Tata Harrier will be offered in five- and seven-seat versions and use 2.0-litre Fiat-sourced diesel engine
There have been wide speculations about the name of production-spec Tata H5X SUV in the last few months and a report emerged on the internet suggests that it has been christened as the ‘Harrier’. The premium SUV will be offered in two configurations: One is a five-seat competing against the likes of Hyundai Creta and the seven-seat version will lock horns with Jeep Compass and Mahindra XUV500.
Tata Motors took to the 2018 Auto Expo in February with a stunning H5X concept and 85 percent of what has been witnessed on it will be used on the production model, said Design Head Pratap Bose. We cannot argue against his claim as Tata has demonstrated with the Nexon that it is indeed capable of converting a conceptual model into production vehicle with little to choose between them.
The consistently appearing spy shots of the camouflaged H5X test mules do stand by that as well. The Tata Harrier premium SUV is based on the L550 platform of Land Rover Discovery Sport but with obvious modifications to keep the costs in check. The expensive aluminium bits have been replaced and due to the presence of high ground clearance and being based on Discovery Sport, it will turn out to be a potent off-roader as well with multiple drive modes.
Moreover, the Tata Harrier could use the same suspension setup as the Discovery Sport as independent suspension on all four wheels is expected to be employed. The homegrown automaker is wary of the growth in upmarket SUV segments and thus in a similar fashion to Hexa crossover, it will boast several connectivity options as well as a spacious and plush interior.
The Tata Harrier is powered by a 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine sourced from Fiat and it will be available in two states of tune: One producing 140 hp on the five-seat version and the other capable of churning out 160 hp on the seven-seat model to firmly compete against Jeep Compass. The top-spec variants are more likely to get 4×4 system developed completely in-house by Tata and the automatic transmission could be sourced from ZF.
Down the line, Tata will reportedly introduce a hybrid variant of the Harrier to give itself an unique stature within the segment. We can expect the Tata Harrier SUV to be launched in India towards the end of this year or more probably in the early parts of 2019. Tata appears to address a big band of customers with the Harrier courtesy of its expansive price range.