IAB reader Sudeep Chakraborty has spotted the Tata Harrier testing on the expressway near Manor. He reports that the test mule seemed to be comfortable cruising at triple-digit figures and could maintain those speeds even in the corners.
The Tata Harrier becomes the company's first product to feature its Impact Design 2.0 philosophy. Pratap Bose, Head of Design, Tata Motors, has confirmed that 80-85% of the Harrier's exterior design stays true to the H5X concept. The highlight of the front-end will be a split headlamp setup, which will comprise of sleek LED DRLs at the hood-level, a cluster of lights below that would include a projector setup for main beam and an ellipsoidal lens for high beam and a set of foglamps at the lower-most position.
The side profile will stay mostly true to the H5X concept. The test mule can be seen wearing stylish 5-spoke alloy wheels that will make it to production. That said, instead of the 22-inch wheels on the concept, the production-spec model will have 19-inch wheels. At the rear, the new SUV will have sleek tail lamps reminiscent of some JLR SUVs. The rear bumper will carry a pair of exhaust ports.
The Tata Harrier will be powered by an FCA-sourced 2.0-litre Multijet II diesel engine with 140 PS of maximum power. Transmission choices will include 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic, with the latter sourced from Hyundai-sourced 6-speed automatic. While selectable drive modes are a given, don't expect an AWD system, at least not in our market. The Harrier will be underpinned by the new Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced (OMEGA) architecture, which finds its roots in the Land Rover's D8 platform.
Also Read- 10 Things You Should Know About the Production-spec Tata H5X
Tata Motors has confirmed that it will launch the Harrier in the first quarter of the next calendar year. It will manufacture the new SUV at the Pimpri facility near Pune, Maharashtra. Prices are expected to start at around INR 12 lakh (ex-showroom), which will put the new model in crosshairs with the top-end Hyundai Creta and the entry- and mid-range Jeep Compass.
