[deadguy25]

Hi team,

Please suggest as to which TATA showroom is reliable in Bangalore, preferably south Bangalore?

I want to enquire the price for a Harrier.

If things are favorable, will book one in the next ten days or so. We were looking at Harrier Adventure Plus A AT.

Wanted a 4 seater, with 4 disc brakes, and ADAS. Unfortunately this model comes with a sunroof, I despise it but no choice.

Upgrading from a Fluidic Verna 2011.

Never owned a TATA vehicle until now. I did not test drive anything else.

I do not know where else to post this query.

Thank you.

[kgt.v8]

I am here to share my perspectives on test drive of Safari automatic and Harrier manual.

I am looking for 5 or 7 seater to replace my existing 7 seater BOF (body on frame) Tata car.
I walked into the showroom after glancing at Cosmic Gold Safari which stands outside the showroom. A senior sales advisor comes proactively and looks enthusiastic to sell the car. He was friendly, but as usual he was not aware of all the features available on the car.


Test drive of the Safari automatic
This was Accomplished Plus automatic in signature Cosmic Gold color.

The SA turns up the volume to make me experience JBL speaker modes. About 30 seconds into the drive, I turn down the volume to 5 so that I can hear the engine and the car.
The Safari picked up speed slowly and gradually. Initially I felt the engine to be lethargic, although the throttle response was still better than "Comfort" mode of my Hexa. The car did not accelerate much even if I pressed accelerator hard which is okay if I am driving in city traffic. It was only when I asked about the modes, that the SA said the car starts in City mode. I drove in the city mode for about 1.5 kms.

I asked SA on how to change drive mode. He pointed me towards bejeweled crown. I turned the crown and car changed to wet mode and one turn clockwise again and the car went into rough road mode. These were not the modes I wanted to test drive on tarmac.
The SA might have pointed me towards the sports mode button which in on the driver side of the bejeweled crown. Now the SA might have realized I am not aware of where the mode button is and presses the sports mode button and the engine response changed.
The car was much more tractable and picked up speed nicely, when I went heavy with my right foot. Overtakes did not require lot of planning as I had to press my right foot hard, and gearbox would downshift to help me complete the overtake timely. This made me remember the "Race car" mode that was available on Tata Hexa automatic which I test drove couple of years back.

The con of sports mode is that the engine noise could be heard inside when music volume is toned down. I didn't mind the engine noise during the short drive, but if music is played at a decent volume, then the engine noise would not be much of a hindrance on highways during overtakes.

I went back to driving in City mode with in-cabin announcement confirming I selected right mode this time.

All this while I completely forgot about the paddle shifters. Just 1 minute after going to city mode, I used left paddle shifter and the car shifted to sports mode automatically. I don't remember seeing the instrument cluster if the display color changes to match drive mode as most cars show red background for sports mode.
I drive sedately most of the time, so I keep my Hexa in Comfort/Auto mode mostly. I liked this automatic switch to sports mode with paddle shifters, as I don't have to change drive mode if I need a quick overtake.

The gear shifter
I am used to long gear stick on the Hexa, so E-Shifter felt bit weird and small to me first. I have take test drive of some automatics, but all of them have gear shift lever which has to be moved to put into P-R-N-D. I had to look down to change from "D" to "N" or to switch to "R" (reverse) to make sure I am in the right gear as I did not take a look at instrument cluster to see the current gear position.
The dedicated "P" button makes it easy to put the car in parking mode from any gear position (D or N or R).

The ADAS making its presence felt
I didn't confirm which ADAS features were turned or not as this was my first test drive on the new Safari. The car warned me once of forward collision because I was driving on 2 lane road with no dividers. The car from front came half way into my lane to overtake a motorcyclist.

Overall Safari experience
The Safari felt nice to drive, engine and gearbox felt nicely tuned, didn't feel too long, steering had right stiffness at high speeds (as compared to 2019 Harrier), steering felt slightly lighter than my Hexa to drive at slow speeds.

Overall, I liked drive of the new Safari and have shortlisted it



The search for manual gearbox
My current car is a manual and clutch is not too hard, so I can live with it in day-to-day traffic. So, I wanted to test drive manual variant to help me decide, whether I should go for manual or automatic. I am still inclined towards automatic gearbox.
The reasons to look for manual are

1. The gearbox is from Hyundai which is used in Tucson which sells in even less numbers as compared to Tata twins. This does not give me much confidence as Tata depends on Hyundai to continue and provide the gearbox and parts if there is any issue with the gearbox.
2. Harrier manual which I test drove in 2019 had hard clutch and long clutch pedal travel. Being short I could not use the fixed armrest back then.

