Tata Harrier EV first drive review

Despite sharing a name with an existing diesel-powered Tata Motors model, the Harrier EV is a completely different car, with differences that go well beyond the obvious distinction in the powertrains. That said, the design of the new EV is much like that of the diesel model, both on the inside and outside. The front grille gets a notable redesign, and is in line with the rest of Tata’s EV range.

This is a proper SUV with a spacious cabin including plenty of height for taller folks, lots of boot space, big wheels, and plenty of ground clearance. The Harrier EV’s battery - 65kWh or 75kWh, depending on the variant you pick - sits on the chassis, below the cabin. Again, depending on the variant, there are motors at the front and rear driving the car, and so the front has room for a 67L frunk as well; you can use this to store the charging kit.

 

 

 

 

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Boot space on the Tata Harrier EV measures in at 502L, from the floor to the roof without a parcel tray. Different variants gets different features, although certain features such as the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support are standard across variants. There are also plenty of charging options, including wireless charging and fast-charging USB Type-C ports on different variants. 

For the driver, the seating position is quite commanding and comfortable. The seats were electrically adjustable on the variant I drove, including the ability to adjust the height so I could get a better view. The Tata Harrier EV gets a five-star Bharat NCAP rating for safety, and six airbags come as standard, with some options coming with seven.

While the regular Harrier isn’t short on tech by any means, the Harrier EV takes a big step up in this department. This includes a much improvement infotainment system and audio setup, level 2 ADAS, a 540-degree camera system for improved visibility around the car, a digital inside rear-view mirror with dashboard and rear camera recording functionality, the Tata IRA app for diagnostics and EV charging help, and various basic self-driving capabilities such as reverse assist, parking assist, and summon mode. It’s a pretty loaded tech package, if you get the right variant. 

The first thing you’ll notice is the Harman infotainment system, which has a 14.53-inch screen on the QWD variant of the Harrier EV that I drove. Interestingly, this uses a Samsung Neo QLED display, which is sharp and can get quite bright - essential elements that make it more usable in bright outdoor conditions. 

 

 

 

 

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I also quite liked the wide aspect ratio of the screen, which made it easier to view different tabs clearly, whether using the infotainment system’s UI or a smartphone based UI such as Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. Tata’s own user interface is neat and well laid out, providing quick access to most things including EV and driving statistics and diagnostics. 

For sound, the Tata Harrier EV gets a JBL Black 10-speaker system, with the infotainment system controlling the various JBL equaliser settings to give you a specific sound as per your liking. There’s also Dolby Atmos, and including the demo clips in the car was a good touch to demonstrate this, although the actual availability of Dolby Atmos audio content to listen to in the car is still a questionable point. The speaker system was decent enough, but tended to sound a bit too spread out at high volumes. 

The digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel is equally well set up for convenience, and the stalks control the headlights, indicators, and wipers as you’d expect. Paddle-shifters behind the wheel give quick access to the regen modes, while drive modes and the gear selector are just below the capacitive touch display which provides easy access to the AC controls and a few other things. It’s all well laid out, not confusing at all, and fortunately the opposite of the minimalist approach that many manufacturers are going for.

 

 

 

 

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The 540-degree camera system may sound a bit confusing, but this is basically a 360-degree camera setup along with a bottom-mounted camera to provide a ‘transparent view’ under the Tata Harrier EV. It’s a useful touch for when you’re driving off-road or even on rough surfaces, giving you visibility of objects and surfaces below the car.

The camera system also comes in handy for the digital IRVM, which doubles up as a dash cam with a front facing camera. You can switch it off and use it as a traditional mirror, but the rear view with the camera is a handy touch that provides better visibility.

We’re still far from proper self-driving cars or even auto-pilot features in India, but the Tata Harrier does deliver a couple of self-driving capabilities that function in controlled settings and at very safe speeds. Reverse assist and park assist work well, with the former getting you out of tight spots if you aren’t feeling confident enough to steer out backwards, and the latter picking a parking spot and parking the car for you even if you aren’t inside.

