Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors Wajeeh Khan
The Tata Safari Storme was easily one of the most awaited launches of the year 2012. Ever since its appearance in the 2012 Auto Expo, the Indian public has been in a frenzy to get as much information on this SUV as possible.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
And at long last, the wait is finally over and Tata have put up the Safari Storme for sale at the extremely competitive starting price of Rs 995,000.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
The Storme line-up now consists of 4 variants namely, Storme LX, EX, VX and VX 4WD (4-wheel drive).
These variants are priced at Rs 995,000, Rs 10.77 lakh, Rs 12.37 lakh and Rs. 13.66 lakh respectively.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
The interesting bit here is that the top-end variants comes with proprietary technology in the form of an ESOF (Electronic-Shift-on-the Fly) mechanism.
This means that the driver will now be able to shift from 2WD to 4WD or the other way around, without having to stop the vehicle.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
Let's take a look at what the Storme has to offer its doting fans. Starting from ground up, we see the new Safari is built off Tata Motor's flagship crossover, the Tata Aria.
This no doubt makes the Storme a better product than the old Safari.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
The new bumper, honey-comb chrome striped grille, new fog lamps with chrome bits, alloy wheels and wide body side cladding on the side definitely set the new Storme apart from its predecessor.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
In addition to this the Storme also features sportier lines, twin chrome-tipped exhausts, a high mounted spoiler and a re-designed wind shield at the rear.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
Alright, so that is all fine and well for next-gen looks and features.
The only drawback to all these cosmetic changes is that Tata seem to have missed out on the rear mounted spare wheel!
While some may not agree, most would still conclude that the old Safari had a trademark look thanks to the rear mounted spare wheel.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Photographs: Kind courtesy, Tata Motors
Without that classic accessory, one may as well mistake the Storme for a Fortuner or an Endeavour from far.
Ok, that may be exaggerating the point, but the fact remains, the Storme would have looked a lot better with that particular accessory in place.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Stepping into the Storme, we find a clash between the contemporary and classic worlds.
The interior cabin comes with a mix of good quality plastic and wood finish components giving the SUV a suburban feel.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
The feeling gets better as we realise the storme is more spacious than the Safari thanks to its bigger dimensions and re-formed seating arrangements.
The overall luxury and comfort provided by the interiors is definitely worth a thumbs-up.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
The Storme comes with a 5.4m turning radius with 200mm of ground clearance, electrically operated ORVMs and a reverse parking system.
With these features in place, Tata do seem to have gotten the urban part of the SUV right.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
In addition, Tata Motors claim this SUV to be the best in its class and while many would agree, its direct competitors, the Renault Duster and the Mahindra Scorpio beg to differ.
With Renault having increased the price of Duster, this may well hold true until Tata themselves raise the introductory price of the Storme.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
Engine changes are at a minimal, considering the old Safari engine was a near perfect motor.
The Storme houses the similar 2.2-litre, 16-valve, DOHC VTT VariCor engine.
While this seems like the same old engine with a new name, Tata Motors has as yet not made any statement regarding whether this is the new engine or the same old one.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
The engine now hands out 138bhp with 320Nm of peak torque and these horses are delivered to the drivetrain via a 5-speed manual gearbox.
The mileage however, has been upped to 14kmpl for the 2WD variants and 13.2kmpl for the 4WD ones.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
And finally, putting the rumours to rest, Tata Motors have stated that the new Safari Storme is not a replacement for the old o#8800 it will simply position itself above the old Safari thereby filling the gap between Aria and the Safari.
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The Rs 9.95 lakh Tata Safari Storme is finally here
While this is no doubt a clever strategy by Tata to fill in its sales volumes, I am just happy the old Safari with its rear mounted spare wheel will not end up as an obsolete dust collector.
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