Re: 2020 Tata Harrier Automatic : Official Review 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. |