My Tata Harrier XZ+: Ownership experience

With most of my driving happening within the city, my SUV has returned a fuel efficiency of 8.5 - 9.0 km/l.

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Likes

• The car is extremely well-designed and has massive amounts of road presence.
• FCA has manufactured a gem of an engine that goes very well with this chassis.
• The cabin is an amazing place to be in and is extremely well-built.
• An actual Economy and Sport mode that makes a difference.

Dislikes

• Steering is still a little too light at speed and will take some getting used to.
• Dead pedal is too small.
• Minor alignment issues with certain panels and strips.

Things to note

• NVH levels are very good but not comparable to Hyundai or Kia.
• JBL Speakers provide a very good aural experience and can be adjusted for Bass, Treble or Mid.
• Indicators blink a little too fast and there is a slight delay for the arrows on the instrument cluster.
• Automatic Wipers could activate a little sooner.
• All doors lock once the car passes 15km/h.
• The loud automated voice that alerts you when you change drive modes can be muted.
• Music continues playing once you switch off the car until the door is opened.

Time to move on

My father has never been interested in cars or the pleasure of driving. However, he has always insisted on replacing cars as soon as they hit the six-year mark.

As our 2015 Creta 1.6 hit that mark, he told me to start looking for something to replace that gem of a car. Replacing something as fun as that would turn out to be a long journey.

The 1.6L CRDi Hyundai put in this car was an absolute gem and a driver's delight.

What car

The first thing that came to mind was going the pre-owned route and getting a premium German sedan. This turned out to be harder than expected as we couldn't find a car low-mileage car that was manufactured after 2017. There were many 2018 Audi A4s with the puny 1.4 petrol engine that we did not want at all.

Although we certainly could've kept on looking for a nice example, we threw in the towel and decided to go the new car route, having reluctantly shelved the 320d dream for another day.

Sticking with Europe

When the new 2021 Octavia came out, we decided to go take a look at it. My dad was pretty wary of Skodas but multiple positive reviews from friends motivated him to decide to go take a test drive one day.

Skoda was nice enough to give us a long test drive of the car and while I agree the car does not possess the agility and finesse of the older models, there's no denying the engine and DQ381 transmission is an amazing combination and the cabin with the Alcantara seats is a wonderful place to be in.

Although my father definitely preferred an SUV over sedans, he was impressed by the car and definitely interested. However, Malayalam Skoda stuck with their prices and was open to no negotiations. At 37L for the L&K and 33L for the Style variant, that was too much money for a sedan in my father's eyes and so we dropped the idea of getting an Octavia.

Which SUV

Our search ended with us finalizing on three cars: Hyundai Tuscon, Toyota Fortuner and the Tata Harrier/Safari.

The Fortuner was almost immediately dropped for being overpriced and having very poor low-speed ride quality. Having been in Innovas before, I was surprised by how bumpy the Fortuner was and how it behaved like a yacht at lower speeds.

The Hyundai Tuscon is a well-built car that is an absolute beauty. Took one look at it and immediately fell in love with its stance and the way the car looks. Being one of the cars that still has remnants of Hyundai's old Fluidic Design language, it is definitely one of the best looking cars in Hyundai's stable right now. Unfortunately, the waiting time for one was more than a month and with the car at the end of its life-cycle, we had to look elsewhere.

Turning to the last option on the list, we decided to contact Derik Tata to enquire about the Harrier. They were very easy to deal with and immediately brought a Harrier to my address the next day.

I know there's a lot of negativity and issues surrounding the Harrier, but in the 30-35 minutes I drove the car, I managed to forget most of them. Although the steering was definitely on the lighter side, the car was so much fun to drive. The way the car carries its weight around corners and remains planted was brilliant and that drive just proved the car was definitely worth the money.

Thus, we booked a Dark Edition XZ+ and the waiting game began. Out of the blue, our SA called and said they had a showroom model XZ+ dual-tone available for immediate delivery if we were interested. With the dealer willing to knock a substantial amount off the sale price, we agreed to the deal and the car was delivered on November 22nd.

