Tata Harrier: Street presence compared with the Nexon & Mahindra XUV500

The Tata Harrier is just weeks away from being officially launched in the Indian market. A flagship vehicle from Tata Motors, the Harrier is expected to be priced in the Rs. 15-20 lakh bracket. At these price points, the SUV will compete with a wide range of vehicles ranging from the Hyundai Creta to the Jeep Compass, with the Mahindra XUV500 in between.

The Harrier is already on its way to Tata showrooms. Here is one such example seen near a Nexon and Mahindra XUV500.

Images courtesy Team-BHP

Here is a Tata Harrier standing behind a Nexon. From the picture, we can clearly make out that the Harrier is a couple of sizes larger than the Nexon, and has much better street presence.

The Harrier looks like a Range Rover from certain angles, with more curves added for differentiation. The SUV is all set to have great street presence, something that prospective owners will love.

In comparison to its direct competitor – the Mahindra XUV500 – the Harrier does manage to hold its own in terms of street presence but in terms of size, the XUV500 clearly is larger here. Also, the Harrier looks more like an SUV while the Mahindra XUV500 has a more crossover-ish appearance from the sides. It’s a shame that Tata Motors isn’t offering an all wheel drive layout on the Harrier given how SUV-ish the design is all around.

The Tata Harrier that will be sold in India will get a single engine and transmission option at launch. The engine is a 2 liter Fiat Multijet turbocharged diesel option that is called Kryotec by Tata Motors. This motor makes 140 Bhp-350 Nm, and comes mapped with multiple driving modes that vary torque delivery. The gearbox is a 6 speed unit that drives the front wheels.

A 6 speed torque converter automatic gearbox is on its way, and should be made available sometime in the middle of 2019. An all wheel drive layout is not a part of Tata Motors’ immediate future plans. The automaker claims that the various driving modes that the Harrier is equipped with is enough for most purposes, and given how the SUV performed in sandy stretches during the media drives, we’re inclined to believe Tata.

Since the Harrier is Tata Motors’ flagship offering, it will be loaded to the brim with features. The top-sped variant will offer 6 airbags, ABS+EBD, reverse parking camera, ISOFIX child seats, digital instrument cluster, floating touchscreen infotainment unit, a 9 speaker JBL stereo set-up, projector puddle lamps, multiple cubby holes on the inside, black-brown interior colour scheme, rain sensing wipers, cruise control and automatic headlamps.

The SUV will not have a sunroof though. This is a feature that could be added by Tata Motors in a few months’ time, through a new top-end trim for the Harrier. We have seen similar things happen with the Tiago and Nexon, which received XZ+ variants after a while. A similar strategy could play out with the Harrier. The official launch will happen in early January 2019. Bookings are already open.