After the launch of a Manza variant on Tuesday,
Tata Motors on Wednesday launched the new Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)
Tata Safari Storme at a starting price of Rs 9.95 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
While
the base model 4X2 LX is available at Rs 9.95 lakh, 4X2 EX comes for Rs
10.77 lakh, 4X2 VX for Rs 12.37 lakh and 4x4 VX for Rs 13.66 lakh. Tata
Safari Storme was first unveiled at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo.
With underpinnings and engine from the Aria, the new Tata Safari Storme will kick up a storm in the entry level
SUV market in India. The new Safari Storme is a more modern vehicle than its predecessor.
Its Aria-derived chassis and suspension and 2.2-litre DiCOR engine will
ensure better drive dynamics and better refinement and response
respectively.
The engine churns out 140PS of power and 320Nm of
torque. The five-speed gearbox has been tweaked to deliver a better
driving experience. Other improvements include a shorter turning radius
and disc brakes all round.
The new Tata Safari Storme does not
look too different from the current Safari but the bold and rugged look
has been swapped for a somewhat more corporate look.
The
headlights get a swept back design and a large chrome strip over the
front grille stretches partly over the headlights as well.
It gets projector headlamps and a honeycomb front grille that is fairly wide but a tad characterless with its flat contour.
It gets different side cladding and a new side step but the rest of the body structure remains the same.
Styling updates at the rear include a new rear windshield, tail lights
and twin chrome-tipped tailpipes. The biggest change is that the spare
wheel is no more mounted on the tailgate.
In its place is a
silver colour strip just below the rear windshield that is garnished
with a strip of chrome, below which is the slot of the rear number
plate.
The four-wheel drive system on the Safari Storme is an electronic shift
on the fly mechanism complete with a limited-slip differential. The new
Tata Safari Storme will be available in seven colours, namely, Urban
bronze, Astern black, Pearl champagne, Sardinia red, Pearl white, Arctic
white and Arctic silver.
The Safari Storme won't have it easy in the market with competition from the
Renault Duster and the Mahindra Scorpio.