Buzz around Tata Harrier
Harrier, Eyes of Iron man!
Yes, the first thing that comes to my mind when I saw the Harrier. Tata has successfully managed to turn the interest of new India, who was mostly into Eastern offerings like Suzuki and Hyundai. Company is introducing new models quickly and they’re in no mood to slow down.
Harrier is the new face of Tata and with its splendid design and strong platform, company is aiming at triple digits to be sold by the end of this year.
Let me first give you an overview that why Harrier is so special and what’s the buzz all about.
It is based on Jaguar Land Rover D8 platform which they are marketing by Omega Arc (Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture) Platform. Moreover, Harrier is company’s first vehicle that reflects the IMPACT Design 2.0. It’s a badge that will accompany every new model produced by Tata. They claim that with this design format viewer’s attention will be gained a lot more than before. Impact Design 2.0 aims at building the car’s interior and exterior with perfect balance of design and practicality.
How does it look?
From outside this car looks aggressive and feels like some big bulky iron man is coming your way. While DRLs are now mounted above the main headlamps, the latter has been shifted to bumpers just above the fog lamps. Talking about its side profile you might start liking it from there. Door handles, windows sideline which are chromed and black cladding around the wheel arches does make it feel rugged and lavish.
With sloping roof line Harrier synergies with other premium SUV and D-pillar of this car ends with black glass just like other Land Rovers in the market. Now coming to its back, the big Harrier badge holds the limelight at the center of the tailgate and LED tail lamps are well connected with the piano black horizontal bar that again makes it look like a Rover!
Moreover, you also get a beautiful projection of its silhouette onto the road whenever you open the doors of Harrier. Overall designs elements used in this car are eye catching and aggressive, but it does lack at one place and that are its tires. The big iron man stands at 17 inch alloy wheels which are not so pleasant looking like any other cars in the segment
and there are no diamond cut even.
What’s inside?
Tech, Leather, Metals, Piano finish and new Impact 2.0 is all what it yells when you get inside the Harrier. First thing one notice is the faux wood design in the center and man that’ll leave you in aw of it.
The 8.8 inch infotainment system comes equipped with Android Auto and Apple car play and what interests the auto enthusiasts is that you don’t need after market music system because thanks to its 4 speaker, 4 tutor, and one sub woofer package which makes every ride full of ‘Josh’. Design of the steering wheel is also practical and users will find it handy once they start using it. Talking about the practicality, there is ample intelligent space for your stuff and with 425 liters of space will also allow you to maneuver long family getaways more conveniently.
Another interesting aspect is the part of instrument cluster that is covered by a 7 inch LCD screen which provides useful information to driver. Being a two-wheel drive SUV, the terrain response system is not as good as a Land Rover but it adds onto the feature list. Well, it is also misses out the sunroof which could’ve been a game twister in this segment.
Driving Experience?
The feeling behind the wheels is an unique experience in itself. It’s a front wheel drive SUV with 6 speed manual transmission. The engine is powered by the same multijet 2.0 Fiat sourced engine that you get in jeep Compass with low break horse power at 138 hp and 350 NM of torque. Being a diesel you feel a lot of noise in the cabin and just after you cross the 3000 rpm mark it gets even louder. Though apart from noise there’s a premium smooth feel whenever you shift gears but the built quality is amazing and you barely feel any low bumps on the road, thanks to its front Discovery independent suspension. Talking about the breaking it is quite good and it stops effectively whenever you press the paddle. It’s just you don’t get the rear disc brakes which is expected in this segment.
There are a lot of electronic driver aids like ABS, hill-start assist, hill-descent control, traction control, corner-stability control, brake pre-fill, rollover mitigation.
Features List
8.8-inch Touch screen
9 speaker JBL audio system
Semi digital instrument cluster
Cruise Control
LED daytime running lights
single zone auto climate control
Xenon projector headlamps
Automatic headlamps
Automatic wipers
Rear parking sensors
Rear view camera
Hill descent control
Hill start assist
Variants Information & Dimensions
(On Road)
XE – 15.22 Lakh
XM – 16.47 Lakh
XT – 17.88 Lakh
XZ – 19.42 Lakh
Length – 4598 mm / Height - 1706 mm / Width – 1894 mm
Ground Clearance – 205 mm / Wheelbase – 2741 mm
Boot space – 425 L / Fuel tank capacity – 50 L