Tata Safari Storme VX 4x4 2500km Long Term Review

Off-roading doesn’t come naturally to me. But, if you have a 4x4 as your daily driver, it’s only fair to take it off the road once in a while. So, one fine mildly wet day to decided try out the capabilities of our long term Tata Safari Storme 4x4. There was some slush, a few mounds and a lot of slippery grass.

Now having 4x4 is alright but one of the biggest enemies of off-roading has to be weight. And the Storme 4x4 at two tonnes or thereabouts is seriously heavy. It’s long too with a huge wheelbase; another enemy of a good off-roader. Then there are the tyres. To give the Storme good on-road manners, the SUV runs completely road biased tyres. This should prove to be an interesting day…

First up, we negotiate a few mild mud mounds and the Storme manages to go over even in rear wheel drive. But as the climb gets steeper, all we get is rear wheel slip. We shift to 4x4 high on the fly and we are over in no time. Now it’s time to try the wet grassy patches. Here’s where the weight of the Storme and its road bias tyres begin to play spoils sport. Even in 4H (or four High) all the Storme is managing to do is spin on the spot on all fours. We try to rock it, but it continues to dig itself deeper.

With the 4x4 dial turned to 4L (which takes a bit to engage) and with no throttle input whatsoever, the Storme digs itself out without hassle. In fact, the 4L works so well on this Tata that no matter what we threw at it all morning, it managed to negotiate it all without getting bogged down even once. Sure, it wasn’t hard core, but anything more serious than what we managed and we would be scrapping the Storme’s body parts; not something you want to do on your daily driver, 4x4 or no.

Wrapping it up then – the Storme 4x4 is a good tool for Sunday morning amateur off-roading. But, with better tyres, lesser weight and possibly tighter dimensions, it would actually even make someone like me look like a pro off-roader. Sadly, in its current form, it’s best for both the Storme and me to stick to just the basics.

Date Acquired: August 2014

Total km till date: 16,435km

On-test km: 2,401km

Fuel consumed:  237.1 litres

Efficiency: 10.1kmpl (As tested)

Cheers: 4x4 drivetrain, clutch progression

Sneers: Road tyres, weight