[civic-sense]

Compass numbers have increased steadily in Feb and Mar ever since the Harrier was launched. Looks like the comparisons between the Harrier and Compass has prompted buyers to take a look at the Compass and appreciate its merits.

Meanwhile XUV numbers have dropped, which seems to be a direct impact from Harrier. A 7 seater Harrier would have ensured the demise of the XUV5OO.

[amrutmhatre90]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Compass numbers have increased steadily in Feb and Mar ever since the Harrier was launched. Looks like the comparisons between the Harrier and Compass has prompted buyers to take a look at the Compass and appreciate its merits.

Meanwhile XUV numbers have dropped, which seems to be a direct impact from Harrier. A 7 seater Harrier would have ensured the demise of the XUV5OO.

A month on month comparison for the Trio:



Source

[soji]

I had owned the XUV 5OO W8 for almost 5 years and two months back I decided that my dad should sell his Etios and use the XUV instead. After handing over the vehicle to him (he resides in another city), it never came to my mind that I should buy another car.

It was during the same period the Tata Harrier was launched but all I could see were pictures and media reviews of the vehicle. I never found the vehicle very appealing at that point.

Days passed and I started feeling the pinch of not having a vehicle handy at home. I decided to buy a new car for myself then and started doing some research on cars in the same segment as the XUV. For obvious reasons, I did not want another XUV in the family.

The Hyundai creta was what initially came to my mind and I had almost booked one. To be honest, I felt the vehicle was a bit overpriced for what it offers and I contemplated buying the same. So days passed without any conclusions of what car to go for.

It was then I saw the Harrier test drive vehicle on a road near my office and I should say it was love at first sight. I went to Adishakti motors near Hebbal, Bangalore the same day for a test drive but the SA turned out to be a big disappointment. I had a quick look of the vehicle and walked away from there in dual thoughts. I looked up other dealerships around me and decided to call up Prerana motors which was around 10 km from my home; the call was handed over to an SA(Shashidhar) and he said he will send me a couple of pics of the Grey vehicle since that was the color I was initially looking for. I liked the grey vehicle I saw in pictures but I decided to wait until I see the same in person.

Shashidhar called me up the next day and asked me if I was free the same evening for a test drive. He drove down all the way to my place and I completed the test drive that evening. Let me be honest here; the vehicle drove fantastic in the city traffic without any strain and I was in love with it. I booked the vehicle the same day and he sent me the invoice copy after reaching office. I was informed that the waiting period is around 3 months, at that point.

I constantly followed up with Shashi to check in case there were any deliveries of the Grey Harrier but there were none at their dealership at that period. He had however sent me a couple of pictures of the vehicle in white and I liked the color. I chose to go ahead with white and sent them an email to have this changed.

In parallel, I had dropped an email to TML regarding the logistics charges charged by the dealership. There was no update on the same and days passed and after about a month from the booking date Shashidhar calls me up asking me to pay the invoice amount and that the vehicle is in transit. I insisted that I would make the payment only after a physical PDI of the vehicle; he agreed right away. The vehicle arrived in at the stockyard in the next 2 days and the PDI was completed and payment was done. I chose to procure the insurance separately as it was almost 20k cheaper. He promised to have the vehicle ready for delivery within the next two days since then, which Prerana motors did.

Now to offer a quick overview of what I liked in the vehicle and what I didn't:

Likes:
1. Handsome looks
2. Comfortable, spacious and modern interiors
3. Well equipped
4. Top notch safety features (XZ)
5. ICE; Awesome sound quality (JBL)
6. Handling and Braking
7. Highway performance
8. Freezing AC
9. Rough road handling
10. Auto headlamps and rain sensing wipers


Dislikes:
1. Mirrors opening on door unlock
2. Glossy buttons ( I prefer matte)
3. The boot door takes some effort to close. Not sure if it's specific to my car and I have raised this concern with TML.
4. Minor quality issues
5. I'm 6 1" and my leg touches the dash while at the highest seating position.
6. No rear disc brakes, though the braking is excellent.
7. No TPMS
8. Single USB port (Either your USB drive for music or Android auto at a time)
9. Reduced leg room for front row passengers.
10. No auto dimming rear view mirror.
11. Poor dealership/sales network.

