The seats are very similar to those in the front with the same impressive contouring, under-thigh support and cushioning. We feel the lack of wireless charging, a better resolved 360-degree camera and wireless phone mirroring is something Tata Motors should have addressed.īut these misses are largely forgotten once you step into the second row, available as a bench or in this new captain seat configuration. Now you wouldn't call the Safari under-equipped but the segment that it wants to compete in offers some of the best-equipped cars at any price range in India. ![]() Other than what came to the Harrier with its BSVI update, the Safari adds iRA connected car tech and TPMS. The 8.8-inch touchscreen and the 7-inch digital instrumentation continue unchanged, and so our reservations with the layout and interface of these units remain as they were. Thankfully, the uncomfortable aircraft-style handbrake has been replaced by an electronic one that also incorporates an auto-hold function. So we like the tucked in driving position and the low window sill which seems to give you both - a better sense of control and good visibility. Other than this, the good and the not so good remain as they were for front passengers. The newly added ambient lighting adds to this improved sense of quality further. The switches feel a bit more tactile than before and we couldn't find many ill-fitted panels. The dash design has been lifted from the Harrier and uses the same materials, but the level of fit and finish has improved by some margin. The white upholstery is going to take some maintenance but it has added to the sense of space in the already large cabin, the new wood trim also looks more genuine than the one in the Harrier. The brown wood and tan upholstery of the Harrier has been replaced by an off-white upholstery and dark ash wood dash trim. Tata Motors has addressed that quite well we think, with the Harrier being the starting point. One of the main pillars on which the original Safari built its reputation was the sense of space and comfort in its cabin. Quite a departure from the squat look of the Harrier's rear but one that still makes the Safari one of the better looking SUVs in its price range, even if it isn't immediately recognizable as a Safari. The auxiliary fog lamps are new as well while the rear bumper carries some neat boxed arrangements to further break what would have been a monotonous look. ![]() The part-LED tailamps are now of a flatter design, joined by a widened gloss-black panel on the more upright boot. We liked the silver design element that drops from the roof, it reduces the heft around the thick D-pillar and the quite large quarter glass. This more functional theme is carried on by the rest of the rear section. These versions also get only an ornamental roofrail for the stepped effect while other Safaris can be fitted with carriers and have a weight rating of 130kg. So the sloping roofline of the Harrier has been replaced by a flat stepped roof in a nod to the original Safari, although the panoramic sunroof-equipped version uses a rising roof panel to incorporate the glass. Tata Motors makes some attractive cars these days and this design prowess is quite apparent in how the 60mm longer rear overhang for the third-row has been incorporated into the Safari, obviously helped by the modularity of the Land Rover-derived OMEGArc monocoque structure. Larger 18-inch wheels have been added here for more effect, which carry over the same two-tone design as seen on the BSVI Harrier's 17-inchers. So you have the same bold shapes and hefty haunches of the donor car. Things remain largely untouched till the C-pillar. Although we prefer the more subdued arrangement in the Harrier, a section of the new Safari's buyers will appreciate the added presence these changes bring. These changes are well-integrated and don't necessarily feel overdone. There's some more chrome around the carried-over split headlamps. The grille is now finished in brushed silver with Tata Motors' new tri-arrow motifs highlighted in chrome. Look at the new Safari straight on and you'll need a discerning automotive eye to separate it from the Harrier. ![]() A cakewalk or do the trappings of lineage hold it back? So now this needs to be not just a good SUV but a good Safari. ![]() An inspired move no doubt, but one that brings with it the sentimentality and expectations associated with a well-remembered name. But what we didn't know was that this was in fact the new Safari. We always knew there was going to be a three-row Harrier, Tata Motors made sure of that with the showings at Geneva and then at the Auto Expo.
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