Tata is going to launch a new Safari early next year. Codenamed ‘Merlin’, this will be the SUV’s most thorough update since its launch in 1998.

New projector headlights, a squarish grille that looks more imposing than before, and a pronounced chin with a lip under the bonnet are major front-end revisions. The rear gets two chrome-tipped exhausts and an oversized chrome bar over the number plate. As seen in the spy pictures, the new Safari gets up-market looking interiors with an all-new dash and fascia. There’s plenty of plastic ‘wood’ all over the dash.