India's first and only SUV has been vastly improved since its launch in 1998. Autocar India revisits the Safari with a grueling 9000 Km test, on and off the road.Intimation - that's the name of the game out on Indian streets. To make progress you need to hold your line and not get pushed around by manic drivers who chop across your path. In this contest you would expect pole position to go every time to the battered cabs that roam our roads, unless you're driving a Tata Safari.Size matters, you bet, and with Safari's front bumper close to tree-top level you're already starting with a serious advantage. The disdain and nonchalant attitude of the idiot in front of your disappears rapidly as soon as he catches the first glimpse of this two tonne monster bearing down on him. The sheer presence of the Safari gives it the capability to part traffic like Moses did the Red Sea. Ever had someone delay you inordinately? Roll the Safari up over his bumper, flash those powerful lights straight down his rearview mirror and stoke the diesel engine menacingly.You won't even have to use the horn!

Welcome to the world of sports utility vehicles (SUVs) whose large physical presence places them high in the 'might-is-right' hierarchy, important for survival on Indian roads.In addition, SUVs come with all the attributes that make eminent sense in India- space, comfort and a robust build. In addition, they give that macho image status conscious Indians hanker for.When the Safari was launched in 1998, it represented a technological leap forward for Telco, a company that had until then produced nothing more than mildly refined small trucks with passenger accommodation. But more significantly, the Safari was India's first SUV in the truest sense of the term. And guess what? More than two years on, it still is the only SUV we have. The Qualis may be the best UV around and the Bolero a cheaper alternative, but neither of them capture the essence of what a SUV should be the way the Safari does.

But despite a lack of competition, all was not rosy for Tata Engineering. Priced at over Rs 8 lakh, the Safari was expensive and those who could afford it expected the world from itand were sorely disappointed when it didn't deliver all that its rugged, handsome looks promised.Telco engineers worked hard to race up the steep learning curve based on feedback from irate customers exasperated by quality problems. Today the Safari is a different animal altogether improved and more reliable as we found out in our 900Km test which included a jaunt across the country to Bhutan.

Designed originally by IAD a UK-based design house (which was eventually bought over by Daewoo), the Safari even today looks a fresh and modern design that will not look outdated in any company. What strikes, no slams, you about the Safari first is its sheer size. At almost two meters tall and five meters long. The Tatasauras dwarfs most city runabouts. The frontal section is dominated by those huge headlamps which straddle a small horizontal grille that has recently been redesigned with fewer and thicker slats.Though overall styling is superb, it lacks fluidity and promotion in small areas. The rear section with the smaller fixed glass seems out of syrnch with the resr of the glass area.

The plastic side-cladding, which gives the Safari a distinct belt line, neatly curves around the wheel arches to blend into the chunky bumpers. But what's good is that the side is mouldings have been significantly improved as Tata Engineering has switched over from polyurethane to injection-moulded plastics, which give a far better surface finish thanks to superior dimensional accuracy of the parts. Also, the injection moulded side cladding is far easier to bond onto the metal body.Large panel gaps are still evident but the body surface and paint job are comparable to international standards. Also the effort to open and shut the ridiculously heavy doors has been reduced and the door handles, which were prone to breakage, have been improved by working with the suppliers.The biggest criticism of the Safari, singularly, is it weight. Tipping the scales at a shade over two tones, the Safari needs to go on a slim - Fast diet. The ladder frame made from 3.15mm thick steel, though rigid and tough, simply weight too much. A rattling tailgate is now a standard Safari feature thanks to the heavy spare wheel that is placed directly on the rear door.

The longitudinally- mounted engine and gearbox sit quite high on the the chassis and a lower location would have considerably reduced the centre of gravity. The front suspension has a torsion bar set-up too and the rear uses the Sierra's five-link coil sprung suspension.Our test Safari came in the 4x4 configuration, which gets a pretty high-tech electric 'shift-on-the-fly' stream that allows you to switch from two -wheel to all-wheel drive with just the flick of a switch.

Hoisting yourself into the Safari requires some athletic talent, especially as there is no footstep provided. However, footsteps are available as accessories and we suggest you get one fitted.
Though the interiors have been considerably improved over earlier Safari's there is still long way to go. The rubber parts, like the door beadings and door handles, are awful. The feel of the switchgear and the fit and finish of the moulded plastic parts are again sub-standard.A new steering wheel with a chunkier grip has been provided and mock wood inserts for the centre console and power window surrounds add some warmth to the otherwise drab, grey cabin but is not to everyone's liking

Several other improvements have been carried out which are not so obvious. The power windows have been modified to run smoothly and the gremlins in the electrical system have been exercised by improving the quality of the parts, like the relays.
The front seats are hard and unyielding but provide excellent back support especially on long drives, which the Safari has been designed for. Ergonomically, the Safari is spot-on. The driver gets a superb view of the road from his lofty perch and all controls fall easily to hand.The middle row is again supremely comfortable with a squab height and back rest angle. There are acres of legroom and width to allow three abreast to sit happily all day along. In fact, the middle row of the Safari is possibly the most comfortable place on four wheels if you have to travel three up. The 60:40 split gives an added element of versality.

The back row has two foldable jump seats for three people, which is not exactly comfortable, and this area is bets used for devouring luggage. If you choose to sit here, you get your own a/c vent. However, in our tests we found that cooling at the back, effective as it is, was not due to the rear vent. Though the cooling capacity of the a/c system remains unchanged, the ancillaries have been optimised to improve cooling. That said, the Safari's a/c system was adequate at the best.
The Safari comes with a long list of standard equipment including tilt-steering and all power features . The sound system, however, was disappointing and simply didn't have enough juice for the large insides.

