[nainan]

Originally Posted by Arjun Reddy

Honestly, if Tata did dot treat the design at the front like they did and carried on with their traditional light and family grill set up, the Harrier would have looked just like an overgrown Nexon.

I for one think the Harrier's headlight design is much better than what is there on the Hexa or the Nexon. The only thing is I feel if the piping around the headlight which is black now could have been chrome as seen on this mule which would have highlighted the headlight separately from the cornering lamp. Also having the projector on the outside and the reflector assembly on the inside could have given it a more menacing look.

[ihrishi]

Originally Posted by nainan

The only thing is I feel if the piping around the headlight which is black now could have been chrome as seen on this mule which would have highlighted the headlight separately from the cornering lamp.

If not chrome, atleast body coloured!

[octane_100]

Slightly OT, I am taking the topic back to Hexa. This is a good time for Tata to launch a full blown XTA 4x4 to make up for the lack of an automatic and 4x4 in Harrier. This way, at least Tata will be able to try and keep the customer looking for such a combination within their fold. I hope folks at Tata seriously consider this.

[pk_del]

I dont think we will see XTA 4x4, the market is minuscule (around 2 to 3%). Even before XTA 4x4, TML needs to launch XTA with ESP, rough road and slippery mode.

IMHO right now, TML will focus on launching Harrier, Premium hatch, and variants of Hexa (XZ, XZ+, XZA, and XZA+).

Hexa in its current avatar is not selling to the expectation (one of the reason could be lesser number of variants and feature cuts). Bringing an additional 4x4 model doesnt seem to be good business decision.

Sorry it was OT, now back to Harrier.

-PK

[rovingeye]

I completely agree with octane_100 and pk_del. The need of the hour is to satisfy the potential auto box buyers, who don't want to wait for Harrier auto, with an upgraded Hexa XTA.

In addition to the safety features - ESP and TC, a quick ICE upgrade will get a lot of fence sitters to convert to solid, happy and good-word-spreading customers.

Question is, will Tata listen to these potential buyers?

[nainan]

Originally Posted by rovingeye

I completely agree with octane_100 and pk_del. The need of the hour is to satisfy the potential auto box buyers, who don't want to wait for Harrier auto, with an upgraded Hexa XTA.

In addition to the safety features - ESP and TC, a quick ICE upgrade will get a lot of fence sitters to convert to solid, happy and good-word-spreading customers.

Question is, will Tata listen to these potential buyers?

I believe the question is more on the lines of how long will it take to develop and test such a version. I think the Harrier auto might be sooner than a Hexa upgrade as testing has already begun

[mchandra13]

Originally Posted by nainan

I believe the question is more on the lines of how long will it take to develop and test such a version. I think the Harrier auto might be sooner than a Hexa upgrade as testing has already begun

For all the hype and hoopla, I am a little surprised and disappointed that Tata is still testing the Harrier AT. I read somewhere that 35% of total sales in premium SUV segment come from ATs nowadays. It was also reported that Tata is going to use the Hyundai AT technology in Harrier(thankfully not the AMTs which have crept into the market offlate, in the name of Automatics). Now what is taking so long for them to release an AT model?

[rovingeye]

Originally Posted by nainan

I believe the question is more on the lines of how long will it take to develop and test such a version. I think the Harrier auto might be sooner than a Hexa upgrade as testing has already begun

The real disconnect is between customer expectation and Tata's product managers. I wonder if Tata has a market intelligence team and if such team has done a survey to find out demand. It might be possible that people like us are in the minority and if it is so, maybe they should communicate that via a press release or some such.

And if there are lot of people who would buy an upgraded Hexa XTA with the gaps addressed, even by paying a bit extra, Tata should have already started doing it. They are not a small company with resource limitation. At their scale, they should have parallel development teams.

I don't buy the argument that everybody in TML is only focusing on the Harrier at the moment. And if that is so, I would short their stock right now.

[nainan]

Originally Posted by rovingeye

I don't buy the argument that everybody in TML is only focusing on the Harrier at the moment. And if that is so, I would short their stock right now.

I dont think Tata has a resource crunch. I just think its their strategy to not have such a variant when they certainly have the means.

