2000 km in 4 days with my new Tata Safari facelift: 10 Pros & 7 Cons

Had the Nexon EV Prime previously and currently own the Nexon EV Max, alongside the new Safari.

BHPian shashankw839 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I am also a fellow Safari Accomplished Plus owner. I have recently purchased the car. I have been a strong EV enthusiast but there are no options in 7-seater cars in EVs so decided to pick up the Safari. I have owned the Nexon EV Prime before but my experience was not good and also now have the Nexon EV Max which has certain niggles too and I am waiting for a proper resolution still. I have owned tons of cars from different brands so far but love to support our brands and want them to succeed. However, I must sadly say that the customer service approach from our local brands particularly Tata and Mahindra is not up to the mark for sure. I’ll list some pros and cons I found with my car after driving it for 2000 in 4 days recently.

Tata Safari facelift Pros:

1. The car is solidly built. The LR platform outshines on the highways. The car eats up the miles in comfort.
2. Seating comfort for 7 passengers is quite good. I have the 7 seater configuration and 6 adults and 1 kid could travel without feeling cramped for space. The last row is usable by adults too.
3. Cameras are crisp and clear in the daytime and are okay in the nighttime. The parking guidelines are accurate. The 360-degree camera and front and back sensors are a boon to handle the bulky size of the vehicle.
4. The JBL music system is simply awesome. It’s too good for the car at this price point. The infotainment screen is crisp and Android Auto and Apple carplay being wireless is a very good feature.
5. The car has ample charging sockets for all occupants. The utility part of the car is neatly done.
6. Seats are super comfortable for all occupants. Just the right amount of cushion and ergonomics for everyone. Seat ventilation is a bonus.
7. I am simply blown away by the suspension setup on the car. I have used luxury cars with 2x and 3x the price of the safari and they would also unsettle on some bad road conditions when driven with full load. However, the safari is rock solid on bad roads. The suspension setup is very impressive.
8. The electronic power steering is light to drive and does not cause any fatigue. The driving position is perfect for my liking and I could do almost 500+ kms a day on an avg for 4 days straight without getting tired.
9. The engine is very well refined and noise levels are well isolated from the cabin. A commendable job has been done to make the cabin experience smooth on the new version.
10. The engine is very efficient as well. At lower three-digit speeds constantly, I could extract 13-15 km/l mileage with a full load which is very good.

Tata Safari facelift Cons:

1. The legacy of cons remains and they need to be sorted by Tata ASAP for the product to succeed. The first and foremost is the fit and finish of the car. There are uneven panel gaps all over the cabin and on the exterior.
2. The paint finish is not up to the mark at all places on the car. The fitment of plastic parts in the interior is not correct in many parts of the car. This causes some rattles when travelling.
3. The biggest hit-and-miss is Adas functions. In 4 days of travel, I got ADAS sensor malfunction warnings around 6 times. Adaptive cruise control would become unavailable when the sensor used to go mad. Lane keep assist is not active and the lane departure warning is very late in responding. Collision assist also does not work well and is very late to warn even when sensitivity is set to the highest level. Overall ADAS calibration is not up to the mark. The only thing that I found working correctly was the rear cross-traffic alert.
4. The OE tyres provided with the cars are hard. The lower trims get Bridgestones while the top trim gets MRFs with an odd size. The size 245/55 R19 is very odd and if you end up damaging one of your tyres, it is very hard to find a tyre of this size easily. I have upgraded my tyres to Pirelli Pzeros and they have made a huge difference to the car and its handling.
5. There are hardly any accessories available for the car with TML. The floor mats they provided do not match and they say it might take some months for the mats to arrive. So the car gets dirty easily.
6. As I said the cons continue and so another big issue is the lack of knowledge of the model with TML technicians. I took the car 2 times to the dealership so far and both times did not have a great experience. First, it was for the number plate fitment and the person there started fitting the plate right in front of the Adas sensor and was not even aware that he was going to block the radar. Fortunately, another technician was available who could understand what I was saying and then repositioned the plate. The second time the fog light was making noise and was loose and the technician mentioned that the full bumper needed to be taken down while it was just a matter of removing one cover from the wheel arch.
7. The headlights on the car are not good at all for highway conditions. The throw is not bright enough and neither it is long enough. The spread is ok but the throw is hardly 150-200 feet even on a high beam. Tata needs to provide better headlights for sure for safety reasons. I had to drive very cautiously at night due to the bad headlights.

Overall, it is a great car and Tata has come a long way with its improvements, however, they need to solve the niggles and basic customer service issues asap to give the owners a better experience. The issues with ADAS need to be solved on priority because they are related to safety.

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