The daily mileage is largely skewed towards 50-100 km. The highway mileage has made sure the average stayed close to 100, even though there were about 40 non-driving days.

BHPian narayans80 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Our Alcazar has completed 6 months with us on Sunday. Odo stood at 18280 at the half birthday mark averaging a touch over 100 km/day:

The daily mileage is largely skewed towards 50-100 km. The highway mileage has made sure the average stayed close to 100, even though there were about 40 non-driving days. The longest being 1135 that involved Warangal to Shirdi drive via Hyderabad-Wardha-Samruddhi Mahamarg:

The car has been obsessively on BPCL and IOCL COCO diet, barring an one-off 500 Rs refill in an IOCL near Pandharkawada for safety sake (I did want to cover the entire Samruddhi run and return to Waluj COCO pump).

Had a sidewall cut on the drive to Vainu Bappu in February. Replaced the spare with Apollo Alnac that put me off by 7600. This was the only unplanned expense at this point:

At a 5 Rs/km fuel cost (which is 70-80 paise/km above the S-Cross) , I am not complaining with the additional practicality I get.

Signing off the 6 month update with a picture on the banks of Lake Ramappa from our year end trip:

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Keeping Innova Hycross aside, what other cars can be considered?

BHPian Roadster101 recently shared this with other enthusiasts

Having recently sold my Innova, I'm on the lookout for a new car. Let me start of by saying that this isn't a conventional what car thread. As they say, only an Innova can replace an Innova and my family is no exception from this saying. However, Hycross being our top priority, we aren't able to explore other cars with as open a mind.

My query today is, keeping Hycross aside, what other cars can be considered?

Requirements:

• Fuel - We are open to both Diesel and Petrol as well as Hybrids.
• Transmission - Dad is inclined towards automatic but I personally want a manual as I'm about to turn 18 in a year and few months and I'd love to drive stick shift.
• Body type - Preferably SUV, but open to sedans as well.
• Budget - 25 Lakhs +/- 10% OTR
• Length - Longer than 4.5 metres

Cars not considered:

• VAG twins (Taigun and Kushaq) due to less cabin space
• Kia Seltos - Poor safety
• MG Hector and Hector plus - Poor MG reliability and ugly front design
• Tata Safari and Harrier - Poor reliability again

Cars in consideration: (In order from most to least preferred)

• Toyota Innova Hycross
• Honda City
• Skoda Slavia
• Mahindra Scorpio
• Mahindra Thar
• Hyundai Creta
• Mahindra XUV7OO

Should I stick with the Hycross or explore other options. Feel free to suggest any car I've missed out.

Thanks.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Innova Hycross, XUV700 or Carnival would be the best replacements. Want a value for money comfort-mobile? Go for the Hector CVT.

Here's what BHPian jai_asnani_98 had to say on the matter:

Since you are considering sedans, it implies that you don't need a 7/8 seater strictly like the Innova.

Creta, Thar, City and Slavia can in no way 'replace' the Innova. Leaves you with ScorpioN(seriously hope you're not talking about the Classic), XUV700 and Hycross.

Basis few reviews, Hycross does not seem appealing enough to those who own a Crysta. This thread nowhere mentions Crysta, so I assume you owned one of the models upto 2015. Thus, you should definitely consider Hycross.

Mahindra has upped their game and hit it outta the park with the XUV700. I personally, am not a fan of too many gizmos and creature comforts on cars. An indestructible machine like the Innova is just what I like. AX5 variant seems like a sweet choice and an even sweeter deal if you feel the same.

Do check out the Compass!

PS- Not clear from the thread whether you own a Crysta. If not, it has been relaunched and truly deserves all the attention. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Cheers

Here's what BHPian hrk997 had to say on the matter:

Kia Carnival! The only car that can replace an Innova is a bigger Innova. I haven't driven the car, but crazy road presence. The rear seats look absolutely comfy. It's a true step up from the Innova.

Also consider the mg Hector, but it has several shortcomings. XUV 700 is the best car you can get, provided you can even get one.

Octavia and Superb are your go to sedan alternatives.

