[igniteddriver]

Brand: TATA
Model: HARRIER
Variant: XM
Manufacture: July 2019
Delivery: Mid-September
Color: White
ODO reading as of writing this: 3040Km
Mileage:
City: ~ 9-11 (in City mode)
Highways: ~14+ (in Economy mode; yet to test sports mode)

Likes

• Real SUV in terms of both utility and looks. Take it anywhere: road, some road or no road, and even on extremely slushy roads used only by tractors. The big 235 tyres and the GC makes sure that it traverses AboveAll with immense confidence.
• Spacious for a person who is upgrading from a hatch-Punto
• Easy to handle in both city and highway. This is my daily ride to office. I don’t feel any problem in driving in the heavy city traffic. For a person who upgraded from a hatch, the only issue was until getting the sense of dimension registered in the mind the first few days.
• Impressive performer on the highways at higher speeds
• An AC that cools in seconds
• GC from 173 mm punto to 205 mm- the confidence that this massive difference gives is immense. I remember the days when literally cried each time the engine guard hit somewhere, though later I learned to drive without hitting anywhere even on the worst roads.
• Excellent seats, especially the front ones, with excellent lower back support
• Spacious boot that can hold loads of luggage
• Music volume reduces when shifted to reverse gear so that parking sensor beeps become more audible.

Dislikes

• Oversized OVRM that creates a major blind spot especially when taking right turns
• Buggy music system (at least until they have a permanent fix or upgrade)
• Ergonomics could have been better for the driver's seat position. Distance from the seat to pedals make one feel that it is designed for tall people. Push the seat forward, and the gear lever position becomes odd, arm rest becomes useless. But all these until you find your best seating position, which needs to be reinvented after each service. They dont care about your seating position adjustment.
• Alloys should have been standard across variants
• When one can say that the brake lights are sufficient in terms of visibility, I feel they could have been a little bigger.
• Can't yet say whether this is good or bad: The brightness of the entertainment unit reduces when headlamps are on. The option to increase/decrease brightness remains disabled until you turn off the headlamp. Meaning, you cannot increase the display's brightness when headlamp is on.

Comparing XM to top of the line variant

At a very high level, XM variant misses the following compared to higher variants:

• Terrain mode selector
• Android auto
• Cruise control
• Alloys
• Shark fin antenna
• Chrome garnish on front and rear bumper
• Front grills and ORVM covers with glossy finish
• Rear arm rest; front arm rest is anyway not of much use

Upgrade and the Choices
An upgrade or the thought of replacing the current car was at the back of my mind for over six months. I had two choices: to upgrade to a sedan or to an SUV. I had thought of Verna as a possible upgrade for some time but ruled out Hyundai from my list primarily because of the servicing experiences of a few of my friends. And then my mind was fluctuating between manual and auto for some time. Then decided that my choice is going to be manual. And then late last year, I figured out that I was leaning towards SUV. I needed more space inside, and bigger boot and the new five seater SUVs offer those and more.

Duster
A test drive of Duster for a friend impressed me but, I didn't want to go for a car that is over 6-7 years in the market. Since my buy is for long term use, I feared the chances of manufacturers calling EOL (end-of-life) in 10 years and sometimes, in even shorter period. That rules out Duster.

Harrier & Hector
Then comes Harrier with JLR pedigree and Hector from MG which reminds one of the Morris Minor of the '70s. I must say that Harrier impressed me outright from launch first because of the looks. Though I had some fascination for MG, when I saw the car in flesh and blood, it failed to impress me and decided that this is not going to be my next ride.

Seltos
Though Kia is going to be a hit in India for the next few years with all the fancy features one can think of and by the way they are moving today. However, I was not sure to whether to invest in a new player in the market. I had test driven Seltos and didn’t have anything to complain, though I liked Harrier more.

Hexa
Another choice I had in mind was the Hexa. One of the best 7-seaters in the market, I liked the Hexa to be frank. It was the size (length) of the car that made me back track, mainly because I will be using the car for my daily office commute and I am not very sure about managing it in Bangalore traffic and then finding parking places. Also, I had my fears of the future of Hexa, which, with the launch of Harrier 7-seater, has a chance of being phased out though TATA says Hexa will be there to stay.

