[Venku2015]

Here I am sharing a short review of my Harrier XZA+ bought in March 2021. I was in the same dilemma as Rollingwheels when I was hunting for a rugged crossover that must be mechanically fit and I would let go of a few fancy features as I don't really care or use them much, and in the long run, they will definitely create more nuisance than a hassle-free ownership experience.

So, for me, it was three cars, Harrier, Tuscon, and Jeep Compass. The compass facelift was dropped for its price, no SC in my city, expensive service, and spares, not as spacious as its peers, no automatic in 2wd, laggy and confused 9speed automatic.

Tucson was again not a fresh product and was at the end of its lifecycle. The new one is about to hit very soon. I dropped the Tucson as the dealer was trying to sell me a demo vehicle as a new one and I couldn't digest it, plus the ride was not the most confidence-inspiring, soft suspension, not spacious enough, and the final nail in the coffin, I have my own share of horror experiences at Hyundai SC before with our Santro.

The Harrier comes as a perfect compromise and just fits my requirements to the T. Again, no car is perfect and even the Harrier has its own share of issues, but they don't bother me. In the last 5months, my infotainment system has hanged only once and never an issue after they did a software upgrade. You only need to find a technically sound SC, develop a good rapport with them, and service it regularly. A pro tip: Always get your Harrier serviced in front of your eyes as Tata SC might totally miss one or two tasks during the service.

There is a slight left pull in the steering, which the SC said is an alignment issue and will be fixed as and when I visit them.

Apart from this, it's been a beautiful drive so far and has clocked 5000kms until today. My family just loves the space, seats, comfort, the huge panoramic sunroof, and the punchy JBL system while I enjoy the beautifully mated 170 bhp FCA engine with a reasonably fast and butter-smooth 6speed Hyundai torque converter. It's a great mile-munching machine with a stress-free driving experience and doesn't give fatigue even after driving for 4 to 5 hours continuously. The Harrier also returns an applauding 15 to 17 km on the highway and 10 to 11kmpl in the city, with a lite foot!

To sum it up, I am fully satisfied with the Harrier and as I said, list down what you need in your car, see if it's mechanically fit, and go for the ones which your heart says

Attaching some pics for viewing pleasure. Drive safe!

[84.monsoon]

Those on a 19 lakh or so budget have a very difficult decision to make with the Harrier. A friend of mine had been looking to buy an SUV with a budget cap of 19 lakhs and looked at the Creta, Seltos, Kushaq, MG Hector and the Harrier. One look at the Harrier and he was completely sold! He does frequent long distance trips and was very impressed with performance on the highway after taking a test drive. He is clear that he does not want a sunroof but has recently had back problems, due to which I strongly recommend to him to go for an automatic. I specifically asked him to stay away from the manual transmission versions - we have not heard very good reports about the smoothness of the manual gearbox. I remember from my test drive of the 2018 Harrier that it had a long travel clutch.

However, on having a look at the interiors, my friend was really sold on the XT version. The dealership was willing to negotiate a good discount and offer the XT manual at 19 lakhs. Now, after my specific advice, my friend is seriously looking at an automatic version of the Harrier. Problem is, the automatic is available only in the XMA or the XZA a version. The latter is over three lakhs more expensive than the XT manual and my friend simply cannot afford to stretch that high. He is now looking at the XMA, which the dealer is willing to offer at the same price as the XT manual i.e. 19 lakhs on-road. However, test drive cars are not available and the dealer has promised to let him have a look at a customer’s XMA soon. I worry that he’s going to be shocked when he sees the interiors of the XMA, because it’s so barebones. He is willing to stretch another lakh or so if he could get an XT with automatic, however such a version is not available from Tata. I really wish Tata would not force people to make such a difficult choice, and offer the XTA at 20 lakhs on road. There is enough differentiation between the XT and the XZ versions, to make sure that these two are well differentiated and the sales of XZA is not cannibalised by offering an XTA.

[girishss]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

He is willing to stretch another lakh or so if he could get an XT with automatic, however such a version is not available from Tata. I really wish Tata would not force people to make such a difficult choice, and offer the XTA at 20 lakhs on road. There is enough differentiation between the XT and the XZ versions, to make sure that these two are well differentiated and the sales of XZA is not cannibalised by offering an XTA.

I was in the same boat, XTA would have fit my needs and budget to the T, unfortunately it doesn't exist. XMA seemed too bare bones to me. I decided to stretch my budget and booked XZA.

