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-   -   Tata Harrier : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/209281-tata-harrier-official-review-44.html)

You beat me to it Reinhard:D. Agree with you completely. As I had earlier mentioned the LR platform was a costly base for Tata to start with and thus they did not want to complicate the matters further by reengineering it to take the Varicor engine which is designed for RWD duties. That doesn't mean that Tata couldn't do it, but it was not prioritized.

Also since they have a JV with Fiat at Ranjangaon , the transportation time and cost of the 2.0 Multijet was also less. Tata has a deal of 70000 engines with Fiat so they need to quickly expand the Omega platform and consume all the engines so that they can look at other options. There are rumors from my sources that Tata is already working on Varicor for the Omega platform and also a twin turbo version of the Varicor with around 190-200 bhp is also fitted to one of the Hexa mules since long back.

Sorry for going off topic. But just heard that Cyrus Mistry is coming back at the helm of Tata. He was the reason that we got a brilliant and bulletproof product like the Hexa. He was the reason that the Hexa got those lovely 19 inch wheels, sunblinds, top class leather and those plethora of safety features. So he is the man that can bring the Harrier duo up with the class best. I sincerely hope that he succeeds in doing that.

Hey! Congratulations for your new acquisition:).

Did you test drive the Harrier and if yes, was it from the initial batches or from the newer batches.

My parents were interested in the Harrier and the XUV5OO. They test drove the Harrier TD car ( I think it was from the initial batches) and came back very disappointed, especially with respect to the engine noise in the cabin. Engine noise was too much at all rpm as per them. In comparison, they found the storme's engine noise much more muffled and even the XUV5OO much more silent.

The Storme VX is no more available anywhere and with members here reporting that newer Harriers are better in engine noise department, I want to know how much of an improvement is it, specially when compared to the XUV5OO and the Compass.
Newer owners and members who have experienced new Harriers, please help me in this regard.
Also, we test drove the Compass Limited Plus and everyone absolutely loved it but at 26 lacs on road, it is too much a stretch. Lower variants seem bare bones to consider them.

Thank you for your good wishes! Yes, I did TD the Harrier 3 times... The TD vehicle was July - Aug 2019 make I believe.

I concur on the engine noise, but my take would be slightly different here - its an enjoyable rumble, to my ears at least. I would suggest they TD a recent Harrier. A lot has changed to the older lot, especially in terms of refinement. A few suggestions:

1. ask your parents to consider the seating comfort. IMO that plays an important role for us considering the quality of roads we encounter in our beloved country.
2. please take a moment and assess the handling of the vehicle. I assure you it is quite a revelation.
3. There's no denying the visual appeal of the vehicle. Believe me, its a showstopper.
4. I have driven it over some bad roads at 60+kmph and the stability of the vehicle was something else. I have been driving a sedan (Honda City) for the past 10 years and this was a huge change. This aspect left me super impressed.
5. Ask your Dad to test the Power Mode. He will enjoy it. Even the engine sound lol. You should try it too.
6. The vehicle has an excellent turning radius. I am able to do U-turns without having to cause traffic jams and I'm talking about narrow lanes.
7. Very impressive mileage so far. In 100% city traffic conditions, I'm getting 13.5 kmpl with the AC running and 90% of the time in 1st and 2nd gear. Haven't done a highway run yet.

I test drove the Compass too. Its a nice vehicle, but I couldn't justify the price. And rear seat comfort is lacking compared to the Harrier. Also, service cost of Jeep was another deterrent.

Every vehicle has flaws. Choose the ones you can live with. For me, the Harrier is a wonderful upgrade that brings a smile to my face everytime I get in my car. I can live with the rowdy engine and the OVRMs. Driving the car is pure joy.

I would recommend you and your father take a test drive from another showroom. I know you will enjoy the car, irrespective of your decision.

Thank you so much for such a detailed response.
Coincidentally, we too have a Honda City (2014) which is my father's daily drive.

