[Reinhard]

Pratap Bose had retweeted a couple of real road pictures of undisguised Harrier Black snapped by someone. Man that thing looks mean. MEAN! If I saw it in the rear view mirror - I'd skip a couple of beats for sure. Looks stealth dope.
The TVC on the contrary - is poorly done. Really pathetic CG. And by the way - someone should inform the ad agency that the Eagle/hawk they have shown at the start of that TVC - is not a nocturnal bird!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Now this is badass!

No offence to Kia, but this is THE definition of a badass looking car! Looks sinister with the full black package and chrome delete!

[sharninder]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Now this is badass!

No offence to Kia, but this is THE definition of a badass looking car! Looks sinister with the full black package and chrome delete!

Agree! Looks so much cooler than the Seltos. I'd hands down buy this tomorrow if only it came with an Automatic.

[isldhn]

Originally Posted by sharninder

Agree! Looks so much cooler than the Seltos. I'd hands down buy this tomorrow if only it came with an Automatic.

My sentiments exactly. I started off by looking at the Seltos HTK+ diesel auto but could not get in terms with the fact that auto climate control wouldnt be available in a 1.5 million Rupee car. So I shortlisted the Seltos HTX+ diesel auto thinking about the additional features and a fully loaded car, albeit a pretty expensive one imo( this would cost me 1.8 million Rs on road).
But after looking at the Dark edition of the Harrier, I would go to the extent of spending a Lakh or two extra just for the looks( if there was an automatic transmission option). It looks stealth and absolutely drop dead gorgeous. I have always compared the looks of the Harrier with the black Jaguar FPace my Boss owns ( he too has blackened out the chrome parts) and boy it would look so much fun when the two cars would be standing in one porch. One a 2 million Rs. Car and one a 8 million Rs. Car, both from the same manufacturer, our very own TATA :-)

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by sharninder

Agree! Looks so much cooler than the Seltos. I'd hands down buy this tomorrow if only it came with an Automatic.

Then keep a pen and a cheque handy sharninder because as per my sources Harrier auto is getting launched along with or right after Cassini launch which will be in the month of December. The media drive for Cassini is scheduled for around mid November.

And also both the Harrier and the Cassini automatics will come in 170 hp state of tune for BS6 mated to the Hyundai sourced 6 speed torque converter auto box.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

because as per my sources Harrier auto is getting launched along with or right after Cassini launch which will be in the month of December. .

Any info on the AWD/4WD variant?

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Any info on the AWD/4WD variant?

Sorry to disappoint you Sheel and all those others who are eagerly waiting for an AWD/4WD Harrrier/Cassini. Tata will in all probability never launch such a variant because of two reasons

1. Development cost
2. Poor market demand

That's why they are going to continue with Hexa for the foreseeable future, at least till 2023 when stricter crash norms come into the picture.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

No offence to Kia, but this is THE definition of a badass looking car!

Couldn't possibly agree more with you CrAzY dRiVeR

I know it's been a while since the Harrier has been running on our roads, but I just only saw one in flesh last weekend, and boy it is just a stunner.

I think, this is the best looking SUV from an Indian manufacturer yet!!

But there is a personal dislike though. Rear of the Harrier looks epic, but I quite dislike the front unconventional split setup of the headlights & DRL/Indicators. May be this is the evolution, but I am not in for it for now.

But this Dark Edition is a real Gangsta Ride now, and looks Menacingly Gorgeous.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

1. Development cost

Thats not right. The platform that you see - already is based on one of the best AWD platforms around from LR. If you see - the cabin also has a significant floor hump which is currently a bit useless. It has all the fundamentals in place to run the rear wheel drive shaft through the center. The engine is already mated to 4x4 systems in the Compass. So it will be quite a straight forward implementation. The only place that will need changes big time - is the rear suspension that would have to be changed to a multi-link setup. But thats not going to be so costly to develop that it deters a giant like TML.

Originally Posted by ram87pune

2. Poor market demand

This is the real reason indeed (in Tata's opinion i.e.) - and a stupid one as usual from TML. Tata has sort of given up on the enthusiasts / niche customers & they are for Mahindra to win without a fight. Tata doesn't care about a few thousand customers lost due to missed AWD. This is further ironic given the car's total sales aren't touching a thousand a month either and an AWD is what actually turns it around!

