Tata Harrier SUV (H7X) with 7 seats SPIED in Bangalore

Tata Motors will launch the 5 seat Harrier SUV – its new flagship vehicle – in early January. The Tata Harrier has already been revealed and driving impressions will be out by the middle of next month. There’s a longer, 7 seat version of the SUV that’s in the works, and a test mule of the 7 seat Harrier – code-named the H7X – was spied recently in Bangalore.

The 7 seat Tata Harrier has a revised D-Pillar design when compared to the 5 seat model, and also appears to have a longer body. However, the wheelbase of the 7 seater version seems to be similar to that of the 5 seater Harrier. As for engines and gearboxes, the 7 seat Tata Harrier is expected to borrow stuff from the 5 seat version, but with boosted power and torque outputs.

For instance, while the 2 liter turbocharged diesel engine makes 140 Bhp-320 Nm on the 5 seat Tata Harrier, it’s expected to be offered with the 170 Bhp-350 Nm state of tune in the 7 seat model. As for pricing, the 7 seat model is expected to be pricier by about Rs. 2 lakhs, and also add a bunch of additional features to justify the price premium.

While the 5 seat Tata Harrier will take on the Jeep Compass, but by undercutting it significantly, the 7 seat model is expected to be a low cost rival to the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour SUVs. Needless to say, the 7 seat version of the Harrier will be the most expensive car sold by Tata Motors, and will sit right at the very top of the automaker’s line-up.

In terms of design, the 7 seat version of the Harrier is expected to be similar to the 5 seat model, but with distinct changes for differentiation. It’ll use the same OMEGA platform, which is derived from Land Rover’s D8 platform. The coming months should give us a fair picture on what to expect from the larger version. We expect the new 7 seat SUV to be launched in India sometime in 2020, about a year after the Harrier makes its debut.

Meanwhile, bookings for the 5 seat Tata Harrier are already open. Variant details will be announced by the middle of next month. The SUV’s launch is slated for January 2018, and deliveries are expected to start immediately afterwards. The production of the Harrier has already commenced at Tata Motors’ Pimpri factory, off Pune.

Via DriveSpark