Upcoming all-new Tata Safari will be available with two seat layouts

Tata announced that it will launch the all-new Safari in the Indian market later this month. The all-new SUV that was showcased as the Gravitas at the 2020 Auto Expo will make its debut in the Indian market later this year. New details that have surfaced reveal that the all-new Safari will offer two seating options – 6-seater and 7-seater versions. The launch will happen on the 26th of January 2021, India’s Republic Day.

The all-new Safari will be the second vehicle based on the OMEGA-Arc platform. The first vehicle based on the platform is the Tata Harrier, which received quite a few updates only after one year of its launch. The Safari is longer than the Harrier and will offer more seats than the five-seater Harrier.

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Tata will offer a premium option with the all-new Safari that will get 6 seats. The middle row seats in this option will be captain seats. It is likely to be priced higher than the 7-seater version that will get bench seats in the middle row. We do not think that there will be any changes to the exterior of the vehicle or there will be any difference between the two seating options.

Tata will position the Safari above the Harrier it will be a true competitor to the Mahindra XUV500. Interestingly, Mahindra also plans to launch the all-new XUV500 later this year in the Indian market and it will get massive changes and a very long feature list.

As for the variants, Tata will initially offer the Safari in four variants, just like the Tata Harrier. However, at a later stage, Tata may add more variants with changes. The fully-loaded version will get features like a panoramic sunroof, electronic parking brake, infotainment system with iRA, Hindi and Hinglish commands and much more.

Tata Safari engine option

Tata will offer the Safari with the same 2.0-litre diesel engine that is also available with the Harrier. In Safari, the engine will produce a similar power of 170 PS and peak torque of 350 Nm. Also, there will be an automatic transmission and a manual transmission, just like we get to see in the Harrier. The Safari will offer multiple drive modes, terrain modes and ESP based features that will allow it go on difficult terrains. However, Tata will not offer an AWD or 4X4 option with the Safari initially. The OMEGA-Arc platform in its current form is not capable of offering four-wheel-drive. They will have to modify the platform to make it 4X4.

We are not sure if Tata will develop an AWD or 4X4 for the Safari. The last-generation Safari offered a 4X4 system. However, Tata officials said that they were selling less than 1% 4X4 models in the market, which makes it minuscule. Developing AWD or 4X4 system require multi-crore investment and since it is an all-new platform, there will be a great amount of work that goes into the development of such systems.

Tata Safari price

Tata will officially reveal the all-new Safari on 26th January and the price announcement will happen in February. The vehicle will get pricier than the Harrier and is likely to get an increase of Rs 1.5 lakh over the Harrier.

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