The new Tata Safari is a formidable offering in the three-row mid-size SUV space. Incidentally, prices of the new Tata Safari overlap with quite a few variants of the Jeep Compass. Although both SUVs are positioned very differently in the market, buyers will inevitably look at both options when shopping for an SUV around the INR 20 lakh mark. If 6/7 seats are really a priority, then one should definitely go for the Safari. However, if a third row of seats are not of utmost importance, and if you were to choose on grounds of performance, which one should you go for?
Well, here we have a drag race of Tata Safari vs Jeep Compass. Incidentally, both these SUVs are powered by the same engine, although they are not sibling cars. Both the Safari and the Compass draw power from a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine that produces an identical 170hp and 350Nm of torque on both the SUVs. However, given that the Safari is a three-row SUV and is considerably larger, it is much heavier than the Compass. So on paper, it is the Compass that has the advantage. Let's find out how both SUVs fare against each other.
Also Read : New Tata Safari Gets Its First Price Hike - New vs Old Prices
The drag race was conducted in four different rounds. In the first round, the Tata Safari beats the Jeep Compass by a fair margin and in the second round, its the Jeep Compass that edges ahead to grab a comfortable win. However, both these rounds were flawed by human error. In the first round, the Jeep Compass had to come on its brakes while in the second round, it got a slight head start, thus putting it at an advantage. It was in the third attempt when both drivers got off the line correctly and were able to fight it out neck and neck against each other.
The Jeep Compass got an excellent start in first gear and it was able to maintain that advantage throughout the race. The engine was quick to respond and with quick gearshifts, the Compass was able to widen its gap before taking a comfortable victory. As for the Safari, it was let down by the fact the engine wouldn't rev past 2,500 rpm in first gear, which made it much slower off the line. It was also let down on account of much heavier. Lastly, in the fourth round, even though the Safari got a slight head start, the Compass was quick to catch up and overtake for yet another comfortable victory.
The Jeep Compass is thus the clear winner of this drag race. It is worth mentioning that this particular Compass is a BS4-spec pre-facelift model. Earlier this year, Jeep introduced a facelift for the Compass in India with cosmetic updates on the outside and a thoroughly updated interior with lots of new features and tech as well. Prices for the Jeep Compass currently range between INR 16.99 - 28.29 Lakh (ex-showroom). Meanwhile, prices for the Tata Safari currently range between INR 14.99 - 21.81 Lakh (ex-showroom).
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more such interesting drag races and other four-wheeler news.
