[theexperthand]

At the time of publishing this report, our Harrier has covered ~1.5 months and 3000kms. The below initial impressions will be updated during various stages of the ownership experience. (Yes, it is a copy from CrAzY dRiVeR's thread - Hope he doesn't mind :-) )

TL;DR - Had a Punto, Got a Harrier. The End

The hunt begins again

As some of you may know, I drive a Punto (Chronicles of Jai Sackett – Fiat Punto 1.3L MJD. 2nd year & 3rd service update), and touchwood, the car still brings a smile every time I take him out. But, of late we were finding it difficult to accommodate our luggage, especially during our trips to our hometown and back. More often than not, I had to put half our luggage in the backseat and SWMBO (she who must be obeyed) was finding it difficult to sit for hours comfortably because more than half of the rear seat was claimed by the excess baggage. Also egged by the fact that both our cars are aging and Vista is almost 13 years (2 more years to go before re-registration), we decided that it was time to look for an upgrade.

One of the main criteria put forward by the family was that the new car should have ample boot space to swallow our luggage, without it spilling into the rear seat. Combine that with my primary constraint - that the car should be involving and fun to drive (it is really a tall order to replace Punto and I used to joke that if Linea or there was a Punto with a larger boot available, I would have brought that in a heartbeat), my search just got harder.

There was one car perfect for us, but Renault decided to pull the plug - Yes, Duster 110ps, I am speaking about you. The prehistoric interiors notwithstanding, the SUV had almost everything we were looking for. Ample boot space, awesome ride quality, and rugged to the T so that I can take the car over potholes and bad roads without batting an eyelid.

Since I was not ready to part with Punto (and also because it is the younger of the two), we decided to let go of our trusty Indica Vista TDi after almost 1.3L of uneventful kilometers and look for a new steed for myself.

Shortlisting the contenders:

We started with an initial budget of around 20L and started shortlisting models during our conversations. There is something on which we all agreed - no sub-4-meter SUV. There is no point in plonking more than a couple of lakhs if we are only getting an incremental boot volume upgrade. So, the SUVs like Nexon, Venue, XUV 300, etc. were not considered.

We broke down the available options in the market into three categories:

The "Let's not consider them" list

MG Hector:
My wife's cousin recently got one, which I checked out in length during my last visit to Kerala. I was not a fan of the interior (especially that slab-like tablet) and the badging (screams wannabe, IMHO), was not really impressed with the drive too. Also, the fact that the first thing the owner of Hector told me when I asked him about the car is "It was a mistake, I am thinking of selling this and getting something else" did not argue well about the car. So, we did not consider taking a test drive of Hector.

Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun:
Did not consider both since they were offered only in petrol and had only incremental boot space increase over Punto (Around 100L more than Punto). Also, they are priced similarly to both XUV 700 and Harrier, which made me feel that they are as overpriced.

The almost-there choices:

The universal choices - Creta and Seltos:
If you ask around suggestions for a car under a 20L budget, chances are that 8 out of 10 suggestions will contain either Creta or Seltos, or both. I am not a big fan of Hyundai and neither could I swallow the looks of the new Creta (compared to it, the original design was far better) nor the asking price. Seltos, on the other hand, looks much more palpable and since I had test-driven it earlier and have helped a friend to buy a Seltos for him, I knew what to expect so it was kept as plan B.

Honda City:
It is the sedan to buy in the segment and while I was ok going ahead with City as the last choice, SWMBO did not even entertain the thought of buying it. So, I kept it again as Plan B, along with Seltos.

The wet dream - Thar:
Not exactly a rational choice, but who can say no against the charm of driving a Thar? We did a test drive sometime back, hoping against hope that maybe a test drive will convince my wife to take a serious look at Thar as a future upgrade, but it had the exact opposite effect. She banged her head while getting out and had a horrible time in the rear seats when we took the jeep off the road, so again, similar to my first tryst with Thar before buying Punto, it remained a non-starter.

Jeep Compass:
Sometime in 2020, we were visiting PPS Jeep, Hosur road to sort out some issue in our Punto which arose due to a rat bite. While waiting to get the issue fixed, we walked into the Jeep showroom to check out the Compass. I instantly fell in love with it, and though the SA did try to convince us her best, we left the showroom since we were not looking for an upgrade then.