Only consolation is that XZA has 6 airbags, much better interiors and sound system.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by Venku2015

To sum it up, I am fully satisfied with the Harrier and as I said, list down what you need in your car, see if it's mechanically fit, and go for the ones which your heart says

Attaching some pics for viewing pleasure. Drive safe!

Congrats for the Harrier and welcome to the club. It looks awesome in DT White and DT Red. I too have a sparkle cocoa Harrier with 16k kms on odometer .
You can check the wheel alignment from a good tyre shop.

As you rightly mentioned I too didn't feel tired even after 18 hrs of driving due to its amazing air conditioning, suspensions, JBL sound system , seats with good lumbar and thigh support. These days we are finding reasons to take the Harrier out on every weekends. Being in Bhopal is helping us with amazing roads and wild life sanctuaries.

Me too a very happy customer and enjoys cruising in Harrier

[Big Smoke]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I worry that he’s going to be shocked when he sees the interiors of the XMA, because it’s so barebones. He is willing to stretch another lakh or so if he could get an XT with automatic, however such a version is not available from Tata. I really wish Tata would not force people to make such a difficult choice, and offer the XTA at 20 lakhs on road. There is enough differentiation between the XT and the XZ versions, to make sure that these two are well differentiated and the sales of XZA is not cannibalised by offering an XTA.

It is the worst problem of the Harrier w.r.t. variant line-up. The XMA simply makes no sense, much like the XE. Anyone willing to buy an automatic car that costs around 20 lakhs on road simply isn't going to accept the XMA. Hence this customer is forced to book the XZA.

The XTA provides the best combination of a good, automatic SUV with all the essential features, and no unnecessary bling attached. But, Tata being Tata, wouldn't address this variant issue, even after multiple requests.

On the other hand, there is (rather, was) a pretty stacked line-up of the Manual variants, with Tata proactively introducing new variants such as the XT+ and all. But now, due to chip shortages and some other problems, they seem to have discontinued them too.

[Garth]

Went for my second free service yesterday in Bangalore.

The SA advised that it is better to not upgrade to the latest version of the infotainment software (v16.x). So did not upgrade. His point was that couple of customers who had upgraded complained of issues.

The total bill was Rs. 653. This included couple of litres of DEF, and ~350 for sanitisation
consumables.

[greyhound82]

Originally Posted by Garth

The SA advised that it is better to not upgrade to the latest version of the infotainment software (v16.x). So did not upgrade. His point was that couple of customers who had upgraded complained of issues.
.

I updated to new version and didn’t face any issues . Am using Apple car play and it’s running fine . Earlier too I didn’t face any issues. Better not to change, no idea what all are there in the new update.There is no versioning history in the software setting

[Garth]

Originally Posted by greyhound82

I updated to new version and didn’t face any issues . Am using Apple car play and it’s running fine . Earlier too I didn’t face any issues. Better not to change, no idea what all are there in the new update.There is no versioning history in the software setting

That’s why I didn’t force him to update. Why fix something which ain’t broke?

[NotanF1driver]

Originally Posted by Rollingwheels26

Luckily I am a purist who loves his gears so no such quandry for me

Hey Rollingwheels26,

I have booked a Kia Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT. I've not test driven the new variant with paddle shifters, which I would do this week or the next. Points in favor of Kia are as follows (it is my point of view, compared to Harrier):
1. Better overall fit and finish - the perceived quality is better than a Harrier. The engine is very refined for a diesel and revving the engine too doesn't offend passengers.
2. Better after sales peace of mind and service costs
3. Adequately sized for cities
4. Feature packed
5. Much lower priced on road (approx 22lacs for Seltos compared to 26.5 for the Harrier)

Negatives are as follows (which sadly, I have accepted as known drawbacks)
1. Safety ratings - I feel that Harrier would fare much better than Seltos, but what is not tested can't be assumed to be better.
2. Not a beast like the Harrier. 1.5L Seltos is just about adequately powered compared to the 2L beast inside Harrier
3. Small sized SUV- though this can be considered as a plus in the city.
4. Finally - atrocious wait period of 5 months!!!

