TATA SAFARI 3.0 DICOR “FUN” X4 OFFROAD REVIEW!
What would the best way to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon? To somehow spice it up… thats exactly what we did when we decided to check the off-road prowess of the biggest TATA Passenger car in the market, our resident Safari Dicor 3.0 4X4.
Designed by IAD UK, Safari was launched way back in 1998 with a 2 Litre 4 cylinder turbo diesel engine, the Safari was the first home-grown SUV. Big, Butch and handsome, it was received well by the people but sales never really took off. Firstly the 2.0 Litre diesel engine was grossly underpowered for a SUV weighing more than 2 Tonnes. Secondly it wasnt half as tough as the looks suggested, frequent electrical problems, fit and finish left a lot to be desired and it got a bad name in the market.
Tata back then were focusing all their energies on mass produced monocoques and hence took their own sweet time sorting niggles. Fit and finish were improved gradually, electrical issues were taken care off, but what Safari always cried for was a more powerful engine. Though TATA launched a substantially more powerful 2.1 litre petrol version, it was always going to fail given its drinking habits. Petrol SUV’s have never really worked in India. Two years back, Tata took the direct injection 3.0 litre engine from 407 light truck, piggybacked a sophisticated Bosch common rail system, and plonked it into the engine bay of the Safari. A brilliant commercial and “Reclaim your life” tagline along with an improved more powerful engine worked wonders and the sales picked up. Safari registered its highest sales ever during this period only. Its the 3.0 Dicor 4X4 that we will be reviewing here.
The Safari comes with a part time 4 wheel drive which means that it can be used part of the time in 4 wheel drive mode. 4 wheel drive was designed to provide the vehicle with more traction in adverse terrain conditions like slush, loose mud etc. where the traction from 2 wheel isn’t enough to carry on. The added lateral stability of 4WD system also makes it less likely to slip sideways.
Safari 4X4 comes with a “Shift on Fly” Borg and Warner 4WD which means the 4 wheel drive can be selected even when the vehicle is in motion. In reality only 4 high ratio can be selected on the fly and that too at speeds less than 60 kmph. The 4 low ratio requires the vehicle to be stopped. Safari has a total of 3 setting which are selected Via scroll button on the dashboard, which is to the left of the steering wheel.
The three options are:
1) 2 WD: is self explanatory. Safari is a rear wheel and hence only 2 wheels move in which case it just like the 2WD Safari
2) 4 High: is shown as “4H” on the scroll button. Its is selected if the terrain consists of snow or gravel or in easy to moderate off road scenario’s. This provides Safari with better traction and hence keeps it going, maintaining forward momentum with reduced risk of slipping and spinning wheels. The torque is distributed evenly among all four wheels leading to better traction overall and hence reduced risk of slipping wheels. And since all the four wheels are in contact with the surface the car has better traction and hence it is less likely to stuck. Prevention is better than cure hence its always better to asses the situation and the terrain and decide on employing 4WD because once you are stuck offroad, 4WD or 2WD notwithstanding you are indeed stuck! Hence the emphasis here is using 4WD so that you are not stuck than using 4WD when you are stuck.
3) 4 Low: is shown as “4L” on the scroll button. When selected the wheels create substantially more torque (2.7 times in case of Safari) than in 4 High, at the same time the vehicle moves at substantially slower speeds. In case of Safari, in 4Low the top speed is a meager 45 Kmph but that not what it is all about. Also it is important to note that 4 Low does not create more traction, it creates more torque and can be detrimental when traction is marginal. Slipping tires are more likely in 4 Low than 4 High and for that reason you never use 4 Low when driving in snow. This setting is used in case of steep gradients or when towing heavy loads up a steep incline where traction as well as higher torque is the need of the hour than higher speeds.
We tested the Safari in both 4 Low and 4 High to gauge the efficiency of both the systems under different conditions.
So back to sunday afternoon then! We went looking around for a place having steep inclines combined with loose mud, a place where we would have been definitely stuck if we were driving a 2WD Safari and after looking around for a while, we finally found it.
First up was a steep incline with a gradient of at least 30 Degrees with loose mud which was almost talcum powder fine. We went down the slope first, careful not to scrape the underbelly because going from the shoulder of the road on to the decline, from inside of the car, seeing it from the windscreen, it felt like going straight down!
After a lot of 3-point turns to take a U-turn, we were finally facing the incline head on, not really sure if we would be able to make it up again. Time to put the car in 4 low, a moment of thought while the “4L” light on the instrument panel stopped blinking. I press the accelerator a little and let go of the clutch, the Safari just ditched its 2.2 tonne weight and lunged forward as if to say “Bring it on!”. It made up that incline with hardly any effort at all. All that torque would have moved a mountain it felt… this was just an incline!
