The new Tata Safari SUV has been generating a decent volume for the home-grown carmaker in the country. Within the first month of its arrival, the carmaker managed to dispatch 1,707 units of the vehicle across its dealerships. The company revealed that its higher XZA+ trim in Royal Blue and Orcus White colours are high in demand. In fact, the new Safari Adventure Persona Edition is quite popular among buyers. The SUV comes with a 170bhp, 2.0L Kryotec diesel engine and 6-speed manual and automatic gearboxes, borrowed from the Harrier.
Prices of the new Tata Safari start from Rs 14.69 lakh for the base model and go up to Rs 21.45 lakh for the feature-packed XZA+ Adventure Edition. The price range makes it a direct rival to the MG Hector Plus and Mahindra XUV500. The latter is all set to enter into its new-generation before this Diwali season. In terms of design, features and performance, the 2021 Mahindra XUV500 will be a far cry from the current generation. This will make it a strong contender to take on the new Safari.
The 2021 XUV500 will come with the all-new 2.0L mStallion petrol and 2.2L mHawk diesel engines making 190bhp with 350Nm and 170bhp with 350Nm respectively. That means, it will be the most powerful petrol car in its segment. Both manual and automatic gearboxes will be on offer. This time around, the carmaker will equip the XUV500 will some high-tech features including ADAS technology, a 360 degree camera, a 3D panoramic vision for driver, wireless charging connected car technology and many more.
The second upcoming Safari rival will be the Hyundai Alcazar that’s slated to debut on coming 6th April. Its launch will happen in May 2021. Hyundai’s three-row SUV will share its platform, engines, features and design elements with the Creta 5-seater. Though, it will be bigger, more spacious and premium than its younger sibling. Reports suggest it will come with 6 and 7-seats layouts and offer a bunch of extra features including a 360 degree camera, ADAS technology, BlueLink connected car technology and a larger infotainment unit.
Similar to the Creta, the Hyundai Alcazar will come with three BS6-compliant engine options – a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol, a 1.5-litre petrol and a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel. There will be four gearboxes on offer – 6-speed manual, 6-speed torque converter automatic, a 7-speed DCT (turbo-petrol only) and a CVT automatic unit.
