TATA Harrier Review

Showcased at the 2018 Auto expo as H5X, Tata Harrier gathered eyeballs for its brilliant styling. Launched in January 2019 and it was hit among the customers; however, the high sales chart didn’t last long as the competition got stiffer with KIA Seltos and MG Hector joining the party. TATA had skipped a few key features from the 2019 Harrier such as Sunroof, Electric seats and no Automatic option. The 2.0 Kryotec Diesel engine was also tuned to lower state producing 140 PS only. However, TATA Motors were smart enough to quickly make changes to the Harrier and then came the 2020 Harrier with all new updates. So, today in this Blog I will be giving my review of the 2020 TATA Harrier.

Design-

This is the section where I can go nuts praising the Harrier and every reader will agree with me that the Harrier is one of the best-looking cars in the Indian market. Pratap Bose (Design Head TATA Motors) and his team has done a fantastic job with the design of Harrier and they are continuing it with Altroz, facelifted Nexon and so on. Harrier is one of the very few cars that stays true to its concept and looks beautiful from whichever angle you look. The Harrier too is based on TATA’s impact 2.0 design language, the gloss black grille at the front which merges into LED DRLs, the headlights are mounted below which are projector unit.

The 17-inch wheels now suit the SUV better than the previous 16-inches. At the rear, the Harrier gets a small wiper ( I guess it is same as that of Tiago) which makes the huge SUV look super cute. The taillamps get blackened treatment with gloss black strip connecting the two taillamps (Range Rover Velar feels) and the TATA logo on it. The lower bumper is painted black and a black cladding runs throughout the car giving it SUV feel. HARRIER is spelt nicely on the boot lid too.

Performance-

The Harrier comes with only one engine and two transmission options. It is a 2.0-litre Fiat sourced diesel engine that used to make 140 PS in the 2019 Harrier. The 2020 Harrier gets 30 PS more power and the torque output remains unchanged at 350 Nm. The engine is very refined on the inside and only after 3000 RPM, some amount of noise starts filtering into the cabin. The power delivery is very nice, floor the accelerator and you feel the car lunging ahead. This 170 Ps power feels perfect for the Harrier now. There are 2 transmission options- Hyundai sourced 6-speed torque converter automatic or 6-speed manual. In this review, I will talk only about the automatic.

Automatic- Talking about the automatic, the 6-speed torque converter does a great job in the Harrier. The gearshifts are smooth in the City and Eco modes. Only in the Sports mode, you can feel the gear shift which I think feels quite satisfying. In the sports mode, the car holds the revs a bit more compared to city and Eco. The city mode feels the best of both worlds. The difference between City and Eco modes is very little. If you want to have some fun you can turn off the traction control system only in the city mode, as soon as you switch to sports mode the traction control system turns on. You cannot turn off Traction control in sports mode. If you want to have more fun shift to manual by slotting the gear lever to the left. In manual mode the gear shifts are quick but the instrument cluster doesn’t show the gear change instantly, it takes its own sweet time to show the gear change.

Interior and Cabin space-

Just as big as the Harrier looks on the outside, it is on the inside as well. The car feels spacious and airy thanks to its big Panoramic Roof and windows. The dashboard layout is clean with 8.8-inch touchscreen neatly mounted in the eyesight. The wooden finish on the dashboard adds to the premiumness of the car. The AC vents and control panel gets gloss black finish. I particularly love the quality of the temperature control knob. The aircraft-style handbrake looks unique and needs time getting used to. The overall quality of the interior feels top-notch. The 8.8-inch touch screen is big and nice to use. It gets Android Auto and Apple car play. 9 speaker JBL system ( 4 speakers 4 tweeters and subwoofer with amplifier) is best in class.

The instrument cluster is part digital with the speedometer being analogue. The digital display is nice and clear to read which changes according to the driving modes. I love the steering of all TATA cars and the Harrier is no different, the steering is big and being hydraulic it isn’t that light which offers good confidence on the highway, although the heaviness can be felt in tight parking spaces. One major advantage is the steering can be adjusted for both Reach as well as Rake so finding a good position is easy. The seats are leather-wrapped including the door handles which feels quite premium. The front seats are nice and comfortable offering good bolstering and the driver gets 6-way electric adjust too. The rear seat is huge with good under-thigh support. The car is wide enough to seat 3 with utmost comfort at the rear. The rear head also gets centre armrest for the added comfort however sun blinds are missing which should have been offered. 425 litres of boot space is big enough for airport runs and long weekends, which doubles up to 810 litres with rear seats folded.

Features-

Although 2019 tata Harrier was loaded with most of the features it still missed out on key features which the rivals offered. Tata Motors with this 2020 Harrier introduced many more features such as a big Panoramic Sunroof, 6-way powered driver seat, Automatic option and so on. Starting with the safety features first, the Harrier gets 6 Airbags, ABS, EBD, Corner Stability Control, Roll Over Mitigation, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Hold Assist, Hill Descent Control, Brake Disc Wiping and so on.

The Harrier also gets Automatic Headlamps and Wipers, Auto-Dimming IRVM, Leather Upholstery, 8.8-inch infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, JBL 9 speaker music system, Rear Parking Sensors with Camera, Xenon HID Projector Headlamps, Cruise Control, Push Button Start/Stop, Automatic Climate Control system, LED DRLs with Indicators, Front Fogs with cornering functions. The Harrier also gets drive modes such as Wet, Rough and Normal which actually take input from the traction control system and make changes to the power and torque accordingly. TATA engineers have done a fantastic job with drive modes as it can take the car out of tricky situations.

Ride and Handling-

The TATA Harrier is based on the ΩARC platform which is derived from the Land Rover’s D8 platform on which the Discovery is based. The front suspension of the Harrier is also derived from that of the Discovery which results in making the car the perfect SUV for our broken Indian roads. The 235/65 R17 tires suit the design as well our Indian roads. The car can handle even the worst of the roads with ease. The suspension is so nicely tuned that even big potholes cannot unsettle the ride. Although being a front-wheel-drive SUV, the Harrier still inspires confidence in the corner. Being a heavy SUV, the body roll can be felt. The hydraulic steering is good and offers great confidence at higher speeds. The brake bite is also good with nose dive. The overall drive experience always keeps you engaged making you enjoy the SUV the more you drive it.

Concluding TATA Harrier is a great SUV which looks stellar from whichever angle you look. It is big enough for 5 full-size adults, rides brilliant, loaded with most of the modern features you expect. The Harrier is also available with various colour scheme options such as Single-tone, Dual-tone, Dark Edition and also the recently launched CAMO Edition. The Harrier will cost you somewhere between 16.50 lakhs to 24.50 lakhs (all the prices are On Road Pune).

With price touching almost 25 lakhs I think There are few features which should have been added such Rear sun blinds, 360-degree camera, a petrol engine and AWD as an option. The TATA Harrier is an excellent overall package for everyone who wants tough, modern, stylish SUV. Though it is Front Wheel Drive SUV, don’t forget it comes from the legendary family of TATA’s and Land Rover’s having Off-road DNA inherited in it.

Note for Harrier Owners- 2020 (BS6) Harrier gets 15 litres of AdBlue tank which located in the boot and not near the filler cap. The AdBlue( helps in keeping the emissions in check) and needs to be replaced after 10000-15000 kms. The refill will cost the owner about 1000 Rs. In case if you run out of AdBlue, your Harrier won’t start. The car will give you warning when around 3 litres of AdBlue is remaining. The level of AdBlue is displayed in the instrument cluster as well.

Disclaimer- Photos are taken from TATA Motors official website and Google.