Comparing the vehicle with my XUV, the Harrier feels immediately more plush and comfortable. There's soft leather in places where you hands will regularly be, such as the doors and centre armrest.

On road price


I later opted the accessories of my choice instead of the basic ones offered and it came upto almost the same cost.

The accessories opted were:
1. Harrier mascot: 1685
2. Mudflaps: 680
3. Moulded mats : 4260
4. Rear bumper garnish chrome: 2160

Dealership refused to offer any discounts. I had also opted to out of the dealership insurance since I was able to procure TATA AIG pearl package for almost 20k lesser than what was quoted by the dealership. Also had a cheaper option from Digit insurance but their systems never gave me any confidence.

XZ Variant Specifications:

Engine Displacement: 1956 cc
Engine Type: Kryotec 2.0 L Turbocharged Engine
Fuel Type: Diesel
Emission Standard: BS IV (BSVI ready)
Maximum Power: 138 PS @ 3750 rpm
Max Torque: 350 Nm @ 1750-2500 rpm
No. of Cylinders: In-line 4-cylinders
Transmission Type: 6-Speed Manual
Overall Length: 4598mm
Overall Width: 1894mm
Overall Height: 1706mm
Wheelbase: 2741mm
Ground Clearance: 205mm
Fuel Tank Capacity: 50 litres
Seating Capacity: 5 Seater
Boot Space: 425 litres, yet to calculate actual space.
Boot Space with Rear Seats Folded: 810 litres
Front Brakes: Disc
Rear Brakes: Drum
Front Suspension: Independent, Lower Wishbone, McPherson Strut with Coil Spring & Anti Roll Bar
Rear Suspension: Semi independent Twist blade with Panhard Rod & Coil Spring
Frame: Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture (OMEGA) derived from Land Rover’s D8.
Tyres : 235/65 R17 (Alloy) Goodyear
Spare Tyre: 235/70 R16 (Steel) Bridgestone

Visual presence

Visually, the Harrier cuts a fierce and imposing figure. The front facade is especially striking, with the DRLs on top row; fresh and new unlike anything in the market. Fluid lines run over the rest of the muscular body, and we must say, it's really quite a good-looking SUV.









The only other little gripe is that the Harrier's side mirrors are really big, and that can obscure your lateral vision somewhat (especially when making right turns).



Under the hood
It is on the road that the Harrier impresses me the most. Under the bonnet sits a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine (a slightly downtuned version of the one found in the Jeep compass), which produces 140bhp and 350Nm of torque. It's a strong engine that allows the Harrier to feel quite brisk on the move (Sport mode).

There's a selection of three driving modes - Eco, Normal(city) and Sport. To be honest,I prefer the drive to be left in Normal rather than Sport mode. The car isn't really made for hard acceleration. The gear intervals are rightly configured.
That said, it's still not slow or sluggish either. Stick your foot right to the mat, and the vehicle will leap forward (once the turbo spools) in a manner that is distinctly un-TATA-like.

While you are cruising along the highway, the high levels of comfort and refinement really begin to impress. The cabin is is relatively quiet for a vehicle in this segment. The ride quality is on the soft side. it's wonderful for just driving along peacefully and sensibly.

There is turbo lag similar to that of what I used to experience in the XUV but it does not intrude.

The vehicle was delivered to me with a default fuel efficiency of around 8KMPL. I had reset this and after driving for around 200KM, the console reports a fuel efficiency of 14KMPL which had some level of both city and highway drive. I would also perform a tank to tank manual test and report this later.



Gearshift / Transmission / Clutch
Currently, the car is available only in a 6 speed MT transmission. The shifts are very smooth and not notchy and I feel the shift intervals are appropriately placed. The clutch also feels very light on foot, especially when I compare with the XUV which used to spring back up.


Disclaimer: Mine is a March Manufactured vehicle and it feels greatly different from the test drive vehicle and I do not see most of the small issues posted in the H5X thread in my vehicle. Also, there would be a lot of reference
to the XUV on this thread since that was my previous car.



