Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Don't Be Shy!

If you have any burning Questions about life with the 2.2 then please go ahead and ask them. I am online most of the day and you should have a reply within 24 hours in most cases. Just my way of paying it forward to the Tata Safari present/future owners community. ;-)

Don't Follow Me Home!

All future 2.2 owners please get ready for the following phrase:

"Saab, aapka light chaloo hai!" (Sir, You have left your lights on!)

Almost every where I park the beast especially in the basement car parks in the city almost all attendants will come running after you, armed with the above line. At this point I whip out the good old Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT Brochure and educate them about the new "Follow Me Home Lights". (Just Kidding) :-)

It will take a few more 2.2 in the city for these guys to get it I guess.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Shake Rattle & Roll!

The Autocoat coating both inside and out was finished yesterday. Took 9 hours! Today the beast looked new for the first time! I know I am running a bit late with uploading pictures on here but please be patient. I shall do so soon. On the update front all is well. The many clicks and rattles have disappeared by themselves. the only occasional sound now left is that of the fronts suspension squeaking a little when going over the rumbles.

Had another day in bumper to bumper traffic in Pune and the drive is so relaxed. One arrives at ones destination quite refreshed having sat on high ground and the film+A/C combo does work very well and need to run the A/C on only number 1, to stay quite comfortable inside.

Still getting used to using the reverse camera thingy. The screens pretty small and there is no way of telling where the spare tyre is when reversing but it is still better to have than not I think.

Other than that the one odd bit I have noticed is that if you jam the brakes and honk at the same time the horn sounds as it its talking rather than beeping. It seems the ABS sucks a lot of juice from the electrics making everything else electrical kind of fluctuate. Don't know if this is a known issue or not. The 1st service should help clear this up.

Saturday, October 27, 2007

1st Week Done Feels Good - But what's this?

Have finally got a number plate on. Took a week to get the beast registered. Now the car feels complete. Just done an hours driving over bad roads and inclines of upto 25 degrees on ghat sections. And as if on cue I am now sitting in an aviary. Don't get it? Well let me explain. I am now hearing chirps, squeaks, clicks and taps all over the place. The front shocks seem to be squeaking, the little back seat at the rear right is clicking away in its closed/folded position and few other minor sounds have developed but can't figure out where.

To be fair I only took this road today to get all these "sounds" out before the first service. The truck seemed too quite for it's own good and reputation.:-) I have clocked about 500kms already and in about a weeks time the beast should get its first service/sorting out. The handling on steep inclines coupled with bad roads was flawless. It feels very planted and the new tubeless rubber (Stock Bridgestones) do their job well.

Also some plastic bits from the doors have started to come off. These are little round things that go over screws in the doors. Some of them seem to fit very loosely and hence drop off when you go off-roading.

All else is ok. Nothing major to report yet.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Guess what I found!

Today while giving the beast a quick clean up I noticed something that I was quite surprised about. There is a external part/component on the Safari that is "Made in Germany". I had to look twice over because that is the last thing I was expecting to find on the Beast. Take a guess and lets see if you can find it too!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

The things I like!!!

So as to complete the picture and to balance things out a bit here is a list of all the stuff I really like about the Safari 2.2:

  • Refined Engine.
The reason for waiting for 3 months to get the Beast was for it's new heart. The 2.2ltr engine is a beauty. Easy enough to drive in the city and an effortless cruiser on the highway. Just waiting for the "Run In" to finish before taking off on long drives out town.
  • Road Presence.
This is my first SUV in India and suddenly the bad roads and chaotic traffic seems to have become a thing of the past. The noise levels inside are low and the aircon is very effective now after V-Kool on the windows. The trucks and buses seem to notice you now and it feels good sitting on top of most things on the road.
  • Leather Seats.
The quality of the leather used is quite good and the seats feel very plush. In Fact both the front and the middle seats are very comfortable for even "large" people.

The First List of Irritants!

Mostly I am very happy with Safari 2.2. But nothing in life is perfect and here is a list of what I find most irritating about the truck in the very first few days of ownership.

