The Poor Mans Pajero

Telcos new Safari offers the style of a Mitsubishi Pajero for the price of an Opel Astra

Pathfinder, Land Cruiser, Four Runner, Range Rover, Defender, Discovery, Freelander... names that can get any four-wheel drive buff out of his bed and running at four am in the morning. I know enough of them in our own cities. And they are all rather keen to be done with the Mahindra Jeeps that they have been brought up on notwithstanding the fact that Mahindra and Mahindra seems to re-invent the World War II Jeep every now and then.

But there is one dream machine that I have omitted in that list. The Mitsubishi Pajero, or the Montero in the US, or the Shogun in the UK. You can spot a Pajero in Mumbai or Delhi roads very easily. It is tall, wide and sports features that God meant only for a true blooded four-wheel drive. It costs anything in the range of Rs 30-35,00,000 to buy and import one legally, and the price can go up with every addition from a never-ending accessory list.

 

Everybody who is somebody in these cities seems to own one. Some buy it for the sheer luxury and space on offer, some like the image it lends them, some like its low-running cost, some like its power, some especially wealthy politicians think of it as being as safe as a battletank. But none of these owners take it off the road except when the road is dug up to make one of the cities many fly-overs.

But make no mistake, the Pajero is the last word when it comes to automotive ambitions, at least in Mumbai.

But there is a catch. Not many people can actually afford to buy a big four by four like the Mitsubishi. They settle for the Opels and Fords built in India and take comfort from the fact that the Pajero cannot go any quicker than them at traffic signals. But every time an Akshay Kumar or Sanjay Dutt, or even a Sharad Pawar, glides by in his Pajero, you realise with pain that you have not really arrived in life. May be some day...

But how about a Pajero clone that would cost you only Rs 7,50,000? And one that sports it all wheel drive, central locking, power windows, power steering, air-conditioning with climate zones, music system and comfortable seating for eight people? A machine that looks the Pajero for the price of an Opel Astra. Impossible, you think, but Telco thought otherwise. So much so that they set about the task of building the Safari.

A sports utility vehicle derived from the Tata 207 platform from a clean CAD screen and inputs from IAD (International Automotive Design) but one that benefits from technological overhauls that are now changing Telco for ever.

What follows is a brief driving impression of the Safari, to be followed soon by a long term test.

Looks

Theres a very imported look to the machine; largely due to the kind of finish that was lacking in Telcos previous attempts at making passenger cars. Machine cut dies in place of manual ones mean finer panel gaps. The twin-tone paint job makes the car look more Japanese than European but one has to admit that it only accentuates its good looks. The front end has a certain blandness about it that takes its time to grow on you. But I sincerely wish the car had a more definite identity that would have helped the Safari do well abroad.

From side on, the car features a unique form that is going to get appreciative nods from even Pajero owners. The quality of plastic claddings and the roof panel over the rear glass lack the finish that Telco has achieved with the metal parts, and one can only expect it to improve as large-scale production begins.

The tailgate is international with the roof-mounted tail-lamps and the fully covered spare wheel. The five spoke alloy wheels shod with broad 235/

75 R 15 Kumho radials make the vehicle look very purposeful indeed.

In essence, this is the best ever work done on the 207 platform to date, albeit with the help of an all-new chassis. All credit goes to Telco for refining the platform to a stage at which it could be adapted to advanced production technology now available with it. Those who visited the Auto Expo two years ago will remember a shoddily assembled SUV prototype of the Safari, and if you compare it with the production version, then you will understand Telcos ability to take a running prototype to the production line (Smile, all those queuing up for Telcos small car.).

Behind the wheel

The Safari is a tall machine, like the rest of the four by four brigade that we have seen. And once perched on that high seat, you could fool yourself into feeling like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator. The view is majestic with a panoramic windscreen and you can see traffic a mile up front without straining a single neck muscle. Even Arnold would like the array of switches that flank the instrument console and run down towards the gear tunnel for the simple reason that it will remind him of the Jump Jet he pilots in True Lies. Add to that a power steering that can be adjusted for tilt, and wing mirrors that can be electronically adjusted. This is truly comprehensive instrumentation for any passenger vehicle.

