[Rocketscience]

So took a test drive today and in short, Nah, I will give this one a pass.
The positives were

• Looks, it just looks brilliant and size is also big and imposing, feels like a proper, if only a little bit compact SUV.
• The interior design and feel, especially the seats are all good for an Indian brand.
• The JBL audio system was also very good for an OEM system at this price point.
• The ride quality felt good in my brief test drive.
• Low end torque was good in both City and Sports modes.

The Negatives

• Well, the engine, first impressions were negative, while the low end torque was good the midrange felt just about okay, and the top end was just underwhelming.
  
• The NVH, Tata really screwed up here, the Nexon felt more refined to me, the gear lever in this was vibrating, while its not dancing all the way around or ultra long throw like the XUV but it put me off in a big way, final nail in the coffin was the engine noise, it felt even worse than my City (maybe I'm being a bit harsh but it was bad ), while at low speeds it was acceptable but the moment the rpm raised it sounded like old Toyota Innova, it really (combined with not that great power) was a deal breaker to me.
  
• Hard plastics on doors felt cheap and out of place in what could have been a very good interior otherwise.
  
• The brakes felt sufficient but not great like the Compass.

Now, don't take me wrong, it could be a great product depending upon who you ask but I was underwhelmed in general, maybe because recent Tata products including Tiago and Nexon are great in their respective segments.

Now, I drive a Creta 1.6 CRDi and coming from it, the driving experience is at least a level down, I immediately drove Creta after it and the fantastic power (in comparison in the upper midrange and top end especially), outstanding refinement in comparison sealed it that this Tata is not for me.

I remember coming from test driving Compass and being highly impressed by it, it felt like a proper upgrade from the Creta, this in contrast did not, this has the potential to be but engine power and NVH are the major negatives in my opinion holding it back.

[lokii_83]

I have visited Concorde Motors, near RV Engineering college, Mysore Road today evening.

The car was in white, and it's stunning, it's very huge, bulky and has a great road presence.

The TD vehicle was not available, they said will be available by next week.

There was a good number of visitors, though was not crowded most people are keen to know Harrier.

Being Sunday only one executive was available and he was not keen to address prospective buyers of Harrier, for my surprise he didn't ask/record anyone's contact numbers too. Felt quite awkward and I hope Tata will improve customer caring!

I will wait next for Team BHP review, and then next few months initial review before my buying decision of my 2nd car!!

Some pics:

[BeamBoy]

When I was at the dealership this weekend, and was complaining for the lack of AT and sunroof, the dealer said he will check of possibility of post purchase sunroof being fitted. It seems they do this for the Hexa. Anyone know about this or have done to their Hexa. Does it turn out well without any downsides?

[satish_appasani]

Did anybody notice the seats to be on the softer side? I drive a Cruze and the seats are firmer (I like them) in my car.

[Th!ru]

Did a TD today at Concorde guindy showroom in chennai. Was pleasantly surprised(once had a horrid ownership experience with Vista, thought would never look back at TATA). Loved the way it rides in low and mid range, wasn't able to push it higher. I didn't find the NVH to be to be too high, sounded good to me(similar to my 8 yr old rapid), and the engine was rev happy. The clutch is so damn light almost to the point of being vague, but a boon to drive in city traffic. Found a comfortable driving position after finicking in 3 attempts, albeit without armrest support.

Suspension was little stiff or maybe the tires were over inflated, don't know. There was a noise while taking a full right u-turn, as though some metal parts were brushing, hope it gets sorted out in production version.

Music system sounded great and the mid was looking very premium. Overall a good job by TATA, had some reservations about driver seating comfort when I looked at it in those pre launch event, but now i am OK.

Waiting for official tbhp review and to check the colors, mostly will go with white or silver. I have a feeling this car from TATA will tick a lot of boxes for many.

[Mu009]

Originally Posted by BeamBoy

When I was at the dealership this weekend, and was complaining for the lack of AT and sunroof, the dealer said he will check of possibility of post purchase sunroof being fitted. It seems they do this for the Hexa. Anyone know about this or have done to their Hexa. Does it turn out well without any downsides?

Do not go for that under any circumstances. It compromises structural integrity (not to mention that fit and finish will leave much to be desired). It is a well known strict no-no (you'll see many such posts peppered on a variety of threads on this forum for example).

This isn't some aftermarket accessory you can get at dealer level - this is something that is pre-factory even - it needs to be thought of and worked out in the design phase and then implemented.

[Dr.Naren]

Few Pics : Various WA groups









Harrier looks really great , well done Tata . Enthusiasts would like for more power, missed the opportunity to offer 170 HP version during launch itself. Need to TD the car someday.

Found these 0-100 videos , it's decent!

https://youtu.be/6F75G4rUyK0

https://youtu.be/hy4a8FUgIYM

In the first video, the driver was shifting close to redline which gave a slower timing. It should do 12 to 12.5 seconds easily on GPS device .

[Th!ru]

Originally Posted by Mu009

Do not go for that under any circumstances. It compromises structural integrity (not to mention that fit and finish will leave much to be desired). It is a well known strict no-no (you'll see many such posts peppered on a variety of threads on this forum for example).
This isn't some aftermarket accessory you can get at dealer level - this is something that is pre-factory even - it needs to be thought of and worked out in the design phase and then implemented.

