Tata Safari Petrol – Fuel Efficiency Tested!

Tata has created quite a buzz in the market with the all-new Hyperion Petrol engine. It was first showcased with the Sierra, and Tata has now decided to use it in the Harrier and Safari. Tata boasts that this engine is the perfect combination of performance and efficiency. We put this car to the test, and the results are surprising.
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What’s Special About It?

The Harrier and Safari have been on sale for quite some time now. It comes as a surprise when you realise that this is the first time that these cars have been offered with a Petrol engine. Tata developed this new 1.5L turbo-petrol Hyperion, which churns out almost 170 bhp and 280 Nm of torque. However, the fuel efficiency has been the major talking point.

Tata claims it has the best fuel-economy figures; let us put it to the test. To get a valid sample size, the Safari was driven for 100 kilometres in city and highway conditions. The 50L fuel tank was topped up before the start of this test. Another thing to note is that this particular Safari is a 6-speed Automatic.

Highway Mileage

A good portion of the test was done on city highways. During the first 8-10 kilometres of this trip, we experienced slight traffic, which affected the efficiency figures. During this initial drive, the digital driver’s display showed an economy of 8.5 kmpl.

Over the second part of the journey, the taps were opened. This stretch had minimal traffic, and higher speeds were tested. To avoid being overly conscious of the efficiency figures, we used an everyday driving style with occasional acceleration and lane changes. However, if you do wish to maximise the efficiency of your car, you should drive it at the highest gear possible. With the 6-speed Safari, it is recommended to drive at low RPMs in 6th gear. Usually, the engine runs at 1500-1800 rpm at 20 kmph in 2nd gear, but at the same RPM, you could cruise at 80-100 kmph in 5th or 6th gear. You are covering more distance at the same engine load and saving tons of fuel at the same time.

Over the next 70 kilometres, the fuel economy was 13.1 kmpl. It managed such great figures despite a traffic-ridden first 10 kilometres.

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City Mileage

The City is where the challenge begins. While the first 10 km of the journey were riddled with light traffic, we wanted to be more thorough and test the Safari in the city for the final leg. To ensure the city-driving results were as accurate as possible, the trip meter was reset. During this final 20 km stretch, the economy figures were 9.2 and 9.5 kmpl.

After the journey, the cluster showed a fuel economy of 12.1 kmpl. Many times, the trip meter can be misleading. To get the best possible results, we refuelled the tank after the end of the journey and calculated the fuel consumption. The Safari Petrol had consumed 8.56 litres of fuel during this 100-kilometre journey. This averages out to an effective fuel efficiency of 11.7-11.8 kmpl. This figure includes the city and highway drive and is only 0.3-0.4 off from the actual figures.

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Is It the Most-Efficient Petrol SUV?

Safari competitors like the Mahindra XUV7XO, Hyundai Alcazar, Mahindra Scorpio N, and MG Hector Plus deliver 5-8 kmpl in cities and 8-11 kmpl on highways. The Safari performs better than the rivals, and the claim that “the Hyperion is the most fuel-efficient engine in the segment” holds some truth to it. In a car as big and heavy as the Safari, a 12 kmpl figure is commendable. You could squeeze out 13-15 kmpl with more cautious driving, but expect double-digit efficiency with a regular driving style.

Not to mention, the petrol engine packs a decent punch. The engine is more than powerful for city driving and pulls effortlessly on the highway. If you want a 7-seater SUV that isn’t a gas-guzzler, you should definitely consider the Safari Petrol. Its efficiency figures match those of 5-seater SUVs, and on longer trips, you could definitely squeeze out better efficiency than during our test run.

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