[GST]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

I took the delivery of Harrier Dark Edition on March 18th. The booking was made on Feb 9th and delivery was promised within 4 to 6 weeks and KHT did manage to keep their promise, even though there was some delay to get the car shipped from the yard after allocation.



--Anoop

Congratulations for the car!

This is my first post on team-bhp and I hope to be part of this community in a very positive way. My apologies if I am not supposed to put a question right here in the thread. Please remove it then or kindly move it where it should be. Thanks.

I am very interested in purchasing Harrier (manual transmission) and I would be very thankful for your input regarding a reasonably hard clutch and somewhat cumbersome experience with the gear selector in the test drive vehicle. The test drive vehicle was a 2019 top model with about 43K on the odometer. For reference to the hardness of the clutch here are details of three cars that I have used. Just last month, I drove a 2016 manual diesel Baleno and found its clutch somewhat hard but not noticeable to my foot on long enough journeys. For example, I had a three and a half hours drive that included a contiguous 15 KM stretch of a potholed walkway- that might have been a road months before- but my foot did not complain. Another car is my own 2017 Ciaz (petrol) with a butter-smooth clutch. The third car was a petrol XUV300 (2019) on a short test drive: I found that clutch hard as well compared to Baleno diesel.

On the test drive Harrier, the clutch was reasonably hard that I once stalled the car and the gear selector needed excessive and clumsy movements to left and right for gear selection. All the three cars that I have mentioned for reference to the clutch hardness in Harrier have very comfortable gear selectors.

The salesperson was very nice and polite to talk to and explained everything about the car and different variants quietly and pleasantly, but he suggested that I should think of an automatic variant when I commented on the hardness of the clutch. (I must point out for the record that in his quotation for the prices he did not insist on anything, like insurance from them, accessories, book now, etc.) But here on this forum and also at other portals what I have read is that in Harrier clutch is very easy to operate for a diesel vehicle. So I am a bit confused and my only explanation is that probably the hardness of the clutch on the test drive vehicle is due to the wear and tear in its fate through all kinds of testers. The clumsiness (in part due to an excessive left and right movement for selection!) of the gear selector is something one has to accept.

I would be very thankful for your input on these two issues- the clutch hardness and experience with the gear selector.

Input from other members as well will be a great help in my decision-making.

Thanks to you all!

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by GST

Congratulations for the car!

This is my first post on team-bhp and I hope to be part of this community in a very positive way. My apologies if I am not supposed to put a question right here in the thread. Please remove it then or kindly move it where it should be. Thanks.

I am very interested in purchasing Harrier (manual transmission) and I would be very thankful for your input regarding a reasonably hard clutch and somewhat cumbersome experience with the gear selector in the test drive vehicle.

On the test drive Harrier, the clutch was reasonably hard that I once stalled the car and the gear selector needed excessive and clumsy movements to left and right for gear selection. All the three cars that I have mentioned for reference to the clutch hardness in Harrier have very comfortable gear selectors.


I would be very thankful for your input on these two issues- the clutch hardness and experience with the gear selector.

Input from other members as well will be a great help in my decision-making.

Thanks to you all!

Thank you!

Your experience is aligned with my first TD experience - my left leg started paining after the TD. This is mainly due to the fact that the TD car is an abused specimen. Try if you can get a TD from a different showroom (or, even a different spec from the same showroom).

When I say the clutch is hard, the comparison is with my Punto. The clutch is almost on par with the duster and slightly harder than XUV700, but nothing to worry about. I did manage a 1-hour traffic jam drive with crawling speeds and did not feel any discomfort. Have done multiple long drives and I do not feel that the clutch is excessively hard. In fact, I have driven a Vento which was nearing clutch replacement and it had a harder clutch than Harrier.

The gear selector slots easily - I never had to forcefully push it. The gear selector and the shifting quality is actually better than Punto. Quick gear shifts are never a problem, touch wood.