+1 to that, especially with the ribbed roof, which is meant to give rigidity, all they do is cut in a 4x2 hole and fix in a OE roof. They will claim engineers/mechanics from TATA come to do the same at the dealer place, and they offer 1 year warranty. But do keep in mind these things are structural things and need to be incorporated during the design stage itself as stated by previous poster and many here. Suggest you wait for xz+ which might come with a factory fit one.

[shiva75]

Interesting to see the initial test drive reviews. The negatives seem to be more around NVH levels and engine refinement especially at higher RPM’s. Did anyone in this esteemed group test it as a passenger in the rear seat? What was the experience? I read somewhere that Tata had to engineer new suspensions for the rear and it is on the stiffer side, generally giving the passenger a bumpy ride.

[damodar]

Checked out the Harrier yesterday a bit late in the day around 7:30pm. Found the HID projectors not too bright and also didn't look too premium. Especially with the high beam on the white light got dominated by the yellow lights of the high beam and fog lamps. It would have looked much better with a white high beam, possible with an aftermarket swap.

Also tried to check the NVH in a stationary car, couldn't test drive as it was too late. One can't compare it to a Hyundai Creta,Verna,I20 as they all have very good refinement compared to the European counterparts in diesel variants. If we focus only on the NVH part it could be a deal breaker for many but if we look at the overall value offered at the price point in terms of safety, seating comfort and ease of driving in daily traffic due to the light clutch it's a winner.

Fiat MJD characteristic as seen in the 1.3 is that they tend to be a bit gravely in nature until a couple of thousand km. So hopefully this 2.0 MJD will sound a bit better after 2-3000km.

This 2.0 engine bulids up torque in the low to mid range so it could feel noisy in the top end as it will be out of it's ideal power band. On the contrary Compass which a nice top end has such poor low end torque that it tends to stall in 2nd gear while crossing speed breakers. Harrier will be easier to live with in day to driving environment with much less gear shifts required plus the added benefit of a light clutch.

[Sheel]

There were/are few people who were interested in Harrier, but the vulnerable position of headlamp has got them thinking. I too do agree that in case of even a nudge, a bumper would be cheaper to replace than a headlamp, but is the concern valid or not?

[tarik.arora]

Originally Posted by damodar

This 2.0 engine bulids up torque in the low to mid range so it could feel noisy in the top end as it will be out of it's ideal power band. On the contrary Compass which a nice top end has such poor low end torque that it tends to stall in 2nd gear while crossing speed breakers. Harrier will be easier to live with in day to driving environment with much less gear shifts required plus the added benefit of a light clutch.

A lot of people here have commented on the lack of top end in Harrier, compensated by strong bottom and mid range. This is a clear direction on which Tata is working. Nexon has the same characteristics. This makes the Nexon so much more drive-able in the city than its competitors. Nexon just pulls cleanly from as low as 1000-1100 rpm in any gear. This makes the 3rd gear so much more usable in the city with the car not demanding a downshift even if the speed falls to 20kmph. I just love the way Nexon drives in the city. Drive a Brezza and Nexon back to back and you will surely appreciate the drive-ability that the Nexon offers.

Harrier showing the same character is a very good thing IMO. With a lot of people driving majorly within the city, the car will be a boon to drive. For Highways, the sports mode would be just about manageable.

[damodar]

Originally Posted by tarik.arora

Nexon just pulls cleanly from as low as 1000-1100 rpm in any gear. This makes the 3rd gear so much more usable in the city with the car not demanding a downshift even if the speed falls to 20kmph. I just love the way Nexon drives in the city.

Another thing that we tend to overlook in a short test drive is how comfortable the clutch action is in traffic conditions. I would suggest driving the Harrier in stop go conditions where there is a need to release the clutch with mild throttle inputs. Here the return spring pressure of the clutch will come into play. Some vehicles may feel like having a soft clutch while depressing it but continuous driving in bumper to bumper traffic is tiresome because of the high return pressure. In Nexon this pressure is next to nothing and people driving it for the first time will be surprised and wonder if the clutch cable is broken.

I found this higher return pressure issue with the Creta 1.6crdi clutch. In conditions like say creeping forward at toll gates, you have to release the clutch a little and then brake immediately your left leg is 100% on the clutch pedal for that duration. The Creta clutch did give my left knee a good workout.

[JS Kwt]

Tata Harrier Accessories List

Tata Harrier will be offered in a range of 60 accessories. These are genuine accessories, which are on offer at all Tata dealerships.








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[arun_josie]

I did a very short test drive yesterday.

First thing that you will notice is, its huge. The driveability within city is good, clutch is super smooth, steering is light so easy to drive within city. Acres of space and leg room at the rear and its very comfortable too with good under-thigh support.

The dashboard comes with non-reflective material. Hand brake looked cool.

When compared to linea, I felt that the driver seat is little small(no complaints though). And the hand rest is useless(for my driving position), they should have made it slidable.

At this price point, I think Harrier is VFM. Especially when compared to Compass and even Creta for what they offer.

Choosing between Harrier Vs Compass is a mind vs heart decision for me, I feel. I will do a test drive of the Harrier on the highway later. Also,I will wait for the 7-seater version.

As mentioned by few, the ORVM is huge to complement the size of the vehicle but it does obstruct our view especially while taking right turns. We will have to get adjusted to it.

This is where the extra two seats are going to be seated,apparently. For now this can be used as extra boot space.