[krishnakarthik1]

Originally Posted by vaasscit

Give them a chance. Save the bashing for later.

If you think I am bashing then I think you are just being an internet Tata fan boy who never buys Tata cars. You should put your 20 lakhs like I did very soon.

I gave them a chance 1.5 years back with my Hexa XTA which ran 40k kms and if you see my posts on the Hexa thread, you will see nothing but huge amounts of praise. Its such a fantastic car totally let down by the management with features deletion, weird color schemes etc. Even now a few bhpian's have posted how hard it is to get an Hexa because of poor sales experience. If they can't sell Hexa they won't even stand a chance with gravitas.

Totally agree with AirbusCapt here. There is nothing in the Harrier or Gravitas to really go and put our money on them based on what we know for now through ram87's inputs. Maybe it will change once the media drive results are out. Great ride and safety are Tata's hallmark. If those are compromised for a 9 inch touch screen one can very much go and buy a seven seater Creta and have total peace of mind.

For me, for the gravitas to make any inroads it has to ride supremely well, better than Hexa, the sales team should be super competent, service upto the mark and price below the competition. Otherwise its DOA.

[pseudo_coder]

Originally Posted by krishnakarthik1

For me, for the gravitas to make any inroads it has to ride supremely well, better than Hexa, the sales team should be super competent, service upto the mark and price below the competition. Otherwise its DOA.

Isn't this too much to ask for?

1. Hexa is, as per this forum, the benchmark in ride quality. And yet isn't putting the sales charts on fire. So probably their is limited marginal utility in improving it further.
2. Agree with sales team. I have asked a sales guy and a person from the company about hexa. They never followed back.
3. Service experience wil take several months. Product success would have been decided by then. Also, people tend to live with so-so service if the product is very good. People buy skoda even with horrible tales, tata is much better.
4. Since Harrier price already is pretty close to Hexa, beating in-house competition would be tough. Creta 7 seater can start pretty cheap, as they provide notoriously bare bones base models.

[jkocherry]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

The Gravitas scores over the Harrier in following points

Are you saying the electronic parking brake and the auto dimming IVRM are exclusive to Gravitas?

BTW thanks for all the exclusive info. The information from your posts have made me wait to check out the updated Harrier than going to MG. Really hoping it was worth the wait

[padmrajravi]

Gravitas has one thing that Hexa does not get. SUV looks. And that pretty much sells itself in this country. Hexa's SUV looks were always questionable and it is one of the biggest reason why XUV sells more than Hexa in spite of the cramped third row. A dark edition Harrier came wrong side while I was driving to the office today, and even though I was in a taller car, it appeared menacing and scared me. I wouldn't want to see that in my rear view mirror. And that is something none among Creta, Seltos or Hector can do. So it has got its looks sorted.

None of the best selling SUV's in the country like Creta, Seltos, Hector get anywhere close to Hexa when it comes to comfort or space. Still, it is they who laugh all the way to the bank. So we can't blame Tata Motors for omitting AWD or concentrating less on the ride.

That said, I believe Gravitas will ride almost as good as the Hexa. One of the reasons for Hexa's don't care attitude for broken roads and craters is its weight. I am sure none of us would want Gravitas to be as heavy as a Hexa. So it might suffer a bit, but I am sure it would be very close to Hexa's. To me it looks like an acceptable compromise to build a profitable car.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

The Gravitas scores over the Harrier in following points -

1. Captains chairs option for the middle row.


8. Independent rear AC.

9. Option of a 3rd row for occasional use only.

This should bridge the features gap with Hector and XUV quite well. Looks like Tata may have a winner here if priced right and a niggle free product is made available on launch.

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by jkocherry

Are you saying the electronic parking brake and the auto dimming IVRM are exclusive to Gravitas?

BTW thanks for all the exclusive info. The information from your posts have made me wait to check out the updated Harrier than going to MG. Really hoping it was worth the wait

Yes, most likely these features will be exclusive to the Gravitas so as to differentiate it from the Harrier but you never know Tata may add some of them to the Harrier too at a later stage. And yes do wait for the updated BS6 Harrier. If you are not so much into gimmicky features and value engineering qualities more then forget the Hector and just TD the Harrier when its launched. The 170 bhp engine and the auto are a perfect match.

Originally Posted by padmrajravi

Gravitas has one thing that Hexa does not get. SUV looks. And that pretty much sells itself in this country.

So we can't blame Tata Motors for omitting AWD or concentrating less on the ride.