Here's what BHPian Shreyans_Jain had to say on the matter:

25L + 10% only gets you the non hybrid HyCross. The base VX trim of the hybrid costs over 30L on road. Unless you are looking for a car specifically to ferry 6 or 7 adults, there are better options to be had. Scorpio, Thar etc are also not going to cut it.

You should take a good hard look at the Honda City hybrid. It has the space, the comfort, the performance, the premium ambience, the reliability and the feel good factor + street cred, everything you are looking for. It is totally future proof for Delhi NCR, and meets your budget as well. This should be your top choice.

Another car you should consider is the Hyundai Alcazar, in the new 1.5 turbo petrol guise.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The Alcazar is also available with a 1.5-litre diesel engine. The 2.0-litre petrol unit has been discontinued.

Hyundai has introduced the new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine in the Alcazar. The SUV is available in four variants with prices starting at Rs 16,74,900 (ex-showroom).

The Alcazar 1.5 Turbo GDi is offered in 6-seater and 7-seater configurations. The 2023 model features a new front grille and puddle lamp logo, an idle start / stop system, as well as side and curtain airbags.

The new 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine is RDE-compliant and E20-fuel-ready. It develops 158 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 253 Nm @ 1,500-3,500 rpm. The engine is mated to either a 6-speed manual or 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The 2023 Hyundai Alcazar is also available with an RDE-compliant 1.5-litre diesel engine that makes 114 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm @ 1,500-2,750 rpm. The 2.0-litre petrol engine has been discontinued.

2023 Hyundai Alcazar 1.5L turbo-petrol ex-showroom prices:

• Prestige 6MT 7S – Rs 16,74,900
• Platinum 6MT 7S – Rs 18,65,100
• Platinum (O) 7DCT 7S – Rs 19,96,000
• Platinum (O) 7DCT 6S – Rs 19,96,000
• Signature (O) 7DCT 7S – Rs 20,25,100
• Signature (O) 7DCT 6S – Rs 20,25,100

The Alcazar 1.5 Turbo GDi is offered with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The Hyundai Alcazar is now available with a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. The SUV can be booked by paying a token amount of Rs 25,000.

The Alcazar 1.5 Turbo GDi comes with two transmission options: a 6-speed manual and a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic. The engine produces 158 BHP @ 5,500 rpm and 253 Nm @ 1,500-3,500 rpm. The claimed fuel efficiency of the turbo-petrol unit is 18 km/l (7DCT) and 17.5 km/l (6MT).

The Alcazar is also offered with a 1.5-litre diesel engine that puts out 114 BHP @ 4,000 rpm and 250 Nm @ 1,500-2,750 rpm. However, the 2.0-litre petrol engine has been discontinued.

Hyundai rolled out the 2023 Alcazar with several updates earlier this month. The SUV gets 6 airbags, ESC, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill-Start Assist Control and disc brakes all around. It also comes with an Idle Start & Go function, which uses an integrated starter generator (ISG) to improve fuel economy in heavy traffic.

The 2023 Creta and Alcazar get 6 airbags and updated RDE-compliant engines with Idle Start / Stop function.

Hyundai has announced the launch of the Creta and Alcazar for the 2023 model year. The updated SUVs now come with a host of active and passive safety features as standard.

The 2023 Creta and Alcazar get 6 airbags in total, including driver, passenger, side and curtain airbags. The SUVs are also equipped with ESC, Vehicle Stability Management (VSM), Hill-Start Assist Control and get disc brakes all around. Besides this, all variants of the Creta now come with a 60:40 split rear seat.

Hyundai has also updated its engine line-up with RDE-compliant powertrains. The Creta is offered with a choice of 1.5-litre petrol and diesel engines, while the Alcazar comes with 2.0-litre petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine options.

Hyundai claims that the updated powertrains are more eco-friendly and are E20 fuel ready. Additionally, the 2023 line-up gets the Idle Start & Go function, which uses an integrated starter generator (ISG) to improve fuel economy in heavy traffic.

Hyundai has also updated the Venue for the 2023 model year. Besides a revised features list, the compact SUV now comes with the same 1.5-litre diesel engine that powers the Creta.

For every hour of drive, the juddering occurs once or twice and lasts for less than 5 seconds or so. There is no check engine light or any errors on the console.