So, I would say, get another TD and hope you will be satisfied with the clutch and gearbox performance.

--Anoop

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by GST

So I am a bit confused and my only explanation is that probably the hardness of the clutch on the test drive vehicle is due to the wear and tear in its fate through all kinds of testers. The clumsiness (in part due to an excessive left and right movement for selection!) of the gear selector is something one has to accept.

I would be very thankful for your input on these two issues- the clutch hardness and experience with the gear selector.

Input from other members as well will be a great help in my decision-making.

Thanks to you all!

Buy AT only please, you'd thank me later.

Clutch of the Harrier Twins are hard and has a very strong kickback, it would hurt your calf muscles after sometime. The terrible gearing will only make matters worse because you're going to stall it and it needs plenty of clutch use in traffic.

The gear lever which I praised for its shift quality when new has become loose within 6 months or so, not good. Stick to AT and it would feel altogether a different vehicle.

[GST]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Your experience is aligned with my first TD experience - my left leg started paining after the TD. This is mainly due to the fact that the TD car is an abused specimen. Try if you can get a TD from a different showroom (or, even a different spec from the same showroom).

The gear selector slots easily - I never had to forcefully push it. The gear selector and the shifting quality is actually better than Punto. Quick gear shifts are never a problem, touch wood.

So, I would say, get another TD and hope you will be satisfied with the clutch and gearbox performance.

--Anoop

Thank you very much for kindly replying. I live in Tirupati and there is only one Tata showroom with a single test drive car. So trying something else is not possible. Also, here across the dealers that I have visited, test drives have been attuned into a ritual in car buying with seemingly a presumption, on part of salespersons, that the step has little significance for the buyer: a short 5-6 KM dash on a designated road with a high reluctance to go any further or deviate from the assigned route.

Along with your response on having a good experience with your car in this regard, I will try to find out more empirical evidence for my belief that as such the clutch and the gearbox should not really be that bad in a car in 2022.

I don't want an automatic gearbox for the moment simply because a manual gearbox gives a feeling of better connection with the car while driving and I wish to keep it. Of course, there is added toll on us in city traffic, but I don't really mind as long as I am fit enough to drive a car this way without any bothersome bodily discomfort. The thing is that a couple of weeks ago I thought of exploring automatic vehicles too, and I felt a haze of gloom within myself over the prospect- a feeling of something intimate just departing.

[GST]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Buy AT only please, you'd thank me later.

Clutch of the Harrier Twins are hard and has a very strong kickback, it would hurt your calf muscles after sometime. The terrible gearing will only make matters worse because you're going to stall it and it needs plenty of clutch use in traffic.

The gear lever which I praised for its shift quality when new has become loose within 6 months or so, not good. Stick to AT and it would feel altogether a different vehicle.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. I want to have a car with manual transmission for the (silly) reason that I want to be more engaged with the car while driving despite the added toll that a manual transmission may bring in certain driving conditions.

The reason for my feeling of the cumbersomeness of the gearbox is probably what you describe: the gear lever being loose and giving wobbliness to the gear selection process. It should not happen since it is a quality control issue: a part not working as desired during its expected functional life, and this is a part of my fear while considering this brand.

In fact, among all the cars, I am zeroing on the XUV300 diesel and Tata Harrier. For my purpose the small boot space doesn't bother me and the interior space in XUV300 is very good for my family. The only other requirement I have is a bigger car in the range of 4.5 meters or so. In fact, I would prefer less than 4.5 meters- so Harrier is much bigger than I wish- but we do not have many sturdy choices available within the budget.

[aditya79india]

Originally Posted by ram87pune

You beat me to it Reinhard. Agree with you completely. As I had earlier mentioned the LR platform was a costly base for Tata to start with and thus they did not want to complicate the matters further by reengineering it to take the Varicor engine which is designed for RWD duties. That doesn't mean that Tata couldn't do it, but it was not prioritized.

