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Upgrading from Jazz to Harrier: Buying experience, mods & accessories

24th August 2022, 10:14 by Utkarsh Chaudhary

I selected the XTA+ variant of the SUV as it fulfilled my requirements, however, I ended up getting the XTA+ Dark edition.

BHPian CaptBrat1845 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello All,

Here is my experience with the purchase of the Tata Harrier XTA+ #Dark Edition from Lakshmi Tata - OMR, Chennai.

I started my enquiries with them in Early April 2022.

I was informed that they have been given an official message from TAMO saying the declared waiting period for the Tata Harrier was "within" 45 days. I told Mr. Praveen (the Sales executive) that I will revert in July when I get back to India.

In July, I narrowed down my choice to the Harrier. The other prospective cars were Compass, XUV700, Hector, Triber and the Creta/Seltos twins. I was specifically looking for a 5-seater, btw.

A lot has already been said on this forum about why each one of the above should not be considered but let me put it from my perspective.

Compass - Expensive, felt small inside.
XUV 700 - I don't intend to wait 12 months and the AX5 has almost half the goodies missing.
Hector - China and didn’t really like the shape of it in general.
Triber - Whiny engine.
Creta / Seltos - Good but very very overdone (every 2nd SUV on the roads is one of these) and the waiting period.

I went for the Harrier XTA+ because I did not feel the necessity of the added goodies on XZA+ like cooled seats, connected car tech, shark fin antenna, 9" display (with almost same functions as the 7" one - except Wireless Carplay), diamond cut wheels (in fact I much preferred the dark grey alloy wheels). The sunroof on the XTA+ was the icing on the cake.

The purchase experience was very VERY smooth and all the TATA employees were very cordial and importantly "truthful" about the status of my purchase.

I was again told that the waiting period will be of 45 days, once booked. But 2 days later, I got a call from Mr. Praveen that they have open stock of 1 XTA+ #Dark model and if I make the booking, delivery can be effected within 12 working days.

I first checked the chassis number and found that it was manufactured in June 2022. So that was good and the ODO had just 32kms on it. I booked it on 1st Aug and took delivery on 11th August on the "August" occasion of Avani Avittam / Raksha Bandhan.

I managed to do 2 PDIs - one before making the payment on the 6th at the stockyard (in the evening) and one prior registration on the 9th at the showroom itself. Thanks to the 2 PDI checklists on team-bhp.
All said and done, I and my family are really impressed with the purchase experience. The sales executives were well informed, and any queries addressed by WhatsApp/directly over the phone were answered within the working day. This is after all the negative reviews that I have been reading (and seeing) about TATA showroom experiences.

Personally, I for one, was not expecting a 5-star treatment at the showroom or that the sales executive should be talking to me in "Shudh Shakahari English" or a cute lady at the reception as long as the personnel that me (and my family) interacted with treated us cordially and that they knew what they were selling. And. That aspect was met.

I went for the extended warranty package 2+1 (2 years manufacturers and 1 year extended).

I enquired and found that for a small increase in the price, I could go for further extending the warranty next year – which I opted for. So in effect, I will purchase an additional +2 years extended warranty (total 2+3 - 5 yrs) next year but I end up paying around 2-3k extra for that which I didn't mind.

Aftermarket treatment

After the purchase, I stuck to Rs 1 lac budget to "upgrade" the car to my expectations. Following was done keeping in mind:

The car will be driven by my wife (who is an accomplished driver)
With dog and child
And also, my Ex-Navy Father would be driving it occasionally for his Golf trips to Kodaikanal/Ooty/Coonoor etc.

Mudflaps + Tata Branded Carpets - Installed FOC at the Showroom, paid prior purchase - installed at the showroom.

Following were done at Lakshmi Tata Showroom prior to delivery.

Front Parking Sensors - Given that we were upgrading from Jazz the consensus was that we could not see the ‘front of the car’
Boot Matting – came with the Harrier Logo
The “Omega Arc” OE Scuff Plates
Harrier Mascot on the front of the Bonnet
Rear Boot Garnish – prevents scratches on the boot lip

Further, I paid additionally for the car to be topped up with Fuel and DEF on delivery so that my first trip out of the showroom would not be to a Fuel Station.

Following was done at Carspark, OMR post-delivery (the very next day).

OSRAM HID – replaced the Projector H7 halogen bulbs
Garware PPF Partial – Front and Rear Fenders and Side panels (not doors), Bonnet, Door Handle recess, All door Edges, ORVMs
Ceramic Coating for Front Windscreen
Window Tint – 3M CR70 for the Front windscreen, Wurth 70% transparency for all other glass areas
Underbody and Silencer 5Y coating
Interior Flooring – GFx 5D mats – 3 pieces – one each for the front footwells and one combined for the rear
C-Track Side Steps – would make it easier for my mother and MIL to climb into the car
Shark fin Antenna

As you would notice most of the items are functional. Not so much relating to looks or comfort as I felt the car already looks good and is comfortable as well.