Test Drives:
The first thing I did after Harrier launch was to book a test drive online. Promptly, I received two calls- one from TATA motors Pune thanking for my interest in Harrier and then from a sales advisor in Concorde Motors scheduling a test drive.

I took the first test drive in February 2019. The sales advisor brought the car to my office, which is roughly 15 kms away from the dealership. Myself and my friend took a test drive of roughly 10 kms but was far from impressed. The car appeared very noisy inside-out. There was visible vibration inside the car and even the gear knob could be seen vibrating. Surprised with the condition of test drive car, I asked the sales advisor whether the car I get will have all these issues. Then he said this is not the production version and the production version will not have any of these issues. Though he tried to instill confidence in me, I was extremely skeptical. I told him, I am planning to upgrade sometime in May-June. Somehow, he saw in me a potential customer.

Then, the very next month, March, I again did another test drive- a short one- from KHT Motors. The test drive car looked better, drive was better too. However, I was not fully convinced yet. In May, the SA from Concorde called me again to check whether I have made up my mind. I kept pushing or not attending calls till mid-June. Then I told him I need one longer test drive. It got delayed till July mostly because I was busy at work. By then, comprehensive online reviews started appearing, the most comprehensive one being the one on this forum. The TBHP review must have scared a lot of potential buyers, so did me to some extent. But, I had a feeling that TATA is generally responsive to feedback about their vehicles and would address most of them if not all. I did not completely drop my decision to go for the Harrier, but thought I would decide after the test drive, the third one.

In July, there was news that almost all issues reported till date are addressed/resolved in July batch onward. That gave me some confidence. I decided to visit the showroom and check out the variants vs. feature comparison and also to see which variant would fit into my budget. Finally, I decided that if I buy Harrier, it would be the XM variant. The price difference between two variants was close to 2 lakhs. The XM misses a lot of the fancy features which one could afford to miss, except curtain air bags and a few other features. Cruise control, auto headlamps, alloys, rain sensitive wipers, and even the terrain mode were not my must haves.

On a week day, I took leave and asked the SA to bring the vehicle to my apartment for a test drive. One of the reasons was to check whether my parking space is sufficient for the Harrier. It was a long test drive of about 20 kms on a mix of road conditions -which included good road, bad road and no road. This test drive impressed me to the point of deciding in favor of Harrier. I asked him if he has the XM variant in the yard, which I can have a look. He said he has one which is manufactured in May and I can take delivery in less than a week's time. I politely told him, I just want to see how the car looks in reality and didn't want to take one manufactured before July. This was almost end of July and I very clearly told him that I want a car that is manufactured in July or later and not one from earlier months, which he agreed.

[igniteddriver]

Booking experience
Happening in parallel was the negotiation for the exchange of my existing car, Punto. He first gave me a quote that was way below my expectation, and I told him I will think over. Then I contacted KHT, who gave even lower quote. The worst thing about KHT was that their SA was not even interested in talking to arrive at an agreeable price. I had some good will for KHT as I have been servicing my Punto there for the last several years and generally, they do a good job. However, this interaction with the SA was disappointing and decided not to talk to them further. Two days later, the Concorde SA called me again to check whether I made up my mind. I told him very clearly that the quote was way below my expectation, and I cannot proceed and also that I am in talks with couple of other dealers. He saw signs of losing a customer and assured me he will get back in a day or two with better news. I decided not to follow up until he calls me.

As promised, he increased the initial quote by 20k and said this is the max he can give. I told him it doesn't work for me and I that I am giving up. Then I asked him to give some discounts be it offers, accessories or whatever. He politely said there are no discounts for Harrier. In fact, he was sending the promo offers every month all these days. Again, he asked me for more time. The next day, he called me again saying that he can pay 30k more, but not beyond that. I know fully well what a 10-year old Punto will fetch. Add to that, I bought the car on corporate lease and then got it transferred to my name, which also means I am the second owner in RTO records, which can become another reason for a lesser quote. In addition, he promised another 5k as corporate discount.

So finally, I agreed for the deal and paid the booking amount on 22nd August. Coincidentally, it was on this day, 10 years back, that I took delivery of my Punto from the same Concorde Motors, during the TATA -FIAT JV days. He told me that delivery will take three weeks. I told him I am getting insurance done outside and not what the dealer provided. Through a friend in HDFC, who helped me with the loan processing, I got the insurance done. The cost was 30k less than what the dealer offered, and with better coverage.

