Tata’s upcoming flagship Harrier has been spotted once again testing in the wild. The latest spy shots from Motoroids, show the large 5-seater Tata SUV’s dashboard, infotainment display and exterior. The Tata Harrier was first revealed at the Auto Expo 2018 in the form of the stunning H5X concept SUV and will be launched in India, in January 2019. The Harrier will compete with the Hyundai Creta, Jeep Compass and the Mahindra XUV500.
The spy shots reveal a heavily camouflaged test mule for the Harrier but the headlamps and tail lights are visible, which are different compared to previously seen test vehicles.
The test mule also appears to be riding on snazzy 5-spoke alloy wheels, which look rather small compared to the wheel arches. Also at the rear, the registration plate sits flush in the centre of the rear door, which should mean that the spare should be found mounted inside the boot.
The interior shot of the Harrier mule reveals that the test vehicle uses a manual gearbox, a 6-speed transmission unit already seen on the Hexa. Tata will also offer the production Harrier with a 6-speed automatic gearbox from Hyundai.
The interior also reveals the dashboard of the upcoming Harrier that features a silver/grey contrast strip of what appears to plastic running under it and then curling across the centre console. The centre console also features a floating infotainment screen, similar to the one on the concept car, underneath which sit what seem to be the switches for the climate control setup.
Tata will be keeping most of the H5X concept’s design in the production vehicle when it arrives next year, so we should see one of the sharpest looking SUVs on Indian roads when the Harrier hits showrooms in January 2019.
The production-spec Harrier based on Tata’s Omega platform will be powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged diesel engine from Fiat’s Multijet line-up, which can be found under the bonnet of the Jeep Compass SUV. The engine will be paired with either manual or automatic transmission (both 6-speed) options and will feature both two-wheel drive and four-wheel-drive variants when it is launched in the first month of 2019.
