Booked 2023 Tata Safari top variant; thoughts after a short test drive

Tata still needs to improve the QC for its vehicles, the test drive vehicle I drove (could be delivery one as well) had 100 kms on the odometer.

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Did the test drive of the new facelift safari last week here are my observations,

• The drive was pretty smooth, cabin insulation seems much better than the previous gen safari.
• The new gear shifter feels premium, just would have been better had it had more metal than plastic.
• The audio sound through the new speaker setup seems great, but felt MG Hector's speakers had better clarity and bass, nonetheless, it is still good.
• For some reason, I felt under-thigh support was a bit lacking, maybe I could have played around with the seating position, was getting late to the office so had to hurry.
• The new infotainment system, driver display unit and 360 camera deserve a special mention, they are really top notch and Tata has really outdone themselves (fingers crossed, too early to celebrate). The cameras really have excellent clarity. Blindspot monitoring along with a lane change camera really works nicely in tandem.
• These new 19-inch tyres really have better road connection I feel, waiting to test them over the rough surfaces to see how much they pass the undulations back into the cabin. But on Hyderabad's outer ring road, they really soaked those small rumble strips with ease and the ride felt even. Did not observe much tyre noise either.
• High-speed stability and braking seem adequate for the size of the car.
• The blower does sound a bit loud when in 3, but that again is not a big issue as once the cabin is cool, it should be silent considering the blower on speed 2 is silent.
• 3rd row is comfortable for adults 5'8" and below, others might feel a bit knees-up position. But still is better for a couple of hours trips.
• The Steering felt light to maneuver at low speed and weighed up nicely as speed climbed up, and this does reflect on how the vehicle feels. The new facelift safari feels easy to drive in traffic and doesn't remind too much of its size as compared to an older version. Though don't expect an XUV 700 feel, that felt like a hatch when driving. Safari will still remind you that you are driving a big vehicle but in a very subtle manner.
• Steering buttons felt a bit tacky, they don't give you a premium feel and they also seem to have a bit of extra gap between buttons and the steering surface sometimes your nails or fingers might partially come in between them, and this might lead to them being uprooted if not careful.

Tata still needs to improve the QC for its vehicles, the test drive vehicle I drove (which could be a delivery one as well) had 100 kms on the odometer. The powered seat button on the driver's side already came off on the vehicle when I tried to adjust the seats, that sort of drove me crazy as its a brand new vehicle and this type of quality issue does not inspire confidence in the brand.

Overall I liked the new Facelift Safari, just got information from my dealer that the vehicle has been billed at the factory. I booked the Accomplished plus AT in galactic blue color. Hopefully, QC is a bit better on the delivery vehicles.

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