Tata Safari Facelift Review: New Avatar Of The Flagship SUV

Twenty-five years is a long time – and if you are an early millennial like me, back in 1998 you were just about in your teenage, and in awe of this sensation called the Tata Safari. Now I am closer to my mid-life crisis and a large, in-your-face SUV is just what the doctor has prescribed, but in the last 25 years, the Safari too has evolved. This child prodigy that we all fell in love with has also come of age. So, I spent a day with the new Safari to figure out how this facelifted version fits the needs of someone looking to buy an SUV, today.

Also Read: Tata Harrier Facelift, Safari Facelift Launch On October 17, 2023

Looks

The Safari has moved on from the angry look; that is just the Harrier now. Tata with this facelift has created more distinction between the two SUVs. While the Harrier continues to get horizontal and angular lines, the Safari has more vertical elements. What this has ensured is that instead of looking like a fighter about to enter the ring, the Safari now carries itself with the charm of an army officer! 

Also Read: Tata Harrier Facelift Review

In terms of design updates, this now gets a full-width LED bar with welcome and goodbye animation. While I am not a big fan of this new trend, to be honest, it does look nice on the Safari. The profile is more or less the same, but the new 19-inch alloys are very cool looking and fill up the wheel wells nicely. 

As for the rear, the LED taillights also get a connected pattern, in line with the Safari’s design theme with vertical lines. Having said that, the rear isn’t the most appealing angle to look at the safari; the design makes it look a little smaller than it is. 

Also Read: Tata Harrier Facelift, Safari Facelift Nominated For Bharat NCAP Crash Tests

I like the way the new Safari looks – sophisticated! One of the key reasons for that is also the choice of colours – the Cosmic Gold that I drove is quite unique, I am also keen on looking at the Supernova Copper and Lunar Slate.

Inside

At first glance, the inside looks very different from the earlier model. Though the layout is very much the same, to ensure that the SUV feels more premium Tata has played with the styling. The dashboard gets faux wood inlays with a pinstripe pattern, which helps in creating this upmarket image. And I think it looks particularly nice.

Although a bit gimmicky, the new steering, with the illuminated Tata logo, does get its fair share of attention and the infotainment system is a 12.3-inch unit on this top-end Accomplished persona. The instrument cluster is also big, 10.25-inch to be precise, with many customisation options. The Safari also gets a piano black panel for capacitive buttons for AC and other in-car controls, along with a rotary dial with a built-in screen for the terrain modes.

New features on the Safari include a powered tailgate (finally!), a 10-speaker JBL system, 7 airbags, wireless charger dual-zone AC, and rear sunshades. The system also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with JBL modes that allow you to select between different predefined music settings. 

The space in the car remains unchanged. If you intend to use the Safari as a chauffeur-driven car, then the boss mode at the back is handy. Also, the cooled seats at the back are a very valuable feature that not many in the market offer at this point. The third row is for children and has its own storage pockets, air vents and charging points with USB and type-C ports. 

Performance

There is no change to the powertrain of the Safari. It runs on the same 2.0-litre diesel motor that makes 168 bhp and 350 Nm of torque. The key updates here are the paddle shifters and the switch to electric power steering, which make driving this relatively large SUV easier.

In city mode, it lacks bottom-end, this though can be quickly addressed by the use of paddle shifters or Sport mode. There are a few tweaks to the suspension as well and the ride is marginally better than before, not that it was ever too bad!

While overall I like the way Safari drives, I am not a big fan of the ADAS for everyday usage. It feels intrusive and the cabin is always ringing with one alert or another, since driving sense in our chaotic cities is abysmal. 

On the highway, though it is a different story, with the adaptive cruise control, expressway driving becomes a lot easier.  

With the ground clearance and the torque, some amount of soft-roading too is easy for the Safari. For those still looking for AWD, I think the wait will continue at least till 2025.

Safety and Variant Details

Six airbags are standard across all five personas of the Safari. The base is the Smart Persona which comes with 17-inch alloys and 6 airbags. The Pure Persona gets a touchscreen infotainment system with 6 speakers, Android Auto, Apple Carplay and a reverse parking camera. 

Also Read: Tata Safari Facelift: Variants Explained

The Adventure Persona above it, gets 18-inch wheels, 360-degree view cameras for parking and optional ADAS which is not updated to offer adaptive cruise control. The top-end Fearless and Dark persona gets 19-inch alloys, a bigger display and a music system along with 7 airbags. 

Verdict

For the ones looking at the Safari as an answer to their midlife crisis, they will have to look somewhere else. Without the AWD, the Safari is not a toy. This is a serious car for a mature buyer. For someone looking for a 6- and 7-seater family car with solid features, modern tech like ADAS, decent space and acceptable safety, the Tata Safari makes a very compelling case. Prices for the SUV will be announced on October 17, 2023, and I think a premium of Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, depending on the variant, would be a reasonable ask.