Tata Safari facelift: Pros & Cons after 1,500 kms of ownership

In love with the looks and the road presence the Safari offers. Coming from a low-slung sedan (Civic) it is such a good change to be in a vehicle which offers a commanding seating position.

BHPian Enigmatic recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

1500 KM Update!

Overall it has been a smooth journey so far. I haven't been able to drive the Safari much and it is mostly being used for daily office duties (approx. 10 kms in total). Listing down the positives and negatives so far:

Positives:

• After Sales Service. I know it is shocking to read Tata ASS as being a positive point for the Safari (I too am surprised). However, credit where credit's due, the Tata ASS has been nothing short of ideal. Yes, there are minor issues (as highlighted by the respective owners on this thread) but what matters more to me is how these issues are handled by the ASS. For eg., the two most critical issues I was facing (which I had also mentioned in the thread above) were (i) a squeaking sound from the rear end; and (ii) front-connected DRL not working in sync on locking the car. I had highlighted these issues during the first service, post which I was informed that the same are resolved. While the squeaking sound was rectified, the front-connected DRL was still not working in sync. Subsequently, the squeaking sound from the rear end also reappeared and I was forced to write an email to the Tata ASS highlighting my disappointment. To my surprise, the Tata ASS took up this matter rather seriously and called people from the Tata Plant (from Pune) to check the issue and provide a solution. My car was called, thoroughly inspected and the issues were rectified. Subsequently, a home visit was also scheduled by the Tata ASS and a senior technician (who I must say was very motivated) was sent to examine whether the issues had reappeared. He once again examined the squeaking sound from the rear end and showed me the spring that holds the spare wheel that produces the squeaking sound (for which a replacement has also been ordered). Regarding the Front DRL not working in sync, he explained that this issue has been highlighted to Tata through TDC (Tata Development Centre (?)), and a software update is expected to rectify this. Overall, I am completely satisfied by the support provided by the Tata ASS.
• Road Presence, Ride Quality and Drivability. In love with the looks and the road presence the Safari offers. Coming from a low-slung sedan (Civic) it is such a good change to be in a vehicle that offers a commanding seating position. The ride quality is also pretty good. Glides over the broken roads of Mumbai. Regarding the drivability, I am surprised as to how nimble the Safari is to drive in traffic. The steering is super smooth and makes handling the Safari a breeze.
• ADAS and connected car features. While I haven't been able to use ADAS to its fullest, it is definitely a great feature to have. The auto emergency braking is a bit too intrusive at times (i.e. it suddenly brakes if the car in front brakes) and I am tempted to switch it off however I would rather change my driving habits than repent switching off a safety feature. Also, the 360 cameras are the best in the category. They switch on when required and do a great job in traffic situations. The connected car features too are useful and helped me in tracking how the car was being driven while it was at the service center.
• Lights. Presently surprised by the headlights on offer. While they are definitely not the brightest, they do a very good job of lighting up the streets. The auto headlights work very well and switch on/off as intended. An interesting thing I noticed was that while the headlights are a single LED projector unit, when you switch on high beam, the cut-off shield does not physically move to let more light out (like it does in other projectors) but a different set of LED's (inside the projector) light up to provide the high beam.
• Ancillary items already highlighted before i.e. bone chiller of an AC, amazing sound system, etc. still hold good.

Negatives:

• Fuel efficiency. While it is wrong for me to expect crazy FE numbers from a car of this size and weight, I am currently getting 6-7 KMPL in Mumbai traffic. Hoping that it improves after the first oil change which I understand will happen at 15,000 KM.
• Gearbox. While I don't have any complaints regarding the smoothness of the automatic gearbox, the 1st gear is just too long. It shifts from 1st to 2nd at around 2000 RPM and around 21-22 KMPH while it shifts from 2nd to 3rd at 1500 RPM and around 30-32 KMPH. Can't understand why the first gear has to be this long. Also, on a couple of occasions, I have felt a strong jolt when the car downshifts from 3rd to 2nd gear. Hoping that this is not a serious issue.

Best,

Enigmatic

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.