Spied - Tata Safari Storme facelift's front fascia

Minor midlife updates for the Safari Storme around the corner. 

This image from CarToq gives an early look at the refreshed Tata Safari Storme's front fascia. Changes are subtle, as they extend to a new honeycomb mesh for the grille and airdam.

CarToq reports that a new infotainment system and front-facing third row seats could be seen on the refreshed Storme when it goes on sale later this year or in early 2015.

Other reports suggest that the Storme will get the more powerful version of the 2.2-liter VariCOR diesel engine which is seen on the Aria. Where this engine drives out 138 bhp on the current Storme, it could make an additional 10 bhp on the facelifted model. The 320 Nm of torque would continue unchanged and as will the transmission which is a 5-speed manual unit.

Tata Motors has shown the Aria with an automatic transmission in Indonesia, and this technology can be shoe-horned into the Storme, if a new top-end variant is called for.

Also read: Tata Aria gets a price cut of INR 1 lakh, now starts at INR 8.95 lakhs

The Storme's arch rival, the Mahindra Scorpio, received a massive update last month which saw Mahindra upgrading several systems including the chassis of the car. Thus, it would be a right time for Tata Motors to relaunch the Storme which has fared poorly in its first two years on the market.

Competitors: Mahindra Scorpio, Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano
Expected Price: INR 10-14 lakhs, ex-Showroom
Launch date: Late 2014 or early 2015

[Spy image from Car Toq]