The Safari’s spacious interiors have always been one of its biggest strengths. It’s no different on the DICOR where seat comfort has actually improved, making this one of the most comfortable SUVs at any price, Ford Endeavour and Honda CRV included. Sitting at the rear is a treat with the new comfortable armrest, perfect seat height, spot-on backrest and sufficient legroom. The new leather seats on this version are well finished, have better padding and are more supportive.
The driver’s seat is adjustable for height, lumbar support and finding a good ergonomic driving position is easy for tall drivers as well. Even the steering wheel is adjustable for tilt but the action is not slick. The lever is buried under the steering column and you have to grapple with the lever to adjust it. Another ergonomic gripe is the poorly placed ignition key slot, low down on the steering column.
The evolved instrument panel now uses legible circular dials – similar to the Indigo and Indica – that have inset fuel and temperature gauges and are prettier than the ‘half-moon’ units they replace. Betraying the DICOR engine’s agricultural roots is the tachometer, calibrated only to 4000rpm, in nice large 1000rpm segments with the redline starting at an incredibly low 3000rpm. The refreshed central console has a string of buttons presented in typical Mercedes-Benz style. Rotary controls for the HVAC system still remain but the gear knob comes with a smart aluminium finish. A sour note is that neither the buttons, nor the dials, are built with plastic quality that impresses. This is true of the buttons on the doorpads, door handles, dashboard as well as the vents. The steering wheel and gear lever are of better quality though. The new rubberised cupholders function well and are a useful inclusion but the quality of the other rubber ‘mats’ placed on the central console could have been better.
The rear jumpseats are unfit for human use over a period exceeding five minutes. Maybe Tata should look at a solution similar to that found on the Hyundai Terracan which cleverly uses a sideways folding but forward- seating split rear bench.
Flipping the rear seats forward releases a huge amount of space, more than in most estate cars, making the Safari one of the best load-haulers around. The DICOR’s twin blowers worked admirably, cooling the cabin in a relatively short period. It, however, wasn’t the chiller we expected it to be and the roof-mounted vent changed the hair style of our taller test drivers.
In-car entertainment has scaled new levels with the new Safari, the introduction of video screens in the headrest being a unique option. Rear-seated passengers can now relax as they watch a DVD while the chauffeur battles the traffic around him. This is also a genuinely useful option that can be used for kids’ computer games on long trips. Tata has loaded the Safari with other thoughtful details like puddle lamps and an extra electrical socket for the rear which add up to give an equipment and feature list as long as some SUVs that are more than double the price.