Tata Harrier to go dual tone soon: MG Hector effect?

Tata Motors will soon give the Harrier SUV a dual tone paint scheme even has competition has just increased with the launch of the competitively priced MG Hector. A couple of teaser videos hinting at the dual tone paint scheme for the SUV were recently put out by Tata Motors. The Harrier has already been receiving dual tone paint schemes from Tata dealers through the aftermarket route, and once the automaker begins to offer this paint scheme as a factory finished option, a lot of buyers are likely to opt for it.

Generally, car makers offer dual tone paint schemes on their top-end variants, and Tata Motors has also been following this approach with the Nexon compact SUV, which gets a slew of contrast roof options in multiple colours. This makes the Nexon quite attractive and a similar effect is likely to happen on the Harrier as well.

The Tata Harrier’s prices were recently raised, and we don’t expect Tata Motors to go in for another major price hike following the addition of the dual tone paint scheme. A marginal hike of Rs. 20,000 is about what the Harrier with the dual tone paint scheme could get. Also, sharp pricing by MG for the Hector and the upcoming Kia Seltos could make Tata Motors tread carefully when it comes to raising prices of the Harrier.

 

What the SUV also needs is an automatic gearbox option, which is likely to arrive by the end of this year. The gearbox will be a 6 speed torque converter unit that Tata will source from Hyundai. The Harrier Automatic will continue to use the same 2 liter Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel engine. This engine’s power and torque outputs could be revised to 170 Bhp-350 Nm in the automatic variant, which is likely to comply with Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms right from launch.

The manual variants of the Harrier are also likely to get the power bump up when the BS6 trim of the engine is offered in the SUV. The increase in power would bring the Harrier at par with the likes of the MG Hector and Jeep Compass, which use the same engine in 170 Bhp-350 Nm state of tune. A 7 seat version of the Harrier, called the Cassini, is in the works for a launch by the end of this year. A near-production version of the Tata Cassini was showcased at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and the SUV gets a distinctive body, which makes it quite disimilar to that of the Harrier. Dimensions of the Cassini – chiefly the length and height – have increased to accommodate the additional row of seats. The Tata Cassini will share its engines and gearboxes with the Harrier, and will be a front wheel driven SUV. There are no plans to offer an all wheel drive layout on both the Harrier and Cassini.