Amazed and confident of her abilities, we did this thrice, just to feel that massive torque and the invincible feel it gave. I never loved Safari more, decimating that incline like it never existed, Safari just egged us on to play ever harder. Back to square one again, looking for an even steeper and longer incline. After looking around for a while we found one again, this time the incline was longer, steeper with boulders of fine mud in between and a curve thrown in so as to complete the whole picture jolly well. The place was a construction site and the incline in question was used by labourers to dive down at the bottom and this was the shortest path possible!
We lined the Safari for the decline first placing it as perfectly as possible given the path was only as wide as Safari itself. Keeping the engine in first gear, to use engine braking, modulating the brakes we decline slowly but surely. The mud boulders were huge but we carried on because they were made of loose sand. We also had the peace of mind of the underbody protection Safari 4X4 comes with. Jaws dropped, people ogled and kids at the bottom of the incline stopped playing and shouted as we moved on. This is the only car they are ever gonna see coming down that slope and the look on their faces said it all! The labourers working around the site stopped, wondering what were we upto…. FUN X 4!
Facing the incline after taking the U-turn, the same “first time” feeling and the doubt came along. This time though the climb would be even tougher and god forbid if we got stuck somehow, there was no way we were gonna come out of it without the help of a crane. There is no way any other vehicle than another powerful 4X4, that could venture over there and tow us out. Gingerly I put the car in first, waiting again for the 4 Low light in the console to stop blinking (this time said a little prayer too ;-)) pressed the accelerator and let go of the clutch. I was grinning from ear to ear and why not! The Safari just steam rolled ahead, with its nose pointing towards horizon, the engine though loud wasnt sounding least bit stressed. We conquered that incline too, without even breaking into a sweat!
With nothing left we then drove the car on some “not very steep” inclines in 4 High and as always the Safari had no problems of any sort what so ever.
This is not the definitive Safari 4X4 review, but it does give us an idea, what to expect when going get really tough. Cant wait for the slushfest whenever it happens.
20 People have left comments on this post
How can u review an car with the older engine when they have launched a newer engine
Nitin,
This is an off-road review and apart from the engine, nothing much has changed in the Safari 2.2
The 3.0 has enough power and torque to carry on under any situation.
CC Team
ya, i agree vit u.but stil i think ppl would prefer a review vit d newer engine as it produces mre power n torque dan dis engine…also it is lighter if m not rong n d length of car ha been shortenend…so it should hv a minor effect on d car..
Nitin,
The length hasnt even been touched. Even if there is a minor change it would be due to the new spare wheel cover. Offroading is about having enough power and torque, and the 3.0 has it.
CC Team
you cant keep on justifying everything or action that you have done or taken. What nitin kumar said above really makes sense .. … nobody is interested in knowing how the 3.0 L performs when the 2.2 is all that we have now.
Sumit,
If you have any idea about offroading, peak torque and power ratings are strictly academic. I repeat this is to test safari’s off-road prowess not its performance on-road.
CC team
Nice report and very good pictures to support. Keep up the good work.
Cheers
http://thecarsandmore.blogspot.com/
I had read it from autocarindia that that the length has been shortened. if i am not worng the new 2.2 litre is more refined and even more torquier than dis engine. Also due to the lower weight of the engine they have improved the ride and handling of the car compared to the 3.0 dicor…Al these are said by the people who have tested both. anyway it is a really nice review from you people and also it has a nice set of pictures. keep it up…
Can guys pls compare the existing 150 cc bikes in india soon…
guys ….keep driving more vehicles so as to know the finer aspect of automobiles… the 4WD in the 3L dicor is quite a pain. You keep writing about all the torque flow, feel the range the torque is available for, its too narrow for any real off roading. I’m not criticising ..this is how people grow and mature… dont be stuck in a rut like some of the so called Indian auto journalist..
@Roshan… Do you really know what a 4Low or a 4High is? No offences, we take all the criticism positively, the reason your comment is here, approved my the moderation team.
Nice write up and nice pics. I own a DICOR Ex 4Wd myself.
By the way, TATA uses Delphi Common rail systems and not Bosch,
Dear Sir
I was working as an automotive market researcher for a consultancy having clients like VW… and yes I do understand 4wd high and low… I started my career selling this very vehicle and have driven it extensively on and off road…
And sir ..in off roadin, the driver ability has a greater role than tat of the vehicle… what you want from your 4wd is reliability…the rest is with u’r ability.. I have seen range rovers get stuck where bm x5 wit a better driver I think could croos the obstacle…and thanks for publishin my comments in good spirit…sorry 4 the offensive tone on the previous comment…best regards
@Roshan… Safari has come a long long way since its earlier days. The 3.0 Dicor engine in the Safari does sterling duty on the 407 light truck and pulls 3-4 tonnes + weight of the truck ‘easily’. I have seen it carrying 6 tonnes of payload anf that engine isnt even turboe’d or DICOR’d!