In a week's time, the SA informed that a vehicle is allocated to me and he gave the VIN. I checked and confirmed that the car I am getting manufactured in July. I told him clearly that I will release the complete payment only after the PDI. The car arrived in the stock yard in the first week of September. Then starts the usual exercise of spoiling the buying experience. The SA is on leave due to family emergency, which is understandable, and the dealer doesn’t assign anyone to coordinate with me in the absence of my primary contact. After so much calling and complaining, and after 4-5 days of arriving in the stock yard, the car is shifted to the dealership premises where I can do the PDI.

The SA with whom I was coordinating arranged another person to help me in the dealership. I went and checked for anything unusual or suspicious and felt satisfied. I got the loan released and paid the remaining amount I had to pay to the dealer (I didn't go for a full loan.)

Registration
Registration went uneventful, except that the dealer delayed it 3 days as they didn’t keep all the documents ready. They told me that I can take the car with a temp registration. I politely declined saying, I don’t what to take delivery without proper registration and number plate. SMS confirming the registration number reached my phone next day evening. Installed mParivahan app on my phone and checked whether the details are correct. These folks are notorious for entering incorrect information, making typos etc. For insurance provider, they entered HDFC Agro instead of HDFC Ergo. Told the SA to follow up with the registration guy and correct this.

Accessories
The only two accessories that I bought were the HARRIER lettering for the bonnet and the 3D mats with HARRIER embossed on them. While the quality of floor mat is good, the ones for the front could have been better. They are too short for the front foot well. A lot of the dust gets collected on the fabric on the floor.

Delivery
I wanted to take delivery before 4.00 PM. I informed the SA in the morning itself that I will reach the dealership by 3.00 and I want to take delivery before 3.45, keeping 15 mins buffer. I wanted to make sure he has the time to keep all required papers ready so there is no last-minute delay. We (me, wife and kids) started from home around 2.00 PM in our time-tested and proven Punto, the extended family member for the last 10 years. There was some gloom among all of us bearing the same thoughts, of handing over the Punto to a stranger. Even my 12 and 6-year old kids were sad. Punto, from the first batch of 2009, served us well without notable concerns or complaints. I was happy till the last ride to showroom to give it to the same showroom where I took delivery of it 10 years back.

Anyways, after buying a box of sweets from Anand sweets, we reached the dealership at 2.45 PM and called the SA. He said everything is ready and will bring the car to the delivery area. He brings the car and I noticed that number plate is not fixed. Asked him the reason, only to find out that they are waiting for the courier to deliver the HSRN plate. I asked him if he doesn’t have the temporary plate? He said, we will make one quickly. They make one fix it, wasting some 20 mins. Call it small and silly, but they don’t have a backup plan if the number plates don’t arrive on time. He then showed me the welcome kit containing the key etc, and then the features of the car, which I am fairly aware of. On request, he then showed me how removed the spare wheel, which he showed me happily. I had to pay 7k extra to get the Pentacare warranty. I paid the amount and got the receipt. The SA handed over all the documents-invoice, AMC doc, Pentacare warranty doc and the customary five-liter fuel coupon.

The sales manager now comes with the welcome letter and hands it to us and take pictures in front Harrier. That was the delivery function. Then my son asked him where is the big key that we see in all the delivery pictures. Some bulbs glow the SA's head. He runs in and gets the big key and hands it over to us formally, taking pictures. Now formal delivery is done. I gave the box of sweets to SA and wished him success. I went to the Punto, looked at it once again and then back to the new ride, Harrier. I started off from the dealership, with all the SAs standing in a line clapping, wishing us happy miles.

Then, a last look at the Punto, which to us was like leaving my kid alone in a strange place. Then trying to console ourselves that some partings are for good, we moved on. Headed to the nearest fuel station on the way and used the coupon. We proceeded home slowly and carefully, wanted to make sure that we should not get a scratch at least until puja, which we had planned for the next day. We reached home around 5.30 safe. The next day early morning we took the Harrier to the temple and performed Puja. We could hear the speed limit warning, which was set at 80, couple of times, a feat, which you can rarely achieve in Bangalore, except at the early hours of the day.

