Tata Harrier review

The new Harrier follows the Nexon design with sequential DRLs and the interconnecting LED strip communicating with Welcome and Good Bye sequences once you unlock or lock the car. The connected tail lamps have a linear design with thin strips for turn indicators. The grille has a parametric design, which provides a premium look, enhancing the bold stance. The Harrier mascot is now repeated on the sides of the front door in addition to the rear, while the dual-tone roof, decorative roof rails and sharkfin antenna make a bold design statement. The front air curtains and aero inserts in the alloy wheels are said to improve aerodynamics. Each persona communicates in its signature colours, and we drove the Fearless+ persona with the signature Sunlit Yellow theme, which gives the vehicle a bold and youthful look.

Inside, the persona provides a connect to the exterior with matching theme colours in various trim elements on the door handles, dashboard, and central console, with contrasting mood lighting that can be customised to suit your style. The glossy finish and seamless lines on the dashboard provide a sense of space around. The bejewelled knob makes an appearance in the Harrier for terrain response mode selector, adding to the luxurious feel. This offers Normal, Wet, and Rough modes for different types of terrains. The 12.3-inch Harman, infotainment system floats on top of the dashboard, above the central control panel. This control, panel includes touch controls for the dual-zone AC along with physical knobs for temperature control. Sadly, the more important fan speed doesn’t have physical controls.

The four-spoke steering wheel has a D-cut design and incorporates the illuminated logo display, which comes alive once you push the start button. The Harrier offers a 10.25-inch customisable digital instrument cluster, which can show live maps—Google Maps on Android and Apple Maps from iPhone. All controls are easily within reach, and the screens offer crisp and legible display.

The Harrier is in a segment that has already gone tech-heavy, and this facelift makes it highly competitive among peers. The crown jewel is the ADAS suite that the brand has introduced, and then there are some incredible tech that can endear the car to young customers. The ADAS system offers 11 key features including adaptive cruise control with stop and go and lane-keep assist. The car also offers advanced ESP with driver-doze-off alert. The top trim offers a ventilated driver seat with six-way powered seat adjustment. The memory function remembers three settings. The seat is automatically retracted and lowered once you open the door, allowing easy exit from the car, and returned to the set position once you are back.

The Harman infotainment system now offers 10 JBL speakers including four tweeters and a subwoofer. The AudioworX customised system offers 13 JBL modes that transform the cabin into a personalised entertainment space. It is quite impressive how you can control the audio perception from all positions, even switching off the rear speakers with the “Kids sleeping in back” mode. Learn more about this in our Nexon review. The large touch display felt generally responsive, but there were times in which it needed a reset to respond. The Harrier offers wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Voice commands are available via four voice assistants—Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant and Tata’s own voice assistant triggered by ‘Hey Tata’. The voice-assisted panoramic sunroof offers mood lighting. Another interesting feature is the gesture-controlled tailgate opening. The tailgate can now be opened in multiple ways including from the touch button on the central control panel, with the button on the tailgate itself, or by kicking underneath the rear bumper. Yes, you heard it right, the system needs a firm kick and not just a shaking foot. To close, there's a button on the tailgate itself.

The 360-degree camera output comes alive on the large screen and so does the blind spot assist camera feed when you switch on the turn indicator. The car offers parking sensors at the front and rear.

The Harrier offers ample charging options starting with a Qi standard wireless charging mat. The central console offers a 45W Type-C charging port along with another Type-A port. The rear passengers get one 5V/2.4A Type-A port and one 5V/3A Type-C port at the rear of the driver armrest. The rear cooling vents are on the B-pillar. The rear passengers also get a central armrest with cup holders. The car offers an integrated air purifier with AQI display.

The Harrier is powered by a Kryotec 2.0L Turbocharged diesel engine, which generates a maximum power of 125 kW at 3750 rpm and a peak torque of 350 Nm at 1750-2500 rpm. The vehicle is offered with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission. You get steering-mounted mounted paddle-shifters with the AT model. Electronic parking brake with auto hold function is offered from Adventure+ onwards. Adventure and Fearless variants come with 18-inch alloy wheels, while the Dark Editions come with R19 alloys. The Harrier offers 445 litres of boot space.

We drove the manual transmission variant of the Harrier. The car offers a comfortable drive with a robust suspension and supportive seats. We couldn’t count the seemingly endless speed breakers and potholes in Pune we went over but came back with our spines and spirits intact. The new electric power steering felt always connected and responsive with just the right amount of resistance. At higher speeds, the engine response was quite enthusiastic. Engine grunt was audible in the cabin throughout, but it never felt disturbing. Body roll was minimal and we felt completely in control even while cornering at high speeds.

At lower speeds, you feel a loss in power, forcing you to shift all the way down while negotiating speed bumps and crawling traffic. The long clutch travel makes it difficult to judge the biting point. The electric parking brake engages automatically but doesn’t disengage easily with a light touch of the accelerator, unlike most cars in this segment. At times, the car would wait for you to manually disengage the brake. The seat memory function also seemed erratic, forcing us to re-adjust the seats on returning to the car after a break.

The new Harrier is still as intimidating as before, but now it adds a touch of fun and modern design concepts, making it turn heads wherever it goes, especially if you get one of the bold new personas. The vehicle offers some tech innovations that are seen only in the luxury segment. Some of the features may need fine-tuning, and we trust production variants will be flawless. Driving is enjoyable once the vehicle picks up speed. However, we do miss a petrol variant. Prices start at ₹15.49 lakh, going up to ₹24.49 lakh for the top Fearless+ persona.