I definitely agree with all the points you mentioned and I had asked my parents to visit another dealership and try to test the NVH levels of a new vehicle which they did and sure, there is a drastic difference in engine noise compared to the January'19 demo vehicle.
Still, they find the XUV5OO quieter. Though, the Tata fanboy in me is hoping that they finalise the Harrier.

You're most welcome. A word of advice to your father - since he's upgrading from a Honda City, be aware of the vehicle dimensions and the torque. The way we drive a City is very different, especially in typical city conditions. XUV500 is also an excellent choice. Its a comfortable car and I personally feel its the best Mahindra, comfort wise.

Getting used to the torque will be a learning curve for him and tell him to go easy on himself. Also, use the parking assistance offered by the vehicle. Parking in cramped spaces takes a little patience and getting used to. Ask him to consider that when making a decision. A well weighted steering wheel helps in this regard.

I hope this helps you and your family. Let me end this by congratulating you and your family on this potential new purchase. Try not to overthink/overanalyse this decision and switch over to enjoying the purchase experience. Believe me, you will enjoy driving whichever vehicle you guys choose! All the best....

Hi,

I am interested in Harrier with Manual transmission and Panoramic sunroof. Better if the engine comes with 170 bhp tune, but its not a must. Also, I am OK with BS4 engine.

Can anyone tell me when it will be launched?

My SA shared this in his Whatsapp status.

Look at the incentive for selling one Harrier, that's more than twice the Hexa, despite the fact that 3 variants of the Hexa are more expensive than the Harrier top end. Shows how desperate Tata is to get Harrier off the showroom floors.

The Hexa was retailed to yours truly :D

That must be the additional incentive for sales promotion (temporary). Dealer margin cannot be so low.

Obviously that's not dealer margin. It's the incentive for sales advisor per unit of any car they sell. Even the SA's ranking is mentioned.

It probably confirms why sales advisors were pushing prospective Hexa customers for the Harrier before June-July. The same was mentioned on the Hexa thread. Members said Tata sales reps weren't interested in selling the Hexa.

Although now they won't even mention the Harrier if you go inquiring for the Hexa, cause Tata needs to finish off the inventory.

Tata appears to have done a good job with clearing out the inventory in hand because they apparently only have stocks of the top end variant at the plant.

And the Safari Storme. Back in July when I wanted to buy one, the SA said he can't give much discounts as they don't need to. He said they don't have any sales targets at all for the Safari Storme & nobody would question if not a single one was sold. On the other hand, he had high targets for Nexon, Harrier & was willing to cut sweet deals on those. He even gave a high exchange value to my existing car for buying the Nexon!

It is not surprising because I doubt they manufactured XE/XM in big numbers. Haven't seen one in my state in a year so far. Only see XT/XZ variants.
Tata also seems to only favour selling the top end to customers so it looks like they manufactured more of those in Dual tone and standard variants.

My local dealer is so lacking in enthusiasm that I've made 6 visits in 1 year and the communication has been one sided everytime. They say they'll call me but never do save for the test ride. I ask to speak to their finance personnel and they're never available. Infact I showed them the discount offer adverts instead of the other way around yet the dealer maintains their discount is just 1 lakh rupees flat while the offer said upto 1.75.

Guess I'll wait for the updated variant with 18"rims and stock sunroof and a useful armrest. Maybe that glitch ridden infotainment system will be fixed with a decent reverse camera.

But if that dealership treatment carries over into 2020 I may think of other vehicles. I guess this is what happens when you're the sole dealer in the city.

Congrats! Have you noticed any "deleted features" when compared to the review?

Mod note: Please await Mod approval for your posts and then "Edit" the original post instead of back to back posts. Thanks.

This is ridiculous and most unfortunate. I would suggest you tag Tatamotors on social media. They seem to be fairly active there. I negotiated with 3 different dealers and finally closed with Tejaswi Motors. I had a great experience with them, even though another dealership was offering a better deal.

