Tata Motors has announced that the lead car for the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2019 (held on January 20) will be its all-new Harrier SUV. It will carry the winner’s trophy across the city of Mumbai from January 14 to January 18, in a bid to drum up even more anticipation before its launch on January 23. The new model is set to rival the likes of the Hyundai Creta and the Jeep Compass.
Besides showcasing the Harrier on public roads for the first time, Tata will also accept bookings for its new SUV when it is displayed at various locations in Mumbai – including the campuses of TCS, BNP Paribas and Tata AIG – and provide customers the opportunity to get their hands on a limited edition scale model of the Harrier at the time of delivery.
Except for its exact price tag, all relevant details of the much anticipated Harrier have been revealed. The SUV is shares its platform with the Land Rover Discovery Sport and comes with a segment-first Terrain response mode that reconfigures the ESP based on the driving mode selected (Normal, Wet and Rough).
While it is only available in front-wheel-drive format, the Harrier should be more capable than rivals with the same setup. Power comes from a, FCA-sourced 140hp/350Nm, 2.0-litre diesel motor that is mated to a 6-speed manual. A petrol model and automatic gearbox-equipped variants are expected at a later date.
Tata has also equipped the Harrier quite well – kit on the top-spec XZ variant includes Xenon HID projector headlamps, front fog lamps with cornering function, leather upholstery in the cabin, an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, nine JBL speakers with an amplifier, a 7.0-inch digital instrument display, six airbags, ESP, Isofix child seat mounts, hill-hold and hill-descent control, roll-over mitigation, corner stability control, traction control, hydraulic brake assist and 60:40 split folding rear seats.
Expected to carry an on-road price between Rs 16 lakh and Rs 21 lakh, the Harrier could be a money-spinner for Tata.
Dipan Sur
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Glenn Noronha
Dhruv Dhaka
