India's favourite SUV manufacturer, Tata Motors, has quite a fan base for itself, especially with the brand name Safari. Well, why not? It's been one of the longest-running nameplates in the market. Tata is all set to give Safari a significant facelift, and it is expected to be launched just before the festive season. Here's what we expect and know so far.
Nothing significant design clues can be drawn on the exterior, but the camouflaged test vehicle provides a hint of a new horizontally designed front grille instead of the arrow-shaped motifs which the current version gets. The headlamp unit could be vertically shaped, which seems near-identical to the ones seen on the Tata Harrier EV showcased at the Auto Expo earlier this year. The honeycomb air dam could also be replaced with horizontal slats. On the side, nothing significant changes have been observed besides the new twin five-spoke alloy wheels with a blacked-out finish. The rear might get the connected tail lamps, which are more common with new-age cars.
The Safari's interiors would likely get a major overhaul with a big 10.25-inch display that we recently saw in the Red-Dark edition of Harrier and Safari. It might come with a two-spoke steering wheel that will come equipped with the Nexon facelift. There are also some major tweaks wherein the gear selector lever has been replaced with a new, compact unit which looks highly upmarket. It is also expected to come with an Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) along with various upmarket feature-rich comforts.
The biggest change, however, would be in the powertrain, wherein Tata Motors could introduce a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that generates 167bhp of power and 280Nm of torque. The diesel engine would be unchanged, which is a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, producing 170hp of power and 350Nm of torque.
Tata has officially not revealed any launch timeline details, but it is expected to launch before Diwali. Tata Safari rivals MG Hector, Mahindra XUV700 and Hyundai Alcazar.