But even if they start testing now given the testing and tuning required will the timeline be such that it launches before the already under testing Harrier auto does(late start vs early start rather than a resource distribution issue)

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by nainan

I for one think the Harrier's headlight design is much better than what is there on the Hexa or the Nexon...... Also having the projector on the outside and the reflector assembly on the inside could have given it a more menacing look.

The traditional (recessed) placement of the headlights at the top would been a more practical design. Its always better for the headlights to be recessed and the bumpers to extend to make the first contact during minor bumps.

The headlight cluster is so protruding on the corners of the bumper and very much prone to damage even during mild brushes in bumper to bumper traffic or if the driver is not careful enough while maneuvering around obstacles. The headlight cluster could easily get damaged/broken.
Having the projector on the outer sides is an even bigger risk in the Harrier's case, since the corners are even more vulnerable and will warrant an expensive projector replacement.

[shashankjain16]

Originally Posted by for_cars1

The headlight cluster is so protruding on the corners of the bumper and very much prone to damage even during mild brushes in bumper to bumper traffic or if the driver is not careful enough while maneuvering around obstacles. The headlight cluster could easily get damaged/broken.
Having the projector on the outer sides is an even bigger risk in the Harrier's case, since the corners are even more vulnerable and will warrant an expensive projector replacement.

I have had many miss-happenings with the bumper in my driving experience of 40k kms. At one time bumper was edged by a biker so badly that it just tore and fell down and I had to refit it. At another time, I got bumped into something and lower end of it broke. However, at no time, the fog lights got damaged or stopped working.

I know the headlight cluster is much bigger, but what I am saying is that, although it seems that the headlights are quite prone to damage in this design, it many not occur that frequently in real life. They have tested the vehicle for 22L kms and lot of time in cities. They sure should have given it a thought if the problem was a serious one.

[for_cars1]

Originally Posted by shashankjain16

..miss-happenings with the bumper ... at no time, the fog lights got damaged or stopped working.

Fog lights are typically placed in the lower recessed part of the bumper, so it is (relatively) shielded by the protruded part of the bumper above the fog-light housing.

They have tested the vehicle for 22L kms and lot of time in cities. They sure should have given it a thought if the problem was a serious one.

Let's hope so, only time will tell.

[GrammarNazi]

It's been 3 months since people paid & booked the Harrier, but neither Tata Motors nor its dealers have sent across absolutely ANY communication to customers. Even after E-Mail & Twitter requests, they haven't had the decency to reply with any updates on Variants or inform if customers can see the car.

Anyway, I was checking out the variant distribution on their website & I find it unfair that critical features wrt safety are reserved only for the XZ variant.



Most notable is the Hydraulic Brake Assist being offered only in the XZ variant. I would have strongly preferred that feature not be omitted in lower variants.

The XT version deserves to atleast have Hill Hold Control & Electronic Stability Program, maybe even Traction Control. I mean, they can take off dumb features like Automatic Headlights & Automatic Wipers, but these safety features are necessary!!

Scroll lower & you'll see they've counted "Front & Rear Power Windows" as a feature! Please study the ridiculous variant distribution.

Frankly, such a poor outlay (poor communication, immature front design, ill-conceived variant distribution...) for their flagship product shows they're behaving like some kind of wannabe local "nukkad ki dukaan" instead of a mature world-class company.

[condor]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

I find it unfair that critical features wrt safety are reserved only for the XZ variant.

The XZ is loaded with features like it were a favourite child. Feature distribution on previous models was not so skewed.

Even if Tata was to say that these features are in a bundle, I wonder what they have to say about Isofix child-seat tethers ? This could have been made standard.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by GrammarNazi

Anyway, I was checking out the variant distribution on their website & I find it unfair that critical features wrt safety are reserved only for the XZ variant.

Is it possible that all these features will be part of the customisation packages? (The mention of which, BTW, has disappeared from the news leaks.)

Scroll lower & you'll see they've counted "Front & Rear Power Windows" as a feature!

Everyone does that!

Originally Posted by condor

Even if Tata was to say that these features are in a bundle, I wonder what they have to say about Isofix child-seat tethers? This could have been made standard.

This is one thing which I believe should have been standard. It would have also helped them score more in the Euro-NCAP.