New Tata Safari In Army-Spec Avatar Looks Ready For Frontline - VIDEO

The Tata Safari was arguably the first vehicle to launch in India which was intended to be more than just a utilitarian vehicle and marketed it as a lifestyle choice. And after over two decades of being in production, Tata finally unveiled the all-new Safari a couple of weeks back. Based on the Harrier, the new Safari looks nothing like its predecessor, but it still carries a strong presence, albeit with more style now. This got us thinking, what if the new Safari was supplied to the Indian army and what it would look like? The army currently is using the older Safari Storme based GS800, and today we have this video which gives an idea of what an army-spec new Safari may look like.

In the video above we can see how a new Tata Safari in army-spec may end up looking like. The first thing you’ll notice is the army foliage green colour-scheme, while the alloys have been replaced with steel wheels for ease of repair if anything goes wrong. Alloy wheels can end up breaking on rough terrain, while steel wheels bend and can be easily mended. There’s a new LED light bar above the windscreen to give better visibility in the dark while all the glass areas have extra steel netting protection. Lastly, to keep communications in a working condition across multiple scenarios, the new Safari gets antennas on the bonnet, front fender, and on the rear fender as well. Overall, this render gives a good idea on what the army may actually get if it procures the new Safari for its fleet.

The Tata Safari is powered by the same powertrain as the Harrier's Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder diesel engine that produces 170 PS/350 Nm of peak power and torque figures. The engine comes mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Tata has started taking bookings for the new Safari, though prices will be only be revealed on February 22, its launch date. It will come at a decent premium over the Harrier which is priced between INR 13.84-20.30 lakh. The new Safari will rival the likes of the MG Hector Plus and upcoming next-gen Mahindra XUV500.