Living with the Tata Harrier

After getting the Harrier in the last week of November, I have put more than 500kms on the odometer and this is a brief report on my experience so far. Apologies in advance for the poor photography.

It would be wrong to call the Tata Harrier a proper SUV as it is essentially a 2WD car with power going to the front wheels. While enthusiasts would've certainly appreciated the choice of an AWD variant Tata's reasons for not launching one do make sense. The average buyer does not care about AWD and for them it does not make sense to spend an extra lakh or more on an AWD model.

Exterior

There's no denying Tata has come up with a stunning design that lends the car so much road presence and ensures it always stands out in a parking lot. Personally, my favorite angle is the three-quarters rearview at night when you can see the LEDs light up. This car looks amazing from any angle and the paint shade takes those looks to another level.

The black and white Dual Tone option definitely looks much better in the flesh than in pictures and is a real head-turner. The blacked-out pillars give it the illusion of a floating roof that goes really well with the Harrier's side profile. These pictures definitely do not do justice to the way this paint shade looks in person and I highly recommend checking out the Dual-Tone version if you are in the market for a Harrier.

The paint and build quality is a massive step up from the Tata's of old and most of the panel gap issues from the 2019 car have been sorted out. Overall, it does seem like Tata has made a conscious effort to iron out most of the panel issues in the BS6 version of the Harrier.

Unfortunately, certain minor cases of misalignment are definitely visible. I love the way that this chrome strip present on the roofline looks but there is a minor alignment issue on one side that you will notice if you look closely. There's no question that this is something that Tata should definitely improve upon but I firmly believe this isn't too much of an issue.

At the front are LED DRLs that double up as indicators. These are extremely bright and are clearly visible during the day, unlike the ones that were on my 2015 Creta. The Xenon projector headlamps are very bright and do a really good job but the throw is aimed a little too low for my liking. The cornering lamp function is a useful feature that helps with lateral illumination but the throw is still aimed a little too low than I would like.

Interior

The Benecke-Kalicko leatherette material coupled with the comfy seats means there would be no issues with travelling long-distance. The under-thigh support could have been a little better for taller drivers like me but I have not experienced any discomfort yet. The infamous silver trim did dig into my knee when the car was delivered to me but with the steering wheel being adjustable for reach and rake it took just a couple of minutes to find a seating position that eliminated this issue.

The interiors are extremely spacious and most of the plastics feel solid and built to last. The Harrier does miss out on some modern features like height-adjustable seatbelts and ventilated seats and there are certain spots where Tata has neglected to add plastic inserts but you really have to go looking for them. The doors close with a satisfying thud and there are ample pockets on all doors to place an umbrella and a water bottle. Certain sections of the door are also wrapped in leatherette.

The massive panoramic sunroof helps add to the sense of space and lends an airy feel to the cabin. Admittedly, I have not used it as much as most of my drives are mid-morning or afternoon runs when opening the sunroof would mean I get cooked alive.

Although I've only spent around an hour in the rear seat, I was able to sit comfortably in spite of being 6'3" and my father who is 5'11" sitting in front of me. The rear seat is wide and can seat 3 adults at the back comfortably. Although, Tata should probably rethink the position of the rear air vents and make the airflow adjustable.

The front seats are where you should be in this car, the wide windshield and high seating position means visibility is great and that really helps with driving a car this big in the city. The driver's seat is 6-way electronically adjustable and comes with lumbar support adjustment, which is a feature I did not expect to be this useful. With lower slung cars, I experience back pain after a couple of hours behind the wheel but I have never faced that issue with the Harrier.

The oddly-shaped handbrake is something that does take a while before you get the hang of it. Tata has definitely upped the quality of plastics that they used for the handbrake and it does not feel flimsy like the one found in the BS4 iteration. This is purely a personal opinion, but I really like the sound it makes when you pull it up.

