WATCH: Tata Harrier comprehensive video review
In the run up to the Harrier’s launch, Tata Motors has been teasing details of the SUV with increasing frequency. Of late, the focus of the teasers has been on the equipment the Harrier will come packed with. And the news is largely good.
The teasers show the Harrier, or at least the top versions, with a whole host of premium features including a JBL sound system that has been specifically tuned for this SUV’s interior dimensions, a cooled storage bay under the front centre armrest and even puddle lamps with the Harrier’s silhouette as a motif. And while there will be no all-wheel drive Harrier, what will be unique to the SUV is its ESP system with selectable modes for different conditions.
A previous teaser that revealed the basic dashboard design also made clear the high-set position of the 8.8-inch infotainment system. The touchscreen will double as a display for the rear-view camera and will also come bundled with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. What’s more interesting, however, is the digital instrument cluster. While the speedometer will be analogue, the rest of the binnacle will be occupied by a 7.0-inch screen that will not only house a digital tachometer and trip/fuel computer, but will also share information with the 8.8-inch touchscreen. The system, based on OEM Visteon’s ‘Smart Core Cockpit’ interface, is capable of relaying music, turn-by-turn navigation and other infotainment data right in the instrument pod so the driver doesn’t have to change his line of sight.
Tata has also promised premium materials in the cabin (also previewed via a teaser) and an upmarket cabin with lots of kit. However, it is a bit disappointing to learn that Tata Motors will not equip the Harrier with a sunroof, even on top variants. In fact, it won’t be possible for Tata Motors to engineer a sunroof into the Harrier for at least two years, with the feature likely to be introduced with the car’s mid-life facelift, further down the line. While not a deal breaker, the absence of a sunroof might not sit well with Indian buyers willing to spend big money on the SUV. The Harrier gets a mechanical, lever-operated handbrake and not an electrically actuated one like in the Land Rover Discovery Sport, on which it is based or its immediate rival, the Jeep Compass. Still, by class standards, the Harrier is well placed against rivals and in terms of space and offers much more comfort than even more premium rivals like the Honda CR-V and Hyundai Tucson.
The Tata Harrier will go on sale in mid-January with a single powertrain option – an approximately 140hp, Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Price guides with Tata dealerships suggest an on-road pricing in the range of Rs 16 lakh for the base trim and Rs 21 lakh for the top-spec model.
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