Here you go guys:
Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT Review
Looks and Interiors:
It’s the same old design with a bit of garnish here and there. The front grill does change the character of the car from regal for the earlier one to butch for this one. I cant say which one looks better, but I would prefer the Dicor 3.0 one. Interiors disappointingly remain the same, for quality that is. Plastic quality is a major concern and I am sure its not because of cost, TATA lacks the will. The leather covered steering wheels was already showing scruff marks with just 250 kms on the odo. I am sure with competition giving better quality TATA will ‘have’ to do it, else I don’t see them doing it themselves. The test car was 250 kms old and the beige interiors were already dirty, although they make the cabin look airy and light, its not a good idea for the Indian environment. The side cladding for EX is now body colored and both front power windows have the one-touch roll down function. Rest everything else remains the same. The seats still rival the best sofa’s around. The driver seat has all kinds of adjustment, including the height and lumbar support. The AC felt better than before, but only because the front vents are now better placed. The front and tail gate now feature nice looking scuff plates with Safari written on them.
Ride and Handling:
The ride is same as before, very plush but lesser weight on the front means that the whole car now feels much tighter. The suspension wiggle, every time Safari 3.0 goes over a bump or on undulations and while braking is all but missing here and that translates into better handling and better control of the car overall.
I am very impressed with the new steering. Although lacking feel, its pretty direct for a car of this size and weight and coupled with better, tighter suspension, I can play point and squirt, atleast in the city.It’s a huge improvement over the old safari and certainly something TATA should be applauded for.At higher speeds too, all the above improvements should mean better control over all.I drove the test car over a potholed road and rattles were completely absent.
Engine and Gearshift:
Ironically the most talked about feature of the new Safari was the most disappointing. Having driven the old Dicor with 115 bhp, I was expecting this 138 bhp engine with higher torque and a wider power band to be a stonker but I came back disappointed. The initial impressions were good, the 2.2 lunged forward in first gear effortlessly, turbo lag was apparent inspite of VGT though not much. There is a definite step up in power after 1500 rpm and it sailed past 2000 rpm with enthusiasm. The 2.2 felt sprightly driven in traffic. Its when I drove it on an open road was I disappointed and how! The acceleration is good up until 2500 rpm after which it begins to tail off a little bit and it’s all a struggle afterwards. The engine labored up 2700 rpm onwards and took its own sweet time going past 3000 rpm even when I had the accelerator glued to the floor in third gear!!! After 3000 rpm almost nothing happens, its one huge flat spot if I may say so and takes an eternity going from 3000 to 4000 rpm with no noticeable step up in speed or acceleration. Looking at the torque and power graph, the torque begins to tail after 3000 rpm but power increases linearly till 3500 rpm which was never felt. Even the almost flat torque curve from 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm wasn’t felt simply because the 2.2 labors up after 2500 rpm, it wasn’t effortless unlike the 3.0 engine which is great at anything over 1500 rpm. To its credit the engine is smooth and vibe free but is noisy after 3000 rpm.
The gearshift is OK but it lacks any sort of feedback. The throw is wide especially the first gear, reminds me of the old DTC drivers putting the first gear.The feel through gear lever was like moving a stick through half set glue.
I think there was some problem with the test car. The rpm rose each time I depressed the clutch to change gear. Can clutch be the reason for low pick up from the engine? I felt as if the clutch is not working properly. I asked the showroom guy to give me a call after he takes the car back to the dealership and gets it checked. He did give me a call and says everything is fine which is hard to believe… Where have all the 138 horses gone? Dare I say, the Dicor 3.0 will absolutely kill it in straight line performance, except for the initial surge to say 60 kph.
I think I need to test drive someother car and come to a conclusion.
