The Harrier and Buzzard might get four-wheel drive system with new independent rear suspension and premium features like sunroof
Tata Harrier was one of the most awaited models launched in India this year and the pricing of Harrier was spot on, which helped the company to attract lots of customers. Last month, Tata Motors sold more than 1,400 units of Harrier and it beat the Jeep Compass also. The Harrier is packed with lots of features even from base variant onwards.
But the SUV misses out on one of the most popular features in premium SUVs and it is the sunroof as customers really like this feature. Now the company is planning to introduce sunroof in both Harrier and the upcoming Buzzard, which is the 7-seater version of Harrier.
The sunroof won’t be a sliding type as the company is planning to offer a fixed glass type one, which won’t sacrifice headroom and the Discovery Sport also come with glass type panoramic roof. Earlier, Tata Motors confirmed that Harrier won’t be offered with the four-wheel drive system. But, now the company is changing its decision as Harrier might get a 4×4 system.
The 4×4 segment sales are too low but there are lots of Safari and Hexa 4×4 customers, who want to upgrade to a premium SUV with the four-wheel drive system. The upcoming Buzzard might also get this and along with the 4×4 system, and the rear suspension of Harrier could also get an update as currently it gets semi-independent twist blade with coil spring suspension.
Instead of this, the company might offer independent rear suspension, which is better for off-roading and absorbing bumps and it will improve ride quality. The 4×4 system is likely to get different terrain settings, which might be sourced from Land Rover. The Harrier and Buzzard are based on D8 platform of Discovery Sport, which is also a good off-roader.
The four-wheel drive model of Harrier is expected to be powered by 2.0 L diesel engine with 170 PS instead of the current 140 PS and 350 Nm. Tata Motors is also working on an automatic gearbox sourced from Hyundai and a new 1.6 L four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine is also in the pipeline. The Harrier four-wheel drive model will be expensive than the current model and it is going to compete against the Jeep Compass 4×4 version.