Also since they have a JV with Fiat at Ranjangaon , the transportation time and cost of the 2.0 Multijet was also less. Tata has a deal of 70000 engines with Fiat so they need to quickly expand the Omega platform and consume all the engines so that they can look at other options. There are rumors from my sources that Tata is already working on Varicor for the Omega platform and also a twin turbo version of the Varicor with around 190-200 bhp is also fitted to one of the Hexa mules since long back.

Sorry for going off topic. But just heard that Cyrus Mistry is coming back at the helm of Tata. He was the reason that we got a brilliant and bulletproof product like the Hexa. He was the reason that the Hexa got those lovely 19 inch wheels, sunblinds, top class leather and those plethora of safety features. So he is the man that can bring the Harrier duo up with the class best. I sincerely hope that he succeeds in doing that.

Hello Ram, Rumour is rife regarding the Harrier mid life update ala Q5MCE. Do you have any awareness that there might finally be a Harrier AWD/4WD option this time, now that their cashflow situation might have eased...

[skumare]

Originally Posted by NovemberKing_91

A friend of mine has the first generation Harrier...On the front alloys, after a drive, there forms a very fine film of black particles, which appear to be fine brake compound. Its as if the front brake pads are getting deposited on the alloys.
When he asked the ASS, they said that it is to be expected since there is a "vent" of some sort which is directed towards the wheels, and that is carrying the brake dust from the pads to the alloys.
The friend is not overly concerned by this, but I am curious, anyone else faced similar issues? Is it normal? Do the new/current generation Harrier/Safari face this issue?

Our company owned 2022 Harrier XT also exhibits this issue. The front alloys are specifically coated with brake dust and this very noticeable. Any work aorund?

[maddyg]

Originally Posted by skumare

Our company owned 2022 Harrier XT also exhibits this issue. The front alloys are specifically coated with brake dust and this very noticeable. Any work aorund?

Get an alloy coating done and wipe with water every now and then. Remains as good as new.

Also going through an ordeal with my 2021 XT+ - key fob not recognised by immobiliser anymore , Details here (Engine cranks, but won't start | Tata Harrier "engine locked").

[slayer23]

I am considering Harrier AT and over the weekend tried calling Prerana Motors in Rajajinagar since I live this side of Bangalore. No response from them despite calling twice. I got SMS saying they will call back, but nothing so far. Is this usual behaviour from TM dealers? Any recommended dealer?

[gopalnt]

My apologies if this information is already there in Team-BHP. I tried searching but couldn't find out.

My doctor bought Harrier MT about 7 months ago from Gurudev Motors, Chennai. Few days ago, while he was driving, he saw smoke coming out of bonnet. He stopped the vehicle and called Gurudev Motors.

They came, drove the vehicle to their service center, probably around 2 kms. After analyzing the issue, they say that the clutch has gone kaput but they are refusing to replace under warranty. The reason they are giving is that my doctor has not driving the vehicle properly. He has been driving cars for 30 years now .

Also, first they said flywheel should also be replaced but now they are giving option to my doctor to either replace or keep the existing one. How would he know that? They are now willing to give some discount for the whole repairs but still refusing warranty.

Can I get the escalation contacts in TATA Motors please?

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by gopalnt

Can I get the escalation contacts in TATA Motors please?

Before escalation, has he lodged a complaint using the normal customer care channels (email or phone)? If not, ask him to do that first. If that doesn't work, contact the below regional CC manager via phone or LinkedIn.



https://www.linkedin.com/in/thirumalmarugan

He can also tweet about this issue to get their attention.

https://mobile.twitter.com/TataMotors_Cars

[gopalnt]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Before escalation, has he lodged a complaint using the normal customer care channels (email or phone)? If not, ask him to do that first. If that doesn't work, contact the below regional CC manager via phone or LinkedIn...

Thank you for your help. Yes, email exchanges have been going on, but the message from them is same.