[TorqueIndia]

Code6 tuning has got a remap for Tata Harrier/MULTIJET 2.0
Stage1 Output : 200 PS / 440 NM



Code6Mumbai
Code6Kochi

[Rollingwheels26]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

Hey Rollingwheels26,

I have booked a Kia Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT. I've not test driven the new variant with paddle shifters, which I would do this week or the next. Points in favor of Kia are as follows (it is my point of view, compared to Harrier):
1. Better overall fit and finish - the perceived quality is better than a Harrier. The engine is very refined for a diesel and revving the engine too
Negatives are as follows (which sadly, I have accepted as known drawbacks)
1. Safety ratings - I feel that Harrier would fare much better than Seltos, but

Ah congrats ! I am waiting for the Kushaq 1.5 to launch to take a TD, though am 80% sure I might be going ahead with it, albeit with a heavy heart at having to drop the Harrier. BTW any reason why you didnt look at the turbo petrol from the korean twins ?

[Highh5]

Originally Posted by NotanF1driver

Hey Rollingwheels26,

I have booked a Kia Seltos GTX+ Diesel AT. I've not test driven the new variant with paddle shifters, which I would do this week or the next. Points in favor of Kia are as follows (it is my point of view, compared to Harrier):
1. Better overall fit and finish - the perceived quality is better than a Harrier.

Fit and Finish is debatable. In the end, it is all plastic inside and has no soft touch or plush feel which is what you will witness as soon as you step into Harrier Cabin. Even the Fit is poor, multiple youtube videos share that resting your leg against the central tunnel area makes a creaking sound all the time. Seltos owners can pitch in and share all the pain points.

I can say this not because I'm a Harrier owner but because my friend owns a Creta(last generation) and we often exchange our rides while venturing out, And in Creta(even in the new generation), I see nothing but hard plastics all around.

[car_guy1998]

This guy is claiming that his dark edition Harrier's power figures got increased to massive 225HP and 470NM torque from 170HP and 350NM torque, post remap, and was done by Code6 guys as per him.

And, this guy got K&N conical air filter installed in his Harrier as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjhT5cbIdlg

[NotanF1driver]

Originally Posted by Rollingwheels26

Ah congrats ! I am waiting for the Kushaq 1.5 to launch to take a TD, though am 80% sure I might be going ahead with it, albeit with a heavy heart at having to drop the Harrier. BTW any reason why you didnt look at the turbo petrol from the korean twins ?

I got a long 5 month wait. I will also TD the Kushaq 1.5, just to experience it.

The DCT gearbox issues of the Korean twins keeps me away from the turbo petrols. We already have a Vento TSI DSG in our garage - so not risking it!

[ZB86]

Hello Everyone,

I am looking to get a new car sometime this year or early 2022.

I am currently driving the Ignis Petrol manual 2017 model and the Grand i10 petrol automatic 2018 model.

I had the Ford Ecosport, Ecoboost 2015 model, which I sold this April after 6 years. I absolutely enjoyed driving it all these years and it was a joy on the highway. The only time I used to get annoyed, was the constant downshifting in peak city traffic and the clutch being little heavy. Other than that I had no complains at all with the car. The steering feedback, the power of turbo engine was addictive.

Due to the pandemic, the driving reduced dramatically and it did not make sense for me to keep three cars. I am most likely going to keep the Ignis, since my father prefers manual cars and will be selling the i10 whenever I get a new car.

Sometime in March this year I took a test drive of the Seltos GTX+ Petrol manual, Creta DCT Turbo and the Harrier Manual and automatic. Between Seltos and Creta, I am inclined towards the Creta DCT. The turbo DCT seems almost perfect for city drive and the engine is peppy as well. Of the three cars, the cabin of Creta felt the best to me and features are endless and it spoils you for sure.

Now on Harrier, I think the topic has been discussed so much and there is so much mixed opinions about ownership that it can leave one confused and at times little deflated as well. I have been following the threads at team-bhp with great interest.

To be frank, I am smitten by the Harrier's road presence, and it drives quite solid too. There is no SUV right now, which looks so smashing on the road. But the amount which I am going to spend on any of the above cars, I want a peaceful ownership experience and do not want regular niggles and visits to the service station. I do not like to change cars in short span and would definitely keep it for 8-10years.

My drive is going to be 70-80% in city traffic, with no more than 4-6 highway trips in a year. The usage also will be moderate since my work involves extensive travelling or work from home.

It is true, any car can give issues. But my experience with Hyundai and Suzuki has been fuss free. I have owned 2 Santros, one i10 currently and I have had no problems with these cars over last 14 years.

One would assume by the long post that I have already made up my mind about the Creta, but every time I see the harrier on the road, or on my feed on youtube, it is just impossible to ignore it. However, it would be great if you all can help me out with your views and ending this discussion in my head once and for all.

Thanks in advance to all members