The Hindu Business Line : Tata’s new and exciting Safari

Tata Motors has given the Safari a major makeover. The new Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT gets a new, reworked engine that is more powerful, fuel efficient, emission-friendly and refined. And the ‘much appreciated’ features of the earlier version have been carried forward.

S. Muralidhar

Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT — variable timing, and can still redeem your life. New 2.2 VTT engine…packs in more power and torque.The Indica V2 with dual front airbags.

Big changes are afoot for Tata Motors’ passenger vehicles portfolio. The Rs 1-lakh people’s car is due for rollout early next year, as also the cnew Indica and Indigo, both of which will be from a whole new platform and are expected to be much more attractive and modern looking.

But even as these vehicles are being readied and are in the final stages of testing, Tata Motors is also simultaneously smarting up its utility vehicles, making them more fuel efficient, emission- friendly and refined. Both the utility vehicles — the Safari and the Sumo — get the makeover treatment. Both get new, reworked engines and the ‘much appreciated’ features have been carried forward.

Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT

The Safari has had a phased-out upgrade programme, where over the years, the full-bodied sports utility vehicle has been put through a sequence of refinements, which have improved both the on-road performance and the quality of its interiors.

With its size and structure, agility may not have been one of its best attributes, but one aspect that the Safari has always been known for is its class-leading suspension. Right through our test-drive of the Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT this was evident — thankfully this attribute has been retained in the new version. With a tall stance, short overhangs and a soft suspension set-up, the Safari’s occupants in all three rows of seats should feel comfortable even on long drives. The only time the suspension feels a tad bit too soft and you miss having a firmer ride is when you have to do tight turns at three-digit speeds.

While a few changes have been made to both the outside and inside of the new Safari, it is the heart of the SUV that matters and this has received a definite upgrade this time around. The earlier 3-litre Dicor engine was a bit of a lumbering unit, with a lot of body but not much power. And added to this, the earlier mill also lacked the level of refinement that could be achieved by a common-rail direct injection diesel unit.

The new 2.2-litre Dicor with a similar Delphi common rail injection system is a clear winner in the NVH parameter, with noise and vibration levels that are much lower than the earlier engine both while idling and cruising. Despite being smaller in size, the new engine packs in more power and torque, thanks to a new variable turbine technology (VTT) turbocharger.

The new 2.2-litre, 16-valve, DOHC engine features a 32-bit central processor. The engine delivers a peak power of 140 PS at 4,000 rpm, compared to the previous 3-litre engine’s 110 PS of peak power. The peak torque of the new engine is also a high 320 Nm, which becomes available from as low as 1,700 rpm. Power delivery is linear and matches well with the engine’s quick peaking torque characteristics.

Much of the assistance for the new 2.2-litre engine comes from the new VTT turbocharger. The new system constantly monitors the parameters, such as driver demand, engine rpm, etc., to provide much higher flexibility in delivering the engine air requirements.

The VTT enables the new Safari Dicor engine to be more fuel-efficient and less polluting. Also, a large chunk (300Nm) of the engine’s peak torque is available over a wider engine-rpm range — from 1,500 rpm to 3,000 rpm, making the vehicle more responsive and fun to drive.

However, despite the improvement in the engine’s overall refinement and performance levels there is still one issue that we thought Tata engineers could have worked on. Like its predecessor, the 2.2-Dicor also continues to suffer from a fairly pronounced turbo-lag.

The new Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT also gets a few changes on the outside, where a new, more nicely shaped, three-slatted bonnet grille replaces the earlier version. Tubeless tyres, follow-me-home headlamps, two new metallic body colours and a stylish new spare wheel cover round off the changes on the outside. As for the interiors, the new Safari gets a two-tone beige colour theme, new day-night instrument panel and express-down power windows.

Much of the other features, including the modern clear-lens headlamps, shapely ORVMs, etc., have all been carried forward. Dual airbags and ABS with EBD are part of standard fitment in the VX variant. Four-wheel drive with an electrical shift on the fly mechanism is available as an option in some variants. However, again, in the case of the interiors, the finish quality and refinement levels still have room for improvement, especially electrical parts, plastic panels and knobs.

All said, the new Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT continues to be great value for money — prices start from Rs 7.3 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base LX 4X2 variant.

Sumo on a leaner diet

Tata Motors has also launched the Sumo Victa Turbo DI, the new upgraded range of its entry-level utility vehicle, the Sumo Spacio. The new range has been fitted with a new 3-litre Turbocharged DI engine that is expected to deliver improved fuel economy, higher power and torque. The new engine develops maximum power and torque of 70 PS at 3,000 rpm and 223 Nm at 2,200 rpm respectively. This is expected to deliver a considerable improvement in overall performance and driveability. Tata Motors claims that fuel efficiency has also significantly improved.

After extensive testing, the company says that the Sumo Victa Turbo DI now delivers a best in class 15 kmpl (under standard test conditions), further enhancing the core appeal of the vehicle. It is also characterised by lower noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).

Based on customer feedback, Tata engineers have retained a number of features and much appreciated attributes of the Sumo Victa IDI range, including the 4.9 metres turning circle radius, equivalent to those of small cars, the spare wheel’s under-the-body location, the styling attributes, such as clear-lens head lamps, and the front fascia.

The range comprises four trim levels – Cx, Lx, Ex and Gx — in both BSII and BSIII emission compliance levels. It offers a range of seating configurations — 7, 8, 9, and 10 passengers — to choose from, along with the comfort and convenience features of the Victa IDI range. Air-conditioning (HVAC) is standard equipment on Lx, Ex and Gx variants. The top-end variant, Gx, is also equipped with premium features such as power steering, power windows, central locking, keyless entry, CD/MP3 music system and internally adjustable outside rear-view mirrors.

The BSII range of Sumo Victa DI has been priced between Rs 4.84 lakh and Rs 5.89 lakh, (ex-showroom, Karnal), while the BSIII range is priced between Rs 4.95 lakh and Rs 6 lakh (ex showroom, Delhi).

Indica V2 gets premium safety features

S. Muralidhar

New 2.2 VTT engine.packs in more power and torque.

The Tata Indica V2 too gets long-overdue premium safety features such as airbags and ABS. Keen on establishing its focus on modernising and improving the safety of its vehicles, Tata Motors has enhanced the Indica V2’s Turbo range with a new variant.

The country’s largest selling diesel car, the Indica V2 now packs in the power of the turbo-charged, inter-cooled engine with two new superior safety features — dual front (passenger, passenger side) airbags and an anti-lock braking system (ABS).

These safety features will be available on the top end Indica V2 Turbo DLX. The Indica range is already being offered with standard safety features such as anti-submarine seats, side-impact beams, a front crumple zone, a collapsible steering column, energy absorbing bumpers and ELR-type seat belts. According to Tata Motors, the Indica complies with European standards for full-frontal, offset-frontal and rear crash for passenger survivability.

S. Muralidhar

The Indica V2 with dual front airbags.

The variant continues to be available with the powerful 1,405cc turbo-charged, inter-cooled diesel engine that delivers a power of 68 PS @ 4,500 rpm and a high torque of 130 Nm @ 2,500 rpm. The new Indica V2 Turbo DLX variant comes in three colours: Salsa Red, Arctic Silver and Carbon Black. It is priced at Rs 4.76 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).