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. (Tata H5X Concept @ Auto Expo 2018. Named Tata Harrier! EDIT: Launched @ Rs. 12.69 lakhs)
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. (Tata Hexa : Official Review)
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by neil.jericho Anyways long story short, a careful look around the car shows how Tata Motors has done a good job but for a customer like me, its not good enough. My wife though, is just the sort of customer who would love the Harrier. Make no mistake about it, the car looks good and if one is ready to overlook these (minor?) issues, Im sure it will be a good buy. But if I had 20 lakhs and I wanted a big Tata, it would be Hexa for me.
Sorry Tata, but with the Harrier, Im reminded of the famous quote - your mouth (marketing team) wrote a cheque that your body (production team) cant cash. |
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.