Jeep Compass ticked all my boxes, but with the price increase which accompanied the facelift, the model I wanted was priced out of our reach. So, had to leave it out of the search. I was sure that if I did a test drive, it will sorely tempt me, so I did not even take a test drive (This was reiterated now by CD's excellent Jeep Compass review ). Also, the fact that the boot is visibly smaller than Harrier dampened wife's enthusiasm for getting a Compass home.

The final contenders:

After a lot of discussions, we shortlisted the following cars:

• Tata Harrier
• XUV 700
• D Max Highlander
• Skoda Slavia

--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Test Drive Experiences - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

I am clubbing the TD experiences brand-wise, and are not in chronological order.

XUV700:

The showroom was abuzz with activity and we were assigned an SA within a few minutes of entering the showroom. There was an AX7L on display and we spent some time getting to know the car, while the SA was arranging a TD. The TD was a short affair, through a pre-planned route, and while interacting with SA, he confirmed that the model I am interested in (AX5) does not have many features (including a reverse camera) and the waiting period is about 7 months. That was a huge dampener and there were no AX5 display pieces also - he said my best bet would be to come to the showroom when someone is taking delivery if I really want to see AX5 in flesh. The waiting time for AX7 was around 10 months and AX7L pack was about a year, according to him. I was really impressed with the car and especially the L pack features, but my excitement fell flat, when I realized that all the features I liked is out of my reach, unless I extend my budget by quite a bit. The AX5 felt really under-knitted when compared to AX7 and I woulder why there is no AX5L pack, for people who do not need 7 seats but want the features.

So, it was either book AX7L and wait for a year, and to live with a 7-seater SUV, or get a 5-seater and live with fewer features. SA took our numbers and we said we will decide in the next few weeks, and there were no further follow-ups from them.

Isuzu D-Max Highlander:

This was a pure heart decision and I wanted to do a TD to see if this can impress the lady. Unfortunately, the showroom guys had something different in mind. After taking a look at the vehicle (and realizing how barren the cabin looked), I asked for a test drive - only to be told that I will get a test drive only if I book the vehicle . It was quite baffling and it was the last nail on the coffin (the second last nail being the price - around 24L on-road, and with a few additional accessories thrown in to make it look tasteful, I was looking at around 28L on road, which is quite a stretch). The SA followed up after a few days to see if I am interested in booking and I firmly told him that I cannot book the car without even a TD. The chap called me again last week, to inform me that they now have a TD vehicle available and if I am still interested to take a TD.

Skoda Slavia:

Slavia was only unveiled and TDs were not available during this time and after doing the TD of XUV700 and Harrier, I decided that I will go ahead with an SUV, instead of a sedan. So, I did not do a TD of Slavia.

Tata Harrier Or the curious case of Tata Showrooms:

Since we have a Tata showroom just about 2 km from my home, we decided to start the TD of a Harrier at Kropex, Hosur road. We reached the showroom on an afternoon and an SA was promptly assigned to us. The SA was pleasant and knowledgeable and she discussed the price and options and arranged the TD quickly. There were no offers other than an exchange bonus of 40K. We were looking for XZ dark but there was some confusion because Tata axed a couple of Dark versions so SA told me that she will get back to me if she can still arrange an XZ Dark.
The TD car was in a bad shape. The sunroof was not working, a couple of switches were missing and it came with a clutch so hard that after 30 minutes of TD, I got leg pain. If anyone decided to buy a harrier after a TD at Kropex, I have to salute their trust in Tata. After TD, the SA took my number and said that she will inform me about the availability of the XZ version and will keep in touch with me about booking. While the showroom experience was good, the TD car was bad and there was absolutely no follow up by the SA (this, after I told her that I am planning to book the car in the next 3-4 weeks) and the only calls I got from Kropex was if I am interested in Tiago (seems like CRM in the showroom entered my inquiry against Tiago).