The Safari uses the same 1948cc, 90bhp turbo diesel engine that does duty in the Sumo and Sierra Turbos. However, despite improving low-end torque and lowering the final drive ratios, the Safari with full load feels underpowered. The power-to-weight ratio simply doesn't stack up in the Safari's favour. Though the acceleration times put the Safari on a par with the Qualis, especially in the dash to 100Kp, it lacks the driveability of the Qualis.Firstly, you need to to get the engine spinning beyond 2500rpm for it to wake up. Steep inclines pose a problem and you need to rev the engine hard and slip the clutch to gain momentum. Low-end performance is not the Safari's virtue and its sluggish behaviour makes it a pain to drive in a traffic or on an uphill twisty section. Also, the wide gap between second and third gear ratios has you falling out of the powerbrand more often than you would like.

The Safari performs best on the highway at cruising speeds with the engine spinning close to the peak of its torque curve. Floor the accelerator pedal at this point and the Safari lunges forward to make overtaking an easy job. The Safari makes a great highway vehicle able to sustain high speeds in a relaxed manner. The engine is pretty silent except for the roar of the mechanical fan which is annoying at high revs. A viscous coupling fan is a must to reduce engine noise and even improve performance and fuel economy.The powertrain has also undergone considerable improvements. Internal changes to the engine have increased its reliability and reduced its appetite for oil. In fact on our 9000 Km run, the Safari drank just a litre of oil.

The gearbox, once a suspect component in the Safari, has undergone 15-20 changes to improve the overall feel and the reliability. The process of 'selective assembly' of the gearbox during the manufacturing stage tightly controls the clearances between the shafts and the gears. The clutch too has been improved by reducing excess friction and optimising the control linkages, and clutch pedal effort has been reduced from 17 to 13Kg which makes the Safari more user-friendly. However, Tata Engineering has still not managed to lick that chattering sound from the drivetrain which is evident at low rpm in first or second gear, the inherent play in the gearbox and the torsional vibrations of the engine being transmitted through the clutch. A dual mass flywheel could solve the problem.The countless improvements to the powertrain have made the Safari perceptibly more refined. Now all that's needed is another 30bhp.

The ride comfort of the Safari is simply fantastic, its passengers oblivious to the road surface they travel on. The suspension, which has miles of travel, soaks up anything thrown in its way. The Safari feels best on long highway runs where you don't have to reduce speeds for potholes. On our narrow highways runs where you don't have to reduce speeds for potholes. On our narrow highways you can drop two wheels onto the earthen shoulder to avoid an oncoming truck without any danger of riping out the suspension or underside. Those unmarked speedbreakers, which can send you into lower orbit in a smaller vehicle, pose no problem for the Safari - you hardly feel them.The suspension setting has been considerably improved. Stiffer dampers and a larger diameter anti-roll bar have significantly reduced roll and excessive pitching at the front end on undulating surfaces. The steering too has been tweaked. The hydraulic pump has been tweaked to reduce steering effort and improve response. Though the Safari is still ponderous to drive on a tortuous road, thanks to its top-heavy nature, it is indefinitely more manageable than the first model.

The 4*4 system worked exceedingly well and in our tests through a sea of slush the Safari clawed its way through with consummate ease. Though it doesn't have the ultimate off-road ability of a Gypsy or Mahindra's Quadro, it can get you out of most sticky situations, the limited slip differential at the rear being a big help.In town, the ship-like dimensions and poor turning circle make the Safari quite a handful. Also, the poor visibility through the rear tailgate, thanks to the high door and spare tyre location, makes reversing tricky.The grippy 235/75 R15 Bridgestone Duelers come with a new design better suited for on-road use than off. The earlier block pattern, though great on dirt and mud, was noisy on tarmac.The brakes, which were prone to squealing, come with anti-squeal shims behind the front pads to eliminate yet another irritant. The brakes themselves were impressive, hauling this two-tonne beast to a halt from 80Kph in 3.4 sec and without any deviation from its line, another reassuring factor.

The safari's weight and overall low gearing the penalised fuel efficiency to some extent. Also the need to keep the turbo constantly on the boil increases the Safari's appetite for diesel. You need to drive with an extremely light foot to achieve double-digit figures. The difference between city and highway runs wasn't much, possibly due to the fact that the Safari with its large frontal area has to battle with the wind at cruising speeds. We achieved a figure of 10.4Kpl on the highway and 7.9Kpl in the city. The 65-litre tank gives the Safari is a useful range of close to 600Km between refills.

The Safari has achieved new levels of refinement and quality and is more user friendly than before. It still does not match Qualis levels of quality and may not be as trouble-free. However, we are certain that all the major problems the Safari faced have been dealt with and though niggling problems may continue to surface, they are increasingly few and far between.The safari is possibly the best Indian vehicle for long distance travel, thanks to the effortless manner in which it copes with our highways and the comfort it provides. If it's mainly town use you're looking for, stick to a car.

However, the main difference between the safari and any other UV lies in the sheer appeal that it comes with. The Safari is clearly the UV you want to have and not the one you need. The RS 954527 price-tag is still pretty steep, but after our exhaustive test we believe it's now worth it.