In offroad scenario’s what matters is torque and not the peak horsepower numbers. I am of the old school of thought which says there’s no substitute for cubic capacity. That 3.0 litre engine starts making usable torque very low down (I am not talking of peak torque number, that comes at 1800 rpm) even though its ridiculously tall geared and with 4Low engaged that number is increased 2.7 times. A driver can only do as much, the vehicle ability matter a lot especially off road scenario’s.
Please dont compare Range Rovers with BMW X5. Any self respecting 4X4 lover would baulk at a mere thought like this.
Thanks for writing in.
well my friend…you do need to brush up on things….even I have seen the 207 engine based spacio carry quite a heavy load..but tats it…if you look at the engine architecture and the plumbing u’ll c tat the engine is designed to carry a heavy load…now delphi has reworked the head of this same base engine for the dicor…the bore to stroke charecter of this engine does not allow it to rev beyond a certain point so essentially it has a very small operational range suitable for load carrying…now dont confuse load carrying to offroading…vehicle dynamics for offroading are based on gearing and wheel articulation and steering geometry..the engine has to give a smooth output to throttle modulation even with different load conditions…why do you think LR uses a hill decent system …dicored…wat is dicored…its just an acronym for direct injection technology from delphi..RR vs bmx5 was not my imagination… I have seen it here.. i stay @ Dubai…have an international driving permit also…and drive around quite a lot of vehicles..
the vw toureg has a 10 cylinder diesel unit producing more than 500nm torque@2000 rpm…so does tat mean its a better offroader than a Range Rover… torque, power etc are all figures..purely acadamic things that arm chair enthusiast brags about..an automobile is not just the engine.. apparantly Bentley Arnage has 800 nm torque and a 6.75 litre engine..would you apply u’r old school of thought and take it offroading..wit gods grace nobody takes it offroad.. more torque allows you to tow a heavier load …tats it..
Roshan Gomez
@roshan…. Now you are nit picking, arguing just for the sake of it. By torque I mean enough torque to pull you out of most offorad scenario’s…. offcourse no vehicle is invincible offroad. And its very basic, the head has to be reworked to accomodate the common rail injection. For a 3 litre engine to lug more than 8 tonnes of gross vehicle weight requires nothing but torque. The 3.0 Litre engine in Safari is turbocharged and DICORed and hence it makes even more torque. Dont you think its enough for most situations Safari can get into? WHy do you think tractors are able to lug so much weight? The car has to be a four wheel drive first to be an offroader no matter what engine.
not arguing ma friend …just informing…dont use terms like ‘dicored’..there is no such usage… turbocharging is used to increase the thermal efficiency of the engine…not the torque…of course this leads to power and torque increase… same way a tractor or a JCB uses a turbo engine…not for more torque …but for effeciency…porsche uses turbo engine..the turbo is tuned to deliver more midrange..yes ..no vehicle is invinvcible iff road…tats why driver ability matters a lot… just out of curiosity b/w the land cruiser and Patrol which one would you choose… also I have sold aound 11 Safari with dicored engines:smile: 2 of which were 4wd..
just for information: in the safari DICOR u need to drive in the opposite direction of travel for a few metres to disengage the front differential (electric hubcaps) after using 4wd
@roshan… This is my last reply to you. Thermal efficiency invariably increases the power and torque so what difference does it makes if we say turbocharging increases the torque and bhp? And do you think they have used common rail technology and turbocharging to increase the thermal efficiency of the 3.0 engine?
A complete nut behind the wheel of an exotic can make it look like a donkey and it goes without saying the driver ability also matters. We are still not even close to manufacturing a self driving car.
I am thrilled to hear that they care about efficiency in a JCB and not torque or power which will take it out of silly situations it has to work in. I think JCB advertises how heavy mechanical work it can do rather than how many kilometers it can travel per litre of diesel! Makes sense isn’t it?
Do I have to tell you that selling is a lot different than driving the thing?
Do you know what a hub cap is???? For your information its called “HUB LOCKS” and it has to be done only if you have driven the car in 4Low.
We have been patient enough to reply to each of your post although they havent made any sense, please dont abuse the privileage.
Thanks!
hi…u r right wit hub lock…but tat was a typo error..i have been working for the auto industry in India and abroad ever since, not just selling cars… by efficiency I dont mean fuel efficiency. sorry if I offend your views, a passion about cars is a brotherhood, we all have our view..please dont take things on a personal note and pls don’t bother to reply to this comment..
regards
Roshan Gomez
tata safari dicor.nice car.hope tata will launch such cars hereafter