I was discussing this experience with a friend who purchased a Harrier recently and he said that he had a very good experience with Kropex Koramangala (he stays near Hebbal and got the car from Kropex Koramangala because of the SA and the Showroom experience) and so he gave me his SAs phone number. I connected with him and told him I am ready to make a booking if he can get me a fresh TD. He said they have only one TD car and a new TD car is on the way from the factory. I did not get any follow-up calls from him, but I called him back a couple of times and even told him that I am ready to book the car from him, if he can confirm I can exchange my KL registered Indica Vista. Curious that even then, I did not get a call back from him. So I decided that even if I am booking Harrier, I am not going ahead with Kropex.

My experience with Kropex was in stark contrast with the experience couple of my friends had - they all had pleasant experiences with both Kropex Hosur road and Koramangala and brought 2 Harriers, one Nexon and an Altroz.

At this point, it was also clear that there are no more XZ Dark models available and if I have to go for dark, I had to get either XT+ (almost the same budget as XZ) or have to increase the budget and go for XZ+. Or, get a Harrier XZ in any other color than black. It was one compromise I was not willing to make (I was too enamored with the black interiors and the all-black exterior package, though I know that it will be a PITA to maintain). After some discussions, and a relook at the finances, I decided to go ahead with XZ+, primarily because I do not want to make the mistake of buying a car without safety features like I did when I got my Punto, and because I do not want to have any regrets of not going for top end, down the lane.

Decided to give Tata one more chance, I put my number on the website and within a few minutes, I got a call from the Tata helpline. They took my details and I asked them to connect me to the Domlur KHT showroom, which is closer to my workplace. As luck would have it, I was connected with KHT Whitefield (which I did not know at that time). I got a call from KHT within a few minutes and the SA said he can get a car at my home for a TD. I told him I also want to exchange my KL registered car and I will bring the car to Bangalore only if they can guarantee a good price. He called me back within 15 minutes to inform me that I can indeed exchange my car and he will come up with an indicative price during the TD. After a couple of hours, I got a call from the team lead of SA, to check if I got the call and if there is anything more I want to discuss in detail. I got another call from their CRM before the end of the day, again verifying that I am satisfied with the responses and a TD is arranged at my convenience. Suffice to say that I was really impressed with the way KHT treated my inquiry.

The SA came to my home during the promised window, without any follow-up from my side, and gave us a lengthy TD. We were encouraged to drive the car through any routes we like and we did a couple of parking and entry-exit maneuvers to make sure that the car fits in our parking lot and I can enter and exit our apartment building without hassle. While doing the TD, I asked about the exchange, and he had a call with the exchange department and gave me a base price, which was acceptable. He also agreed that I can take insurance from outside and I told him I will do the payment only after PDI, to which he agreed.

Now that all the TDs were over, it was time to sign the dotted line.

--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Decision time:

So, in the end, the choices were boiled down to just 2:

• XUV700 AX7L pack
• Harrier XZ+ Dark Edition

XUV700

Pros:

• Brilliantly laid out cabin.
• Lots of feel-good features (memory seats, courtesy seat movement when you open and close the door, display warning, if I park with wheels not centered - to name a few)
• Superb ride quality in city speeds.

Cons:

1. A waiting period of 1 year.
2. Cost - while I can really stretch and get an AX7L pack now, there is no guarantee that how much extra it will cost in another year. On one hand, M&M may increase the price couple of times, which will make it place beyond my reach, or they may not increase the price and I can still afford it after a year. But the uncertainty was not something I was happy to live with.
3. Have to fold down rear seats most of the time, since we are more interested in a large boot than 7 seats. This was not neat like a 5 seater ( 2nd row was not flush fitting with the side, and no cover over the boot to discourage prying eyes. Also, I cant fit a boot mat.
4. Light steering wheel, which is excellent during city seeds, but did not like the feedback as the speed build-up.
5. Sound quality. I spend considerable time playing around with the parameters and checked out a different XUV700 also, to make sure there are no issues with my TD car, the sound quality failed to impress me, compared to the Harrier's audio system. I also found the XUV 700 audio fine-tuning more cumbersome.
6. White interiors - do I need to say more? Keeping them clean when you have a hyperactive kid in your car is not something I am sure I will enjoy.