[ambujlal]

Do people buy cars on an impulse? I don't know, maybe they do but I haven't come across any till now. Did I buy a car on an impulse? Heck, yes! Do I regret it? Absolutely not, when I remember that moment, the only thing that comes to my face is a smile.

Rewind to the end of January 2022 when a mild third covid wave was doing rounds, on a lazy afternoon a thought crossed my mind to travel to North India when the school shuts down for summer vacation. It has been 2 years of sitting at home with only a few nearby trips around Bangalore. Nothing that throws some challenge. The idea was kept in front of the home ministry (HM) and sports ministry (the little girl in the house). The home ministry gave a "hmm" while the sports ministry came up with "woohooo". The "hmm" is a 50-50% chance! A question (from HM) was thrown - would you be able to drive that far, it's been years since we did a cross-country trip. The answer was, that if we could do it in our first car (Indigo CS), why not in TUV300! The home ministry said, "dekh lo", you have to drive!

That "dekh lo" started a chain of thought and the road trip research started. The conclusion was that the roads are fantastic (Bangalore - Nagpur- Agra route) except for some bad traffic after Jhansi. Something triggered in mind, do I really want to do all this clutch-gear thing for this round trip? Can TUV do non-stop high speeds?

Mind: What? You are thinking of changing your absolutely trouble-free, 5-year-old, mint-condition car on a whim of a road trip?
Heart: mmm, yah, maybe. No, you are right, we should not! Or maybe yes! Shall we ask the home and sports ministry?
Mind: You have lost it, thinking of asking them? You are bored on a Saturday afternoon, go get some sleep, and you would recover.
Heart: Ksccchhh, waste fellow you are!

I wish thoughts were so easy to park in locked corners of the mind. The heart prevailed and after gathering courage by dinner time, the idea was proposed. Dead silence on the dinner table! The silence was of two types. The home ministry silence (and the look) was, you are nuts. The sports ministry, wow papa! Did the discussion go ahead? Hahaha, not at all.

The week passed with office and house routine work but the thought of a road trip lingered. While browsing some youtube videos on some random stuff, the old Safari, reclaim your life video surfaced. I knew HM has a soft corner for that music and the vehicle because her elder brother had the Safari Dicor! I got the answer. Me to HM - What do you think of Safari?

HM - The new one looks useless compared to what it was!
(Hopes dashed)
Me - But it has a better engine and is mostly trouble-free.
HM - Mostly?

Me - Thinking quietly (remembering Amir Khan's dialog from Dil Chahta hai to Saif Ali Khan) - come on be a man!
HM - Not a Tata this time!
Me - What!! Are you open to the idea of a new car?
HM - Not really, go do your research, watch videos, it keeps you engaged and happy. Let's see!
Me - :-| and . The sports ministry was given the task to convince HM with all the emotional drama possible.

The search starts! Requirements:

• Mile cruncher
• Automatic - Done driving manual for 14-16 years.
• Big luggage carrying space - Better half is differently-abled so we have to carry a foldable electric wheelchair.
• Fantastic AC
• No nonsense, less maintenance.
• Good audio system. Not an audiophile but it should be better than the current car.
• My car usage for 90% of the time is highway trips. I hardly take out car in the city until wifey needs to go out.

Budget - 18-21lacs (Ended up stretching a lot).

Options
Actually not many in the market:

• Creta - Effectively a 4-seater. We have always been spoilt for space.
• XUV500/700 - Shortlisted.
• Tata Safari - Not on the list, or maybe! Don't know
• Duster - Outdated. Interiors look stone-age now.
• Skoda Kushaq - Yah may be! But a Skoda? After-sales support? Not sure.
• MG Hector - Yes and no.

