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-   -   2020 Tata Harrier Automatic : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/225881-2020-tata-harrier-automatic-official-review-40.html)

I did check in boodmo and identified the part to be the one listed below. Service Center placed an order for the same and should be arriving in 3-4 days from either Bangalore or Pune.

Is this Rudra motors stockyard in Wagholi, Pune?

No, it's Dulichand Motors, Kolkata.

It has been almost two months since we bought our dual tone XZA Harrier and now covered almost 3500 km. I thought it is time for me to jot down ownership and driving experiences. We owned a 2015 model Ford Ecosport Ecoboost car that had clocked around 55000 km and wanted to replace it with a bigger vehicle as we use it primarily for highway travel and there is not much travel inside Chennai city. In fact, there were not many serious contenders for Harrier as our choice. Though I test drove Seltos, Creta, and Hector, they did not appeal to us. So finally decided to take the plunge in November 2020 as I found myself spending a lot of time on the net reading up reviews and watching videos on Harrier, besides following up every news and thread on Team BHP forum and realized that it's better to buy rather than postpone the decision and waste more time. We had decided on XZA as features such as sunroof etc did not appeal much for the extra amount.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier comments, the buying experience was simply underwhelming as the dealership failed to make it a memorable or special occasion, though their dealings and processes were professional. I remember having a better buying experience of my Suzuki access scooter.

It took us some time for us to get used to the sheer size of the vehicle, especially in the city. So we made several aimless trips in and around Chennai and finally gave it for the first free service when the odometer was around 1500. I had a nice, pleasant experience at the service center, where the manager himself oversaw the work and handed over the vehicle within two hours. But their cleaning job left much to be desired as there were soiled footprints on the back seat- the person must have stood on it to clean the top and then forgotten to clean it.

We completed a 1700km round trip to Kerala yesterday, and hence I summarise my driving impressions and feedback. Please note that most of these impressions are coming from my experience of having owned a petrol Ecosport car.

Interiors and ergonomics:
I found the front as well as back seats comfortable and plush. They are way ahead of my Ecosport car, which had much hard, firm seats. So, though my 10-year-old daughter does not like long road trips, she is happier now at the rear seat, strapped in seatbelts. Initially, I felt the artificial leather seats making my back warmer and slightly uncomfortable, especially when compared with the leather seats of Ecosport. It looks like I no longer feel the same.

The left knew fouling with the dashboard has been a widely talked-about issue. It is not a significant issue in the automatic as I can keep the seat adjusted to a lower position. However, on long road trips, I used to change the seating and steering positions in between, and this issue crops up sometimes. I wish TATA does something to offer more space here.

The plastic quality in some places is strictly average. The sunglass holder looks flimsy and the manual IVRM also looks really cheap.

As many people pointed out the driver hand rest is not of much use, but sometimes you can rest your hand on it, holding on to the gear leaver.

Driving Impressions:
The drive is quite plush and dynamics spot on. In our recent trip, I used sport mode only sparingly: when required sudden spurt of power in two-line roads for overtaking and in a ghat section for some fun. Even otherwise, a firm foot on the accelerator provides sufficient power for a quick overtake in moderate speeds. Eco-mode can be used in busy city streets. We did not try it on our highway trip.

I did not find much use for cruise control in our trip as one needs to interfere with it quite often and needs to be more alert than otherwise.

The hill descent control really came in handy when we went for a short off-road. It was a steep incline of concrete road, and the car climbed effortlessly and while coming down, it maintained 8km/h upon activating this feature and the car crawled down with minimum support from brake.

On the ghat section, I really missed the manual transmission and engine braking. Here you are completely dependent on the brakes, unlike MT where engine braking provides much space for faster and more confidant climbing down of the hills. I tried manual transmission a couple of times, but found it to be not that useful.

Braking is fine, sufficient, but spongy. I miss my Ecosport brake where you had that feel of stomping on a solid surface while braking at higher speeds.

Steering is definitely heavy at lower speeds but becomes lighter as the car gains speed. I was comfortable at higher speeds, but felt my Ecosport had a tad heavier feel and I miss it here.

NVH levels are fine for me, and you can hear the diesel grunt as the car engine revs up, but in the range of 80-100 and in the top gear, its perfectly fine. Above 120, I felt wind noise as the irritant rather than the engine noise.

High speed stability is great, though there is body roll. I felt less tired after 13 hours of continuous driving covering 650 km in comparison with my Ecosport days where I used to feel exhausted. I think the AT and overall driving dynamics really helps.

Headlights are strictly average, especially the high beam is not bright enough.