Please do contact Tata Motors. We, as consumers, deserve to be treated better. All the best!

Thank you for the good wishes!

Honestly speaking, I haven't noticed any deleted features per say, but in my defense I am still exploring the car :). Mine is a Oct 2019 make. I know its not part of your original query, but I must add that the steering is an absolute delight. And I can't harp enough about the Hill Hold Assist. It auto-detects the incline and accordingly does it job.

In January of 2019, I had checked out the brand new Tata Harrier in Malayalam Tata Motors and I found several glaring quality issues in the then most exciting Tata product that we had seen in years. The Harrier was probably was the most anticipated product ever on our forum at that point in time. I had shared my disappointment with the poor quality and attention to detail with pictures to back it up. There were the expected fireworks, brickbats and meltdowns in the ensuing days. Here is the link to the post.

Despite my poor initial experience with the Harrier, this was a product that I really wanted Tata to succeed at. Ive been following this thread since the beginning and I was happy to note that forum members had been posting that the quality had progressively been getting better and better over the last year. Yes, there were some missteps along the way as articulated in this thread but overall, Tata seemed to be working in the right direction. After taking a test drive of the Hexa XTA a few days ago, my wife and I wanted to check out the Harrier in person and then decide on whether we wanted to take a test drive of it. The sales experience and test drive experience of the Hexa are here.

We spent a good 5 - 10 minutes checking out the October 2019 manufactured white Harrier which was on display. This was the first time that my wife had seen the interiors of the Harrier and she was very impressed by the quality and especially the interiors of the car. I carefully scanned the car all around and Im happy to report that I too was very impressed by the very noticeable jump in the fit and finish as compared to the display cars from the first lot.

However my excitement quickly faded away when I closed the boot of the display Harrier and found that it still failed the pinky test. My little finger was able to go half way in on the right side but couldnt squeeze in on the left side. I asked the sales guy about it and he said, there is nothing to worry about, I just have to close the boot with more force than what I am used to. He opened it and shut it with a solid thud and just like that, the awning panel gaps had disappeared. Heavens be praised! Finally Tata seems have got the build quality spot on. If only Tata had this level of excellence in execution for the Harrier platform from day 1! That is in the past but today, what I will say is this - Good job Tata.

Test Drive Experience
We took a short test drive of the Harrier to get a feel of it since our first impressions in the showroom were very positive. To be honest, I am waiting for the automatic Harrier / Gravitas and explained the same to the sales person as well. After driving an automatic for over 4 years, Im no longer a fan of manuals for our city conditions. Initially I found it difficult to get the seating position right for my height (5'11") and reach. I found my knee being too close to the dashboard and touching it whenever I pressed the clutch. But when I adjusted it in such a way that my knee was no longer touching the dashboard while clutching, the seat was too far away and the long clutch action made it even worse. This is just the sort of problem that an automatic can fix!

On the move, the Harrier felt quite nice to drive. The engine was very punchy and it surprised me. It also felt so much more refined that the 2017 Hexa test drive car that had done 55,000 kms. We didnt get a chance to really check the ride quality. The massive side rear view mirrors that remind me of elephant ears did a fair job. My wife really liked the Harrier's interiors when we saw it in the showroom but in our back to back test drive experiences, she favoured the more airy and spacious feel of the Hexa as compared to the more luxurious but less spacious Harrier. Im not saying one is better than the other, its just a matter of personal preference. Long clutch travel aside, I really liked everything else about the Harrier in our short test drive.

As per the sales guy, the expected price of the automatic Harrier should be around Rs 24 lakhs on road in Kerala which will pit it right up against the Hexa XTA.

This is how I had ended my post on the Harrier when I had first checked it out a year ago. Im happy to say that after carefully checking out the new Harrier and my subsequent test drive, this no longer holds true. Well done, Tata. I cannot wait to test drive the upcoming automatic Harrier.