That said, I believe Gravitas will ride almost as good as the Hexa. One of the reasons for Hexa's don't care attitude for broken roads and craters is its weight. I am sure none of us would want Gravitas to be as heavy as a Hexa.

Agree with you that the Gravitas has more traditional SUV looks as compared to the Hexa but still Tata has done a damn good job of turning something like an Aria into a Hexa. That much credit we must give to Mr. Bose and his team.

Tata has omitted AWD purely because of lack of demand plus as I had mentioned earlier they chose for a non independent rear suspension for the sake of cost saving. Still the Harrier is class best in terms of ride quality.

Gravitas's low speed ride quality will surely come very close to that of Hexa simply because it's a monocoque while the Hexa is a body on frame vehicle. But for medium to high speeds, the Hexa is in a class of it's own. It's not only due to its weight but because a body on frame construction allows you to drive over bad patches of roads with utter disdain and the ladder sort of acts as a cushion against road shocks. A ladder frame chassis also has far better torsional and bending stiffness as opposed to a monocoque chassis. All of this coupled with a superbly tuned suspension makes the Hexa the king of ride quality department.

So for a person who has not rode in a Hexa, the ride quality of Gravitas will feel super but a back to back ride in a Hexa will change that perception forever. And all this with those 19 inch wheels.

[anoopGTkrish]

Interesting choice of name here. They seem clearly inspired by Alturas. Alturas and Gravitas kind of mean the same thing.

[romeomidhun]

"Gravitas" is a name having a "heavy weight" attached to it, IMO.

But is it an attempt to shorten and "mimic" the "Grand Vitara" moniker owned by Suzuki?

[TORQUE_AANJANEY]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

Gravitas's low speed ride quality will surely come very close to that of Hexa simply because it's a monocoque while the Hexa is a body on frame vehicle. But for medium to high speeds, the Hexa is in a class of it's own. It's not only due to its weight but because a body on frame construction allows you to drive over bad patches of roads with utter disdain and the ladder sort of acts as a cushion against road shocks. A ladder frame chassis also has far better torsional and bending stiffness as opposed to a monocoque chassis. All of this coupled with a superbly tuned suspension makes the Hexa the king of ride quality department.

If I'm not mistaken, I had read somewhere that Hexa has FSD (Frequency Selective Dampers) like what Jeep Compass uses and one of the key reasons why the Harrier doesn't ride as well as Hexa at different speeds is because of this. Am I right ?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

1. A panoramic sunroof is not coming in the Gravitas due to the stepped roof.

Since you have been in the H7X, you are the authority on the forum. I have been seeing the images available of the undisguised one shown at auto expo and in Geneva. From what I could gather, the actual roof isn't stepped but the rails and the rear integration are giving that stepped look. Is it really stepped from inside & in the top metal? The car you drove surely had the camouflage and faux foam items to give different shapes. But did you manage to confirm if it really is a stepped roof? I'm not yet sure.

Originally Posted by ram87pune

5. The interiors of the Gravitas will sport a grey shade which will differentiate it from that of the Harrier. Tata calls it internally as the "Lalitpur Grey".

Hopefully that name stays "internal" in the factory!

Originally Posted by ram87pune

6. Harrier with panoramic sunroof and automatic gearbox will be launched shortly after the launch of the Gravitas.

I hope the delay is only technical & they are not holding it back simply to let Gravitas arrive first. That would be a bummer.

Originally Posted by TORQUE_AANJANEY

If I'm not mistaken, I had read somewhere that Hexa has FSD (Frequency Selective Dampers) like what Jeep Compass

Is this true but? I have read it as a very casual remark in the ACI long term review here.
But its not officially mentioned anywhere. Absolutely nowhere have I seen Tata actually mentioning it or advertising it. If they have this feature - how typical of Tata not to advertise it then.

As for the ride - these also contribute -

1. Larger 19 inch wheels available till recently, ensuring most potholes are simply ignored, let alone handled well.
2. Heavy kerb weight
3. Longer car & probably more wheelbase.
4. Double wishbone suspension upfront (Harrier has McPherson struts)
5. Multi link rigid axle suspension in the rear (Harrier has twist blade with panhard rod)

These make a difference much before the FSD would.

[2000rpm]

I think Tata needs to worry about QA more than anything else.

