TATA SAFARI

The Safari receives a midlife refresh, a step in the right direction

- RITESH PATIL

The Tata Safari is a name that introduced Indians to the world of premium family SUVs. It was big, butch and came with a seating position that towered over every other car on the road and suspension that flattened all road surfaces. Yes, there were a few raised eyebrows when Tata decided to name their new monoque seven-seater SUV based on Harrier, as the Safari, one of the primary complaints being that there wasn’t much differentiation between the two models, especially at the front and of course, the lack of an all-wheel drivetrain. Tata has tried to fix the former with this facelift while making it more premium than the outgoing model. How well has the carmaker managed to do that? Let’s find out!

As I mentioned earlier, the outgoing Safari had a very similar face to the Harrier, but this time around there are a few key differences. The grille is bigger on the Safari with the elements finished in body colours, unlike the chrome ones on the Harrier, while the lower half of the face looks simple with a silver skid plate adding contrast to the black bumper on the top-spec Accomplished+ trim. The headlamp housing is more squarish compared to the angular units on the Harrier. There’s also a cool attention to detail in the form of a small Safari-branded silver plate placed between the headlamp and fog lamp. Overall, the updated Safari’s face looks more mature, one that suits its more premium positioning. The LED DRL running across the width of the SUV is the same as the Harrier, though, with a similar welcome and goodbye function.