The one I liked the most is the remote-controlled summon mode. Using the smart key fob, you can drive the Harrier EV forwards or backwards without even being in the driver’s seat - a useful feature to get out of tight spots or if you’re blocked in on both sides (as might be the case in many modern parking spaces in cities). It takes some time to go through the safety checks, but works well when it starts up - even a few metres of drive can give you enough space to hop in comfortably.

All the tech and design bits aside, its the performance aspect which really sets the Tata Harrier EV apart from not only the competition, but its own diesel-powered counterpart. The new electric SUV gets the option of a single motor rear-wheel drive system, or a dual-motor all-wheel drive system, backed by either a 65kWh or 75kWh battery.

All of this sounds great on paper, and is even more impressive in practice. For my review, I had the top-end QWD (all-wheel drive) variant which delivers a slightly nuts 313bhp (at its peak, despite the two motors adding up to more) and 504Nm torque. Needless to say, it’s probably higher than what any other Indian car can do, and the drive quality shows.

 

 

 

 

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There’s power, and then there’s what the Harrier EV has. The ‘Boost’ mode actively unlocks all of it, and legitimately got me from 0-100km/h in under seven seconds. Even beyond that point, you can keep accelerating without the Harrier EV holding you back; instant torque delivery at this level is addictive and extremely fun. Interestingly, the top speed of the car is electronically limited to about 181km/h; it could probably go faster if not for that.

All of this is helped by excellent ride quality, keeping this car feeling planted and in place on most road surfaces. Cornering at relatively high speeds, changing lanes, and generally managing on even slow and rough surfaces - all of its was excellent in the Harrier EV. The quality of the brakes sometimes felt a bit underwhelming though; I didn’t have any incidents, of course, but it may sometimes hold you back, and feel a bit tight.

Boost mode is only available if there’s more than 50 percent battery, which is understandable given that this drains the battery quickly. However, for most things, you’ll find the Eco and City modes to be more than adequate. Even in the Eco mode, the Harrier EV is visibly faster than most cars on the road. However, this sets the regen to level 2 by default, which can be a bit jarring and cause noticeable deceleration as soon as you lift off the throttle. You can manually switch the regen levels using the paddle shifters, fortunately.

City gives you a bit more power which is useful at lower speeds, and also turns the regen levels down to level 1. Sport mode is much more than you need, but it’s nice to have for highway driving. All of these modes are accessible through buttons just below the AC controls, which is convenient and easy to manage.

The QWD variants of the Tata Harrier EV also come with decent off-roading and rough roading capabilities, including being able to handle different kinds of surfaces, odd angles, and spots where you might find only three wheels in contact with the ground. The various off-roading modes are well calibrated to handle varied surfaces, and modes such as hill descent and off-road assist add a bit of assistance in tough situations. The boost mode can come in handy here too, in case you need to climb a steep hill.

Battery range depends on the variant of the Harrier EV you drive, with the 75kWh option promising over 600km of claimed range for the RWD variants. Based on my testing, you could probably do over 400km of real world range with careful driving and extensive use of the Eco mode and higher regenerative levels, or about 350km of range if you want to have a bit of fun and push the car a bit.

The Tata Harrier EV isn’t just a Harrier with a battery and motor - it’s a massively reimagined electric SUV that just happens to look like the Harrier. This car is powerful, practical, easy to drive, and generally uncomplicated, while rejecting the idea of minimalism for a more tactile and intuitive experience. The tech is practical and largely works, the car has a strong ‘go anywhere’ vibe, and the drive experience is among the best you’ll get without shelling out luxury car money.

Slight braking issues and minor technical glitches with the infotainment system and self-driving features are present, but don’t let it hold you back. The Tata Harrier EV is an excellent choice among modern EV SUVs in India.