2021 Tata Safari: Top 5 Differences Between The Old And New Safari

Does the new Safari do enough to justify that name tag or does it simply take the Safari nameplate in a different direction?

Tata's resurrection of the Safari nameplate has suddenly put a lot more pressure on the upcoming seven-seater SUV. Set to go up against the MG Hector Plus and the upcoming Mahindra XUV500, the new Safari, previously called the 'Gravitas', now has one more adversary in the Safari Storme. So exactly how well does the new Safari stack up when pitted against the Safari Storme?

Looks

For years, the Safari had been a brute with a tall, upright stance, that could bully other cars on the road. There were clean lines in the Safari Storme’s design and the previous iterations of the Tata SUV. This gave the Safaris an evergreen look, which, although not reminiscent of modern-day car designs, could still hold its own in the company of the newer lot.

On the other hand, the new Safari features a very intricate design based on the Harrier. Tata has worked on the SUV from all angles, giving it a more polished and refined look which has led to it looking less imposing and more classy. Being an SUV, it can still be considered tall, but not tall enough anymore to have the same kind of upright stance the Safari Storme boasted.

As you can see in the table above, the new Safari is slightly longer and a fair bit wider than the Safari Storme. There’s a massive difference in the wheelbase too, with the new Safari once again coming out on top. But with a height of 1922mm, it is the Safari Storme that towers over its sibling.

Engine/Transmission

The Safari Storme used to have a 2.2-litre diesel engine (like that in the Tata Hexa) underneath its bonnet. Initially, this engine would pump out 140PS and 320Nm of torque and drive the rear wheels through a five-speed manual transmission. In the later years, Tata squeezed out a 156PS and 400Nm from this engine! The transmission was updated to a six-speed manual to handle the added output. Though the new 400Nm engine was out, the older 320Nm unit was still on sale in the lower variants of the Safari Storme.

In contrast, the new Safari uses a 2.0-litre diesel engine from Fiat that pumps out 170PS and 350Nm of torque, and uses a six-speed manual or automatic transmission. While it has the Storme beaten in outright power, the Varicor400 engine of the Safari Storme still pumped out a lot more torque.

The Storme’s generous torque was necessary for going off-road. On the road, it simply took a slight prod from your right foot to execute a highway overtake. The new Safari’s advantage in power will majorly be evident on the road, where it can cruise at triple-digit speeds easily with the help of that added horsepower.

Chassis/Drivetrain

The older Safari Storme was a body-on-frame SUV, just like any trusted, rugged SUV of that era. It weighed more than 2 tonnes, and like SUVs of the past, came with a four-wheel drive that could be engaged or disengaged by turning a knob. The robust construction of a body-on-frame SUV and the ability to engage 4x4 at will meant that the Safari Storme had the capability to just keep going when the road ended. You could put it through trails, climb steep inclines, forge streams or small rivers, or simply use it to get unstuck, and all of it by just twisting a knob.

The new Safari has a knob too. However, it doesn’t get a body-on-frame chassis like the Storme. Instead, it gets a unibody/monocoque construction, bringing its kerb weight down to just 1,825kg. There is also no four-wheel-drive on offer, and the engine here only drives the front wheels. The knob in the Safari changes drive-modes, allowing the on-board ESP to manage wheel spin in wet or muddy conditions. So, maybe the Safari can still venture off-road, but only on mild trails. However, all hope is not lost. Tata Motors has asserted the new Safari’s chassis is capable of accommodating an all-wheel-drive system, but it isn’t on offer because of a lack of demand.

Features

The Safari Storme wasn’t a bare-bones package by any means. It has got a superb music system, projector halogen lights, a well laid out instrument cluster, heated outside rearview mirrors, and ample storage places around the cabin.

The new Safari, however, belongs to a different generation, one in which a digital instrument cluster, an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, auto AC, a panoramic sunroof, connected car tech, a rear parking camera, an e-parking brake, and bi-xenon projector headlights are all present. There's a JBL sound system on board, including a subwoofer and an amplifier. Even safety features like airbags have gone from two in the Safari Storme to six in the new Safari. A bunch of active safety features like ESP, hill hold control, hill descent control, traction control, rollover mitigation, and corner stability control have also been added to the new Safari.

Seating

The older Safari Storme was offered in a 7-seater avatar only. There used to be two jump seats in the third row, which could be folded up to make room for more luggage.

In the new Safari, Tata has gone for forward-facing seats in the third row. This will allow passengers to seat themselves more comfortably in the last row of the SUV. The top-spec variant also offers a 6-seater option this time around.

Verdict

The Safari Storme was a utilitarian SUV compared to the new Safari; it offered everything you would have wanted in a car. Thanks to its 4x4 system, you could go places where ordinary vehicles could only dream of going to. It was rugged, dependable, and capable of accommodating seven people, if required.

The new Safari is more posh, and the 'SUV' billing is used more to define the car's size than its utility. It can seat seven people more comfortably than the Storme, offers more features inside the cabin, but misses out on that rugged edge that helped the Storme go anywhere. And maybe that's not a bad thing, because frankly most people bringing the Safari home this time around won't be looking to climb mountains or cross rivers in it.

And finally, the Safari Storme retailed at a little over Rs 16 lakh for its more expensive variant. In contrast, the new Safari could be priced at more than Rs 21 lakh for its top-spec variant. That gap puts the Safari in a league above the Safari Storme.

Also Read: New Tata Safari: Variant-wise Features Detailed