I enquired the same dealership where I took test drive of Safari automatic. The salesperson was again very responsive even when I called him about 30 days later. They did not have any Safari manual for test drive but had Harrier manual. I asked them to bring Harrier manual for test drive as it would take couple of days for them to get it from their other location within the city.
Meanwhile, I enquired with 2 more dealerships for manual Safari test drive. One of the dealerships said they have a manual Harrier, but the car has gone for servicing. They said car would be available in 3 days and salesperson would call me back. Got call from salesperson under 5 minutes of initial enquiry, got price details on WhatsApp and got the same thing that the car has gone for servicing. After this neither the salesperson nor their reception called me back. I called them 7 days later at 2 different times and nobody cared to respond back.

So in comes a Harrier manual, as it is the same engine and gearbox. It still is not the same, at least to me as Safari is slightly longer and couple of kgs heavier than Harrier, so driving characteristic would be somewhat different.
With no choice left, I went to test drive Harrier manual.

The Harrier manual
This was Fearless Plus #Dark top end variant.
The controls and cabin controls felt to be in the same place as Safari automatic. The only change was gear lever. The gear lever is short and throws felt shorter (as compared to my Hexa manual which has long and slightly notchy throws) when the car was stationary.
I felt that Tata could have given gear lever knob with smoother and shiny finish as the one found in Hexa. The gear lever did not feel that bad to hold and operate, but still does not look premium.

I engaged EPB (electronic parking brake), pressed the clutch and switched on the engine. Engine came to life with slight vibration. I put gear in first, release the clutch and the Harrier started to move without any accelerator input. The Harrier started in City mode just like Safari. The gear throws were not too long, went into the slots smoothly. I could only test up to 4th gear as I could not go any higher on the road due to traffic. The Harrier did not feel as lethargic to drive in City mode as Safari automatic. Could be due to weight or the car being manual I was revving upto 1800-2000 rpm before upshifting.

Drive mode announcements
Halfway through the test drive road, I engage sports mode. The in-cabin announcement confirms I selected the right mode. The announcement are louder than I expect and the sales person did not know of a way to disable drive mode change announcements. I feel this loud announcement could wake up my family if they fell asleep during long drive.

Sports mode in manual
In sports mode, the engine is much more lively and makes its noise felt inside the cabin in sports mode. I revved car hard up to 4000 rpm before upshifting. Engine noise is there and does not feel that bad.
Sports mode is truly addictive and brings out full potential of 170ps 2.0 Jeep diesel engine aka the Kryotec. Overtaking was spot on, speed stability up to 60 kmph felt good. I could not go higher than 65 kmph due to the road being 2 lane undivided road with some traffic.


Suspension setup
Both Safari and Harrier were test driven on the same road.
Both the cars were stable at speeds up to 65 kmph
The suspension absorbed smaller undulations on the road with ease. I did not hear any thud sounds as in XUV700 test drive.
There is a patch of about 30 meters on the test drive track I use, where there is no road. This section feels like an offroad stretch. Both Safari and Harrier were in first gear in this section and under 10 kmph.
The ground clearance was adequate to clear the lumps and crater level bumps. The suspension absorbed some of the craters.
There was some head movement side to side but not a lot that would make rear passenger uncomfortable. I still need to test this patch sitting on rear bench to experience in real life.

Overall experience
Overall both Safari and Harrier felt great.

I have only used third row of my Hexa only 3 times in its lifetime of 6 years. I carry lot of luggage during my long road trips, so I need a big boot.
As of now, both Safari and Harrier have made it to the shortlist.
Tata sales is saying the discounts are only till end of July and deliveries before 10th August. This could be a fact or a tactic to get me to book the car.
I also want to wait for Curvv to see if I get good boot space to fit my needs, but the discounts could pretty much be gone by the time Tata announces Curvv price and gets a car available for test drive.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

Please suggest as to which TATA showroom is reliable in Bangalore, preferably south Bangalore?

I bought my Harrier last year from Cauvery motors, Avalahalli (beyond KR Puram on Old Madras road) and my overall buying and service experience so far with them has been great. They also have another showroom somewhere near Devanahalli, but both these are not in South Bangalore and quite the opposite direction for you.

[sajands]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

Hi team,

Please suggest as to which TATA showroom is reliable in Bangalore, preferably south Bangalore?

Wanted a 4 seater, with 4 disc brakes, and ADAS. Unfortunately this model comes with a sunroof, I despise it but no choice.

Thank you.

I picked my Harrier Adventure ADAS (MT) version from Key Motors, J.P.Nagar and overall I had a great experience.

[kgt.v8]

Originally Posted by sajands

I picked my Harrier Adventure ADAS (MT) version from Key Motors, J.P.Nagar and overall I had a great experience.

I am looking for a replacement and have shortlisted Harrier based on my test drive experience. I plan to hold the car for at least 10 years. I did not get to test any ADAS functionality entirely on Harrier manual during my test drive.

