[damodar]

Looks like HARRIER is the first car from an Indian manufacturer to have an engine oil quality monitoring sensor. Something similar to found in BMW vehicles to my knowledge. Does the compass come with a similar feature which shares the same engine?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ihrishi

No word on the AT's yet? :(

Heard from a source that AT will be introduced with the BS6 compliant versions closer to April 2020 deadline.

Also - Buzzard / Cassini is likely to debut the automatic option first.

[ihrishi]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Heard from a source that AT will be introduced with the BS6 compliant versions closer to April 2020 deadline.
Also - Buzzard / Cassini is likely to debut the automatic option first.

Dang.
Looks like i may end up with the Hector then. It ticks all my buttons of red color, panaromic sunroof, automatic and a more powerful state of tune...

[Neil Roy]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

Your observations are bang on, but you miss few points.

1. Compass is 170 hp not tuned for ecomony - hence its refined, quick and sporty than harrier. If i buy a harrier i will spend 25k on remap and get the compass tune. Also tata has a habit of updating ECUs for customers and they will get a better tune for sure after owners reviews.

.......

It's just my opinion, but an engine remap for Harrier on its present avatar is not a good idea. A remapped heavier, bigger Harrier with drum brakes for rear will not be able to handle emergency situations as well as a Compass might. I personally feel that TATA has not exploited the Harrier to it's full potential.

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by ihrishi

Dang.
Looks like i may end up with the Hector then. It ticks all my buttons of red color, panaromic sunroof, automatic and a more powerful state of tune...

Even Hector diesel AT might come only post BS 6. Looks like Compass,Harrier and Hector sharing same engine will have AT option only by Apr 20.

[prakash_ajp]

Originally Posted by Neil Roy

It's just my opinion, but an engine remap for Harrier on its present avatar is not a good idea. A remapped heavier, bigger Harrier with drum brakes for rear will not be able to handle emergency situations as well as a Compass might. I personally feel that TATA has not exploited the Harrier to it's full potential.

A remap always carry an element of risk and anyone doing a remap should be mindful of that. But ... technically, the remap only changes the power and drive-ability of the car and not how it is driven or the max speed. A skillful and responsible driver should still be able to handle it well.


Who knows, we might even have a JTP version for the Harrier, although I don't see the point.

[Vikram Arya]

Originally Posted by damodar

Looks like HARRIER is the first car from an Indian manufacturer to have an engine oil quality monitoring sensor. Something similar to found in BMW vehicles to my knowledge. Does the compass come with a similar feature which shares the same engine?

This piece of literature is quite misleading.

These oil life monitoring systems (irrespective of the automotive brand) are basically a set of algorithms which is driven by a number of different parameters such as

Ambient temperature
Engine temperature
Engine speed
How hard the vehicle is being driven & for how long
So on and so forth

It then makes a mathematical deduction as to how much of oil life is left. These systems do not and cannot monitor engine oil quality.
This is not a revolutionary technology. Almost all the global automotive manufacturers have been using it for more than 10 years now.

I would still not overtly rely on this system and change the engine oil as soon as the monitor reaches 25% (or 12 months or 15,000 kms; whichever is earlier). Unfortunately, in this case there is a "lamp" that the driver has to go by and not a percentage that is displayed (that is much more user friendly).

I have been experimenting with two of my cars and changed oil when the monitor says 10/15/20/25/30% oil life is left. I must also mention here that I use only full synthetic oil in both of my cars & I change engine oil of both the cars myself.

I have found that the used engine oil that comes out when the oil life monitor is at about 25-30% has reasonable consistency. Once I allowed the so called oil life to go down to 5% and the oil that came out was thick and I had to scrape half an inch of black greasy substance from the oil pan.

I must also mention that in 2009 when we had GM as one of our customers, there were thousands of cases where a particular model of Cadillac (a GM sub-brand) were coming in to get the service done and half of the engine oil in the sump was gone. GM then had to reprogram the software of the oil life monitor so that the light comes on earlier (as compared to the original program) to signal an oil change.

I hope Tata Motors has taken into consideration that ambient air quality in India (a lot of particulate matter aka dust) high ambient temperatures etc. & not so great quality of diesel when they were calibrating this system.

[bigron]

Saw one today morning in white at my local clubs parking lot. I have to say , this thing is beautiful. Looked absolutely smashing and the perceived quality of fit and finish was there. It was parked next to the last gen M class and held its own. The older M class was a far better looking car than the current GLE which is just plain ugly, IMO. Was similarly wide but shorter in height. The interiors though wrapped in plastic also looked nice.
Overall great job TATA, at least visually.

[locusjag]

I saw a newly purchased silver-colored Harrier last Saturday I think, near the Air Force Base in Selaiyur. It was promptly stopped and searched, along with every other SUV & MUV that was on that road, by a roving squad of Election Commission officials. It does stand out among the SUV crowd by its novelty and its sheer good looks.

