Tata Harrier as a butch off roader: What it’ll look like

The recently launched Tata Harrier is already outselling the Safari Storme and Hexa, two SUVs that the automaker offers with four wheel drive layout. The Harrier does not get a 4X4 layout even as an option, and Tata Motors has no plans to offer such a layout even in the near future. However, the Harrier does get a rough road mode that varies traction to the front wheels, and allows the SUV to indulge in some mild off roading. Meanwhile, here’s a render that shows what a full blowd, 4X4 off roader version of the Harrier could look like.

As the render indicates, there’s plenty of hardware to make the Harrier look the off-roader part. From a bull bar up front to a redesigned bumper, the SUV does have plenty of other off-road bits. There’s a light bar mounted on the bumper while a couple of auxiliary lamps sit further below. There’s a winch that’s also integrated into the bumper while a snorkel snakes out of the hood. A bunch of LED auxiliary lights sit on the roof, while the final touch is the off road biased, mud terrain tyres and bead lock alloy wheels the SUV sports.

For someone who wants the Harrier to look the part of an off roader, all these modifications are doable from a good customization outfit. What will be very difficult to implement though is a full fledged all wheel drive or a four wheel drive system. The complexity associated with such a major drivetrain change is best done by the manufacturer, and people who want the Harrier to be a solid off roader have no option but to wait for Tata Motors to come up with an all wheel drive/four wheel drive layout for the SUV.

There are a couple of new variants that are planned for the Harrier in the meantime. The SUV will get an automatic gearbox option by the end of this year. The automatic variant of the Harrier will use a six speed torque converter automatic gearbox sourced from Hyundai. The automatic gearbox will be offered with the 2 liter Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel engine that’s already standard on the SUV. This motor will continue to make 140 Bhp-350 Nm.

Tata is also working on a turbocharged petrol engine for the Harrier. The turbo petrol motor is expected to be a 1.6 liter unit with a power output in excess of 140 Bhp. What remains to be seen is when the petrol powered Harrier will make its debut, and on whether it’ll be a manual-only model or even have an automatic gearbox on offer. The advent of the Bharat Stage 6 (BS6) emission norms in April 2020 could be the motivating factor for Tata Motors to bring in the petrol engine for the Harrier quickly to the market.

For now though, the Harrier is offered with a single diesel engine-manual gearbox combination, across four variants: XE, XM, XT and XZ. The base variant’s prices start from Rs. 12.69 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi, while the top end XZ trim retails at Rs. 16.25 lakhs. At these price levels, the Harrier undercuts the Jeep Compass significantly, and is only slightly more pricier than the best selling Hyundai Creta.