Can you help with some of my questions related to ADAS

• How is the ADAS tuned in Harrier ?
• What all ADAS features work well with Manual transmission ?
• Any news on when LKA will be released ? I drive on highways or toll roads with marked lanes 20 percent of the time, so LKA (Lane Keep Assist) would come handy on long drives.

My budget is about 20 lakh ex-showroom. The variants I have shortlisted are
1) Adventure Plus
2) Pure Plus S
On going through the feature list, I see that Pure Plus S does not have a defogger but has rear washer + wiper. I have not used rear defogger in my current car in 5+ years, however front defogger is used regularly in rains.
If it is raining hard and rear window accumulates fog blocking my view while driving, without a rear defogger I feel it is a big risk to drive.
The rear camera can come somewhat handy in such situation to pull over to the side. The rear camera tends to accumulate some dirt when it rains and clarity goes down.

If ADAS features are tuned well, I could think of extending by 1 lakh more to get Adventure Plus A manual

[deadguy25]

Originally Posted by sajands

I picked my Harrier Adventure ADAS (MT) version from Key Motors, J.P.Nagar and overall I had a great experience.

Thank you. I will check for their operational time and visit.

Originally Posted by NPV

I bought my Harrier last year from Cauvery motors, Avalahalli (beyond KR Puram on Old Madras road) and my overall buying and service experience so far with them has been great. They also have another showroom somewhere near Devanahalli, but both these are not in South Bangalore and quite the opposite direction for you.

Thank you, yes they are in the opposite direction.

If there is anything in particular i should look for during the test drive or enquiry, please let me know.

We chose the - Harrier Adventure Plus A AT - because we wanted the one in white without dual tone.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by deadguy25

If there is anything in particular i should look for during the test drive or enquiry, please let me know.

Well, firstly you need to be happy with the Harrier after the test drive

I hope you’ve done your homework regarding comparison of specs with the XUV 700 and/or other contenders and even test driven all of them to be sure before making the decision.
I would always recommend the AT, I’m a AT convert and love the Harrier in this Avatar.

I made a few things clear to the dealership prior to booking:
-that I will pick and choose the accessories and will not go with any packages they try to impose during the purchase.
-that once vehicle arrives at their yard, I will do my own PDI prior to registration
-that I will consider their financing and insurance options, but I will also compare them with quotes from outside and go with the best deal, they shouldn’t impose/mandate anything

I guess that’s it, all the very best in your decision making and subsequent purchase!

[deadguy25]

Originally Posted by NPV

Well, firstly you need to be happy with the Harrier after the test drive

Yes that is very true .

I hope you’ve done your homework regarding comparison of specs with the XUV 700 and/or other contenders and even test driven all of them to be sure before making the decision.
I would always recommend the AT, I’m a AT convert and love the Harrier in this Avatar.

I compared the specs but yet to test drive the XUV700 and will probably do it this week.
I am going to be an AT convert .

I made a few things clear to the dealership prior to booking:
-that I will pick and choose the accessories and will not go with any packages they try to impose during the purchase.
-that once vehicle arrives at their yard, I will do my own PDI prior to registration
-that I will consider their financing and insurance options, but I will also compare them with quotes from outside and go with the best deal, they shouldn’t impose/mandate anything

I guess that’s it, all the very best in your decision making and subsequent purchase!

Thank you for these pointers. I will keep these in mind and get back for further guidance/suggestions.

[sajands]

Originally Posted by kgt.v8

I am looking for a replacement and have shortlisted Harrier based on my test drive experience. I plan to hold the car for at least 10 years. I did not get to test any ADAS functionality entirely on Harrier manual during my test drive.

Can you help with some of my questions related to ADAS

• How is the ADAS tuned in Harrier ?
• What all ADAS features work well with Manual transmission ?
• Any news on when LKA will be released ? I drive on highways or toll roads with marked lanes 20 percent of the time, so LKA (Lane Keep Assist) would come handy on long drives.

My budget is about 20 lakh ex-showroom. The variants I have shortlisted are
1) Adventure Plus
2) Pure Plus S
On going through the feature list, I see that Pure Plus S does not have a defogger but has rear washer + wiper. I have not used rear defogger in my current car in 5+ years, however front defogger is used regularly in rains.
If it is raining hard and rear window accumulates fog blocking my view while driving, without a rear defogger I feel it is a big risk to drive.
The rear camera can come somewhat handy in such situation to pull over to the side. The rear camera tends to accumulate some dirt when it rains and clarity goes down.