[igniteddriver]

Additions
Dashcam: Got 70Mai 1S from Gearbest.com. It took two months to reach me as both Chennai and Bangalore customs kept it for a month each. Paid around 3k for the device, 1k for 128g memory card another 1k as customs duty.

The image and video resolution are impressive. The device supports voice command as well. Whenever there is a sudden jerk of the vehicle or unusual movement of the body, the device automatically records a half minute emergency video. At any point when the device is on, say "take picture" to click a picture. I can hear the shutter sound followed by the voice confirmation "capture completed". Here are couple of videos showing day time and night vision.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDIvsFonyAo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puZd5VU1zPI

Overall a good choice.The only shortcoming probably is that there is no display. However, you can see the live or recorded video and images through the android application when the device is on. Video disply is not in my preference as it can lead to distraction while driving.

The pictures down below show how I managed the cabling. All loose ends were taped using 3M double-sided tapes.

Pressure Car Washer
Another addition is the Resqtech 8 Liter Multi Purpose Manual CAR Washer. With this device, I can give an external wash with just 8 Liters of water. Wiping water is a little time consuming job, but I can finish the car wash job in 30-45 mins. The only issue is that you have to pump air frequently to retain the pressure. But it does its job, and I think it is a good value for money.

[igniteddriver]

First long drive
The first long drive has to be inevitably to my native place, to show and show off. Everyone was full of praise of the big car which is still rare on the roads. You get noticed wherever you go for the looks first, and then for the space inside. People made random comments like "all copied from JLR", "how's the mileage", "how's it on the highway" and so on. Most of them don't want to accept TATA making a premium car.

In terms of the drive, I am super impressed with the high-speed stability, braking efficiency, passenger comfort, cabin and boot space, and a host of other things. Didn’t go beyond 120 as the ODO was still at 200 or so. It gives high speed warnings at two phases; one at 80 kmph and another at 120 kmph. Seems like there is no way to disable the warning at 80kmph. There is nothing irritating about this except a mild beep and an indication on the cluster with the text "SPEED LIMIT". Harrier picks up speed really fast. On an open road, you can shift to 6th gear in around 10 seconds.

What I don't like are the oversized ORVMs and the unstable music system. Hoping to get the latter fixed soon. For now, I have a temporary workaround when the unit misbehaves.

First Service
The first service which is to be done between 1000 to 2000 kms was done immediately after coming back to Bangalore when the ODO reached 1700kms. It is more of a formal routine check-up and toping up of fluids if needed. Gave the car for service around 11.00 am and got it back by 6.30 PM. The service engineer seemed to be making extra effort to ensure that I am happy with the way a customer is dealt. Also noticed that for any issues I raise afterwards, the same guy attends to my issues. This is good in a way because he will have the vehicle history. Having handled me for the first two instances, he will have a better idea on how to deal with me, more than my vehicle.

I must mention that for any issue I raise on the TMSC app, I get a call back in very short time, followed by a call from the dealership I choose. Some good things that TATA is learning/doing must be appreciated.

The Entertainment Unit, the notorious fellow
All going fine, one fine day the music system started misbehaving. The behavior is not predictable and throws up a different issue each time and there is no pattern:
1. Display of the entertainment unit becomes unresponsive and remains showing CONNECTNEXT for long and doesn't work even if the engine is restarted, as if there is no next thing to connect to.
2. Display doesn't turn on, but FM plays, no way to turn off FM other than turning off the engine and pulling out the key.
3. Entertainment unit doesn't work at all for some time, no matter whatever I try, like restarting the engine etc
4. Music comes out, you can control it using the physical buttons like volume, next button, and steering mounted controls, but display doesn’t work.

I recorded videos of these issues and reported to the service engineer, and he told me to bring the car one day. Accordingly, I went last week to Concorde motors. They are clueless as to how to fix. The technician has to come from Harman. The device is from Visteon and service and support is provided by Harman. There seems to be a new software version, which is not available online and the technical has to come and install it. For now, the "available expert" told me that he will reparametrize the system, which, I believe is restore to factory default or doing a fresh install by connecting to a remote system. He told me this will take around three hours, and I agreed. I come back in the afternoon, and the car is ready for delivery. He told me there is an update to the BCM module, which is also installed. I got the Harrier back and drove home. Now starts the drama. The central locking system is not responding to the remote key. Whatever I try, the remote key doesnt work. I had to manually lock the car using the key. I believe it got disabled with the BCM update or so. Add to this, the reverse parking sensors occasionally doesn,t work. All possibly thanks to the BCM module update.

