Upon its launch, Tata Gravitas will lock horns with MG Hector Plus and new-gen Mahindra XUV500
Just a few days after Tata Motors officially revealed the Safari online, via studio images – the first real world photos have made its way online. The undisguised Safari is likely to be on its way to dealer showroom, which is where it will be officially on display from 26th Jan.
Safari Dealer Training / Showroom Display
Ahead of that, Tata has started dealer training for the new Safari to get the sales and service staff acquainted with the new 3 row SUV based on Harrier. Production commenced at the company’s Pune plant a few days ago.
Unofficial bookings for the seven-seater SUV have already commenced at certain dealerships across the country. Interested customers can book the new Safari at a token amount of Rs 51,000. Official bookings are going to open from 26th Jan.
As already discussed extensively before, Safari will share most of its design elements and mechanicals with Harrier. The company has revealed that the upcoming seven-seater version of Harrier was always conceived as ‘Safari’ since its initial development and that Gravitas was just a codename.
Interestingly, the SUV made its first public appearance with the name ‘Buzzard’ in the Geneva Motor Show back in 2019. The automaker also conceded that the Safari nameplate could only be utilised for a three-row SUV and the upcoming Safari will not have an apologetic third row of seats.
Differences between Harrier & Safari
In fact, it is claimed to incorporate several elements of the iconic SUV. It resembles Harrier in most ways even though it has its distinct identity. For instance, beyond the B-pillar, it gets a stepped up roof and an extended rear overhang to accommodate a third-row of passengers. It also gets a Safari badging on its roof rails and tailgate in bold lettering. Other distinct design highlights include a tri-arrow grille design, an upright boot lid and new exterior colour schemes including new blue paint.
New Safari’s design will be based on Tata Motor’s Impact 2.0 philosophy and will be underpinned by the same Land Rover derived Omega architecture which also forms the base for Harrier. It is, however, 63mm longer and 80mm taller than its smaller sibling.
Also, inside the cabin, it is offered with a dual-tone theme with a blacked-out dashboard. It will be available in six as well as seven-seat configurations, the former to have two captain seats in the middle row.
Powertrain Specs
Coming to its engine specifications, it is expected to be offered with the same 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel mill sourced from Fiat which pushes out 168 bhp and 350 Nm of torque. This unit will be paired with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
Like Harrier, it will also be an FWD SUV, unlike the original Safari that came with an option of a 4×4 drivetrain. However, due to the versatility of the D8 platform of Land Rover, a 4×4 drivetrain could be made available in the future. One can expect a premium of approx Rs 1 lakh over a similar specced Harrier. The 5-seater SUV has been currently priced between Rs 13.84 and Rs 20.30 lakh (both prices ex-showroom).
