Team-BHP - Tata Harrier : Official Review

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I’m into the civil contracts business where it’s an unwritten rule that we should only use BIG cars. Coming to my usage, 70% is on highway and 10% would be offroad (not hard core).

Sai's work profile is same as mine and I am not surprised to see that bigger car thing rules over there as well.

Coming to usage, our usage is really high, somedays, its like 200/300 kms everyday for months [depending on site].

Sad to see Tata still has not learnt their lesson and equally appalling to see sales persons lying as there is no tomorrow.

Tata - Save for ride/handling, Mahindra makes superior vehicles, if they sort out their suspension issues, it would be hard for anyone justifying buying a Tata.

EDIT - And time for AT and AWD/4WD to be launched.

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Originally Posted by drmohitg (Post 4648659)

Please read his post once again before passing a judgement. He has clearly mentioned he did the PDI as per the TBHP list.

Sorry but a PDI that doesn't identify a visibly misaligned dashboard? Did you see the picture? It would be seen as soon as LHS door was opened. So I rest my case :).

In today's cars that are all about gizmos and software controlled functions, spending time on Head unit is a must. I did. Good 30 minutes confirming all features including even all 4 tweeters are working or not. I banged all body panels to ensure there was no rattle. Drove it on the bad patch of the yard to ensure it runs ok.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the bad car is customer's fault in any way and he is absolutely entitled to be frustrated with spoiled experience of a new car purchase. Something that should be memorable instead. Buying one trusting the sales guy - sure is personal mistake but. Especially in India where trying to cheat customers is often a standard operating procedure for many busineses. While we eternally hope that TML fixes these issues in supply chain, the customers must go the extra miles to check the car. Especially at 17 big ones.

I hope TML replaces the head unit. That seems the only fix in A S S capabilities that will resolve it without further damaging the sales. This particular case will go a long way in denting the Harriers sales. As usual TML might not understand the bad PR it will cause.

By dealer abuse I meant it seems like a known previously handled lemon might have been turned around somewhere. Maybe something returned by a customer after problems even! Would be interesting to check the birthdate of this car and where has it been so far. Perhaps some showrooms floor or test drive lobby.

Anyway - I don't intend to offend anyone. Everyone is entitled an opinion. :)

I don't think this case makes a big difference to Harrier. Its getting itself out of the market without these cases anyway. Its starting to become the Safari Storme faster than I anticipated. Its in a no man's land in comparison with other cars. People have to be really passionate and ready to compromise on a lot of features to buy it. Nobody buys it by head but only few by sheer heart pull. Exactly like the Safari. And then TML manages to achieve the above and kill it faster.

I think this talk about PDI is distracting us from the real issue here. Lets assume the customer has missed PDI altogether. Is that justification for the embarrassment he faced ? When I buy a product from a brand, I am trusting that brand to manage all the touch points in my purchase experience and give me the product which works as advertised. The two possible cases discussed here - Lack of quality control at factory and dealer abuse. In both cases , it is the brand's fault. There is no two ways about it. Whether the customer did a PDI or not should not be a topic of discussion here at all.

^ +1

PDI shouldn't be the point of discussion over here. The Harrier was supposed to be a new beginning of sorts for Tata Motors. Be the pall bearer for the brand going into the 20's and new electric age. What they have rather done is royally botch it up. This is simply disappointing especially after looking at hexa and nexon. Most people are uninformed about PDI etc. They assume that any auto manufacturer would get the basics right, and worry about costs, engine, features etc. Not about how long it would take the handle cover to fall off or the wiper mech to conk off, or in what way will the car embarrass me next week.

As far as Sai is concerned he should have stayed very firm on his initial decision of getting a June manufactured car, that's all I can say. Only that may have saved him from this unpleasant experience.

It seems as if Tata group as a whole runs most businesses just for the sake of having name presence. Where's the aggression? Look at Mahindra, at least they make it seem as if they're trying. TM just makes everything look half hearted. TM is exactly how a car manufacturer would look like if the Govt of India started making and selling cars :Frustrati

Botched up the sumo, the sub 4m segment which they started, handed an entire segment to scorpio & bolero on a silver platter, giving the hexa no attention, now this. Same story in the CV segments. TM is walking on very thin ice now.

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Originally Posted by Sheel (Post 4648778)

And I hope everyone of us knows that a dealer is supposed to do a pre delivery check list before handing over the car to a customer.

In short, everything. Did the dealer do his part?

Or should manufacturers ask customers to do PDI themselves?

Very well said. In fact they should start writing this under T&C printed on the price list that PDI responsibility lies with the Customer. Dealer should completely waive off the so called handling charges as they are not really doing justice to their part of the deal.

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Originally Posted by GTO (Post 4648633)

Sai Eshwar Reddy updates that "I got calls from Tata, one from local servicing centre and another from head office". So I guess the resolution should be expedited.

Nevertheless, I stand by my original position. If I were to buy a Harrier, I would do so only in 2020 or even better, 2021. They have launched a "beta tester" in the market and the issues aren't going to disappear overnight.

Absolutely subscribe to this. One should preferably wait a year before buying a new model. Its a lot of money one pays for a new car. And with a history like Tata, it becomes imperative. Even with Maruti Suzuki for that matter, you never know when your model might get discontinued (SCross 1.6) or when the Company itself may up and leave (Fiat). A years time gives the buyer a better perspective with the feedback from all the poor souls who rushed in.

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Originally Posted by Reinhard (Post 4648701)

Especially in India where trying to cheat customers is often a standard operating procedure for many busineses. While we eternally hope that TML fixes these issues in supply chain, the customers must go the extra miles to check the car. Especially at 17 big ones.

Whether I am spending 17 big ones or 7, the expectation is to have basic QC done by the manufacturer and also for the dealer to make sure that necessary checks are done before delivery; that's the basic expectation. Majority of the buyers are not enthusiasts, and may not be even equipped with a basic PDI checklist. Is that an excuse for delivering a bad apple?

The sole reason for Tata Harrier and Nexon sales dipping down is inconsistent quality.

The customers today are not fools and the Indian car market has many options available. Gone are the days where Tata Sumo and Tata Indica ruled supreme.

The point which I cannot understand is why should the customer accept the car with the dashboard malaligned.

One should sign the papers only when the car is as per your satisfaction. Period.

I refused to accept my car when there was a dent in the body and made sure that the work was done before accepting the delivery.

Never trust the sales team. They just want to dump the inventory load on you. That is it.

I have had enough experience with Tata vehicles. But looking at the Harrier I always had a soft corner for that vehicle.

After spending 17 lakhs least one expects is a reliable vehicle. Thanks to God I read this thread today. No way I'm buying this vehicle. I cannot afford to spend time running behind the service center.

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Originally Posted by Sreejith V (Post 4648304)

This is really not an inspiring experience. Its more than 6 months since Harrier launch. I think, we have a few fellow BHPians who own Harrier. Would like to request them to share their experience as well. Had they experienced any of these issues?

I have been driving the Harrier for almost 6 months now and have done 15,000 kms so far. While I had some initial niggles, nothing so far has happened to dampen my driving experience. I have had exactly one freezing/hanging incident of the touchscreen and recently my MID froze. But a switch off and restart ensured that these issues did not occur again. And all of this after 170 days of daily driving (almost @ 100 Kms a day).

Its unfortunate that Sai Reddy had all these issues he has mentioned. I had also bought my vehicle from Malik Motors (Bowenpally) and the service has been nothing short of exemplary. They ASS has been reliable and responsive so far, starkly opposite to what I had heard about Tata ASS before I bought my Harrier.