The Gravitas will sit above the Harrier in Tata’s line-up, which means that it will go on to become the company’s flagship offering in the country upon arrival
With the increasing popularity of five-seat mid-size SUVs in the country, manufacturers have decided to use this to introduce three-row versions of their respective offerings, which will help them cater to a wider group of audience. Some manufacturers going this way include MG, with the new Hector Plus, Hyundai with the upcoming seven-seat Creta, as well as Tata, with its Gravitas.
As mentioned earlier, the Hector Plus has been already launched, while the seven-seat Hyundai Creta is still kept under the wraps. However, we’ve already seen the three-row Tata Gravitas in all its glory at the 2020 Auto Expo, held in February this year. Here is a list of the five things that you should know about Tata’s upcoming three-row SUV –
1. Platform & Dimensions
The Gravitas is basically the three-row version of the Tata Harrier that is currently on sale in the Indian market. The former gets the same front design as the donor car, until the rear door. Thereafter, the Gravitas gets an extended rear overhang in order to house the additional third row of sits.
This means that the Gravitas will be based on the same OmegaArc platform as the Harrier, and both the SUVs will share the same 2,741 mm long wheelbase. The width (1,894 mm) of the Gravitas is also the same as the Harrier, but the former is 63 mm longer and 80 mm taller than the five-seat car it is based on, which means that it will offer loads of additional space over the Harrier.
| Car | Tata Gravitas | Tata Harrier |
| Length | 4,661 mm | 4,598 mm |
| Width | 1,894 mm | 1,894 mm |
| Height | 1,786 mm | 1,706 mm |
| Wheelbase | 2,741 mm | 2,741 mm |
2. Powertrains
The Harrier’s 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel engine was upgraded to pump out 30 PS additional power when the SUV was updated earlier this year, and this is the same powertrain which will likely be offered with the Gravitas too. The oil burner generates 170 PS of maximum power, along with 350 Nm of peak torque.
The transmission duties are taken care of by a 6-speed manual gearbox, along with a Hyundai-sourced 6-speed torque converter automatic. Tata also confirmed that it will introduce a 1.5-litre direct-injection four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with the Gravitas, with a power output in the region of 150 PS.
3. Features & Safety
On the feature front, the Gravitas is expected to be offered with the same features as the car it is based on, apart from the panoramic sunroof. With that being said, the equipment list could include an 8.8-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, connected car-tech, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat, a premium audio system from JBL, cruise control, a 7-inch display for the instrument cluster, an auto-dimming IRVM, and so on.
While Tata will initially be launching the six-seat version of the Gravitas which was seen at the 2020 Auto Expo, if the demand is right, the homegrown carmaker will also introduce a seven-seat variant. The safety features will likely include hill hold control and hill hold descent, ABS with EBD, 6 airbags, traction control, electronic stability control, rollover mitigation etc.
4. Expected Launch
A launch timeline for the Gravitas hasn’t officially been confirmed by Tata, but previous speculations suggested that the three-row car will be launched in the country in the second half of this year. Since the Gravitas is one of the highly-anticipated Tata cars in the country, we expect Tata to introduce it around the auspicious occasion of Diwali this year.
5. Price & Rivals
With the Harrier currently priced between Rs 13.69 – 20.25 lakh (ex-showroom), we expect the Gravitas to carry a premium of around Rs 1 lakh over the five-seat SUV. This means that the Gravitas could be priced from Rs 14.5 lakh to Rs 21.5 lakh (ex-showroom).
With the Harrier going up against the Hector, MG has readied the upcoming Gravitas’ rival in the form of the Hector Plus. Apart from the six-seat MG SUV, the Gravitas will also directly put up against the XUV500 in the country, apart from other similarly priced SUVs.