If ADAS features are tuned well, I could think of extending by 1 lakh more to get Adventure Plus A manual

Well, will answer based on my 2000+ kms experience so far,
[*] How is the ADAS tuned in Harrier ?
To me so far, it works as intended to and so far faced no issues. Impressed on the blind spot alerts and front collision alert systems, autonomous breaking works well when it senses collision and breaks on its own.
[*] What all ADAS features work well with Manual transmission ?
All provided features work well, Lane Departure works well on highways and also on roads which have faded lane markers. To me it feels like its in synch for Indian road conditions (Again, this is my observations post driving city + Highway)
[*] Any news on when LKA will be released ? I drive on highways or toll roads with marked lanes 20 percent of the time, so LKA (Lane Keep Assist) would come handy on long drives.
-> No idea on this and will check once I go in 2 week's time for my scheduled 2nd service.

To me, more than the gizmos and features of Fearless variant, Adventure plus with ADAS made more sense and one this I wish was optional was the Sunroof, absolute waste and something that I will never use, wish TATA made this optional and kept it only for the top model variant.

Hope I was able to address your points, again I am not a techie to go in-depth and test.

[ghodlur]

Originally Posted by NPV

Well, firstly you need to be happy with the Harrier after the test drive

I remember my test drives in the pre facelift version way back in Dec 2021 and even after 3 test drives I was not feeling anything happy, so i asked for the 4th one. The last test drive sealed the deal for me coz I was happy the vehicle performed the same in all the 4 drives.

The final smile was plastered on my face when I got a mouth watering deal and grabbed it with both hands. The smile was turned into a raucous laughter when I rolled the SUV out of the dealer showroom on the highway.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by kgt.v8

Tata sales is saying the discounts are only till end of July and deliveries before 10th August. This could be a fact or a tactic to get me to book the car.
I also want to wait for Curvv to see if I get good boot space to fit my needs, but the discounts could pretty much be gone by the time Tata announces Curvv price and gets a car available for test drive.

Excellent observations!

Discounts aren't going to stop anytime soon this year.

I have both the cars in the extended family (2021 Harrier MT and 2023 Safari AT) and I agree to all the points you have shared.

Safari AT feels sluggish unless it is in sports mode and there is a clear 2 kmpl difference in fuel efficiency between Harrier MT and Safari AT, with the former being more efficient.

Harrier MT is much more nicer to drive (faster) and it is enjoyable in sports mode. I have done some exciting speeds on it and it felt at home on the highway.

The 2.0L Fiat diesel is a good mill, except for the NVH (even in their Jeep Compass). Mahindra XUV7OO diesel is a much better engine in comparison (both NVH as well as performance).

I wouldn't call Safari/Harrier as an upgrade to the Hexa.
Hexa had better interior quality (soft touch materials), much better seats and ergonomics than the Harrier twins.

The 2.2 Varicor 400 is no slouch and it performs as good as the Fiat 2.0L diesel. If Hexa was on sale today, Harrier twins would not find as many buyers as they do now.

[gauravdgr8]

Originally Posted by kgt.v8

I am looking for a replacement and have shortlisted Harrier based on my test drive experience. I plan to hold the car for at least 10 years. I did not get to test any ADAS functionality entirely on Harrier manual during my test drive.

I bought the Harrier Fearless+. It's a gem and with ADAS, your highway drives are less stressful. However, it will take a couple of drives to adjust, and understand how ADAS works with bikers and crazy drivers cutting you from all sides.

[dass]

Does the FL Harrier also have the infamous wind noise above 50kpml? Very prominent through the drive side window and is present even in the 2023 pre FL models and something that the ASS says is usual across all Harriers. This is a big issue for me, unfortunately with no solution in sight. Wondering if they have fixed it in the new one.

[oldcontessafan]

I took a test drive of Harrier AT Fearless yesterday. It seems there is a discount of 1.2 lakh for the Adventure AT + A model.

We test drove a Seltos half hour before driving a Harrier to gauge the difference in terms of smoothness of engine, pickup, navigation in traffic, etc (Since we are upgrading from a petrol hatchback)

- Car is built solidly and it feels so the moment you enter the cabin
- Pick up is great, even for a car this size and weight. Cant imagine how good it will be on highways

Couple of things that bothered us :
1. A-pillar visibility was an issue during turns
2. The connected LED DRLs at front did not appeal to both of us (Is there a way to turn it off through the car-app or anyone done it after market?)
3. NVH levels were high in sports mode. Not a big issue for me, since I am a sedate driver and will rarely use this mode

[gauravdgr8]

Originally Posted by dass

Does the FL Harrier also have the infamous wind noise above 50kpml? Very prominent through the drive side window and is present even in the 2023 pre FL models and something that the ASS says is usual across all Harriers. This is a big issue for me, unfortunately with no solution in sight. Wondering if they have fixed it in the new one.

The straight answer is No.

However, if there are cross winds and one is driving above 110-120+, then there is wind noise, however, nothing in normal city driving.