Harrier

Pros:

• Better ride at highway speeds.
• Well-weighted (read as heavy) steering.
• Physical buttons to control most of the functions like the infotainment system, AC, etc
• Excellent sound quality.
• Easily the best looking\most imposing SUV under Fortuner and absolutely no chrome (Other than the front and back Tata logo)
• A boot that can swallow our luggage.
• Auto-Dimming IVRM

Cons:

• Missing features (Especially if you compare it with XUV 700).
• Not city friendy to drive.
• Harsh ride quality at low speeds.
• Rear AC vents don't throw much cold air.
• No so usable armrest

Since most of the cons are things I can live with, it was not much of a contest and we decided to go ahead with Harrier XZ+ Dark, from KHT Motors Whitefield.

--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Booking, Confusions, and Delivery

Booking the car was a straightforward process. I transferred the amount via UPI and got the booking receipt via e-mail before EOD.

The promised deal was:

• 40K Exchange Bonus, if I exchange my car.
• Insurance from outside, but KHT will try to match the quote.
• No accessory pack.
• Full payment after PDI.
• Free OEM 3D Boot mats

In addition, I also opted for:

• Extended warranty
• Sill Plates (I opted for them on a later date, not during purchase)
• Mud Flaps

After paying the booking amount, I got a welcome e-mail, looping my SA, his team lead, KHT CRM, a couple of higher-ups of KHT, and the senior customer care manager of Tata. This came as a blessing when I had to escalate a matter pertaining to delivery (details will follow). The delivery was promised in 6 weeks' time.

I got my Vista from Kerala to Bangalore and went to KHT for exchange. After doing the assessment, the executive gave me a price that fell short of what I was expecting, but still much better than the market price my car would have fetched if I sold outside (after combining the sale price and the exchange bonus). My car did undergo a full repaint and some patchwork sometime back, which, as per the executive, reduced the price by around 15K. The exchange was hassle-free but the time quoted for changing the name in RC (60 days) was high.

After around 2 weeks of booking, I got a message from my SA that the car is allocated and may come in a week's time. By this time, I was in touch with Policy Bazaar (through who I took the policy of my old car) to get the NCB certificate and they were quoting 2 weeks for it. I thought I will try my luck with HDFC Ergo directly and called their helpline and surprisingly, I got the digital copy of the certificate on the very same day and got the hard copy within the next few days. After this, I decided that I will deal with HDFC and other insurance companies directly to get the quotes for the new car.

After waiting eagerly for a few days, I called the SA asking if there is any update about when my car will arrive at the yard, but unfortunately, they were not sure when the car will be dispatched from the yard. This is when I made use of the welcome e-mail sent by KHT and I shot out an e-mail asking for an explanation of the delay. I got a reply from the Senior Customer Care manager of Tata within a few hours, informing me that they are facing unavailability of rakes to transport the car from the factory to Bangalore and he will try to fast track the delivery.

True to his word, he was able to get the car despatched in 2 days and kept me informed about the progress through e-mail.

Once the car reached the yard, I and my son went to do the PDI.





Fortunately, KHT has a covered parking and all the brand new cars were parked inside, shielded from the mercy of the elements. My SA Sainaveen was patient and was with me till I did the PDI to my heart's content and once I was satisfied, I asked him to go ahead with the registration. There was only one issue (left side rear brake light misalignment) and Sai assured me that it will be taken care of before delivery.

The misalignment:



The PDI was done on a Monday and I wanted to take the delivery on Friday, to take advantage of the long weekend.

We reached the Whitefield KHT service center to take the delivery and SA was present there. The car was bought out from the basement parking and a round of cleaning was done to make sure everything is spic and span. SA apologized to me for the fact that the boot mat was not in stock and they will get it when I will come to get the number plate fixed. After cleaning, the car was moved out to the delivery bay after the customary ribbon was tied (My son wanted a different color ribbon and they immediately accommodated it, making him happy).

I welcome the car to the tribe once the cleaning was done


The car was covered with a red cloth and we did an unveiling and the customary photo was taken with a big keyfob.

This was followed by an explanation of the features and then we went over the documents and the welcome booklet\file and then I gave a small gift I purchased to the SA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pIa...nel=Anoopkumar

I visited the showroom next weekend to get the number plate fixed and decided to go for sill plates too, so both sill plates and boot mats were fitted, along with the number plates.