BHPian Naetik recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Folks, today I noticed the worst juddering of my Alcazar diesel AT. So, quick status update - completed 9000kms in the 4 months since I got the car.

I was on the NICE road in BLR and was trying to drive above 60kmph so I can clear out the DPF load. With maintaining 60kmph as the primary goal, I was driving pretty slow for the highway. I moved to 60kmph and was very slowly moving towards 70kmph. Exactly when it hit 70kmph, the transmission started juddering pretty badly. This was on for a few seconds that it got me worries, but once I moved past 70kmph, looks like the transmission found its gear and was smooth again.

So I tried to recreate the problem and could do so couple of times. Please try this on your Alcazar (or Creta?) and let me know if this a common problem:

Maintain 60kmph for a couple of minutes and slowly move to 70kmph.

You should be on a fairly level road (so the engine is around 1500rpm). On inclines the engine rpm would be higher (>1700rpm) and I could not notice the issue. But on level roads without incline, with rpm at 1500rpm and speed moving towards 70kmph, the juddering is pretty bad.

Till now, on highways I quickly move above 100kmph and never noticed a problem.

So, 1st of September I completed 4 months of ownership and the 10000 km service was coming up. I was also worried about the juddering from the transmission I experienced a couple of times in the last week of August. So took the car in for the service to Lakshmi Hyundai service at Whitefield. I had informed Mr. Chetan (marketing) about the juddering issue a day back.

Was received by Mr. Johnson (service manager). He had already got an update from Mr. Chetan and I should say the support from Mr. Johnson was exemplary. I am extremely impressed with the level of attention to detail at this place. I stay in Bannerghatta road and it is not easy to come down here for the service. But if the support and service remains the same, I will not mind making the trip for service to this place.

I explained the juddering to be the main issue I am there to fix. Also, told them not to do the dry wash. He already knew from Mr. Chetan that I wanted the car spotless and clean. Took him out on a longish test drive to show the juddering. Our thought was it could be the air filter or fuel injectors, etc. They needed the car for a couple of days to root cause. No error codes on the OBD meant, it wouldn't be easy to diagnose.

From the Hyundai app, I could monitor that he was taking the car out for test drives a few times onto a highway. He also kept me posted on the same. Because everytime the car leaves the service station I wanted to know why and what for.

Two days later they handed over the car. Went for a test drive for 30+ kms and no juddering. The only change was the air filter + regular service.

Within 24 hours of my last post mentioning, that no juddering was observed, it came right back. No happy at all.

On Sep 8 morning as I was driving into office, the juddering restarted again. This was at about 65kmph/1800 rpm on the inner ring road. This time the juddering was bad and it went away after I braked and accelerated again.

Again in the evening and next day morning, I observed the juddering for few seconds. The problem is, it is not consistently reproducible yet. But for every hour of drive it occurs once or twice and lasts for less than 5 seconds or so. There is no check engine light or any errors on the console.

My doubts were strongly on:

• Fuel injectors
• Clutch
• Transmission.
• TCM and related sensors.
• Engine mounts (less probability)

I called up Mr. Johnson from Lakshmi Hyundai yesterday and updated him about it. He was supportive as usual. So that is a good thing. I asked him to inform Hyundai and get a list of items they are willing to check. I will have to leave the car with them for a couple of days. Told him will only leave it when I know they have a clear plan on what all to check.

My car was taken back by Lakshmi Hyundai service manager Mr. Chetan on Sep 13. This time they took it back to their main service centre in Hebbal, Bangalore instead of the whitefield SC. Had a couple of calls with their technician to explain the problem and I could also notice from the Bluelink app, they did multiple road tests to recreate it. Finally after 2 days, Mr. Chetan called back to confirm the issue is due to fuel injectors. He took it up with Hyundai and next day got confirmation that the fuel injectors would be replaced under warranty.

But they had to order the injectors for replacement and they returned the car and informed that they will take the car back once the injectors are available. In the meantime, I had a vacation followed by the Puja holidays. Last weekend I was informed that the injectors had arrived. And today I sent the car back to Lakshmi Hyundai Hebbal branch for the fuel injectors replacement.

