Tata Motors resurrected the Safari moniker earlier this year, when it decided to lend the iconic nameplate to the Gravitas, otherwise also known as the 7-seater version of the Harrier. Manufacturers, in the wake of carving out a 7-seater SUV out of their already existing 5-seater offerings, often manage to ruin the aesthetics of the vehicle but Tata has managed to do a neat job with the Safari. But what we have today with us, dials the oomph factor to 11. Meet the Safari GTS concept, the brainchild of a digital artist named Shashank Das (@sdesyn).
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The Safari GTS concept is basically a performance-oriented version of the standard Safari and we have to admit, if someone decides to make it a reality, it will turn out to be quite a looker!
To make a vehicle look sportier, the recipe is simple. Eliminate all the chrome bits and replace them with blacked-out elements. The same treatment has been given to the Safari GTS concept. The chrome bits on the front grille, headlamp surrounds, window sills, tailgate inserts have been given the murdered-out treatment. Other blacked-out bits include ORVMs, roof rails, and door handles.
Another major visual highlight has to be its Porsche-derived Carmin Red colourway with the blacked-out roof. It is worth noting here that the Safari is currently available in Royale Blue, Tropical Mist, Daytona Grey, Orcus White and Tropical Mist Adventure colourways. It is surprising to see that manufacturers are ignoring the sporty red shade for their respective offerings and the Safari GTS concept goes on to establish the fact that the sporty combination of black and red is here to stay.
Talking about the other updates, the stock alloy wheels have been replaced with aftermarket units from Rotiform. These are LAS-R cast monoblock units wrapped in Matte Black shade. SUVs aren’t meant to slay the corners because of their structure that allows considerable body roll to upset the vehicle if pushed to its limits. To make the Safari a little more manageable around the bends, the artist has also thrown in adjustable suspension, which will allow a sportier drive experience.
Mechanically, the Safari is powered by the same 2.0L fiat sourced 4 cyl Kyrotec turbo diesel engine which puts out 170PS of peak power and 350Nm of peak torque. It is mated to a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox unit. The Kyrotec powertrain is peppy enough to spawn a performance-oriented version of the Safari out of it and if Tata ever decides to go ahead with this idea, we cannot imagine how great it would be for the enthusiasts!