  • Position of Audio System.
This is the biggest gripe so far. The gear lever completely obstructs the face plate of the music system when in the 1st and 3rd gear. Very dangerous positioning too as the deck is at the very bottom of the center console you have to look away from the road to do anything with it while driving. Looking at this as a probable work around.
  • Ignition Key hole position.
The key goes in at a very weird angle. At first it was very difficult to get it right but over the days have gotten the hang of it plus the quality of keys does not help. They seem flimsy enough to break at any point while struggling to get them in.
  • Missing "Dead Pedal".
This is more of a personal thing as all my cars up till now have had dead pedals it just feels odd not having one. Nevertheless the driving position is just fine and this point will not be such an issue as time goes by.
  • The "Diwali Bar".
Yes, I know this is cryptic in nature but kindly bear with me for a minute. You know the Roof mounted A/C in my Safari whenever switched on makes occasional whistling/gurgling sounds. First time I heard them it sounded like crackers/rockets going off in the distance. Hence the name. These sounds come and go and are thankfully not constant. Hope they can be reduced or done away with in the 1st service.

Monday, October 22, 2007

My First Total Shutdown!!!

Today at 14:30 after leaving the car parked for about 20 minutes returned to the most amazing 50 minutes with the beast as yet.

Had gone shopping and returned with bags in hand. Unlocked the car, opened the tail gate and put shopping in. Sat in the drivers seat and put the key in. The seat-belt beeper started to go and so fastened the seat belt. Then cranked the key and all the lights on the dash went off. Wow! only two days old and my first kick in the gut from TML. The car at this point was completely lifeless. I got out and pressed "lock" on the remote and it locked ok. Then pressed "unlock" and it did that ok too. Got in once again, put the key in and cranked and all the lights went off again. Tried different combinations of this routine but eventually the car would not even lock and unlock anymore.

Called the Dealer at 14:35. The tech head also asked me to repeat lock, unlock and other variations of the same theme and eventually said that the recovery guys were on the way. At about 15:15 the guys arrived. Went straight to the fuse box. No issues there. Opened the hood and guess what the battery cable had come off. In fact it looked like it was never really tightened before the vehicle was handed over to me. Yes the great PDI check failed. The guy was extremely embarrassed and said he would make sure the concerned persons were brought to book. took down the chassis number and started looking for other loose cables all over the place. That didn't help in me regaining any more trust yet. He was gone by 15:20.

So next time I shall lift the hood up to see if there is a simple solution before calling for help with anything to do with this 300 crore wonder.

V-Kool Installed - First Learnings!

The V-Kool film was installed on Saturday night. Have never installed this film before and was quite impressed with the service. The car is parked in a brightly lit room with A/C on and the film is applied by trained staff that received a year of training at the Mumbai head office.

The one thing I did not know was that every door panel needs to be removed to install the film. This is dangerous territory. After all the beast is not known for its cabin plastic quality. Each door has a total of 12 screws that need to be unscrewed. The Innova and Swift have just one the staff tell me. Well somehow everything was put back together but it took longer than 3 hours mentioned to me before taking the car in. I guess the bits take longer to go back together because of the low quality.

All said and done the film is now in place. The windows cannot be rolled down for a week. Have also decided to give it a Poly Coat next Sunday, inside and out. The beige interiors are looking a few months old already and could do with some surface protection.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

What Car - Review (Oct-Nov 2007)

Just checked out the review. They gave it 4 out 5 Stars. The update on the car is - it is in the shop getting V-Kooled. Went with the Diamond series which provides 99% heat reduction for the sides and back. V-70 for the wind screen. Drove in the heat today and boy does this SUV need proper film. Should be a "cooler" ride from tomorrow. Phew!!!

The first 50!

The story so far...

Have just done a little over 50 km since I got the beast yesterday. All of it in the city. The clutch is fine. The gear shift (Incl. the first) is very smooth and no sounds from the power steering. Pictures will follow soon. Have had the opportunity to engage ABS a few times thanks to combination of traffic and bad roads and it works flawlessly.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Beast is Here!!!

Drove out of the dealers at around 17:45 today. The Beast is finally here. The wait for it now has become a distant memory. She had done 132kms when she became mine. Looks like TML are making sure that the thing does not fall apart. :-)

No issues with anything. The only thing installed today was the all important iPod Interface and tomorrow it will get V-Kooled. After that will leave it like it is. Just took the family out on a little drive and it is really effortless to drive in the city. Boy am I in for a ride or what.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

STOP PRESS!!!

Just got a call from the dealer he is ready for me to take delivery tomorrow (19/10)!!! Finally the phone call I have been waiting for. Stay Tuned!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Dussera = D Day!

Yes, what the TML guys prepared me for on the Launch night is coming true. Delivery now slated for Dussera Day. Will it happen? Your guess is as good as mine!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

So near and yet so far!

Just got off the phone with the dealer. He says 99% delivery will be done tomorrow. He sounds upbeat so let us see. One more day ....sigh! Come on guys get your act together.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Spotted the first 2.2 Today!

