Tata Gravitas, the much-awaited 7-seater sibling of the Harrier, made its debut as the Buzzard at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show
By now, it has become a well-known fact that the Tata Harrier will soon spawn a bigger, 7-seater version that will become the new flagship in its carmaker’s local as well as international lineup. The upcoming model has so far been known as the Buzzard, which is what the pre-production version that was showcased at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show was christened as.
Later, it was also said that the India-spec model would be called Cassini. However, today, the homegrown carmaker has confirmed that the new model will be sold as the Tata Gravitas. Here are as many as 7 things you need to know about the new model-
1. Launch in February 2020
Tata Motors has already confirmed that the launch of the Tata Gravitas will take place in February 2020. What this means is that the new model is only about 3 months away from making it to the market. In all probability, the launch of the new SUV will take place during media days at Auto Expo 2020, where the 7-seater Harrier will share the floor space with the Nexon EV and Altroz.
2. Could Cost Up To Rs 20 Lakh
The Tata Gravitas will likely cost more than lakh rupees more than the comparable variant of the Harrier. At the moment, the 5-seater SUV from Tata is on sale in a price range of Rs 12.99-16.95 lakh (ex-showroom). This means the Gravitas will likely cost up to Rs 18 lakh ex-showroom for the fully-loaded version.
Plus, factor in automatic transmission and 4WD, and we are looking at a figure of roughly Rs 20 lakh. The on-road price will be even higher and could touch Rs 21 lakh figure. At this price point, the Gravitas will be the new flagship in the carmaker’s lineup.
3. Bigger Cabin with 7-seater Layout
As is obvious, the biggest highlight of the new model is that it will be larger than the SUV it is based on. The increment in dimensions will help the carmaker accommodate three rows of seats. Also, the bigger dimensions will lead to a higher street presence, too. The extra row of seats will lead to the accommodation of two extra passengers, thereby making the new SUV a 7-seater model.
On comparing the images of the two SUVs, it’s clear that the Gravitas is substantially bigger than the Harrier. The upcoming SUV shares its wheelbase with the donor model but measures as much as 63 mm higher in length and 80 mm in height.
4. More Powerful Engine
Underpinning the Tata Gravitas is the same OMEAG architecture that is used in the Harrier. Also, the new model will even share the 2.0-litre diesel engine with the donor SUV. However, for the new model, the motor will be retuned to offer a maximum power of 170 PS to make up for the increase in weight. The retuned engine will be christened ‘Kryotec170’ branding.
5. Independent Rear Suspension and AWD
The Gravitas will also have an optional AWD system, which is something that might push the existing owners of Safari 4×4 to upgrade to the new SUV. The Gravitas will also have an all-independent rear suspension.
6. Will be available with an automatic transmission option
While the Tata Harrier has been available only with a 6-speed manual gearbox, the Gravitas will be on sale with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard and a 6-speed automatic transmission as optional. Until a while back, it was being said that the new SUV would get the same ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic transmission that is available in the Compass Trailhawk, it is now known that the new model would instead feature a Hyundai-sourced 6-speed torque-converter automatic unit.
Until the new model’s public debut in a pre-production guise at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, it was rumoured that the upcoming SUV would have a rotary gear selector know and an electric parking brake.
However, at its debut, the Buzzard featured neither of these, which means there are slim chances of even the Gravitas being available with these two features. Instead, it would have a conventional gear knob and an aircraft-inspired parking brake lever that is available on the Harrier.
7. Similar Front Design But Exclusive Rear-end
The Tata Gravitas will become the third all-new model, after the Harrier and the Altroz, to be designed as per the IMPACT 2.0 theme. It is also important to note here that the upcoming SUV will look almost entirely like the Harrier till the C-pillar.
However, after that, in the rear, it will have a different design due to a larger rear quarter glass, a new set of wrap-around tail lamps, a new bumper, new rear fenders, a new boot lid, and a larger rear windscreen. Also, the SUV will have a raised roof towards the rear for increased headspace for the rear-most occupants.
Other than this, Tata Motors will try to make sure to offer a clear visual distinction between the two SUVs by offering the Gravitas with some new colour options. One such new paint scheme is that of the light blue colour that was featured on the Buzzard Geneva Edition showcased at the Geneva Motor Show this year. The final production-spec model is even likely to offer an electric sunroof on the top-spec trim.