Infotainment system

There is no nice way to say this, but the infotainment system looks like it's been plucked out from the last generation. Although it has most of the modern features that cars in this segment have, it could definitely benefit from smaller bezels and a sharper screen. As much as it pains me to say this, if you're buying a car for the tech goodies that come with it, you're better off looking at the MG Hector. The MID comes with a digital rev counter which does a full sweep along with the speedometer on starting the engine. The MID shows every important detail and the graphics are pretty slick.

There is noticeable input lag and the system takes its own sweet time when you use the touch screen or the buttons on the steering wheel and there is a short delay for the right gear to show up on the MID when you change gears, but it is important to note that my car is running version 14 of the OS when newer cars are being delivered with version 16 pre-loaded.

Behind the wheel

This is where the Harrier sealed the deal. This chassis and the FCA 2.0L engine complement each other so well. The clutch is a lot lighter and travels a lot farther than the one that was in our Creta and Brio. Gear shifts are very notchy, especially in lower gears. The Harrier is eager to build up speed in any drive mode and overtakes are a breeze. PSA for manual BS4 drivers: if you're moving to a BS6 diesel engine, the second gear is not as forgiving and the car will stall if you try to work the clutch too much.

As the car is still in its run-in period, I have spent most of my time using Economy mode so I don't put the engine through too much stress. There is some amount of noticeable turbo-lag when you step on the throttle in Eco mode but it is still more than adequate for a city overtake.

Slot the car into Sports mode and the Harrier comes to life. The engine wakes up and there is a wide band of torque and power available as soon as you need it. Even when you push it, the Harrier stays planted through corners and encourages you to really go for it. Unsurprisingly, this mode is the most fun although it is a little jerky for city usage.

City Mode is the perfect balance between the two and offers the best of both worlds. In this mode, the engine map restricts the torque output to 320Nm which gives the car enough oomph for quick overtakes but removes the choppiness in traffic that you get with Sport Mode. With most of my driving happening within the city, I have gotten a mileage of 8.5-9.0 kmpl.

The Harrier also comes with two terrain response modes (Rough, Road and Wet) that are supposed to alter the throttle response and the way the ESP functions. Personally, these do not make too much of a difference to the way the car behaves but the effects are noticeable for sure.

The car immediately lets you know when you change drive modes with a beep and an automated voice announcing which mode you've picked.

It has definitely gotten much better with the newer models but most of the steering issues from the official Team-BHP review still exist, with the steering wheel inexplicably weighing up at lower speeds and being a little too light once the car picks up pace. However, I believe you can definitely get used to it as Tata has made serious improvements over the steering from the 2019 car.

I cannot stress this enough, but if you're in the market for a 'premium SUV' and driving enjoyment is one of your top priorities, you should be looking no further than the Tata Harrier. The car puts a smile on my face whenever I step on the gas and in many ways, feels like the spiritual successor to the 1.6 diesel Creta we had.

The Harrier soaks up bumps and ruts like nobody's business and you barely notice them in the cabin. The wheels are 235/65 R17s which means the thick sidewalls take care of most of the rumble from the road. The tires are Apollo Apterras which have done a decent job so far.

The massive dimensions meant it took some getting used to coming from the smaller Creta and parking spots don't come by as easily anymore. U-turns take a little bit of planning due to the wide turning radius and the heavy steering. All of these are stuff that is to be expected when you move to a bigger car and they have not affected my ownership experience at all.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Harrier to anyone who is looking to buy an 'SUV' that puts a smile on your face every time you get behind the wheel. I have heard countless Tata dealership horror stories but I got lucky as Derik Tata was very professional and their salesmen were well-informed and ready to answer any queries we had about the car.

The Harrier is not perfect by any means and it definitely misses out on some features that its competitors have, but it promises to be fun and is a car you will look back at once you've parked it. Getting one is always going to be a decision that you make with your heart, but it is one that will definitely pay off.

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