The SUV segment has witnessed a rapid growth in sales in recent times. The country’s popular utility vehicle manufacturer, Tata Motors has launched the Safari SUV in India at Rs 14.69 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Tata Motors has revived the iconic name for its newest SUV in the country, but is this really enough to take on the likes of the Mahindra XUV500 in India? Read below to find out –

Exterior

The newly launched Tata Safari is based on the Impact 2.0 design language. The fascia gets sleek LED DRLs with a tri-arrow chrome grille and the large headlamps and fog lamps are infused in the bumper. The vehicle rides on a set of 18-inch machined alloy wheels with black cladding that runs from the front to the rear bumper. Interestingly, Safari can also be had in the Adventure trim which gets a ‘tropical mist’ colour along with R18 charcoal grey skid plates, piano black grille, piano black safari mascot on the bonnet, piano black roof rail inserts, and piano black outer door handles.

Mahindra updated the XUV500 with fresh design updates in 2018. The SUV has retained the silhouette from the outgoing model, however, for freshness it gets a new grille and redesigned headlight with distinctive detailing. The DRLs now sit on top of the headlights as opposed to the S-shaped light guide that was etched within the headlight cluster in the old car. Around the sides, you get diamond-cut alloy wheels which improve the overall stance while the taillights are triangular in shape and extend towards the tailgate.

Interior

The Tata Safari gets an Oyster White interior colour theme with a signature Ashwood dashboard. The vehicle gets a soft-touch dashboard with an anti-reflective ‘Nappa’ grain top layer, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and gear shift knob. The dashboard features an 8.8-inch floating island touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Moreover, the instrument cluster comes with a seven-inch coloured TFT display.

The Mahindra XUV500 gets faux leather upholstery and piano black finish for the centre panel. In terms of features, it gets a brake energy regeneration system, six-way power-adjustable driver seat, soft-touch leather on dashboard and door trims, illuminated scuff plates, sporty aluminium pedals, chrome door sill cladding, and chrome tailgate applique. Depending on the variant, the BS6 compliant XUV500 will offer electric sunroof, touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and more.

Engine

Under the hood, the Tata Safari is powered by a 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel engine that is capable of generating 170bhp and 350Nm of peak torque. The transmission will be handled by a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic gearbox. The SUV offers a Multi Drive Mode such as – normal, rough, and wet.

Mechanically, the Mahindra XUV500 is powered by a 2.2-litre, sixth-generation electronically controlled Variable Geometry Turbocharger (eVGT), mHawk diesel engine. This diesel engine generates 153bhp at 3,750rpm and 360Nm between 1,750-2,800rpm. The BS6 XUV500 is available in six-speed manual and six-speed automatic options.

Conclusion

The Tata Safari takes a lead in terms of performance, however, the XUV500 has a pricing advantage of Rs 92,000 lower than that of the Safari. Both the SUVs offer manual and automatic transmission options to choose from. The Tata Safari is a fresh product in the Indian market and it is currently receiving a positive response from potential buyers, on the other hand, the XUV500 is likely to attract good discount offers as the company plans to introduce a new XUV500 for the Indian market soon. Until the launch of the new Mahindra XUV500 in India, the Tata Safari is likely to steal the limelight.