Originally Posted by ram87pune

That's why they are going to continue with Hexa for the foreseeable future, at least till 2023 when stricter crash norms come into the picture.

I don't think crash norms will be what ends the Hexa. The car's design will easily clear those coming in 2023. I'm not just talking about the strength of the solid shell being safe for occupants. I mean the overall bonnet & face design etc is also aligned with stricter pedestrian safety norms already. If at all - only slight changes will be needed to the face.
What will actually send the Hexa out is usual Tata Motors sales attitude and lack of interest in selling cars after they are made. They'll kill it with poor marketing, no clarity on product details & lack of motivation of sales staff. The sales staff has a sort of guilt on their face when a customer shows interest in the Hexa! Its as if they are given targets for Harrier & not for Hexa. A customer going for Hexa means no incentives for them! Pathetic. I have seen this personally in Concorde Pune.

[ram87pune]

You are very much right Reinhard about the LR platform being capable of taking a 4WD system with changes to suspension system. But another point you have not noticed is that Tata has had to make many compromises to save costs while developing the Harrier only because the donor platform was so expensive in the first place.

They had to develop their own twist beam suspension system for the Harrier instead of a multilink setup that you get in say the Hexa/Discovery Sport. They will need to develop a transaxle for channeling the power towards rear wheels, which is a time consuming and costly exercise, which Tata does not want to do at this moment because of poor customer demand.

And like you mentioned that Hexa will meet the upcoming crash norms in 2023,then the answer is NO. Not at least without a major overhaul of the old platform. The reason being that the frontal crash norms that come into play in 2023 have the barrier moving at 64kmph as against 56 kmph now. Due to this Tata may decide to pull the plug on Hexa come 2023.

[aceplaybill]

I have been following Harrier threads closely as the design blew me away right from the concept stage. The borrowed LR characteristics, the proper SUV Dynamics and handling sealed the deal for me while I test drove the same.

Then came Hector, but it was not a big deal for my liking, felt like just a bling bling car with so many 'good to have' features. For me, the only place Harrier didn't score was it didn't come with an automatic and was a deal breaker as it would be ridden by my wife who only drives automatic.

Test drove Seltos HTK diesel automatic, I couldn't feel the plush ride quality I got from Harrier and the features didn't blew me off as those were just 'good to haves' and I was more focused on the SUV feel and ride quality. At some point I was almost sold to Seltos but my heart pulled me back to Harrier.

I was informed by Tata CS that the Harrier automatic will be launched by March 2020 and Buzzard by 2019 December. I hope they iron out the niggles by then.

[TheHelix0202]

A tighter steering with more feedback, connectivity options, along with a petrol and/or (diesel) AT combo would definitely make this car see more sales figures. New , better looking alloys wouldn't disappoint either. I found the regular version quite luxurious with high-quality plastics for the most part. This black edition definitely looks tempting at 16.XX Lacs.

[nainan]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

They will need to develop a transaxle for channeling the power towards rear wheels, which is a time consuming and costly exercise, which Tata does not want to do at this moment because of poor customer demand.

They dont. The active driveline on the Discovery Sport is made by GKN driveline which also makes the one on the Jeep Compass. Their system is modular with high levels of customization possible. Thus its more likely to be lack of prioritization rather than complexity or engineering constraints that are driving this decision and I consider it shortsightedness given that in Tata's whole SUV lineup only the 7 seater will be in a market niche that will have customers who want to upgrade from a Creta and do not have many alternatives at that price point except the XUV 500 and a proper 4x4 could be the deal clincher. Tata are you listening?

GKN Driveline supplies the new model with its three-piece propshafts, front sideshafts, power transfer unit and rear drive unit for the so-called Active Driveline system, available on selected diesel-powered variants.

The AWD system is simpler to integrate into smaller vehicle platforms thanks to GKN’s advanced system architecture. With only minor hardware and software changes, the AWD Disconnect system can be scaled to suit vehicles of different sizes and dynamic requirements. GKN’s control software enables models with the same hardware to deliver the right driving characteristics for each brand.

[Vmv]

The dark boy from TML FB page

[rrsteer]

When you are on the road, you see form more than anything else. You forget price point, features, sun roof etc. And thats when you feel so angry at Tata Motors as to how on earth, can such an imposing looking SUV as Harrier meet the fate that it has, while decidedly inferior looking Chinese and Korean products met with success.