I called the "available expert". He told me to turn on and off the ignition 4-5 times and when hazard lights start blinking, press both lock and unlock button on the remote. I tried as he instructed on phone, but nothing happened. He then said he will come to my place next day. He doesn’t turn up the next day, but comes the day after to my office, in a poorly maintained Sumo Grande. He is none other than the available expert. I took him to the parking area and explained the issue. From his mobile phone, he digs out a video that shows how to pair the remote locking device using the diagnostic software and watches it a few times. He takes out his laptop connects to the OBD port and starts work. Under BCM, there is an option to pair the remote locking device. He tries to start that, but nothing happens even after multiple attempts. Then he calls several folks at Concorde. One of them asks the version of the diagnostic software. I helped him locate the software version, which is 4.9.

Now, the guy at the other end says it must have 5.0.3 and he has to download and install a patch to update the software. I kind of figured that he is not at all well versed with using the laptop nor playing around with software. I helped him setup mobile data tethering, download the patch software from the TATA motors website, and installed it. The laptop had to be restarted. He didn’t seem to be aware that one had to press Ctrl+Alt+Del to enter login password. He was waiting for the laptop to come to the desktop. I press Ctrl+Alt+Del and then he asked what keys I pressed, and he enters the password. He tries to launch the software, but it doesn’t work. It throws some Java exception. He tried multiple times to launch the software, but no success. Finally told me he will go back, update the software and meet me again on Saturday.

The tragedy is not that he could not fix the issue, it is the skill level of the technicians that TATA sends to customer sites to fix the issues with "premium products" that bothers me more. All through the attempts, he kept on watching the video on the phone to check whether he missed a step. If this is how TATA trains their technicians, how are they going to resolve even more complex issues? It will not impress any customer, no matter what the expectation of the customer is. That doesn’t mean I hate TATA, they just need to appoint/send the right person to do the job. I am confused whether to go to Concorde for future services or choose KHT.
Two days later, the technician again came to my office on Monday and fixed the central locking/remote key issue. He just had to keep the ignition on, both keys of the remote device pressed, and then click the Start button on the Diagnostic software for BCM > Central locking component. Simple task, bad customer experience only due to lack of preparedness for customer support.

Now, after a few updates, I dont face any issues with the music system. Looks like the software issues have been fixed.

[igniteddriver]

What is best about Harrier in my experience till now:
Passenger comfort, excellent drive quality, amazing high speed stability, maneuverability at decent speeds for a car of this size.

I need to say a few more words about passenger comfort. In the last ten years, all the trips to my native were in my Punto. Both my kids would be sleeping more than 70 percent of the time, exhausted. By the time we reach home, my wife too would be extremely tired partly because of the winding roads and the tiring drive in spite of being the fact that we were traveling in a Punto on the most stable in terms the drive. However, the driver in me would never feel tired even after 6-7 hours non-stop drive, purely because of my love of the driver's seat.

In Harrier, we made just one trip home. My kids were active throughout the journey, I never saw any signs of exhaustion in them, probably because of the excitement about the new car. When we reached home after the 8 hours drive, my better half was as active and energetic as she was when we started the trip early in the morning. In Punto, my she could never sit in the rear seats during these trips. In Harrier, she was sitting in the rear seats throughout the journey. I must say that this trip reinforced my thought that Harrier is my right buy.

A humble off-roading attempt. I have taken this same route during heavy rain when it was extremely slushy, with almost half a feet of loose mud. I could cross it without difficulty, hardly 300 meters though. This small stretch is mostly used by tractors and water tankers trucks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF6xDrnSipg

Service Experience till date
Though I had some doubts about how the service experience would be, things have been smooth till now barring the entertainment unit issue. I don't see this as a major worry now because TATA and their dealers have accepted that there is a genuine issue and that there is a need to sort it out. They have promised that they will get the software upgraded in the next visit.

