A section of fans continue to be be unhappy over the use of Safari brand name on a FWD SUV based on Harrier
One of the most awaited launch from Tata Motors is definitely going to be the Safari, which is a 7-seater version of its popular SUV, Harrier. Over the last few years, the SUV has been spied testing on multiple occasions across the country. Through spy shots, we have reported this SUVs journey from being Q502 to H7X to Buzzard to Gravitas and now finally Safari.
With testing now in final phase, the production spec variant is all set to make debut on 26th Jan 2021. The latest spy video by TheFatBiker shows the new Safari on road in almost no camouflage – giving a good idea about its road presence.
New Spy Video Of Safari
Thanks to new spy shots in the past few days, we have been able to get a better understanding of how the production-ready variant will look like. While the initial launch was expected to take place in early 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the plans and now we can expect to see the Safari in showrooms in first half of 2021.
In a recent spyvideo, we can see a Safari test mule doing highway testing somewhere near Mumbai. The SUV was covered in little camouflage but is production-ready. Interestingly, a few weeks ago, a test mule of Safari was spotted riding on Range Rover inspired Alloy wheels, however the test mule caught on camera had the same old Alloy Wheel design which we have seen on the Harrier as well.
Specifications
New Safari will be based upon Tata Motor’s OMEGA architecture, which the company had also employed on the Harrier. Post launch, the Safari will become Tata Motors’ flagship SUV and hence it is expected to be heavily feature loaded product.
Some of the confirmed creature comfort features include an 8.8 inch touchscreen infotainment which will be compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Benecke-Kaliko oak brown leather upholstery, JBL speakers, 7-inch digital instrument panel and much more.
Under the hood, the Safari will be drawing power from a BS 6 compliant 2 litre turbo diesel engine which Tata also employs in the Harrier. Exact power output details aren’t available but they shall be either similar to that of the Harrier or might be a little higher. Take a look at the new spy video by TheFatBiker below.
Tata sources the engine from Fiat and the 6-speed torque converter unit from Hyundai. 3 drive modes (Sport, City and Eco) and 3 Terrain Response modes (Normal, Rough and Wet) have also been confirmed for the Safari.
Competition
The competition in the segment has certainly started to heat-up. Earlier, it was just the Safari which was due for a launch in the year 2021. However, at this point of time, the same set of customers will be lured by multiple OEMs.
MG has already introduced a larger variant of the Hector which it has decided to baptize has MG Hector Plus. Other major competitor for the Safari will come in from Mahindra. Mahindra has been testing the second generation XUV 500 very aggressively and speculation suggests that Mahindra will launch the 2021 XUV 500 by the first quarter of 2021. The 7-seater Creta was been in the news for quite a while now but it was spotted on road-test very recently, which too will potentially get launched sometime in 2021 and compete with the Safari.