Retrospective:

All in all, it was a pleasant experience. KHT team was responsive and was always available, and the car was delivered within the promised time span. They never pushed me to take any accessories or to take the insurance from them, and the delivery process went smoothly.

Having seen many other deliveries and when comparing them with the experience I had with Tata, the delivery day process felt too clinical - there were many deliveries happening and though no delivery was rushed (I saw the SAs accomodating specific requests of many families - there was one family who wanted to do pooja before driving off and took almost half an hour to prep the car and to do the pooja), everything was kind of mechanical. Maybe it is because of the sheer volume of deliveries happening (we were there for about 2 hours and counted a minimum of 14 deliveries during the time span), I did not get a feeling of being pampered and being kind of made special because it is our special day. Also, they did not even give a complimentary key chain

This was one feedback I gave when I got a feedback call from KHT and the lady agreed that it is a common complaint, so they introduced a cake cutting ceremony before each delivery from the next day I took the delivery (My friend who took delivery of his Harrier 2 weeks after I took my delivery had this cake cutting ceremony).

[theexperthand]

Naming the beast:

Strider, the Black Beast - I wanted to name the car Strider (Yes, I am a big-time Lord of the Rings fan) and my son wanted to name the car Black Beast, so we combined and christened him Strider, the Black Beast.

Rise and Shine:

I did not opt for ceramic coating or PPF but instead wanted to try my hands at doing a bit of polishing and waxing. I wanted to get this done before I take the car for any long drives, so the next day after delivery was dedicated to this TLC therapy.

My arsenal:

• Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro 1 & Done Compound
• Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Graphene Paste Wax
• Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Pro Graphene Flex Wax
• Turtle Wax All Wheel and Tire Cleaner 680 ml
• 3M Dashboard Dresser
• Jopasu Car Duster
• PROKLEAR RAW Xtreme CX
• Outgeek Auto Detailing Brush Set
• Various microfiber cloths and foam applicator pads

I started by cleaning the car with Jopasu to remove any dust and then wiped down the car cleaning using Proklear raw extreme. Then I applied a coat of 1 & Done Compound, followed by a thin coat of Graphene paste wax. After some vigorous rubbing, the car was looking good and then I applied a coat of Graphene flex wax. The tires were treated using the Turtle wax tire dresser and all the hard plastic parts got a dose of the 3M dashboard dresser. Though it took me more than half a day to do all these, the results were extremely satisfactory.







Reflection on the bonnet

[theexperthand]

What we like:

• Gem of an engine. Have enough grunt to take this behemoth to decent speeds in no time. Do not feel strained on highways.
  
• Sports Mode - on an empty highway, switch on the sports mode and bury the accelerator on the floor and the car will surprise you. Result = A wide grin on your face, but bye-bye to any semblance of FE
  
• The seats and wide and comfortable. No fatigue even after many long drives. The lumbar support is good.
  
• The car makes hours long mile-munching a walk in the park. I can cruise at decent triple-digit speeds all day long, without feeling any fatigue. The car feels rock steady at highway speeds and dismisses minor road imperfections, expansion joins, etc with absolute disdain.
  
• Panoramic Sunroof - I never considered it a must-have accessory, but after experiencing it for some time, I think it is worth the price paid. Love the grin my kid has every time when he opens the roof
  
• Excellent audio quality. Needs some fine-tuning to bring the best out of it, but once you play around and tune it, it sings really well.
  
• It's really nice to have multiple USB slots. The car has a total of 5 USB slots and a cigarette lighter socket. More than enough to keep our devices hooked during long drives.
  
• Ample storage space to keep bottles and cups - this is something I really appreciate, coming from Punto. Love the deep botter holders on each door and the umbrella holder.
  
• On your face, unapologetic styling, combined with black color and 19-inch wheels gives this car an unmatched road presence. The DRLs add to that menacing gangsta look. Though I am still getting used to the high seating position, I am loving the excellent visibility it offers. Wish I could put some dark tint on the glass.

What we don't like:

• No GNCAP - My biggest grouse with Tata.
  