A round of appreciation for Mr. Chetan. One of the best I have dealt with in the past 13 years of being a customer with Hyundai. The lengths he had to go through to keep me updated and ensure that the root cause is identified and rectified is highly appreciable.

Mr. Chetan got the car after replacing the fuel injectors today. Went for a longish test drive and tried out driving at multiple rpm and speed ranges. Finally - no juddering was observed. Looks like the issue is behind me now.

Very happy with the way Lakshmi Hyundai and Mr. Chetan handled the issue. Kudos. Can only hope the service experience stays the same in the future as well.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Moving from my Maruti Brezza ZDI to this 7-seater SUV wasn't one of my best decisions.

BHPian dars.han recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I own a 7-seater Hyundai Alcazar that was purchased in April 2022. I have learnt the hard way that this upgrade from Brezza ZDI was one of the worst decisions. I am the sole driver of this car, I do not frequent my office due to WFH scenes and my wife cannot drive a manual (she works from the office daily). Hence, the car sits idly in my parking at least 25 days a month with me paying whopping EMIs only to keep it still.

Though the car is new, I am considering selling the same and buying an automatic which both I and my wife can drive. Potentially reduce EMIs and get a good worth of the car. Is this a good move?

Here's what GTO had to say about the matter:

You'll lose money as the initial EMIs of a loan only cover interest and hardly any principal amount. Your bank might also have foreclosure fees. But it is what it is and if you seriously regret the purchase (sure seems like it from the tone of your post), sell it.

Be sure to research thoroughly before buying your next car. Mistakes like these can be expensive.

Sell your Alcazar and buy something you love with an AT. If you want to minimize the financial loss, consider a lightly owned & certified used car.

Here's what BHPian condor had to say about the matter:

Difficult situation. While the general and common sense approach is to make use of a car, especially a new one, in this situation you could go ahead.

Remember: If you move to an automatic, AND your wife will drive it - hence putting to use the spend and losses, go ahead. You will have to cope with that loss, but better this way than letting it sit idle like that.

Suggest waiting and getting a good price. You can also try an exchange with another Hyundai in case the exchange price is better that way instead of a sale.

Here's what BHPian nik0502 had to say about the matter:

It’s a difficult situation to be in since selling such a new car comes with huge depreciation however I think you are lucky since it’s a seller’s market and most of the cars have high waiting periods. Get your car evaluated by Cars24 or Spinny and sell it to an individual buyer for higher than the price quoted by online aggregators. Just remember the first quote that they will provide you will be very low. Just do not give in to their pressure. These guys will keep calling you and will keep increasing the offer. You just have to be patient and you might be able to sell it for very little loss.

Here's what BHPian shankar.balan had to say about the matter:

It’s only 6 months old. Put it up immediately for sale. I’m sure it’s not run many kms. Considering the huge demand for all sorts of vehicles and the generally low availability you should make back near about what you spent to buy it, especially if there have been some price rises in these last 6 months.

But lose NO time. Sell it NOW. Before December ends. Put an ad on Team-BHP Classifieds as well as OLX and maybe even just go back to that dealer and see if they have a ready customer who wants an almost new car. Yes, you will lose a bit. But better bite the bullet now rather than later, because by delaying you will only lose more. The bottom line is to act really fast.

Here's what BHPian Hayek had to say about the matter:

Presume there were some reasons why you picked the Alcazar when you bought it. Fully agree that what you spent on the car is sunk cost - and it makes no sense to keep a car you are not using and which your wife is not using either.

But given this car probably cost upwards of ₹20L OTR, and depreciation, when you sell it would be at least 25% or ₹ 5 lakhs and an equivalent automatic will cost more than what you paid.

The other option could be hiring a driver who can drive your wife to work. The depreciation alone will pay for the driver's 2 years salary and who knows, your office may abandon this work-from-home stuff (I was about to use a far harsher word) well before that. At the very least, try out the driver for a while before going in for a fire sale on this car. Best of luck.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Spouse does not want to go through the pre-owned route this time around. I am a sedate driver and do not overspeed / drive rash.

BHPian BHPjunkie recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi members,

I am seeking advice for my next purchase which I am tinkering of since the past few weeks. We have recently become parents to 2 kids who turn one in November. We frequently drive to Lonavala on weekends where we have a family home. Now I currently have a Hexa which was a pre-owned purchase and was bought in Sept 2021. We were using the Hexa on such weekends. Now we are in a situation where my father (currently an NRI) will permanently shift to India and stay for good in Pune and will take the Hexa along with him.

