Tata Harrier SUV: Here’s the first official picture of its rear

Tata Motors is just a day away from starting media drives of its upcoming flagship SUV – the Harrier. Tata Motors has been releasing teasers of the Harrier for over a month, and the latest reveals the SUV’s rear. Here’s what the Tata  Harrier looks like from behind.

The Tata Harrier is one of the most ambitious new offerings from Tata Motors. The SUV is based on the OMEGA platform, which is a low cost derivative of the Land Rover D8 platform. Why, the Harrier even has the same length as the Land Rover Discovery Sport, which is based on the D8 platform.

From leaks we’ve had in the past days, it’s apparent that the Tata Harrier will be larger and wider than its competition, which includes the Hyundai Creta, the Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass. However, the new Tata SUV will be shorter than the XUV500 in terms of height.

The Tata Harrier shares its diesel engine with the Jeep Compass SUV. However, the 2 liter Fiat Multijet diesel engine  on the Harrier has been detuned a bit. While it makes 170 Bhp-350 Nm on the Compass, it’s expected to put out 140  Bhp-350 Nm on the Harrier.

Tata Motors calls this engine the Kryotec 2.0, and even offers multiple driving modes on  it. A 6 speed manual gearbox will be standard on the SUV even as a 6 speed torque converter automatic option is in  the works for a launch later. The Harrier will be front wheel driven, and an all wheel drive layout won’t be offered  even as an option.

An all wheel drive layout could make an appearance a couple of years down the line, in a petrol-hybrid variant that’s  said to be in the works. For now though, the Harrier will be a front wheel driven SUV, and this comes as a slight  disappointment considering the fact that both the Mahindra XUV500 and the Jeep Compass offer all wheel drive layouts on the higher variants.

As for pricing, the Tata Harrier will sit above the Hexa. It’s expected to be priced between Rs. 15-19 lakhs, ex-showroom Delhi. Considering that both all wheel drive and the automatic gearbox  are missing, there’s a good chance that Tata would price the Harrier much cheaper, surprising everyone.

The Tata Harrier is a 5 seat SUV, and is expected to pack in many segment leading features. One such feature is a  cooled glovebox underneath the driver armrest, and another is dual screens for infotainment. The SUV will also be  loaded in terms of safety. 6 airbags, ESP and hill hold are the various features that the Harrier is likely to get.  Of course, other safety features such as ABS, seatbelt reminder, provision for ISOFIX child seats and reverse parking  sensors will be standard across the range.

Bookings for the Tata Harrier are open at all Tata Motors dealerships across the country. Test drives will be made available from early January, and the launch is also slated for early next year. Actual deliveries are expected to happen from the end of January. The Harrier will be built at Tata Motors’ Pimpri factory.