Test Drives

• XUV700 - Fantastic drive experience. Arrogant sales interaction, take it or leave it attitude. Wait time: 6 months! Removed from the shortlist.
• Creta - Nothing new, have driven a friend's car a few times. Smooth drive, good interiors, decent automatic. Space - Not to my liking. Doesn't have a big car feel.
• MG Hector - Didn't like the whole "in the face tab" setup. Something didn't click in the heart. The drive didn't have that "eagerness and enthusiasm factor". Fantastic people at the showroom, willing to go out of their way to make the sale. Sorry to disappoint them!

Back to the discussion on Tata Safari. Do we need a Safari?
HM - That way we don't need a new car!
Me - Shit! Wrong question. I mean, see anyway, we will never use the 7 seats because to keep the wheelchair, we would need to fold the rear seats.
Me - How do you like Harrier?
HM - Hmmmmm, looks better than Safari in black color.
Me - Keeping mouth shut but inside woooohooooo.

Harrier Test drive

I and my daughter drove down to the Tata showroom, looked at Safari and Harrier, sat in both, took a walk around the cars, and walked around in the showroom. 30-mins gone, no one comes up to talk/ask, nothing. We walk out disappointed. Nothing changed in 14 years at Tata showroom. The only thought running through my mind, a beautiful car, not-so-good (read as bad) experience at the showroom. A bit of apprehensive feeling about the entire thing.

Back at home, sitting quietly, thinking about the whole experience, a thought came that a showroom experience should not keep us away from a test drive. Dropped a message around 6:30 PM in the evening on the Tata motors portal about my interest in the car. 3-4 minutes later, I get a call from Tata, told them the entire episode about the dealer. I was promised a follow-up.

The next morning around 9, I get a call from the dealer's GM sales, in the next one hour, two people were at home with the car for a test drive .

The Harrier automatic is one hoot of a car to drive. The automatic gearbox and engine tunning is fantastic. (Personally) I felt the fit and finish to be better than XUV. It may not have as many features as XUV, but overall it felt to be put together much better than XUV. Plus the dark interior in the #dark edition was the icing on the cake. With a small kid around it would be a nightmare to maintain light interiors. I was sold on it.

A quick glance at the HM and got the approval smile! We were buying a Harrier; when 2 weeks back a new car was not in the plan for at least 3 more years! Booked the XZA+.

Then the long wait starts! I was told 6-8 weeks with all the reasons, starting from chip shortage to many bookings.

Variant and on-road price and discounts?
The final on-road price for XZA+ in Bangalore came to around 26 lacs and some change. There were no discounts available! Took the insurance myself, and saved about a lakh there. The showroom quote was around 1.25 lacs for insurance, got it for 38k with NCB transferred. The good part about the dealer was that they were absolutely cool about it.

Color
My first car (Indigo CS) was golden colored, TUV was silver in color, both light-colored on public demand and push. This time I put my foot down that it had to be black in color. At least once in life own a black-colored car no matter how difficult to maintain! Everyone agreed!

Delivery
To my surprise, a car was allotted to me in the 2nd week and got the car delivered in 4-weeks from the date of booking. Apart from the initial hiccup, the rest of the process was eventless. Did a PDI at dealer's stockyard.

The car was February manufactured and got the delivery in the first week of March. Everything looked good. The delivery day was also eventless to a point that everything was extremely mechanical. I was told an auspicious time from 11 am to 1 PM by the elders in the family.

The delivery process finished in that time slot without any surprises. I must say Tata is doing brisk business! So many cars were lined up on a weekday afternoon for delivery that the sales executive hardly had time to sit and talk for 5 minutes. A quick demo was given, although I didn't need it, customary key handover, a few clicks, and TaTa Bye Bye.

