Tata Harrier

The Harrier is Tata’s premium five-seat SUV. It is the first car from the company to be built on a Land Rover platform and is also unique, as large Tata SUVs go, for its front-wheel-drive layout and monocoque construction. The Tata Harrier is only available in diesel-manual form for the moment, though automatic and petrol versions are in the works. A seven-seat version will also come by end-2019.

The Harrier is Tata’s premium five-seat SUV. It is the first car from the company to be built on a Land Rover platfor...

The Harrier is Tata’s premium five-seat SUV. It is the first car from the company to be built on a Land Rover platform and is also unique, as large Tata SUVs go, for its front-wheel-drive layout and monocoque construction. The Tata Harrier is only available in diesel-manual form for the moment, though automatic and petrol versions are in the works. A seven-seat version will also come by end-2019.

The Tata Harrier’s radical design might not be to all tastes but there’s no denying it is an incredibly eye-catching SUV. The Harrier’s cabin is tastefully styled and material quality is impressive, though the interior has its share of ergonomic issues. The Tata SUV’s front seats are large, if excessive in lumbar support, while the rear seat is excellent on comfort. There’s also loads of room for three in the back. The Tata Harrier’s boot is large and useable too.
The Tata Harrier diesel’s Fiat-sourced 140hp, 2.0-litre engine is responsive and performance is good for the most part; a bit more power would be useful on the highway. Unfortunately, the engine is loud and always audible. In town, you’ll find the Harrier’s clutch light and the 6-speed gearbox easy to shift, though the steering does feel on the heavy side at parking speeds. On the plus side, high-speed stability and ride quality are excellent. And while it may lack all-wheel drive, the Harrier doesn’t feel out of place in the rough, thanks to the off-road electronics it comes packed with.

The Tata Harrier’s radical design might not be to all tastes but there’s no denying it is an incredibly eye-catching ...

The Tata Harrier’s radical design might not be to all tastes but there’s no denying it is an incredibly eye-catching SUV. The Harrier’s cabin is tastefully styled and material quality is impressive, though the interior has its share of ergonomic issues. The Tata SUV’s front seats are large, if excessive in lumbar support, while the rear seat is excellent on comfort. There’s also loads of room for three in the back. The Tata Harrier’s boot is large and useable too.
The Tata Harrier diesel’s Fiat-sourced 140hp, 2.0-litre engine is responsive and performance is good for the most part; a bit more power would be useful on the highway. Unfortunately, the engine is loud and always audible. In town, you’ll find the Harrier’s clutch light and the 6-speed gearbox easy to shift, though the steering does feel on the heavy side at parking speeds. On the plus side, high-speed stability and ride quality are excellent. And while it may lack all-wheel drive, the Harrier doesn’t feel out of place in the rough, thanks to the off-road electronics it comes packed with.

The Tata Harrier is very keenly priced. Still, we’d pass on the base XE trim that gets the bare minimum. The XM and XT trims cars get you lots of SUV for the money but we’d recommend stretching for the top-spec Harrier XZ. The Harrier XZ is the only one to get xenon headlights, leatherette upholstery, a large 8.8-inch touchscreen and Terrain Response off-road drive modes. The Tata Harrier XZ, additionally, packs in a bevy of safety features like six airbags, ESC, traction control and hill hold-descent control. There’s no sunroof, however.

The Tata Harrier is very keenly priced. Still, we’d pass on the base XE trim that gets the bare minimum. The XM and X...

The Tata Harrier is very keenly priced. Still, we’d pass on the base XE trim that gets the bare minimum. The XM and XT trims cars get you lots of SUV for the money but we’d recommend stretching for the top-spec Harrier XZ. The Harrier XZ is the only one to get xenon headlights, leatherette upholstery, a large 8.8-inch touchscreen and Terrain Response off-road drive modes. The Tata Harrier XZ, additionally, packs in a bevy of safety features like six airbags, ESC, traction control and hill hold-descent control. There’s no sunroof, however.