1. The Harrier is a Fantastic car
2. The Nexon is a Fantastic car
3. The Hexa is a Fantastic car
4. The Tiago is a Good car

They seem to be taking one step forward and one step backward. Had the media drives for Harrier and initial QC issues were smoothened out before launch, the car would have done much better numbers than they are.

[vaasscit]

Originally Posted by krishnakarthik1

If you think I am bashing then I think you are just being an internet Tata fan boy who never buys Tata cars. You should put your 20 lakhs like I did very soon.

Gentleman, glad that you are enjoying your Hexa. Buying a 7-seater is definitely not on my list now. All I said is "competition is good" and "TATA deserves a chance to launch this vehicle"

Neither did I praise them nor wrote them off even before the vehicle is launched. If that makes me an "Internet TATA Fanboy" I believe I’d have to live with it tag.

Meanwhile enjoy your car, wishing you thousands of safe and comfortable km in it

[ram87pune]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Since you have been in the H7X, you are the authority on the forum.

Is this true but? I have read it as a very casual remark in the ACI long term review here.
But its not officially mentioned anywhere. Absolutely nowhere have I seen Tata actually mentioning it or advertising it. If they have this feature - how typical of Tata not to advertise it then.
These make a difference much before the FSD would.

Haha don't call me an authority on everything Gravitas. Yes there is a step in the roof and the rails are provided to hide that slight bump in the roof from the outside similar to what we have in the Triber. Even the Storme has a similar step. Ofcourse the name Lalitpur Grey must be internal. Can't imagine this name appearing on media dockets being given out. That would give the bashers another point to bash against Tata.

No there is no technical delay in the launch of Harrier BS6 auto as against the Gravitas. Tata just wants to focus its efforts on the Gravitas which is comparatively all new car than the Harrier auto which is just an upgrade in terms of features and powertrain. Whatever delay is happening is due to Fiat powertrain only and that is applicable to both the cars.

Regarding the FSD in Hexa, yes it does have it and just like other features like brake prefill and disc wiping in the Harrier, Tata has not managed to highlight these over the competition much. I wonder why if your car is not having a panoramic sunroof or a powered driver's seat then you should at least let the customers know that it has such safety features.

Other mechanical features of the Hexa that you have listed out are the real reason for its superiority over the broken roads. Double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension have been there since the Aria days. Even the Aria rode extremely well and with the Hexa they took it to the next level.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

Haha don't call me an authority on everything Gravitas. Yes there is a step in the roof and the rails are provided to hide that slight bump in the roof from the outside similar to what we have in the Triber. Even the Storme has a similar step. Ofcourse the name Lalitpur Grey must be internal. Can't imagine this name appearing on media dockets being given out. That would give the bashers another point to bash against Tata.

I see. Yes - the Storme really needed it since the floor was so high in the cargo bay, for a person to even crouch in those side-facing torture seats, the roof needed to be stepped up. They managed it well in the Aria/Hexa. I thought they can get the seat height for 3rd row tuned to work without a kink in the roof. Perhaps the rear drooping roof line of the Harrier DNA, warranted a step-up design.

Nevertheless - the stepped roofs look good! Give a brawny stance to cars (Previous gen square body Discovery & the venerable Safari for instance). So not bad if the roof i stepped. I'm not a fan of the sun roof in India, but hopefully those who like it - will have a sufficiently sized one in the Gravitas. Fingers crossed!

[TORQUE_AANJANEY]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

Regarding the FSD in Hexa, yes it does have it and just like other features like brake prefill and disc wiping in the Harrier, Tata has not managed to highlight these over the competition much. I wonder why if your car is not having a panoramic sunroof or a powered driver's seat then you should at least let the customers know that it has such safety features.

Other mechanical features of the Hexa that you have listed out are the real reason for its superiority over the broken roads. Double wishbone front and multilink rear suspension have been there since the Aria days. Even the Aria rode extremely well and with the Hexa they took it to the next level.

So I was right about it. Good to know because I was at the workshop and someone there told me about it while they were assembling the entire suspension kit in an accident hit Hexa.

Strangely it's not even mentioned in the Team BHP review. Yes you are right Tata has no idea what to wing. While Jeep made a dedicated promotional video on FSD on its Compass line, which IMHO is still a big deal in cars South of 30 lakhs, Tata nonchalantly just ignores things like this and gets hung up on just proving how Harrier is a distant cousin of Discovery. As far as I remember their hydroformed X2 chassis platform was also derived from Freelander but they decided not to utter a word about it then. I guess someone told them that was the only Ace they missed.