The good

• The best thing for us is the ride quality on "highways". If you are living in a city like Bangalore which has perpetual bad roads, you may not like the stiff suspension. But take it to the highway and boy, you would absolutely fall in love with the ride quality. It totally insulates you from the road. I can confidently say this after driving close to 6500 km from South to North India.
• The car comes with wireless Android auto which works like a charm. The screen is decently sized, neither big nor small. Thanks to it, I finally got rid of the mobile phone holder. I am not a big fan of big screens, I feel big screens are a distraction.
• The kiddo loves the panoramic sunroof which makes the drive even more beautiful especially when you drive through the hills or forests.
• Sports mode - You got to experience it to believe it. The car totally takes off. I have used it sparingly, but whatever I have used, it absolutely makes me want to drive it more.
• Cruise control - On my recent drive, especially during the return trip, I used cruise control for 60-70% of the drive. The combination of automatic and cruise control is something that you have to experience. I cannot match the performance (pick up) by manually pressing the throttle.
• Take it on the highway and on curves, this car will stick like glue to the road. Curves that I could not take at high speeds in TUV are ridiculously easy in Harrier. It inspires confidence. The dark edition comes with 18-inch tires.
• I love the fact that Tata has given three different switches for different functions of the sunroof.
• My daughter and dad absolutely love the rear seat comfort and the leg room. I am close to 6 feet and still, dad feels he has more than sufficient space in the rear which was not the case in TUV.

The not-so-good

• Poor headlights. Could have been better.
• Steering is a bit light at highway speeds. Nothing worrisome but could have weighed in a bit more.
• Very little left-pulling.
• The touch response of ICE could have been better.
• It would have been great to have a fan speed control for rear AC vents.
• The ugly hand-brake design.

Driving position
Upgrading from TUV, the driving position was a bit difficult to find initially but once I got the adjustments correct, it has been very comfortable. Although, wifey still likes and remembers TUV's high seating.

Engine
This Fiat-sourced 2.0-liter engine is a charm to drive. I have driven both Jeep compass and MG Hector (in friend circle) and I feel that Tata has got the best out of this engine. Put the car in sports mode, press the throttle, listen to the sweet grunt, and off she goes. Catch me if you can! It's just been 6k km and with more km, the engine smoothness is getting better. No vibrations are felt either on the gear level or inside.

Mileage
In city drive, it gives me anything between 13-14kmpl (Bangalore traffic). On the highway with spirited driving and decently filled up luggage space, it gives me anything between 17-18kmpl. These are tank to tank fills (auto cut). The good part is that the car also displays almost the same figures with a variance of 5-7% on the higher side.


First service/Checkup at 1500 km
Before the cross-country drive, had to get the first service/checkup done. There were no complaints from my side. Only the DEF was topped up along with a checkup for all other fluids. The bill was around 1200 Rs.

In summary, it's a beautiful car, absolutely comfortable, insulates you from the outer world, and you feel safe and protected. What an engine and gearbox tuning, brings such a big smile to my face every time I push the throttle!

Did we do the trip? Yes! The car stands at 6500 km in 3.5 months. A few trips are lined up in a month's time and it should be due for the 7500 km, 2nd service.

What's next?
PPF wrapping is lined up just to protect the car from over-enthusiastic two-wheeler and auto drivers.


Leaving with some pictures!

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by ambujlal

Do people buy cars on an impulse? I don't know, maybe they do but I haven't come across any till now. Did I buy a car on an impulse? Heck, yes! Do I regret it? Absolutely not, when I remember that moment, the only thing that comes to my face is a smile.

Congratulations!!! The car looks stunning and is a hoot to drive. Wish you many more happy miles. From which dealer did you take the delivery?

So, did you end up doing the pan India drive? If yes, please do post a thread in the travelogue section.

[*]Take it on the highway and on curves, this car will stick like glue to the road. Curves that I could not take at high speeds in TUV are ridiculously easy in Harrier. It inspires confidence. The dark edition comes with 18-inch tires.

Are you sure about this? My XZ+ Dark came with 19-inch wheels, not 18 inches.

--Anoop

[beast_within]

Originally Posted by theexperthand

Are you sure about this? My XZ+ Dark came with 19-inch wheels, not 18 inches.

--Anoop

As far as I recall, none of the Harrier variants have 19 inch wheels.