Tata Harrier

Tata Harrier

The Tata Harrier has stood out as one of the most stylish and attractive SUVs in the segment, offering decent features and drivability along with an appealing design. 

How’s the design? 

The Tata Harrier comes with a striking design that one will notice immediately. The Harrier uses the OMEGARC architecture that comes from the D8 Land Rover platform in turn, and you will appreciate the diamond-cut alloy wheels, Xenon headlights which are sleek and appealing, edgy LED daytime running lights (DRLs), aerodynamic ORVMs, chrome finishes, bold stance, and more. The outside rearview mirrors are more compact now while the alloys sport a new design as well. 

 How does it perform? 

The Tata Harrier comes with the powerful Kryotec 2.0 litre diesel engine, making 170 PS and 350 Nm of maximum torque. It offers more power than the earlier version as well. It also comes with 6-speed automatic and manual transmission options that are sourced from Hyundai. The performance of the SUV is crisp and punchy. The engine offers smooth driving experiences on city roads overall, while it becomes a lovely cruiser on the highway, powering through the roads with a neatly distributed torque band exceeding 2,000 RPM. The cabin is neatly insulated, and NVH levels are also on the lower side. The Tata Harrier powers through with a smooth-shifting gearbox and a sporty driving experience. 

How’s the mileage? 

• Diesel Manual- 16.35 kmpl
• Diesel Automatic- 14.6 kmpl

How’s the driving experience? 

The Tata Harrier comes with the City, Eco, and Sport driving modes, enabling adaptability in diverse scenarios. The company’s partnership with JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) is a great fit for the Harrier with its electronic stability program as a standard offering and also three modes, namely rough, wet, and normal. This is a pivotal component of the JLR-derived terrain response system. The handling and ride quality are huge plus points while the OMEGARC platform is another USP. The Tata Harrier functions smoothly on rough or bad roads while covering potholes and undulations easily. The cruising abilities of this SUV are excellent, to say the least. 

What’s the interior like? 

The Harrier offers plush and premium interiors with the oak brown dashboard theme, oak brown upholstery for the seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and the same touch for the gear knob. There is also a huge panoramic sunroof along with a powered driver’s seat. You also get an 8.8-inch floating island infotainment unit with a 9-speaker JBL tuned audio system, steering-mounted controls, 26 native voice commands, and a 7-inch instrument console. The touch screen quality leaves a little to be desired. The legroom at the back is decent enough and the SUV also offers good headroom and knee room. This is an area where the Harrier does not disappoint. The cabin is a great place to be in, especially while journeying across longer distances. 

Tech and infotainment

The Tata Harrier comes with features like a panoramic sunroof and a powered seat for the driver. There is also the floating island 8.8-inch infotainment unit and the 7-inch instrument cluster. The JBL-tuned 9-speaker audio system is a key highlight along with 26 native voice commands and steering-mounted controls. You also get automatic headlamps, automatic climate control, cruise control, driving modes, electronic stability control, and more.

Safety equipment

The Tata Harrier gets six airbags along with a seat-belt warning, child seat anchorages, child lock, over-speeding warning, anti-theft engine immobilizer, speed-sensing door locks, and central locking. 

Which variant to buy? 

The Harrier manual variant has nine variants, while there are seven for the automatic. These include the XMA, XZA Dual Tone, XZA, XZA Dark Edition, XZA+ Dark Edition, XZA+ Dual Tone, and the XZA+ variant. The automatic trims are costlier but they are better options from a driving perspective. The XMA entry-level version has decent safety features along with driving modes, a 7-inch touch screen infotainment unit, and more. This is always a value pick. The mid-range is sizably costlier but gets more features including more safety features, four added airbags, exterior and interior embellishments, the semi-digital instrument cluster, automatic AC, cruise control, and lots more. This one also gets the 8.8-inch touch screen unit with connectivity features and the JBL sound system. The Dark Editions and Dual Tone versions are nominally costlier than their variants. The top-end version is even higher up but gets the panoramic sunroof, powered driver’s seat, and some other features. The XZA stands out as the value-for-money variant. 

Which cars compete in this segment?

The Tata Harrier competes with rivals like the Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector, and other rivals. The XUV700 also has 5 and 7-seater variants and the Hyundai Tucson is also a rival although it is significantly costlier. The Harrier is the widest while the XUV700 is the longest SUV here. The MG Hector is the tallest SUV on the lot. Tucson has the longest wheelbase. The Harrier does not have a petrol engine like its rivals. The Hyundai Tucson has the highest-performing petrol engine and offers AWD along with the Mahindra XUV700. These are the only two cars here with this feature. The Tata Harrier also takes on the likes of the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and the Skoda Kushaq. It is evenly matched in terms of its power, features, and other attributes It still makes for a good option overall. 

Verdict (Value for money) 

The Tata Harrier still offers an attractive package with great features, a compelling design and road presence, a powerful engine, and great handling and drivability overall. It also comes at a price point that is still decent for many buyers. Hence, the Harrier, despite missing out on some features and new technologies, still ticks the boxes in terms of an appealing SUV that people wish to drive for long distances regularly.