I am looking to buy another 6/7 seater to replace the Hexa, considering we travel with our kids and their help plus the luggage. Spouse does not want to go through the pre-owned route this time around. I have shortlisted petrol and diesels from what is currently on offer in India. I am a sedate driver and do not overspeed / drive rash. On expressways I use cruise control and generally maintain 5-10 km/hr less than the speed limit. I have a budget of approx. INR 20 lakhs +/- 2 lakhs.

We have seen a few vehicles till now which are:

Maruti Suzuki XL6:

Pros:

• Excellent offering for the price point.
• Smart hybrid offers decent fuel economy in city.
• UV cut glass is great where sunflims are banned.
• Ventilated seats are a boon in our summers.

Cons:

• Dull performance on highways.
• 3 star GNAP rating is bothering me to make the purchase.
• Automatic is overpriced to justify the performance on offer. Manual has a better drive.
• Second row does not fold flat like the and is difficult to access the 3rd row.
• Interior quality is average.

Kia Carens:

Pros:

• The diesel auto is great to drive with adequate performance on highways.
• Luxury Plus interiors feel luxurious with ambient lighting, wireless charging, in built maps, ventilated seats and air purifier.
• Safety kit on offer is amazing right from the base variant with all disc brakes, 6 airbags and what not.
• Amazing space management with 3rd row useable by adults.
• Cons:

• 3 star GNAP rating like XL6 is bothering me to make the purchase.
• Topline is expensive at 22.xx on road Mumbai which is significantly more than the XL6.
• DEF concerns on BS6 diesel engines.

Apart from the above 2, we checked out the Hyryder in the Hybrid guise even though a 5 seater. Better half and me both felt that the space is similar to a hatchback for the price point. Interiors were great but space is something we cannot compromise on now. We have learnt that since we got the Ameo TDI DSG over the Vento TSi. We did not even bother seeing the Skoda / VW twins as they are not 6/7 seater and they do not provide hybrid like tech. Also I cannot deal with another DSG which is like a ticking bomb.

SUV/MUV we have not considered yet:

Tata Safari:

The base variant is 25.xx on road Mumbai and would not prefer to go for a barebones variant. Would at least want a mid-variant which is well beyond budget.

Innova Crysta and HyCross:

Considered only the topline diesel automatic in Crsyta which was way above budget at 32.xx. The base again is barebones and has absolutely no creature comforts, also they have discontinued the diesel and I cannot bear the running costs of a petrol Innova. I followed the HyCross launch, loved the overall vehicle, but I doubt Toyota will price it below 25.xx

Scorpio and Mahindra:

For me, spending 25.xx and beyond for Mahindra does not justify. There are multiple threads on niggles faced by XUV and Scorpio owners and I cannot deal with such issues in a new vehicle.

The dilemma is weather I should increase my budget and look at Safari / HyCross considering my concern about safety ratings? We have liked the Carens as an overall package but the 3 star GNAP rating is bothering me. My usage is going to be 75% city and 25% highways. Also the 25% highway trip are generally on well paved roads like expressway. We are not the adventurous type and as I said, I am a sedate driver, I like fast acceleration but always maintain speed limits.

Here's what GTO had to say on the matter:

Top choice is the Kia Carens. There is a reason that it outsells the XL6 as well as the Alcazar. Great design, excellent space packaging, comfortable suspension & superb powertrain options.

I would pick the Diesel AT simply because I don't trust the long-term reliability of the DCT turbo-petrol. You'll get excellent FE with that diesel motor & the torque-converter gearbox is perfectly mated to it.

You should take a test-drive of the Scorpio-N. If for nothing at all, just the experience. Who knows, you might end up liking its tough & butch nature. Drive the fast turbo-petrol as well as the practical turbo-diesel, both in AT.

Also, there are 100 other factors affecting safety, the most important being the nut behind the wheel. I say, go ahead if you like the Carens.