For now, the workaround I have found is this. Whenever the entertainment unit goes unresponsive, press and hold hold both power and track selector buttons for five seconds. The system turns off. This seems to be hard boot command. Now, press the power button once to turn the system on again. Typical windows solution this is and it starts working fine.

I haven't faced any issue till now that is worth raising as a complaint.

[igniteddriver]

On-road price & discounts
Ex-showroom price: 14,05,755
Total on road price was Rs.17,48,754
Paid another Rs.25960 for extended warranty, total coming to Rs.17,74,714
They gave us a cash discount of 5000, and also gave a good price for my old car, Punto, which had completed 10 years.

Number of kms at the time of writing your review
It is one year and a couple of months now. In spite of the covid lock down, I managed to reach 10,000 kms

Usage pattern
70% driven in city and 30% on highways. Around 20kms daily in heavy traffic. Being our lone car, all our drives within or outside the city will be in the Harrier.

Comments on the exterior styling & design
Except the oversized mirrors (only in the initial batches), I dont see anything odd in the exterior.

Overall build quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps
Overall build quality is confidence inspiring, especially on the highways. One of the complaint raised in the initial batches was non-uniform panel gaps, which fortunately seems to be fixed and dont exist in my Harrier. The shut lines are uniform and I havent noticed anything odd yet.

Wheels & tyres
The XM variants get get 16 inch steel rims 235 section tyres and not alloys. The confidence it instills in us when tackling bad roads -telling that the under carriage is safe- is immense.

Interior design & quality
After upgrading from the "dull" interiors of Punto, the features, look and feel were a welcome change. I couldnt find anything odd or out of place

Interior space & comfort
Space, space, space and more space. That is Harrier for you. While the leg room, headroom, width etc are adequate, I felt the rear seats could have been a little wider to give more thigh support.

Driving position, ergonomics, controls & MID
I have written this above. Sometimes i feel that the driving position looks designed more for tall people. That just means that people with average height will have to push the seat a little forward to find their best driving position.

Visibility & size of mirrors
Except for the visibility issues that the big rear view mirrors cause while taking tackling curvy roads, there are no other concerns. Since the new versions have smaller mirrors, I will evaluate the possibility of replacing the mirrors.

Air conditioner cooling & effectiveness
AC is supper efficient. During most times of the day the AC works well with fan speed in 1.

Audio system & sound quality
The JBL speakers the decent music system that comes in the XM variant gives no reason to complain about the sound quality.

Interior storage, practicality & boot space
The humongous boot can just accommodate anything for you. When we show (show off) the interiors to someone, their reaction seeing the boot is drop-jaw.

Engine performance & drivability
Since I will be having only one car for all kinds of usage- city and long drive- I had the fear how how I would maneuver in the city. Then looking at how Innovas and Travellers manage, I felt the size the should not be an issue, though many believe that big cars are difficult to drive around in city. I didnt find that an issue except for the parking space. On highways, with just 10k km in spite of covid-19, I will confidently say that the Harrier is a charm of drive on the highway,with 4, 5, and 6 gears gears doing most of the duty. While going in 6th gear at average speed (80-100kmph), all you need to do to overtake is to downshift to 5 accelerate and then again push to 6 and continue.

Gearshift & clutch
While I found the gear shift to be easy, the clutch is a bit hard. However, the Punto that I drove for 10 years had quite hard clutch, I didnt feel big different about the clutch behavior. Again, clutch travel too is similar to Punto

Overall NVH levels
I am of the opinion that some noise is okay, at least to know that engine is running. Harrier engine doesnt seem very noisy, not much *noise* reaches the cabin because of the decent sound insulation. Some wind noise is heard at high speeds, but didnt find it an issue.

Fuel efficiency: City and Highway
City: ~ 9-11
Highways: ~14+ I have seen 16-17kmpl consistently for 150 kms at 80-100 kmph

Suspension & ride quality
Suspension is a point that needs to be highlighted. While driving on rough patches, very less of the suspension action is transferred to the passengers. Bad roads and potholes are handled really well.

Handling and road manners
Harrier scores really well in the ride and handling department. Quick turns and maneuvers at decent speeds are handled well without much drama. The car feels planted and instills confidence. On highways while negotiating turns at high speed, very less of the roll is transferred inside. That said, one cannot entirely say there is body roll. Harrier handles corners really well.