Interior:
I really like the minimalist center console on the Harrier, compared to the redundant switches in the XUV. The Harrier can seat three comfortably in the rear and the interior is well designed and finished in a mix of materials that look premium. The wood-grain panel on the dash looks great but feels smooth and like plastic. The grab rails on the center console adds to the design and looks great. The floating infotainment screen is crisp and just about the right display size.

The semi-digital instrument cluster though is great could have been more functional. The Harrier offers a great commanding view of the road from the driving position. I'm also happy that I have a clear view of the bonnet and the corners while seated at the highest position.

The cabin is airy and spacious; definitely would have been better with a sunroof. Passengers shouldn't have any complaints, considering there's plenty of legroom all around.

The front row seats are really comfortable and the driver side seat gets a lumbar support which has been really helpful. It however takes a while for one to find the best seating position.

The boot-space, at 425-litres, isn't too much for such a large vehicle considering there isn't a 3rd row but was found sufficient to carry all my luggage (3 large suitcases and some bags). The rear seats could be folded down. The cabin features many functional holders to help you easily store your knick-knacks, including dedicated slots to hold your mobile, umbrella etc. I do not have any significant grouses with the material quality, fit and finish.

OVRM adjustment toggle switch:



SS and Moulded mats:


Driver Door with Umbrella holder:


Lamps and Microphones:


Sunglass Holder:


All of the variants come only with Manual rear view mirrors. Auto dimming rear view mirrors could have been a great addition at least on the top variant.

Manual Rear View Mirror:



Storage:
1. Armrest with cool storage
2. Glovebox with laptop tray
3. Umbrella holder on doors with drain
4. Smartphones holders on doors
5. Smartphone holder with charging port for rear seat
6. Dual glass holders in front row
7. Center foldable dual glass holders in rear seat
8. Boot with concealed lower storage box

Air conditioning
The air conditioning in this car is a beast, designed for our climate they do work very well. The car gets cooled down within a minute of turning on after being parked outside on a really sunny day. The blower is quite powerful and the lowest setting is also a bit on the higher side; sometimes you would want to lower it from the current lowest setting.
The rear passengers also have not complained regarding the Air conditioning and it offers two vents on the B pillars.

Note: if you want your AC system to run longer, turn on the AC at least once a week, the gas lubricates the seals and all components. You will never have a leak from dried out seals nor stinky air that way.



Suspension and ride quality:
The front suspension has been carried over as is from the JLR D8, an independent unit with a lower wishbone, a McPherson strut with a coil spring and an anti-roll bar. At the rear, it utilizes a simpler and in-house developed torsion-beam or ‘twist-blade’ suspension

Big humps on the road are but a mere speck on the tarmac. The Harrier drives absolutely fantastic on rough patches. The high-profile tires adds a cushiony feel unfelt on other cars.
The suspension handles all the roads fairly well - well designed speed breakers are handled very well by the vehicle without a jerk.
Overall, the ride quality is excellent.


Steering and Handling:
Handling is very easy and comfortable, the steering is on the lighter side, such a breeze. It is easy to drive and handles great on highways unlike a lot of speculations about the steering.

The steering offers good response at high speeds and offered me great confidence while at corners at good speeds. There is very minimal and contained body roll at high speeds. I'm happy how this experience turned out to be unlike a what I expected it to be based on others' comments.


Safety:
The XZ variant comes equipped with 6 airbags (driver, co-driver, seat side and curtain), Electronic stability program, Traction control system, Roll over mitigation, Cornering stability control, Hill descent assist, ABS, ISOFIX and then of course it provides one with great assurance when you know that the Omega Arc platform the vehicle is built on has been derived from Land Rover D8.

The vehicle also comes equipped with brake disc wiping which works in conjunction with ABS. The brake disc wipe system, during wet driving conditions applies slight brakes on the rotors at regular intervals without slowing the vehicle. This ensures that the rotor is clear of any water content before coming in contact with the disc or rotors increasing the braking efficiency.

Electricals:
The car comes with a set of dual tone horns and they sound very pleasant. Most of the end users need not/might not upgrade to a louder sounding pair is what I feel.
The vehicle is equipped with Exide battery with 1 year/50000KM warranty. I expected it to have 3 years warranty at least.

