time around

[RunGaDa]

tp_dominator -
Don’t know if I should feel lucky or otherwise after reading your post.
I came very close to buying Tata Safari. My close friend bite the bullet and bought it. He has been complaining of similar issues he face. The problem is he had sold his car before. So was ready to take the plunge. He seems to be going from issue to issue now.
I hung on to my Ecosport and thought let me buy first and sell later. Good I did not sell.
BTW Ecosport has 52 litre tank and can easily fill 54.

[G-One]

Quick one, when you sold the car, will the new owner be able to use the same BH series number in any other state?

[KNL_Bandi]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

1. The seatback is stiff and this made me uncomfortable on 10-12 hour long journeys. My back would start paining and nothing short of stopping would help.
4. While on the point of the accelerator, the A-pedal is placed at an awkward angle which made my ankle numb and pain started transmitting to my calf area and subsequently to the under-thigh. I never had to check the A-pedal angle before buying a car. The feet don't fall naturally to the pedals, combined with not being too close to the pedals due to the knee console hitting the upper-thigh or the knee region, this added to overall discomfort.
7. The pièce de résistance - the front seats. I mean apart from the stiffness, how bad can somebody design a seat on such an expensive car. The car lacks under-thigh support and this became evident on the long journeys. Moreover, this might apply to a very few individuals who are of similar shape and size as me.

I am planning to buy the upcoming Harrier facelift and am anxious about the left knee brushing the console. I am 6'2" with a bigger frame.

Can you please share your height and body frame/size to contextualise your issue on ergonomics so that I can make an informed decision?
Thanks.

[kamilharis]

Each car leaves a different experience to the driver. Sad to see you parting ways with one of the beautiful car, but yes its better to live with someone whom you like.

Congrats on your new XUV7OO. Do keep us posted with the positives of it over SAFARI.

[mayankk]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

[b]MG Hector(Pre-facelift):If MG had a diesel auto Hector, it would have been sitting in my parking space right now.

I dont get why MG is so pig-headed on this. Seriously incomprehensible.
I am from the manual camp and I count myself lucky that I avoided the Harrier owing mostly to the showroom experience, and stories like these of Tata. No rugrats!

The XUV700 has been a surprising entity, and most people who've bought it have been way happier than, say, first batch owners of the 5OO. I would definitely have considered it had it been around in November 2020.

Congratulations!

[dass]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

1. The seatback is stiff and this made me uncomfortable on 10-12 hour long journeys. My back would start paining and nothing short of stopping would help.


4. While on the point of the accelerator, the A-pedal is placed at an awkward angle which made my ankle numb and pain started transmitting to my calf area and subsequently to the under-thigh.


I seriously started missing my Ecosport


!

Sorry to hear that you let go of a new car. I have the new Harrier and face a similar situation with the points I quoted above. I had a Dzire for 10 years and never once I had driving discomfort in that, Harrier is a different story. Each passing KM, it has started to feel more comfortable, but this nagging feeling that a 28L car, is not as comfortable as a 10 year old car persists. I might not sell it the way you did, but then one never knows.

[jetsetgo08]

Originally Posted by tp_dominator

4. While on the point of the accelerator, the A-pedal is placed at an awkward angle which made my ankle numb and pain started transmitting to my calf area and subsequently to the under-thigh. I never had to check the A-pedal angle before buying a car. These are some basics which a manufacturer selling a 25 lakh rupee car should have been able to address and assess. The feet don't fall naturally to the pedals, combined with not being too close to the pedals due to the knee console hitting the upper-thigh or the knee region, this added to overall discomfort.

7. ....Also, if one monitors closely, the driver's seat is at an angle to the steering so you are always sitting in a cross position. This, with the nervous steering and the left pull - compounded the problems to a very uncomfortable level.

These 2 points and also off-center steering, pedal combo are recurring for the newer generation of Tata vehicles including the Punch and Altroz. While many may not have noticed during short test drives or luckily their bodies would have probably adopted to the weird seating. But, it's a big pain to drive for longer durations with unconventional ergonomics.

Drive a japanese or Korean make car/SUV for longer hours post driving these, one would feel much relaxed and less fatigued.

Discussed here https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post5563550 (Tata Punch Review)

[KPR]

Originally Posted by abaliga

We had purchased the Ecosport TDCI Titanium Plus in 2019 after 4 test drives, my Dad's favorite car at the time since Ecosport's launch in 2013, but after the purchase we did not like it for the following reasons

- Stiff ride at lower speeds, it was something that we did not notice as much in our test drives, but once we started living with it on monsoon ravaged roads filled with potholes, it was unbearable


After a long trip in 2022 where I got to experience the back seat, it was clear to me that it was time to let the Ecosport go after only 25k in 4 years despite its stellar handling, driving dymamics, amazing service and overall reliability

When I TDed the EcoSport Diesel in 2021, I had these two observations. Coming from a Fiat Punto Evo with 195 mm GC I couldn't sit in the rear seat of ES during TD on highways at about 100 km/h. I checked the tyre pressure of the TD vehicle and it was as recommended. Thanks that I didn't purchase it as I felt that it would definitely bother my family. As of date they still continue to enjoy the rear seat comfort of Punto at highway speeds.

[Sach_511]

Oh my my! I am waiting for New Harrier with bated breath, Harrie dark edition with red seat cover is die for along with its road presence; look like wait would be stretched till new Creta now!!