The handles and latches of the folding rear seats look very cheap and brittle they look like they will break if you yank them too hard. This was a minor issue, something to do with a relay/fuse, but was a major irritant in this 40 degree Delhi heat. Also, the driver side power window has failed, the left rear power window switch gets stuck sometimes, the brake light bulbs have fused and the AC had conked off a few days back. His car stays parked outdoors, so I noticed a bit of rust near the running board. The third row, on the other hand is totally uncomfortable, unsafe and not at all meant for humans. The front seats especially, are very very comfortable with their individual armrests. The first row and middle row have very comfortable seats. I also observed that downshifts are not very smooth the passengers notice them. Gearshifts on the other hand are quite notchy.
The clutch is reasonably light, feels similar to a diesel Swift. you can almost drive it like an Automatic car in 3rd gear in the city. The engine has excellent low end torque. There is a significant amount of nose dive during braking. 4 wheel discs mean that stopping power is good, but the pedal feel requires getting used to. There is no escaping the fact that it is a top heavy SUV, and does behave a little floaty. The Safari isn't bothered at all by bad roads and water logging, but contrary to popular opinion, the ride quality made me a bit dizzy. The Scorpio does come close, but the depth of the dashboard, or it's extent of protrusion into the cabin is quite less, so it ends up feeling a bit utilitarian. I have been in other SUVs, but I can confidently say that absolutely no other car can beat the Safari at this. Having owned low slung sedans for the past 2 decades, I just LOVED the commanding driving position. he had left it with me as he was away on business. I recently got to use a friend's 2017 Storme VX Varicor 400 with 60k on the odd. Be advised that the car still has fans & the immaculate low mileage ones are surprisingly holding premium prices! Strictly avoid the non-Storme earlier Safari on the older platform - it was sad. With Tata cars, the later the model, the better. The Storme was on sale for 7 years, but it didn't sell well. For instance, in a market like Bombay, there are just 5 - 6 cars on OLX. Save the rest of the money to keep her in shipshape. Good all-terrain tyres, sweet rims & some minor visual enhancements are all you should invest in.
While it never really set the sales charts alight like the Scorpio, it managed to retain its fan base among enthusiasts. Over the years, the Storme received a variable geometry turbocharger, power hikes and lots of improvements. It carried over the competent 2.2L DiCOR which is a jewel of an engine in our opinion. They preserved the identity of the original Safari, by retaining the body shell. Tata's engineering team gave the macho SUV a new hydroformed X2 chassis (first seen on the Aria). On this thread, we will focus on the big update that came in 2012.