Visibility and OVRM
The front view from the driver seat is excellent and offers a brilliant commanding view of the road. But as many BHPians already noticed, the OVRMs are quite large in size and there is definitely a blind spot on the RHS.

Some shots of the vehicle:

Center single compartment storage box:


Side mirror projector:


Driver's console:


DRLs:


Wooden/Grain finish dash component. It looks really brilliant until you actually touch it to feel


Soft texture anti-glare/reflection dash:


Rear seat and shaft:


Rear camera:


Tire and Alloy wheel:
The XZ variant comes along with 235/65 R17 (Alloys) tyre size.


Door handle chrome strip:


Halogen projector:


Boot:


Additional space under the board. The dividers could be removed for more space:


Toolkit:


Boot, again.


Door with a lot of storage space:


Not sure what this space is for:

[soji]

Infotainment Screen(s)
The car comes along with a Floating island 8.8" infotainment system which also works in conjunction with the 7" Driver cluster. The displays are of high resolution with good contrast. The infotainment can be controlled via on screen controls, rotary controls, on steering controls and finally app controls. I'm informed the system supports both Apple Play and Android auto but I couldn't find the Apple play icon; didn't dig deeper since I'm an android user.

It also features a voice recognition technology to access navigation, phone calls, music which I don't really use much.

The Infotainment unit is tied to a brilliant 320W JBL Audio system comprising of 9 speakers (4 speakers + 4 tweeters + 1 subwoofer, with amplifier), which also offers fantastic acoustic experience.

Phone, media & navigation information can also be mirrored to the driver's 7" cluster instrument which is easy for quick visibility.

I am in love with the whole audio instrument setup and there's absolutely no need to lookout for any aftermarket components.

Home screen and Equalizer:



Android Auto:


AC Controls:


Manual Reverse Camera Mode:


Voice Commands:





Android Auto/Navigation:


Media information mirroring:

[soji]

Visual comparison of the 2014 XUV and the Harrier:


Drive:


My drive comprises of around 70% on the highways and 30% in the city. I have driven the vehicle for around 500KM until now both in the city and highways; jotting some of the key observations.

The car is powered by a Fiat-sourced 2L Multijet engine, named Kryotec engine and produces 140hp, with 350Nm of torque and is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The same engine produces a good 33bhp more in the Compass which I would have appreciated on this car.
Peak torque kicks in at around 1700rpm through 5,000rpm and also offers a powerful midrange.

City Drive:
As mentioned earlier, the vehicle has 3 drive modes; eco, city, sport. These modes churn 100, 120 and 140 BHP respectively. Out of which I prefer either the normal city mode or the eco mode in daily bumper to bumper traffic. The car is quite easy to maneuver in the traffic and also offers sufficient comfort. I have found the sports mode to be a bit jerky in the traffic and would not recommend this mode in the city. There is a lack of low range rev is what I feel.

The vehicle often stalls when I cross big speed breakers in the second gear; I do not have this problem in the sports mode though. It might take a while getting used to.
Within the city, the steering is very light; the same goes for clutch action.

The reported mileage within city drive is around 11KMPL.

Highway Drive:
The vehicle is pretty zippy on the highways in the Normal mode and Sport mode but the drive is unresponsive in the 6th gear on normal mode. The same goes to eco mode as well where you feel absolutely no response from the engine while in 5th and 6th gears. Sport mode is the way to go on highways.

The reported mileage while on highways has been around 14KMPL which also involved a bit of city driving.

There is something that has bothered me throughout the highway drives and that is some feedback on my gear knob the moment I accelerate or decelerate. The knob moves a bit to the front and back when you step your foot on the pedal and release. You would noticed this only while your hand is on the gear knob while you drive. I have reported this issue to TML and I am asked to bring the vehicle down to the service center for a quick assessment.

The vehicle is also equipped with TCS/ABS supported drive modes for Wet, Rough and Normal surfaces. I honestly cannot comment on this because I really wasn't able to judge if it made a difference.