The speedometer and the rev counter dominates the facia flanked by the essential information gauges for temperature and oil. The four-wheel drive version has a small central console rotary switch that can activate all-wheel drive electronically.

There are air conditioner nozzles everywhere in the car, and one has to admit that the turbo-charged motor has transformed the air-con system in Telco passenger cars into one of the best. Even the two jump seats provided in the back seat have air con vents provided for the hapless occupants or will that be some weekend luggage?

On the move

Enough descriptions; how about moving the machine a bit? The turbo-charged engine requires minutes of idling for the exhaust pressure to reach the operational level. The best thing that happened to Telco passenger cars is the continuously improving gear shift. Barely a month ago I was behind the wheel of a Sierra Turbo and thought the gear shift, though vastly improved from the older models, was still lacking in finesse. And here you go, it feels better already in the Safari. The 1948CC 483 TCIC (turbo-charged and inter-cooled) engine develops 90 hungry horses and is mated to the G 76 gear box as in the Sierra Turbo.

Acceleration is not brisk, but it is sure and progressive through the gears. One should not expect a vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of 2,550 kg to move any quicker. The cabin is silent and the new NVH facilities at Telco have had a hand in the development of the Safari.

The fun begins when the turbo-charger cuts in at around 2,000 rpm and just when you slot the gear knob into the third. Like the Sierra Turbo, the Safari has a very unable mid-range and one which helps you drive the big SUV like a motorbike.

BS Motoring drove both the two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive versions. The four-wheel drive, activated through a Borg Warner transfer case using the same rotary switch mentioned earlier, is tried and tested and adds tremendous value to this machine. If what you have in mind is just a city runabout with truckloads of image, then you really dont have to spend the additional money to buy the four-wheel drive version.

But if whipping up the snow, churning the desert sand or crossing little rivers is what your weekend life is all about, then you have a soulmate in the Safari. On a steep gradient the Safari four-wheel drive is automatically engaged as the electric shift switch on the console is self-activated. A slip-differential mounted on the rear axle ensures that both wheels turn at the same speed and thus enhances traction in slippery surfaces.

We were using Telcos test track facility, and this small 2km track has two cornering beds on either end. The test cars had excessive body roll on these corners, taken at modest speeds. We were driving the first batch of cars that came probably from the pilot production lot and Telco officials were quick to point out that the spring rating and dampers would be stiffened to prevent excessive body roll. I do not know whether the culprit is the new front suspension lay-out or the damper rating as Telco seems to think. Or is it the height of the tall vehicle? If it is one of the first two, there are solutions at hand; but if the vehicle height or the track are involved, then Telco has a tougher job on hand.

On real roads, the Safari is capable of a neat 130kph. But if you are on the look-out for performance then wait for the petrol version that boasts a DOHC 16 valve, 137 bhp motor under the hood. The diesel on the other hand is economical and according to Telco, will return 13kpl of diesel. The Safari clearly thrives on highways!

Conclusion

The shape is too fluid for my taste and to me the ultimate SUV is still the Range Rover. But remember, the world has changed its opinion on go-anywhere machines, and if the new Japanese entrants and even the Mercedes M-class are any indication, the Safari is contemporary to look at and its power train is refined by any standards. It comes absolutely loaded and that too for just about Rs 7,50,000. The quality of ingredients that go into the machine including the plastics is better than we have seen on a Telco-built passenger vehicle. It has been subjected to extensive crash tests and is one of the safest machines that kind of money can buy in India.

Give the Safari a try if you were about to buy an imported SUV; the money that youll save in the process could earn enough interest to buy you a Pajero if you are left dissatisfied. How I would like to be at Geneva, where Telco will be showcasing the Safari and the small car for the world. So what if it has taken fifty years?