Rear-view camera quality is a joke, especially in the night and wondering why and how TATA finalized on this equipment.

A bumper to bumper traffic, there is a slight body roll every time you stop the car as it launches forward, and I did not have this experience in my previous car.

My wife is more confident and comfortable in driving the Harrier than the Ecopsort precisely because of its automatic gearbox. Although much bigger in size, I too feel more comfortable with its controls.

So, to summarise, as I complete my two-month ownership, I am really happy with the overall experience. The much talked about niggles and other issues did not crop up and it has been a hassle-free experience so far. Never had a moment I regretted the decision to go with a TATA car.

Thanks for sharing your ownership experience.
How has your experience been with the touchscreen ICE? Any glitches / issues faced as of yet?

And to the other forum members owning the XZ+ / XZA+ variants, how have the electrically adjustable seat's switches been holding up?

As read in this thread, many TD cars had this switch broken. My TD car didn't have it broken. Neither does the car allotted to me has this switch broken.
Want to know if this flimsy switch issue has been sorted or not.

No. Did not face any issues and everything worked flawlessly. Once you connect your mobile phone for Android auto, there is no space for the memory stick to play music as other ports are only for charging.

Mod Note : We advise you go through our FAQ and Announcement section.

Thanks.

At 11k km at odo , the switch remains as it is . I am the sole user and in my entire ownership so far it might be used less than 10 times ( mostly during interior detailing )

I have noticed a weird behaviour of the ICE during the PDI. Whenever the car is turned on, the ICE automatically starts playing, no matter if it was switched off / on before the car was switched off the previous time. So everytime one turns on the car, he / she has to first switch off the ICE (if the person wants to).

Fellow forum - members, please tell me of this behaviour is universal or my car specific.

Dear BHPians,

Looking to replace my humble 2016 Tiago with a Mid Size SUV soon. The car is running fine and has been trouble free since 2018.

I was actually looking for a Sedan initially, but to my disappointment, BS6 Took away Skoda Octavia and Toyota Corolla. Honda's sudden decision to close it's Noida plant meant that the Civic is no longer on sale. Now I am left with just Hyundai Elantra. I am not keen on it, hence have decided to overlook the Sedans in favour of Market Flavours, the SUVs.

Did a bit of research and found that there are few of them,

Lower Segment - Seltos & Creta
Mid Segment - Hector, Harrier, Compass
Premium Segment - Karoq, Tucson, T-Roc

7 Seater SUV/MPV - XUV5OO & Innova Crysta.

While each and every car have their own pro's and con's, deciding is very tough.

I like Harrier as it retains Typical Tata traits like Very Good Dynamics, Tough Build. But is the Harrier premium enough to justify it's high price tag. What are the things that Tata needs to improve. I know it's much improved in BS6 form, but is is better than Hector, Compass, Tucson and Innova Crysta ?

See, as soon as this Crysta name comes into the picture its all together a different game. It would be tough to say any car is better than the Crysta unless its a hexa. If you can afford it my vote goes to the Crysta any day from the list of the cars you mentioned.

Is it the Tata tag that you are apprehensive about? The quality is so much better than previous years. Answer to your question depends on what you are looking for. Is is driving dynamics, comfort, looks, features? How much is too much?

A Hector might have more features and bling, but it falls short when compared to driving dynamics of Harrier.

A Jeep Compass might be on equal footing on driving dynamics, but might fall just a little bit when compared to Harrier in terms of value for money and some intelligent cubby spaces etc.

Similarly overall quality of materials in the Tucson is far better, drive is comparable to the Tata, but it loses out on VFM. Its comparable to the Jeep in cost.

If you want to play real safe, go for the Crysta. But looks are a huge a part of the deal (I know looks are subjective, but you are deciding on spending between 25 and 30 big ones, this might be down by a 2-3 big ones based on your location).

Engine is from Fiat, transmission is from Hyundai, and vehicle derived from modified LR Discovery platform. Price tag is justified comparing to the competition. After sales service is one area people still crib about it. You already own a Tata car and you know it better.

I have booked the Harrier XZA DT recently and am looking to take delivery next week. I would like to know, what brand stock tyres comes on it generally and potential options from all you Harrier owners to change into a better tyre. Any insights appreciated. Thanks

Mine is Apollo. Guess the other options are MRF and Bridgestone.
I am sticking to stock as of now. I don’t see a reason to change stock till now.

I'm on the same boat regarding tyre change. I did a brief search online and found the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 to be the best tyre for this size of all brands. Can someone with experience on this particular tyre shed some light please ?