Tata Harrier-based H7X 7-seat SUV: New details revealed!

Tata Motors has revealed their next SUV, the Harrier completely. The all-new 5-seater SUV would be the first model from the brand that will be based on the Jaguar Land Rover platform. Tata will announce the price of the all-new Harrier in January 2019 and they have already started working on the 7-seat version of the SUV.

A Tata official during the official media drive event of the Harrier revealed a few details of the 7-seat version of the Harrier that has been internally codenamed as the H7X. It is expected to be out in the market by the end of 2019 and has been spotted testing on the roads too.

As the Harrier would target the young buyers, the H7X would target the family car buyers who require a family car with more seats. The H7X would be based on the same OmegaArc platform as the Harrier but to accommodate the extra row with two seats, Tata would increase the overall length of the vehicle by 200mm. The increase in the body’s length would also affect the wheelbase of the vehicle. The Harrier is quite long in dimensions and it measures longer than the Mahindra XUV. The increase in 200mm would mean a massive vehicle on the road and roomier space for the last row passengers. The H7x would also get a much flatter and straighter roofline when compared to the Harrier. This would ensure that there is ample headroom space for the last row passengers.

The increase in length would also mean that Tata would provide ample space for the luggage. Most of the seven-seater vehicles lack boot space when all the three-rows are in standing position. For example, the Mahindra XUV 500 offers only 93-litres of boot space with all the three-rows up, which can barely hold any luggage. However, the H7X is expected to get a much better luggage space, which will eliminate the need of installing a roof carrier.

The Tata Harrier offers the 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine from Fiat that generates a maximum of 140 PS and 350 Nm. Tata has not revealed the official fuel efficiency figures of the Harrier but Jeep Compass uses a retuned version same engine which generates a much higher power. The lower power will allow Tata to put an impressive fuel efficiency tag on the vehicle. The H7X is expected to get the same engine option when launched in the market, However, there are strong chances that Tata may tweak the engine to increase the power in the H7X due to its higher weight.

Tata would offer the 6-speed manual transmission with the H7X after the launch. However, there can be an automatic version of the H7X during the time of the launch. Tata has ruled out the AWD or 4X4 option from both the versions of the vehicle but it gets a Terrain Response System that allows it to climb on the snow and tricky surfaces like sand.