Here's what BHPian Pashin had to say on the matter:

My top choice would be the 7 seater Hyundai Alcazar Petrol Automatic. The 2.0 NA engine is now in its 3rd generation and is mated to a nice and smooth 6 speed torque converter. This engine/gearbox also does duty on the much more premium Tucson. Being naturally aspirated you don't have to carry the fear of turbo reliability or DEF issues with diesel engines, Hyundais are 2nd to none as far as features are concerned so you get great bang for buck in the Alcazar.

Here's what BHPian narayans80 had to say on the matter:

Do you need a diesel? Do you need an AT? How quickly do you need the car?

The XL6 is actually well kitted, it primarily loses out on drivability. The UV cut glass on the XL6 is actually better than the Carens or Alcazar. It is the choice if you don't want to spend much upfront. Should cost you 15-16L and you'll get your car in 1-2 months.

The next choice would be Carens 1.4T Manual Prestige Plus or Carens 1.5D Manual Prestige Plus. Both would be about 17.5L on-road. You'll get the 1.4 turbo petrol sooner within 2 months, diesel was quoted 6 months waiting.

If you want a diesel automatic, you are bringing Alcazar into the mix. At the Carens diesel Lux Plus AT budget you are close to Alcazar Prestige/Platinum diesel AT.

The XL6, Carens and Alcazar are compromised 6 seaters, meaning to keep the 4500 mm length the space is lost somewhere. Either in rear legroom or boot space or both. For your use case it should not be much of a deal. These 3 also will have relatively lower running costs.

You also have a choice of Scorpio Classic S11 and Marazzo E8, which are both around the 19-20L price bracket.

The Hector Plus, Innova petrol, Safari are a full size bigger that offer more space. If you are willing to spend upfront as well as running cost.

Here's what BHPian mayankk had to say on the matter:

Any reason why you're not considering the Hector plus?

It seems to fit in with your price/seating/feature configurations very well.

Here's what BHPian furyrider had to say on the matter:

Since you have mentioned your budget as 20-22 lakhs and want at least a mid-spec vehicle, Carens and its cousin Alcazar might fit the bill for you.

I was on the same boat as you last year and finalised on the Carens just because of the practicality on offer and the introductory price. Kia is slowly ironing out the niggles through active (ACU recall)/silent recalls (silently changed ambient temperature sensor clip during service - billed as 0). Keep in mind that the condensation issue is not sorted yet and Kia is still experimenting on owners to find a fix. Other than that, one cannot really go wrong with the vehicle, especially in the Diesel avatar. Regarding DPF, if you regularly hit the highways, it should not be an issue.

Also, if you plan to install a roof rack for luggage, do note that the roof rails on the Carens are non-functional.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

Sometimes I feel I should have just gone for the Mahindra XUV700 due to all these problems collectively.

BHPian bil.007 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Harrier Niggles

Hello fellow BHPians,

I'd like to share points that I think are crucial for everyone to know about and also as this would further help Team TATA "fine tune" the Harrier to meet more customer expectations.

P.S. - All the points about to be mentioned are solely from my personal experience with the car and are not taken from anywhere on the net.

Below, I'm briefly elaborating on the points that according to my experience are concerning:

The ergonomics in the Harrier are extremely poor

• For instance, I was looking to keep my sunglasses in the sunglass holder (I expected them to be there next to the ceiling lights as all cars do) but there was not a single spacious space to keep them.
• There is no "proper place" to keep my cell phone, the only place TATA have "thoughtfully" provided (pun intended) is a small cubby hole that barely fits my 6.7inch iPhone and on top of that reaching to the phone while driving is a task as it's deep inside the lower dashboard. I had to purchase a magnetic phone holder and stick it to the dashboard to ease up my life! Though the holder works really well. Everyone should try it out.
• Also, the armrest is of no use, it's not adjustable for reach nor for rake making it useless as I barely can keep my arm on it comfortably. Should have been even taller.

The side view mirrors are not as adjustable

While driving, I want the side view mirrors to have more play and was expecting them to move further upwards but they just wouldn't shift, also vice versa moving them down as well.

