One of the most iconic SUVs of the Indian market– Tata Safari – is back. Tata Motors has decided to resurrect the iconic Safari nameplate with its upcoming flagship SUV. Introduced at the Auto Expo 2020 as the Gravitas, the 7-seat SUV will be launched as the new Tata Safari, and will arrive in showrooms and bookings will commence soon.
The company’s decision to pull the plug on Tata Safari last year had disappointed many fans across the country.
Shailesh Chandra, president of Passenger Vehicles Business Unit, Tata Motors, said, “We are proud and elated to re-introduce our flagship SUV–Tata Safari. The Safari glamorised the whole lifestyle segment. For two decades, the Safari stood for prestige, power, performance, and strong presence, and in its new avatar, it will carry forward this strong legacy as it combines the award-winning IMPACT 2.0 design language and the architecture capability of the Omega architecture.”
“This SUV was conceptualised as the next-generation Safari. We did not name the Harrier the new Safari for the simple reason that it was not a 7-seater. However, the new Safari will be the best 7-seater, as it does not have apology third-row seating. Like the original, it has a strong face, a high bonnet, the stepped roof, the rear three-quarter glass and stadium seating. All these elements were designed at the start to take care of the Safari legacy going forward,” says Chandra.
Initially, the new SUV will be made available FWD (front-wheel-drive) system. It might get a 4X4 variant at a later stage. The last 4X4 vehicle the company had was the Hexa, which was a body-on-frame SUV. The new 7-seater Safari is likely to retain some of design bits from the original model such as aggressive front fascia, pronounced hood, stepped roof and high seating arrangement. Sporting an additional third row, the 2021 Tata Safari will offer more cabin space than the Harrier. In fact, it will measure 63mm longer and 80mm taller.
On the inside, it could get the signature-style oak brown dual-tone dashboard, three-spoke steering wheel, an 8.8-inch floating infotainment system with Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, voice recognition, a 7-inch instrument panel, premium oak brown leather seat upholstery, JBL speakers, and more. As for the performance, the 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel engine sourced from Fiat will be utilised producing a maximum power output of 170 PS and 350 Nm of peak torque. It is paired with a six-speed manual or a six-speed torque converter automatic transmission.
