IndianAutosBlog.com's reporter Ajinkya Lad managed to snap these images of a Tata Harrier on test in the highway between Pune and Solapur. The photos reveal interesting interior details about Tata's new SUV, slated to release in the last quarter of this financial year.
The instrument cluster doesn't look very fancy with its monotone lighting. We are comparing it to the Tata Hexa's cluster which gets chrome detailing for the speedometer and tachometer and a colour MID. However, the semi-circular layout, borrowed from the Hexa, is used on the Harrier for available fuel and instantaneous fuel consumption displays. The lower part of the MID displays the odometer (this test mule has accrued 26,000 km) and engine temperature.
The cluster also features two buttons for 'MODE' and 'SET', which would be used to cycle through different MID parameters and reset the trip meter. Coming to the steering wheel, while the overall design is similar to Tata's short diameter wheel used in all its modern-day cars and SUVs, the design of the centre-pad and steering mounted buttons are different on the Harrier. Buttons for music and Bluetooth controls with answering and ending phone calls are on the left, and the cruise control is on the right.
Also, the light controls are located in the indicator stalk (which seems identical to the Tata Tiago), unlike the Hexa which gets a separate rotary control on the dashboard. Speaking of the dash, the Harrier receives a 2-DIN slot which is likely to be occupied by a touchscreen display (at least on higher variants).
Also read: Tata's Maruti Baleno adversary continues testing; to launch in H2 2019
Ahead of the gear knob (a manual transmission in this case) is Tata's chunky rotary multi-drive knob but with one interesting detail. While the design is similar to the Nexon's, the font style on the different drive modes is identical to a Land Rover offering (we can make out a cactus next to a car which is Land Rover speak for driving on sand/desert surface). This is an indicator of a highly 4WD capable on the Harrier.
