The Indian manufacturer Tata has presented a new generation of Safari after 23 years. The latest Safari is technically related to some extent with Jaguar and Land Rover SUVs known here.
The Indian manufacturer Tata Motors is a bigger player in the Dutch car market than you might suspect. Although the car brand Tata is not at all on the market in Europe, the parent company Tata owns Jaguar Land Rover. Tata Motors has now presented a new generation of Safari, replacing the original introduced in the Indian market in 1998. Although the latest Safari does not come to our country, we have known part of the car for several years. The model is in fact on the D8 platform, which the first generation Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Discovery Sport (until the facelift) used.
Tata Safari (1998)
The new Tata Safari is less of a completely own model than before. Where the first generation, apart from a Peugeot diesel, was completely independent, it is now in fact nothing less than a seven-seater version of the Tata Harrier launched in 2018. The Tata Safari will have a third row of seats to offer space for two extra passengers, but Tata has had to extend the Harrier a bit for that. The Safari is six centimeters longer than the 4.6 meter long Harrier, although the wheelbase remains unchanged at 2.74 meters. The extra centimeters all get a place behind the rear axle. Incidentally, the Safari is not only longer than the Harrier, it is also 8 centimeters higher than its five-seater brother.
Tata Safari (2021)
The Safari will receive a 170 hp 2.0 diesel engine from Tata, which Jeep also supplies in the Compass. The block is just as powerful in the Safari as in the Jeep, while the five-seater Tata Harrier has to do with a self-igniter that is reduced to 140 hp. Switching is done in the Safari with a six-speed manual, although a six-speed automatic transmission is also on the delivery list. For the time being, the Safari is only front-wheel drive, although the platform is of course also suitable for four-wheel drive.
Names
The Tata Safari is the brand’s third and largest SUV after the Nexon and Harrier. In 2019, Tata showed an export version of the Harrier intended for the European and Asian market in Geneva, although the brand suddenly called the car Buzzard Sport. Toyota has exclusive rights in Europe and Asia to use the model name Harrier, although Toyota does not sell that SUV in Western Europe. The model name Buzzard Sport was ultimately not used either, Tata opted for the somewhat bland H5, a reference to the H5X Concept from 2018 that was the forerunner of the model. Also with the Safari, Tata has fiddled with the model name. Initially it was going to be called ‘Buzzard’, while Tata Motors later claimed to put the designation Gravitas on the car.