Tata Buzzard SUV: 10 things you need know about the new Tata Flagship

Tata unveiled the much awaited Buzzard SUV yesterday at the 89th Geneva Motor Show. The SUV was being called the H7X till now and is the big brother to the Harrier SUV. The Harrier came with seating option for 5 people, which was among the factors that made a few potential customers stay away from it. With the Buzzard, Tata has eliminated that complain and the SUV comes with seating option for five adults. While there is still a lot of time before the SUV is finally launched in India, we are here with 10 things that you need to know about the Tata Buzzard.

It won’t be called the Buzzard

Among the most important things to know about the Buzzard, the most important is the fact that it won’t be called the same in India. Tata has stated that the name Buzzard has been used for the Geneva Motor Show and will not necessarily be called this in India. To let you know, the word Buzzard is the name given to a large bird of prey. It is possible that Tata will continue using this name for the European markets. The company also revealed that Harrier will be called as the Buzzard sport in the European markets.

Launching by end 2019

As we mentioned earlier, there is still some time before the Buzzard finally gets launched here officially. At the Geneva Motor Show, Tata showcased 4 other vehicles alongside the Buzzard which include the Altroz premium hatchback, Altroz EV, H2X concept and the Buzzard Sport. The Buzzard will be launched after Tata launches the Altroz hatchback. The expected timeline of Buzzard launch, for now, is 2019 end or better to say during the festive season.

Same wheelbase and width as the Harrier

The Buzzard will have two extra seats than the Harrier and to achieve that, the company has made it bigger dimensionally. The Tata Buzzaed measures 4661 mm in length, 1894 mm in width and 1786 in height. It has a wheelbase of 2741 mm. This translates into the Buzzard being 80 mm taller and 63 mm longer than the Harrier. However, the width and wheelbase of the SUV remain the same. Also, unlike the Harrier which has a sloping roofline, the Buzzard has a proper SUV like squared roofline in order to add headroom space for the third row passengers.

More powerful than the Harrier but will use the same engine

Now since the Buzzard is bigger and heavier than the Harrier, it will naturally be more powerful than the latter. However, both the SUVs use the same engine. albeit the tuning is different. The Buzzard gets powered by the same Fiat sourced KRYOTEC 2.0 litre diesel engine that powers the Harrier. However, here it produces about 170 Bhp of power as compared to 138 Bhp on the Harrier. The Tata Buzzard will also get the 6-speed manual from the Harrier and the option of a Hyundai-sourced 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission, which will later be made available on the Harrier as well.

It will also be offered with a petrol engine

Recent reports suggested that Tata is developing a new 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine that will power the Harrier in future. Since both the Buzzard and the Harrier share the same platform and various other bits, the Buzzard will also get the new petrol engine sometime after its launch. This new petrol unit will be BSVI ready and will have power outputs in the range of 120 Bhp to 140 Bhp, depending on the tuning state. On the development of the new engine, it is said that Tata picked up the existing 1.2-litre Revotron engine, added some bore and stroke along with adding a new cylinder to it. It will also be the first Tata petrol engine to implement Direct Injection rather than Multipoint Fuel Injection technology.

Wider than the Toyota Fortuner

Another interesting point about the Buzzard is that it is quite wider than the national full-size SUV of India, the Toyota Fortuner. Going by numbers, the Toyota Fortuner measures 4795 mm in length, 1855 mm in width, 1835 mm in height while having a wheelbase of 2745 mm. This makes less wide than the Buzzard, which has a width of 1894 mm. Also, both the SUVs have almost the same wheelbase, with the difference being of 4 mm (Buzzard has a wheelbase of 2741 mm).

No 4×4 or AWD drivetrain options

Like its smaller sibling, the Buzzard to is offered with only an FWD (Front Wheel Drive) drivetrain configuration. The company has not equipped the big SUV with even an AWD system, let alone 4×4. That’s actually a waste of the Land Rover D8 derived platform, which is pretty much capable of handling rough terrains. However, it gets the multipoint terrain response system as on the Harrier along with hill descent control feature as on the Harrier, controlled by the same system and even having the same layout.

Will get a DCT at a later stage

After its launch by the end of this year, Tata will focus on completing the new petrol engine along with a new DCT gearbox. DCT (Dual Clutch Transmission) is one of the best transmission options and is known for its quick shift intervals. The 7-speed dual clutch transmission will also be offered on the Harrier. However, the launch of a DCT will take some time to come as the company first plans to offer a torque converter unit from Hyundai on both the cars.

Biggest SUV in its price segment

Apart from being larger than the Harrier and wider than the Toyota Fortuner, the Buzzard will also be the biggest SUV in the segment. It easily bests the XUV500 in terms of sheer size and will also get the upper hand when compared to the upcoming MG Hector SUV. The Buzzard rubs shoulders with full size SUVs in terms of body dimensions. Also, its large size gives it an intimidating presence on road, something which the Harrier has enjoyed a lot.

Interiors almost the same as the Harrier

That’s right. The major enhancements made on the Buzzard on the interior front is the addition of two extra seats at the rear. Rest of the interiors will be identical to the Harrier. As seen in the picture above, the interiors of the Buzzard carry the same theme as design as found on the Harrier. The features and equipment list could get a boost but don’t expect something miraculous to happen.