The Tata Safari SUV lived a long life in the Indian market and was discontinued in 2017 after making its debut in 1998. The Tata Safari’s journey of 2 decades makes it quite popular in the Indian market and Tata released quite a few ads through the lifetime of the Safari. All the ads of the Tata Safari have been quite aspirational. Here are a few television commercials of Tata Safari that will bring back the good memories and will definitely make you nostalgic about the discontinued Safari.
The Tata Safari was launched at India’s biggest exhibition – Auto Expo in 1998. It was also sold in international markets like Europe during the period. The Tata Safari initially came with a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine from Peugeot that generated around 90 Bhp of power and 186 Nm of peak torque. The Safari was based on the Tatamobile 206 pickup truck which was then known as the Tata Telcoline.
Tata then launched the more powerful petrol engine with the Safari in 2003. The 2.1-litre 16 valve engine was developed by Tata Motors and it produced a massive 135 Bhp of maximum power. However, it only returned a maximum fuel efficiency of 5 to 7 km/l, which made it quite unpopular. It was discontinued 2 years later because of the Rs 9.35 lakh price tag and its unpopularity among the mass-segment buyers who always preferred fuel efficiency. The petrol version of the Tata Safari was pricier than the diesel version, which caused the mass segment buyers to go for the diesel engine powered Safari.
After the discontinuation of Safari petrol in 2005, Tata launched a facelifted version of the Safari in the market. The primary reason for the launch was to counter the Mahindra Scorpio, which was launched in the same year and was becoming popular too. Tata started offering a brand new 3.0-litre DICOR diesel engine with the Safari in the market. The 3.0-litre engine produced a maximum power of 115 Bhp and peak torque of 300 Nm. It came with a price tag of only Rs 6.4 lakh, which made its a value-for-money product. However, the 3.0-litre DICOR engine was not the most reliable engine and faced frequent breakdowns on the road.
Two years later in 2007, Tata launched the Safari DICOR powered by a 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine with common rail direct injection system. It was a smaller engine than the 3.0-litre DICOR but produced more power at 140 Bhp and 320 Nm. The Safari DICOR became quite popular and came with features like ABS and twin airbags too. Tata offered the car in both rear-wheel drive option and 4X4 drive option. The engine was reliable and powered the Safari from the next ten years in the market before the SUV was discontinued from the market.
Currently, Tata only offers the Safari Storme in the market which was introduced in 2012. The Safari Storme was unveiled at the 11th Auto Expo in India and it looked quite different from the regular Safari. In 2015, Tata started offering the 2.2-litre VARICOR 400 engine with the Safari Storme that produces a massive 156 Bhp and 400 Nm of peak torque. There is a regular 2.2-litre DICOR engine available with the SUV too. The Safari Storme is still on sale in the Indian market.
Also Read: These Tata Safari SUV ads from the past will make you nostalgic [Video]
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