The high beam & fog lamps are just pathetic

Upon speculation, it turned out that the lights are not at all sufficient for night driving. I have already changed the high beam and fog lamps to OSRAM LEDs as they have much better throw and are great for flickering at night if I need to overtake etc. Low beams also aren't great but they just do the job. Why couldn't TATA just give Solid Lights like its counterpart, the XUV700? Sometimes I feel I should have just gone for the XUV due to all the reasons collectively.

Apple CarPlay goes bonkers

It worked fine for a month, but after that whenever I'm playing a track from Apple Music the infotainment starts to hang up the song, it starts from just a bit of a lag and then piles up making it impossible to hear the song due to the constant pause and play. I tried resetting the infotainment and got the system updated to the latest version but to no avail, checked with Apple about any such issues but there weren't any. I'm adamant that this issue is only due to Harrier's infotainment as my Hyundai Alcazar supports Apple Carplay as well and it works like a charm in there. Also, the Carplay UI not utilizing the complete display isn't very pleasing to the eye, as it is the display quality is not so great and on top of that this cropped-up Carplay UI.

Steering Wheel problems

Yes, everyone owning a Harrier must have complained or at least noted that the steering wheel is heavy at slow speeds. What joy does TATA get seeing their customers struggle to move the steering while it should just be with a finger? Now please don't go on that hydraulic steering has benefits for an SUV and whatnot, a mass-market car should cater to all. Also, the steering wheel is making clicking sounds while the vehicle is running, don't know what this is now.

TATA's logic

It is to make a vehicle the size of a jumbo jet and let them wrestle with traffic! Dear Pyaare Tata, If you had to make a vehicle with such a muscular road presence and size, then why not fill it with cameras and parking sensors to ease up the life of your consumers? Why do you want us to become professional drivers at the risk of damaging our own cars?

Honestly, parking the Harrier can be a task, especially after driving the Alcazar with a 360-camera system. The Alcazar is a joy to drive in the city as it gets the sensor and cameras missing on the Harrier, plus the steering wheel is way lighter here.

All the points I've mentioned are problems I've faced personally. Also, kudos to Korean automakers for truly thinking about customers and giving them great ergonomics and features that help ease our lives.

TATA truly needs to get the finesse it's been missing forever.

PS- In case any one of you is thinking why did I buy the Harrier if I had so many issues? All I have to say is the SUV is a crowd puller; looks like a charm, and its looks almost balance all of its problems (it would be superb if all these points are taken into consideration).

Hope my points give valuable information to TATA so that they can implement the same and also to fellow BHPians so that even you all can consider my info and post regarding the same.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The powertrain is most efficient when driven at the 60-70 kph ballpark. I've seen unreal fuel efficiency numbers on my morning commute runs.

BHPian narayans80 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

October end update:

The first 5 weeks of ownership saw the Alcazar clock 4670 kms. We had 2 highway drives planned in October, so this sort of mileage was expected.

The NVH has marginally increased since the initial days. It is still within acceptable levels.

The car saw the first triple digit on a trip to Mantralyam. The trip saw considerable percentage of 2-lane driving. Lot of spirited runs in the 80-100 kph region on the onward journey. No complaints on the power on tap for the speeds I was maintaining.

The trip also indicated how non-linear the fuel gauge was. The DTE and fuel gauge fall steeply once past the halfway mark. I had 380 km DTE on the onward when I crossed the COCO I had marked for refill, I ended up refilling after 230 km with 26 km to spare.

Maintaining a white car in monsoon months is a pain. This boy gets itself dirty in one drive to work. Makes it look like I've gone on some 4x4 excursion The biggest annoyance is still that damned reverse camera, which I have to clean after every drive.

The wake your neighbors keyless entry beep is resolved thanks to Saket.

The rear washer is activated by pushing the left stalk back. So that is resolved over the month.

The powertrain is most efficient driven on the 60-70 kph ballpark. I've seen unreal numbers like the one below on my morning commute runs:

On highway runs where it is predominantly, I see the MID show anywhere between 22 and 23 km/l. A tank-tank fill results in high 18s to low 20s. Roughly translates to a 5 Rs/km fuel cost:

The outrageously misleading DTE. This was after driving 50 km after refueling. It showed 1042 km at the pump:

Although the distance per refill chart has hit 800 couple of times. I am going to keep to the 650 km ballpark on future trips to avoid anxiety and hypermiling:

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