Tata Harrier SUV to get segment’s BIGGEST touchscreen

The upcoming Tata Harrier has created some ripples in the market. Tata has already started taking bookings of the Harrier and is revealing the details of the vehicle regularly. Tata has also started the production of the Harrier and the deliveries would start in late January 2019. While Tata has revealed almost all the exterior details of the Harrier, the cabin remains a mystery.

We already know the cabin would be very premium and offer plush and comfortable seats for 5 adults. The Harrier would be the flagship product of Tata in the market and will get many segment-leading features. One of them is the 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Tata has dumped Harman for Visteon to supply the infotainment head unit. It will also get the MirroLink, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The Visteon systems are used in a few international vehicles including the Land Rover Range Rover Velar SUV. The speakers, however, would be supplied by Harman, just like all the new Tata cars like Tiago and Nexon. The top-end variants are expected to get at least an 11-speaker system with sub-woofer, similar to the Hexa. The audio quality of Hexa is excellent and the same is expected from the Harrier.

The 8.8-inch screen would be the largest in the segment. In comparison, the Mahindra XUV 500 offers a 7-inch infotainment system and the Jeep Compass also offers a similar 7.0-inch screen. The Visteon head unit used in the Harrier would be much quicker and fluidic to use when compared to any of the infotainment systems offered by Tata till now.

It would get space to hold the smartphones securely and would also offer a cooled cabinet under the armrest. The Tata Harrier will also offer a Terrain Response System that will have three modes – Normal, Wet and Rough. However, the Harrier would not get 4X4 system during the time of the launch. Only the 4X2 version with a diesel engine would be made available initially. At a later point, Tata would offer the 4X4 system with a petrol engine.

The Harrier would get a lot of technology from the JLR too. To start with, the OMEGA chassis of the Harrier is based on the JLR’s LR550 platform. Also, the front suspension is from the Land Rover Discovery while the rear suspension is a tweaked version of the Discovery’s suspension. The mechanicals used inside the vehicle uses JLR’s tech that makes it difficult to open by any untrained mechanics.

The Tata Harrier would get an on-road price between Rs. 16 lakhs to Rs. 22 lakhs and would take on the Jeep Compass directly. It will compete with the likes of Mahindra XUV 500 and the Hyundai Creta. Tata is using the 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine in the Harrier that also powers the Jeep Compass. The output is not known but it is expected to be around 140 Bhp. Tata will also offer a 6-speed automatic transmission that has been supplied by Hyundai.

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