Steering
Steering behavior has been confidence inspiring till now. I never missed a quick response till now on highways, where it matters more.

Braking
Harrier is a super star in Braking department. It's very precise and predictive. In all these 10000kms, there was never an unnerving experience.

Any niggles, problems
Except a feeble rattle noise from somewhere atop the drivers seat, I havent seen anything distracting till now.

Looking back
I feel I could have gone for the XT spending a lakh and a half more for the extra equipment that one gets for that. But that is a decision I cant alter now, and I dont feel sad about it. There are things I can still add and are on my mind.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing!

Your car is going to our homepage today

[Sreesh1009]

Congratulations on your purchase! Hope it lasts you for 10+ years

A few years back people would run from Tata cars due to their quality and after sales service, but the amount of Harriers, Tiagos that I've seen is a sign that Tata has improved by leaps from what they were. Heck, they're giving some auto manufacturers a run for their money when it comes to safety

Coming back to the topic, I congratulate you once again sir! Please keep this thread active, it is extremely helpful for people who are looking to purchase this beast!

[akash_v12]

Originally Posted by igniteddriver

On-road price & discounts

Congratulations on your new car, igniteddriver! Seems like that's the perfect upgrade from the Punto. It's bold and butch + has enough road presence to be a proper SUV. Wishing you many many happy miles with the beast.

But that is a decision I cant alter now, and I don't feel sad about it. There are things I can still add and are on my mind.

You can always go ahead for dealer accessories or aftermarket ones!

[Storm2.0]

Awesome review IgnitedDriver. Really loved the honesty you have showcased in your initial review. (especially the part where you mention about taking car to native place for showoff).

The XM variant of your white Harrier looks better without wheel cover with full black steel wheels. Have you considered swapping existing wheels with alloys?

[janakiram_m]

Originally Posted by igniteddriver

Brand: TATA
Model: HARRIER
Variant: XM
Manufacture: July 2019
Delivery: Mid-September
Color: White.

Congratulations igniteddriver Wish you lots of happy miles with your SUV. The XM is one of the VFM variants in the Harrier lineup. We opted XT only because of the alloys. Massive presence of the Harrier is more prominent in the light or bright shades and your White looks stunning.

OT: Opening post was created in Dec,2019. Moved out of assembly line an year later . Hope you have a one year update as well.

[Nithesh_M]

Could you please update us on the service costs for the Harrier so far? I'm assuming your insurance has been renewed? What was the ballpark quote you got for renewal?

[abhatt]

Originally Posted by ;4710113

First long drive
Manual vs Auto

What made you decide that? I love manual and the fact that it would save 1.5l.

However, I am worried with manual in Bangalore. I do travel in traffic atleast twice a week.

I also believe that 5 years down the line I will own an electric as many of us here would which would be automatic so I should go for a manual beast but a mild knee pain when driving for more than an hour in heavy traffic worries me and makes me wonder if it would be easy to drive such a huge vehicle in the city with a manual gear box.

I hope you understand how confused I am with this message.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by igniteddriver

[b]
Steering
Steering behavior has been confidence inspiring till now. I never missed a quick response till now on highways, where it matters more.

Braking
Harrier is a super star in Braking department. It's very precise and predictive. In all these 10000kms, there was never an unnerving experience.

This is just for feedback for myself from those who are driving Harrier. In the last week, I drove a Harrier MT for about 12 kms on highway.

I had difficulty in picking speed beyond 90km/hour. I had to really put effort in making vehicle cross 100 kmph. (I otherwise drive Hyundai's 1.6 CRDI).

I also found steering very nervous and light and sensitive at speeds above 90kmph. It is far from a confidence-inspiring unit.

I found brake also very light and having no bite really. So, it is contrary to what you have experienced.

I would like to know if the brake was like this only in the test vehicle. That's what the SA told me. But the test car had only 2200 kms on the odo.

[ajaiD]

Your inital post gave me a distinct feeling of deja vu, as if I had read it earlier :P

Your review was spot on and while getting the Compass my mind was often on the Harrier because of its tad larger size it felt better VFM. Only if the BS4 variant that I TD did not have so many lose ends.

Strangely the 140bhp in Sport mode did not feel lacking.

BTW are you sure the XM has JBL speakers? Also did you get the procedure done from TSS to get Android auto enabled?