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by GTO

Attachment 1863090

Attachment 1863091

And so, the Tata Harrier finally arrives!!! I had some work in Pune over the weekend, so what better car to take on the 300 km round-trip than the Harrier.

Disclaimer = My quick + short review below. Full details will follow in our Official Review (as always).

Thanks for this nugget. Yes, I would wait for the detailed official review but anything that comes before is welcome. Comparisons to Compass aside, your review brings out why there is a 5 month waiting period for this SUV and it's already go the measure of the Compass in terms of monthly sales.

I am not an SUV person. That was reaffirmed when I drove a Nexon recently. However I waited with bated breath for the Harrier in the fear that after the hype Tata would come up with an ill-sorted product. The reviews, specs etc proved not so. They had enough to satisfy the volume SUV buying population. A visit to the showroom recently to see the Harrier satisfied me even further. Because if I was in the market for an SUV in this price range, I would buy this in a jiffy. The value it provides over-ride the small niggles. It seems to be a fundamentally sorted out product. My other choice was the Creta but this thanks to it's front wheel steering that has got some off-road capability (more than enough for around 90% of the target segment) overrides it. However for sheer cabin quality and fit and finish, the Creta still is a head above.

Should Tata have waited to perfect it before bring it out? Maybe. But VW also brought out the Polo with an anaemic set of engines and paid the price for it. Fiat after the stellar run with the Uno seemed to be makng some dumb moves. They refused to give us better versions of the Punto nor update it's engines regularly., happy with the revenue they made from selling engines. So far the market seems to justify Tata's choices. And in today's market where speed to market is survival, Fiat's story should serve as an indicator that at the end of the day it's not us enthusiasts who call the shots but a whole different car buying population who may regards a lot of us as aliens, given the way we love our cars.

Also perhaps with the JTP connection this leaves room for a 25 lakh JTP tuned Harrier with handling like the JTP twins. Now that would be something!!

Originally Posted by Steeroid

So you haven’t driven the vehicle?
The Harrier offers, IMHO, presence, space, excellent drive ability, comfort, great interiors and excellent value for the amount of money they are asking. Could it be better - sure, but probably at a higher price.

Well said. Couldn't have put it better.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by JS Kwt

The Hitch #LoveAtFirstDrive
Tata Motors announces its upcoming Harrier VIVO IPL TV Campaign Press kit

Chop Chop #LoveAtFirstDrive

https://youtu.be/qjq_zU1sV2U

[GTO]

I surely don't think that the production has been completely streamlined yet and it is showing in the cars rolling off the production line. First, there were all those issues with the panel gaps. Then, the clutch of our test car had some weight, but many BHPians have reported a super light clutch. Ditto with the steering at low speeds. Reeks of an inconsistent product.

In the 5 days that we spent with the car, we noticed many niggles. Examples:

1. Drive mode malfunction - Resulted in City / Sport / Eco / Rough Road / Wet mode not engaging. ESP / Traction Control / Hill Descent Control off as well. This happened multiple times, even when the car was standing at red lights. Was sorted after switching off the car, waiting for a while and restarting.

2. Infotainment system failure - Went off without warning. Restarted after 45 minutes on its own.


3. Occasionally, the auto folding of the mirrors did not happen when the car was unlocked.

4. Boot release button on the keyfob of our car was not working.

I continue to insist that Tata hasn't done its homework for the launch of such an important car. I also recommend that, if you're interested in buying the Harrier, wait for a year or two for all the initial issues to be sorted out.

[SDP]

Originally Posted by GTO

I surely don't think that the production has been completely streamlined yet and it is showing in the cars rolling off the production line. First, there were all those issues with the panel gaps. ...

How were the panel gaps on the car that you drove? Hope after all the long wait for the media car, that observation has been addressed by Tata Motors.

[damodar]

Originally Posted by GTO

I surely don't think that the production has been completely streamlined yet and it is showing in the cars rolling off the production line.

Did you check the manufacturing date of this particular car? I did notice the same issues in the test drive cars and it was solved by removing the battery connection and reconnecting it. I was told by the dealer that the drive mode failure happens when the brake and accelerator are pressed simultaneously.

[drjkonline]

Originally Posted by GTO

In the 5 days that we spent with the car, we noticed many niggles. Examples:

The presence of these niggles even in the first few cars is not confidence inspiring. They lead to a poor ownership experience even if there are no serious mechanical issues. Even when a single switch or a button in a car does not work predictably, dissatisfaction creeps in. Correct me if Iam wrong, but I feel good reliable cars hit the roads with hardly any niggles on day 1. Cars delivered to customers with a lot of niggles improve over time due to complaints, feedback from customers, but usually end their life span as half baked products, providing a learning experience for manufacturers willing to learn and a frustrating experience for owners who took the leap of faith.