Tata Harrier will share parts with Land Rover Discovery: Latest updates

The Tata Harrier is undoubtedly the most awaited upcoming SUV in the market. Tata has officially started taking bookings for the Harrier and the deliveries would start by January 2019.

Tata has also started the production of the vehicle but has only partially released the details about the upcoming SUV. Here are some new facts and features of the Tata Harrier that reveal many new things about the vehicle. Here are all the new details.

Cannot be repaired at a roadside mechanic

The Tata Harrier is the first vehicle that is based on the OMEGA ARC platform developed by Tata. The platform is a tweaked version of the JLR’s LR550 platform that underpins the Land Rover Discovery. The technology used in the mechanicals and other parts are from JLR and need special tools and training to open. Which means if the vehicle breaks down on a long trip, a local mechanic would not be much of a help. Tata has already completed 3 days of service training to ensure that the workshop technicians are well-aware of the newly introduced mechanicals in the Harrier.

Smooth ride guaranteed!

The OMEGA platform is extremely similar to the LR550 platform. Tata has mostly replaced the expensive aluminium bits from the platform with high tensile steel to bring down the cost. Most of the mounts on the chassis remain similar to the LR 550 platform. Taking advantage of this, Tata is using the same suspension that is offered with Land Rover Discovery in the front. At the rear, a tweaked version of the Discovery’s suspension is used. It is not known if the rear suspension is tweaked to be more cost-effective or for other reasons. Whatever the case is, the Harrier would offer a premium ride quality.

Suspension cannot be adjusted easily

Most of the affordable vehicles get a suspension alignment chamber that can be used to align the wheels easily. The Tata Harrier would not allow this easy adjustment as there is no chamber present on the suspension. It would have to be taken to the service centre where trained technicians would be able to make the adjustments.

Highly comfortable cabin

The Harrier would be a premium offering in the market and would take on the Jeep Compass directly. To ensure that a minimal level of noise enters the cabin, Tata is using twin firewall set-up. The high level of insulation ensures that the cabin stays quiet even at high speeds. This, in turn, will ensure a high level of comfort for the passengers. Tata has also changed the head-unit of the vehicle. Tata has chosen Visteon over Harman for the head unit and the Harrier would feature the largest touchscreen infotainment system from Tata’s line-up.

Abundant space inside

The Tata Harrier would get roomy interiors. It would be a 5-seater and with a long wheelbase, Tata has ensured that there is a lot of rear space available. Three adults would be able to fit the rear bench seat comfortably.

Not off-road ready

The Harrier was tested in the high mountain passes of the Himalayas and was expected to get a 4WD system. However, as per new information, it will not get a 4WD system at the time of the launch. All the variants of the Harrier would get only a front wheel drive layout. This means that like most 2WD SUVs in India, it would be comfortable tackling bad roads and do a bit of mild off-roading, but extreme off-roading would be clearly off-limits.

However, it gets the drive modes

The Harrier would get three driving modes – Normal, Wet and Rough. It is not known what changes these modes will do to the vehicle as of now. In Nexon, the drive modes change the power output – however, this is more of a terrain response system in the Harrier. The SUV would get features like traction control, and such modes may change the sensitivity of the traction control system to allow more control over different terrains.

 Petrol engine will be launched

But not at the time of the launch. At the moment, only the diesel engine variant is ready for the launch. At a later date, Tata would also launch the petrol powered Harrier but the engine details are not known. Tata would also introduce a 4X4 system with the Harrier’s petrol version, which would make it unique in the segment.

Wheel-size for comfort

The Tata Harrier would come with the 17-inch alloy wheels with the top-end variants while the lower-variants would get 16-inch wheels. The wheel sizes are chosen to accommodate high-profile tyres. The Indian road condition makes the low-profile tyres on the bigger rims very uncomfortable and the rims are also susceptible to break. Tata has played it safe and gone for comfort over the looks.

Service centre visit every 6 months

Just like most of the Tata vehicles, the Harrier would get the same 7,500 km or 6 months maintenance schedule. The vehicle will be checked every 7,500 km for faults and major service would happen every 15,000 km or 1 year. However, this can be different as the vehicle gets a new engine. Nothing final has been decided on the same.

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