Upgraded Tata Safari Storme to be launched soon

Tata Motors have not had the kind of sales that they have expected for their iconic Safari marquee in recent years. The introduction of the Safari Storme, the first major facelift for the family in over a decade did inject some excitement into the range although sales figures still looked comparatively bleaker. Although the Storme is a decent looking SUV with several references to the Land Rover family in terms of design elements, this big brutish SUV never really took off like the likes of the Mahindra XUV500 or the Renault Duster.

Now though, Tata Motors in working on an updated version of the Safari Storme which promises to offer even more Land-Rover likeness and a new and more premium interior. The new Safari Storme is expected to have a redesigned front bumper and grille package with a set of new headlamps. Also expect the Safari Storme to get a set of new tail lamps and some nip/tuck in the rear bumper department.

On the interior front, the biggest change to the Safari Storme will be the inclusion of the double-DIN infotainment package. Our guess is that the same unit from the newly launched Tata Zest will feature in the Safari Storme too albeit with a few visual changes and details. Also expect a more sophisticated climate-control system and a better dashboard design overall.

On the mechanical front, the new Storme will get a more powerful version of the 2.2-litre engine with over 400Nm of peak torque and over 150PS of peak power on tap. The turbocharged, 4-cylinder, diesel engine will also come mated to a 6-speed gearbox that will make the Safari Storme perform much better overall while at the same time offering better fuel economy. Also expect the new Tata Safari Storme to come with a set of 17-inch wheels and beefier tyres as compared to the ones available today. Although initially the new facelifted Storme was scheduled for a late-2014 reveal, expect the new Storme to be available only in early 2015. We expect the new 2015 Tata Safari Storme to be pried between 9-14 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).