• Though the steering is one of the better units I have tried, it is no match to the one in Punto. Would have loved it if the steering weighed up as speeds increase.
  
• If there is one thing I think is out of place in the whole cabin, it is the horn pad. I do not like the finish and it is not easy to access too. Also, I feel that it makes more pressure to activate the horn.
  
• Tata - why did you give a namesake handrest? Either you should have made it adjustable or should have made it longer. In its current guise, it is not at all usable.
  
• Of all the tech-laden specs I miss, I miss the 360-degree camera most. I have experienced it both in Seltos and XUV700 and I think for a car this size, it should have been a part of the package. The next item I miss from the feature list is TPMS. Would have been really nice to have it.
  
• While the low beam is good, take the car to highways and you will be left wanting. An upgrade is a must if you do a lot of highway night drives.
  
• The speed warning beeps. Duh!

What works for us, but may not work for you:

• Let me put it bluntly - If you have OCD, this car is not for you. If you look around, you will see a lot of rough edges\minor imperfect finishes. I wish Tata paid more attention to these. It works for me, but it may not work for everyone.
  
• My harrier came with connectnext (the last batch before Harrier got iRA). I am fine with it - happy that it has wireless android auto, but I know it may not be the cup of tea for everyone. From what I have heard, even iRA is not a match for the connected tech offered by the Koreans on even XUV700.
  
• Missing features like ventilated seats and wireless charging. I had an option to go for them, but the price difference of about 70K was not worth it, in my opinion. So, did not opt for it.
  
• Infotainment system UI and touch screen response, screen size etc. Not a big fan of touch screen controls and the current one is good enough to show google maps and the reverse camera. So, I am happy with that.
  
• Tata's service network always comes with a standard disclaimer and after living with a Vista and a Punto, I have no qualms with TASS.

Interesting Trivia:

The car comes with a puncture kit and a compressor. Very thoughtful of Tata to provide both.

The car comes with automatic wiper mode and I have found the sweep speed better than the present speeds. While driving through the rain, I kept open the sunroof cover (not sure what is the correct term - I am talking about the roof liner which retracts so that we can see the glass roof) and noticed that it was closing automatically. Was ruing that it is another niggle and may have to take the car to TASS, and then I moved the wiper from Auto to manual and realized that it happens only if I keep the wiper in Auto mode. Not sure if it is a feature or a niggle and if it is a feature, what is the use.


--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Driving the Harrier

Open the door wide, strap on the seat belt, and press the clutch and the start\stop button, and the beast rubles to life. It is not refined and reminds you more of an old-school SUV, than a new-gen one. The car moves with very little throttle input and you can keep it crawling in traffic without using the half clutch. 1st gear is good till 20 and then you need to shift to 2nd gear. I stalled the car a couple of times when the speed went below 10 and the car was in 2nd gear - the MID displays a warning every time speed falls below 20, to shift to 1st gear.

The clutch is ok - not too heavy, but not the lightest one too ( I felt that the XUV 700s clutch is much lighter). Both the gear lever and the leather-clad steering wheel are nice to hold and the steering size is perfect (would have loved a flat bottom one though), and the gear shifts are smooth (another plus point, compared to the vague shift quality of Punto). The turbo lag is well controlled and you won't feel the car is waiting for the turbo to spool to get the power when you drive in the city. On open highways, the car is a joy to drive - a powerful engine, tall 6th gear, and a well-sorted suspension makes munching miles an easy task. At higher speeds, engine sound seeps into the cabin, but then you can always turn up the volume of the music to remedy it

The car handles well for an SUV, though the steering does not weigh up adequately as the speed progresses and that makes sudden lane changes or other maneuvers at high speed a not-so-savory affair.

The ride is - well, I would say - adequate. It does not flatten the bad roads like the Duster (you will feel the potholes inside the cabin if you go over them fast), but minor imperfections, expansion joins, etc on highways do not unsettle the ride. The car feels stable at highway speeds and the grip is adequate (a far cry from Punto, though). All in all, you will not hear many complaints from the occupants, but it is no Duster.

The turning radius is wide (Punto says hi) and the ground clearance is very good.