Almost forgot to mention saw the 1st 2.2 on the road today. Driven by driver with owner in the back it was in the metallic off white and a VX 4X4. Funny the owner seemed very happy and didn't seem to have any blown gaskets on his mind. ;-)

Also it had a temp number plate and was a Mumbai car.

The Payment Done - Now a step closer!

Yes, in spite of all the rumours/gossip/speculation I am not putting off getting the beast. People who drive 4X4's are not be little nancy boys who are afraid of what problems the future holds. We are a brazen lot that say,"Bring it ON!!!".

So another step out of the way. The full payment has been made. One new development at the dealers was that because of the car being over 10 lacs an additional 2% of Octroi had to be paid. That took the OTR price in Pune to 12,65,000/-.

Also the delivery could be Wednesday now as I don't have enough time in my schedule for tomorrow to give the beast the welcome it deserves! I am nevertheless hoping to shift a few things around to see if we can do this sooner, than later.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Delivery Date Secured!!!

Have confirmed with Pandit Auto for delivery on the 16th (Tuesday). Now we are in the final stages before lift off. Stand by guys the beast cometh!

Friday, October 12, 2007

The Waiting Game!

The wait continues....the latest on the delivery front is that it will happen in a weeks time. In the meantime due to this delay speculation is rife on the Internet about possible causes for this delay. Some say it's gasket problems, others simply say that the engine is so bad that even some TATA employees are not looking forward to the Safari's new heart!

Geez guys calm down I say. Let the product at least play in the "real world" before you run it down. Also what is interesting is that a lot of the 2.2 haters are 3.0 owners - tch tch!!!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Pune Launch - Been there done that!

Ok now the 2.2 is officially launched in Pune and all that - hooray!!! Sorry if I sound a little blase about it but not returning with a delivery date put the dampener on last nights events. Having said that I am sure I shall be getting one of the first cars to roll off the dealers floor so not long now - I hope.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Time to say - Cheers!!!

Got an invite to the official Launch of the Tata Safari Dicor 2.2 VTT today. Tomorrow at the Taj Blue Diamond (Pune) at 7.30pm the bubbly shall flow...;-)

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Ok - Drove the Beast Today!

Yes after all that waiting I finally got to take the beast for a short Test Drive. The engine is in one word - Refined! Very quite, smooth and able to carry this two and a half ton monster around with aplomb. The vehicle was a VX 4X2.

This was the first ever time I have actually gotten behind the wheel of a Tata Safari and it felt good. The gear shift was smooth and devoid of any drama, the seating position and comfort were excellent. The only grudge was the omission of a dead pedal. Kinda gotten used to that in my present Hyundai Santro.

Also saw the 2.2 for the first time in broad daylight. The quality of plastics still remains on the lower side and though the fit and finish of the vehicle seems some what better than before it still is not up to international standards. Having said that the "Value For Money" deal is unbeatable.

The new fake wood finish is slightly on the lighter side and would have looked better had it been darker. Although the dash is now beige some how the two middle air vents on it are still black. This looked a bit odd since the vents on the sides of the dash are now also beige.

I know I am being too nitty gritty here because all-in-all the New engine has given the Beast a fresh new lease of life.

Got the On The Road (OTR) Price!!!

Finally got the OTR pricing from the dealer today. The magic figure is Rs.12,43,286/- for the VX 4X4. TD is also scheduled for today. Delivery status is now approx 7 days from today.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

No Price list yet from Dealer!

Spoke to the dealer again. He sounded a bit hassled, poor guy must be getting calls all day now. He says he cannot confirm prices yet. Also cannot confirm delivery date. The ex-showroom price is available on their newly updated website.

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Seen , Touched but Not Tested!!!

One day before the launch have finally been able to get up close and personal with the New Tata Safari 2.2! No Test Drive yet but got to sit inside with the engine on idle. It was in a dark under ground car park so did not get a good view but everything seemed "in place". The vehicle was in EX trim. The engine sounded sweet and absolutely no vibrations carried forward to the gear shift. The noise levels at idle were also way down from before.

The best part of the trip to the dealers today - He is looking to deliver my Silver VX 4X4 in a matter of 3 to 4 days from launch. WOW now that sounded better than even the new engine!!!

Monday, October 1, 2007

D-Day = 4th Oct!!!

Finally have a firm launch date. Confirmed with On-Air News and the dealer. He is only getting vehicles by tomorrow (2/10) evening and can only promise a TD on the 4th. Now the date is set it waiting for a few more days does not matter.