Tata Kaziranga
What is it?
If you utter the words special edition cars in India today, the first name that comes to mind is Tata. Since 2019, they have been launching special editions of their vehicles one after the other. First, it was a dark edition of the Harrier, followed by an adventure persona for the Safari and then another round of dark editions followed by a gold edition for the Safari and then a dark edition for the Safari.
They are back yet again and this time around with not one but four unique propositions. What you see in the photos are the recently launched Kaziranga editions of the Tata Punch, Nexon, Harrier and the Safari. Why Kaziranga as its theme? Because Tata has chosen to honour the Rhino as it is an endangered species that has a majority of its population located in the grasslands of the Kaziranga national park in Assam.
Tata Punch
The Tata Punch Kaziranga edition is based on the top-of-the-line Punch Creative and Creative iRA trims. It can be had in both MT and AT guise. On the outside, this Punch has been painted in a special shade called Grassland beige with a piano black contrast-coloured roof. The front fenders get Rhino badges while the wheels and ORVMs have been blacked out as a part of the package.
Inside, this being a top-of-the-line model, you get all the bells and whistles offered with the Punch but also some custom Kaziranga touches like this dual-tone leatherette upholstery, piano black AC vents as well as this black leather wrap for the steering and gear knob.
The only engine on offer is of course Tata’s 1.2-litre petrol producing 85bhp/113Nm which can be had with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automated manual. We have of course driven the Punch extensively and you can find a link above. The Tata Punch Kaziranga range has been priced from Rs 8.58 lakh to Rs 9.48 lakh (ex-showroom).
Next up on the list is the Tata Nexon Kaziranga Edition. Like the Punch Kaziranga, it can be had only in the top-spec XZ+/XZA+ trim level for both the petrol and diesel powertrain option. In addition to everything that Tata offers for the Nexon, this edition introduces ventilated front seats, auto-dimming IRVM and an air purifier as a part of the upgrades and should be available on the standard versions of the car in the coming months. The rhino silhouette on the headrests has been carried over from the Punch.
As a part of the Kaziranga package, it too has been trimmed out in the grassland beige exterior paint scheme with the black rhino logos on the fenders, blacked-out ORVMs, door cladding roof rails and alloy wheels. Inside, you get the wood finish dashboard, dark chrome accents on the gear lever and drive mode dial as well as the brown and black colour scheme for the upholstery. You can have the Nexon with either 1.2-litre petrol or a 1.2-litre diesel. Both engines get a six-speed manual or a six-speed automated manual.
The Tata Nexon Kaziranga range has been priced in the range of Rs 11.78 lakh to Rs 13.73 lakh (ex-showroom)
The big guns of the Tata SUV range have joined the theme party this time around. Both the Safari and Harrier Kaziranga editions are available in their top-spec MT and AT versions and thus come fully loaded. Like the Punch and Nexon, they too get the Grassland beige paint scheme, rhino logos on the fenders, blacked-out ORVMs, alloy wheels, roof rails and side cladding.
Both cars get ventilated front seats, air purifier, wireless apple car play and Android Auto, iRA connected car technology and a wireless charger. In addition, the Safari also gets ventilated seats for the second row, something that was introduced with the Safari gold editions. Both cars are only offered with a 2.0-litre diesel engine that produces 168bhp/350Nm and can be had with either a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission.
The Tata Harrier Kaziranga range is priced from Rs 20.40 lakh to Rs 21.70 lakh (ex-showroom). The Tata Safari Kaziranga range is priced from Rs 20.99 lakh to Rs 22.39 lakh (ex-showroom).
Conclusion
So there you have it, the Tata Kaziranga UV range in all their grassland glory. While these may be special editions, their additional feature list is indicative of what is expected to arrive as upgrades for each of the respective vehicles this year. What’s more, one special edition of the Tata Punch will be auctioned off during IPL 2022 to raise funds for wildlife conservation at Kaziranga.
Photography: Kaustubh Gandhi