In addition to Eco and Sports mode, the car comes with 2 terrain response modes too - Wet and Rough. I have not yet tried both, so I will reserve my opinion till I get a chance to try them out.

First crossing to Kerala - customary snap at Walayar



A mild offroading (And no, I did not try the rough road mode):

First service

Service Centre - Hyson Motors, Kodungallor.
KM reading - 1803 KM

1st service was an uneventful affair. I reached the service center by 9 AM and came out by 10.30. They did some cursory checking and topped up the DPF. The cost was 1240 INR for 10 liters of DPF. I did not opt for the washing service.

Issues faced

Malfunction Indication Lamp:

The very next day after the 1st service, I noticed that the MIL lamp is lighted up. It was not there when I was driving back from service. I called the TASS and they requested me to bring the car in. The next day I reached there by 9 AM and the car was taken in immediately. They connected the laptop and diagnostics were run and while they did not give me a clear picture of what was the error codes recorded, they said it is something related to emission and nothing to worry about. I would have loved a clear communication on what was the error codes logged. I got the car back in 30 minutes. Alas, little did I know that my TASS visits are far from over.

Silverbox fiasco:

The very same day I got the MIL fixed, I got a rude shock. I took the car in the evening to go out and after driving hardly 1 km from home, suddenly both the infotainment display and the MID went blank. revved_up's thread was fresh in my mind and I was sure that the culprit is Silverbox. Called the TASS again and went there the next day morning. After checking, they confirmed that the silverbox is gone and it will take around 4 days to get it. This happened on a Thursday and when I contacted them on Monday, I got the news that the part is not in stock and was not sure when they will get it. This was totally unacceptable and I shot off an e-mail to the regional senior customer care manager of Tata, looping in Hyson motos CRM and a few other IDs. I also tried to escalate the issue through a contact and to cut a long story short, I got the part in falt 4 days, once the case was sufficiently escalated. The car went to TASS on Friday and it took around 1 hr 30 minutes to replace the silverbox and to update the software.

Replacing the silverbox:



The culprit:



The Hyson motors Kodungallor staff was really supportive during all the instances I interacted with them. But, the communication from both Tata and Hyson motors higher-ups (especially the CRM) leaves a lot to be desired. I looped in the CRM in all my e-mails and the only reply I got from the CRM was once the silverbox was delivered to them, that I can go and get it fitted. There was no assurance that the issue will be taken up, and no communication on the timelines. While I understand that issues like this may happen, it is how you tackle them and keep the customer informed and happy that makes the difference. And in this instance, I give the Regional CSM Tata passing marks, the Hyson Motors CRM failed to deliver.

I got an assurance from the contact who escalated the issue on my behalf and got the part delivered that this is an offshoot of the chip shortage and otherwise the part would have been made available in 2 days (still it begs the question - why did it stop working in the first instance? It is bad QA at Tata's end or bad QA at Visteon's end? )

--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Accessories Added:

Hella Trumpet Horn

I was not happy with the OEM horns which came with the car, so decided to change them to Hella Trumpets. Also used this occasion to do the first DIY change
A word of caution to anyone who wants to do this - You need to get a set of trim remover tools (Link: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to remove the DRL and to pop open the fasteners, and you need some really deft hands to maneuver the horns in and out of the grill.



Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Autofit 7D mat:

I got the 7D mats from Konark Car Accessories, Jayanagar and I paid a fair premium over the Amazon price for it. While the 7D mats are really worth it, I will not suggest you get them from a shop. Buy from Amazon and save that money.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.in/Autofiit-Faux-...3AHarrier&th=1

Grin Health Memory Foam Orthopedic Headrest:

I suffer from neck pain and it is always tough to find neck rest that gives me sufficient support. While browsing Amazon, I came across this and decided to give it a try, and have to say, it is amazing. The size is large and it may not suit everyone, but for me, it is a boon.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B07...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

Dash Cam:

I wanted to try a 4K dashcam and decided to go for DDPAI Mini 5, but then got to know that a relative is traveling from the US, so I got a Blueskysea 4K dashcam. The dashcam is good - images are really clear and I can read the number plates. But, the 4K recording happens only at 30FPS, so I have switched it to HD and 60FPS. In retrospect, I should have gone for an HD dashcam and saved the extra money I spent on the 4K resolution.







