Tata Safari: Which Variant Should You Buy

The 2021 Tata Safari was launched February 2021 and the 7-seater SUV is based on the Harrier. In an age where many manufacturers tend to offer 12+variants for their cars, the Safari has just six trims on offer, which are - XE, XM, XT, XT+, XZ and XZ+. The SUV can be bought as a six-seater or a seven-seater SUV and gets just the one 2.0-litre diesel engine, making 168 bhp at 3,750 rpm along with 350 Nm of peak torque coming in between 1,750 - 2,500 rpm. There is a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox options on offer. The XT variant does not get an automatic gearbox, not even as an option.

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1. Now, the XT variant is the mid-spec trim of the Tata Safari and it is priced at Rs. 17.81 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is about Rs. 80,000 less expensive than the XT+ variant, which only gets an additional sunroof. In place of that, one can mount a luggage carrier up top on the XT variant, which adds to the practicality.
   

   (The top variants get 6 airbags, hill descent control, ISOFIX child seat mounts on the new Safari, which the XT variant misses out on)

2. Secondly, the XT variant gets features like soft-touch dashboard with anti-reflective Nappa grain layer, 8 speakers, fully automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, auto headlights, electric ORVMs, mood lighting, driver seat with height adjust, push button start, alloy wheels and tyre pressure monitoring system. Thirdly, the XT variant of the Safari also gets Tata's iRA connected car technology along with smartphone connectivity in the form of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Other features reverse parking camera and cruise control.
   

   (The Tata Safari will be offered in both six and seven seater configuration)

3. What the XT variant misses out on is a bigger, 8.8-inch touchscreen, JBL speakers and JBL tuned acoustics, terrain response modes (Normal, Rough and Wet), cornering front fog lamps and a shark-fin antenna. In terms of safety, it misses out on four extra airbags, ISOFIX child seat mounts, hill descent control and electric parking brake with auto hold and an auto-dimming IRMV. Higher variants than XT also get premium white leather upholstery (which can be difficult to maintain in a country like India).
4. For all these extra features you will have to shell out an extra amount of up to Rs. 4 lakh (that includes the top-spec trim with an automatic gearbox). But if you were to look at a variant which offers the best of both worlds at an attractive price, then the Tata Safari XT trim works well.