NVH:
The NVH is substantially lower compared to the test vehicle but still, you might feel there's a fair amount of noise from the engine inside the cabin when driven in low rev sports mode. The chassis is designed well to reduce the overall NVH comparatively.
But then, these noise seeping in would hardly be noticed while you are sunk into the JBL powered music

Overall, the vehicle does not feel under powered, but this motor being on a wonderful chassis could handle a lot more punch. On the highways, you can overtake with ease and also maintain some slack in sixth, but some extra power would have made the driving all the more effortless. The NVH levels are much better than the test vehicles and I would recommend one to check the latest production vehicles instead of the demo/test units. The vehicle would not disappoint one on the roads irrespective it being city/highway.

[AdityaDeane]

Tata Harrier Brake Test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBRYU-t39ug

[GTO]

Update = Tata has reached out to us and will be sending us another Harrier for our review. I will be taking it out on another highway run before getting to its Official Review.

Our test car was from the Jan 2019 batch. Let's see if this car is any different / newer / improved.

Originally Posted by SDP

How were the panel gaps on the car that you drove?

There were inconsistencies.

Originally Posted by damodar

Did you check the manufacturing date of this particular car?

Answered above.

[centaur]

Originally Posted by GTO

Update = Tata has reached out to us and will be sending us another Harrier for our review.

Good to see TATA is following the forum closely. I think they realise how the review on TBHP can make or break the prospects for the Harrier. Many people blindly base their buying decisions based on the review here and TATA surely would not want to mess with that, especially when the Buzzard/Casseni is getting launched too.

[FrodoOfTheShire]

Originally Posted by GTO

Update = Tata has reached out to us and will be sending us another Harrier for our review. I will be taking it out on another highway run before getting to its Official Review.

Great! *facepalm*

First Mahindra with the XUV300 and now TATA with the Harrier! Following Team BHP closely and offering to send another "better" copy for review. I don't remember this happening with any other manufacturers/models, has it?

Mahindra was quick to react after your initial assessment and there was actually a serious issue which they not only fixed in the review car but also in all the cars dispatched till then. I hope TATA also do the same and fix any issues that the earliest lots might have and not send a "better" car just for the sake of this review.

In the meantime, I guess the review might be arriving few days later than initially planned?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Looks like the prices are being revised (most likely going up) -

[arif_t01]

Originally Posted by soji

Not sure what this space is for:
Attachment 1864229

Isn't that the ISOFIX mount for Child Seats?

[soji]

Yes, those are the mount points for ISOFIX.

Originally Posted by arif_t01

Isn't that the ISOFIX mount for Child Seats?

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by soji

[
Overall, the vehicle does not feel under powered, but this motor being on a wonderful chassis could handle a lot more punch. On the highways, you can overtake with ease and also maintain some slack in sixth, but some extra power would have made the driving all the more effortless. The NVH levels are much better than the test vehicles and I would recommend one to check the latest production vehicles instead of the demo/test units. The vehicle would not disappoint one on the roads irrespective it being city/highway.

Congrats soji on the Harrier, it looks best in white colour .

I guess I spotted your car on old airport road today at round 3.45 to 4 PM. I was on my Dominar and stayed behind the car for a KM admiring the beauty before you take a right on the old airport road. I was actually looking into the interiors as well and spotted the cross on the dashboard which is there in one of the pics here.

KK

[soji]

Small world, aye? The cross on the dashboard was definitely me

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

Congrats soji on the Harrier, it looks best in white colour .

I guess I spotted your car on old airport road today at round 3.45 to 4 PM. I was on my Dominar and stayed behind the car for a KM admiring the beauty before you take a right on the old airport road. I was actually looking into the interiors as well and spotted the cross on the dashboard which is there in one of the pics here.

KK

If you were referring to my comment, I meant the space on the right hand side. There's some extra space in the cladding.

Originally Posted by arif_t01

Isn't that the ISOFIX mount for Child Seats?

[SDP]

Originally Posted by GTO

Update = Tata has reached out to us and will be sending us another Harrier for our review.

Why? Which particular aspects of your observations they did not agree with (in terms of the copy you drove being representative of the current production quality)?

On a lighter note, I thought only when one fails, they are allowed to take the exam again. Here Tatas seem to be insisting on reappearing for the exam because they got first-class instead of distinction.