--Anoop

[theexperthand]

So, now to answer the perennial question:

Tata claims a combined fuel efficiency of 15-16 kmpl, and I did see some nice figures (17.XX) during highway drives. Calculating the FE using the tankful to tankful method gave me:
Best: 14.04 (Highway + city)
Worst: 9.91 (City + extended idling)





--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Some Random Shots:

First shot, at the apartment parking lot - Happy to be at home



Proud Possessions:

My Punto, Unicorn, Harrier, and brother's Bullet, at my native.




Who's a better poser? Me or Strider? No, please don't answer that



Interior Shots (aka, show off the sunroof)





Some random shots:





--Anoop

[theexperthand]

Locked Out:

Yes, I did it. I successfully locked myself out of the car. I was visiting my dad's bro and had to retrieve something from the boot. I clicked the boot open button on the remote, opened the boot, put the key inside and took out the bag I wanted to take, and then closed the boot lid - without retrieving the key

For the next 10 minutes, I gave a stiff competition to a headless chicken (or so they say). Once initial panic set in, we started trying different ways to unlock the car without the key. There is no gap between the window sill and glass, so could not try inserting a scale or some other object to unlock the car. I made a call to the Tata customer care and they coordinated with the nearest service center and said I will get a call from the TASS and they will send someone to my location in the next couple of hours.

It was then we remembered that I did something similar years back (pocketed the key of my dad's bro's car after parking it and came back to Bangalore with the key in my pocket - the spare key was inside the car) and we managed to open the car using a mobile phone. By this time, dad managed to get hold of a relative who works in TASS and he also suggested giving the mobile phone route a try.

I called up my friend who is in Bangalore (who, fortunately, had my house key with him) and he took the spare key from my house and after putting his mobile on speaker, unlocked the car couple of times. I also put my phone on speaker and kept the phone near the front door and voila, after a couple of times my friend clicked the unlock key, we heard the sweet music of the car unlocking

--Anoop

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Congrats Anoop! Dark Edition is truly a beauty and the overall package makes for a very nice upgrade from the Vista/Punto. Wishing you thousands of miles of happy ownership.

Considering you have done a good amount of highway drives as well, I'm wondering why the significant difference in our FE figures. But anyways - too early to conclude now. Will watch out for your long term updates.

[irdevanand]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Locked Out:

I called up my friend who is in Bangalore (who, fortunately, had my house key with him) and he took the spare key from my house and after putting his mobile on speaker, unlocked the car couple of times. I also put my phone on speaker and kept the phone near the front door and voila, after a couple of times my friend clicked the unlock key, we heard the sweet music of the car unlocking

--Anoop

Heard about this hack several times but this is the first time hearing from a verified source and happy that it works. By any chance can you capture this again in a video and post in youtube? will be helpful for many.

Regards
Dev

[BrakeDancer]

Congratulations on your purchase mate! The Harrier does indeed look great in black and has a very good road presence. Was one of the options I'd considered, but didn't end up going for it because of other reasons. Amazing pictures.

Re getting locked out of the car. Damn. That's a nightmare. But this is the first time I've heard of the workaround you did to get it unlocked! Sounds interesting. The 5th Gen City has a tech whereby even if you put your keys inside the boot and close the boot accidentally, it doesn't close, and gives out a warning sound indicating that the keys are in the boot. It's a very commendable piece of tech and more car makers should make this available, instead of the standard gimmicks we get in the name of technology.

[Nishith]

Originally Posted by irdevanand

Heard about this hack several times but this is the first time hearing from a verified source and happy that it works. By any chance can you capture this again in a video and post in Youtube? will be helpful for many.

Regards
Dev

First of all, Congratulations on this wonderful purchase, wish you happy and safe miles on this beast. The Dark edition undoubtedly is the best looking model on the Harrier.

+1 on the video regarding the Locked-out instance.

Would be great if you can capture this on a video and post it. I always rubbed this off assuming it would not work.

But hearing from a verified source on TeamBHP is reassuring and this would truly be a time saving hack.

Thanks,
Nishith