The Harrier has quite a journey for Tata Motors it first started with a tantalising concept and later it finally came with a diesel engine along with a manual gearbox. Later the Harrier was further updated with new equipment and an automatic option. This, however, can pass off as nearly an all-new car with a new design and more importantly a new interior plus loads of tech. Diesel remains the only engine option and we drove the manual version.


Looks


This is where the Harrier shines and the aggressive design takes you aback honestly along with being a huge difference from the current one. It still has the Harrier shape but gets the new Tata design language seen on the Curvv concept to the new Nexon. The full length LED light bar at the front dominates but also the interesting pattern for the grille design along with the reshaped bumper. It looks different and more aggressive while this yellow shade surely pops out. Not much is new at the side with a different design for the 18inch alloy wheels and the rear also gets connected LED tail-lamps. There are different personas where you can choose different colours but overall, the new Harrier looks different and new with more aggression now.


Interiors


Open the heft doors and the cabin is an even bigger change over the earlier Harrier. Everything is new right from the four-spoke steering with the illuminated logo to the digital instrument cluster along with the larger new touchscreen. The centre console design stays the same shape though. Quality has taken a jump and the contrast-coloured elements in combo with the exterior colour is a nice touch. The large 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster can be configured including a full map view via Android Auto/Apple CarPlay. The main touchscreen is a larger unit and is slick to use with a high-quality display along with customizable widgets. Below that lies the new touch control panel seen on the new Nexon with two physical toggles. This can be a fingerprint magnet but the controls are fairly easy to use.

The feature list is vast and now amongst the best-equipped SUVs right now in its class while even beating some entry-level luxury SUVs! There is a crisp 360-degree camera with front parking sensors and dual powered seats with ventilation plus dual-zone climate control, a voice-assisted panoramic sunroof with mood lighting, a blind view monitor along with a gesture-powered tailgate while also getting 7 airbags. Elsewhere there is connected car tech of course with built-in Alexa and voice commands in many languages. The best part is the 10-speaker JBL audio system with 13 modes-similar to high-end luxury cars. The sound quality is excellent and these modes do make a big difference along with a tailor-made sound direction for every seat too!

The gesture-controlled tailgate also works very easily and these features do make a big difference now. Space-wise, the rear seat of the Harrier has excellent headroom and very good legroom while a large central tunnel and a lack of a middle headrest make it a four-seater but a hugely spacious one at that. The massive panoramic sunroof adds to the sense of space and there are rear sunblinds too.


Driving experience


There is no change in terms of the powertrain as the 2.0l diesel still continues to do duty with 170bhp/350Nm. We drove the Harrier with a 6-speed manual while the automatic version gets a new shift-by-wire mechanism. The diesel maintains similar characteristics with some turbo lag but has a strong amount of torque and pulls very well in terms of acceleration. The diesel engine remains slightly noisy but cruises effortlessly. What is impressive and new is the 6-speed manual gearbox which is not as bulky to use as before and shifts better. The clutch is also on the lighter side. However, the biggest update is the new electric power steering which replaces the value/heavy steering of the earlier Harrier. It is lighter but not too light, making it easy to drive or park. Yet it feels direct and is a big improvement now. The ride of the Harrier is slightly stiff at low speeds and sharp road imperfection filters in while the ride gets better at higher speeds with good high-speed stability. The Land Rover platform also shows the toughness and despite no 4x4 it can do the basic rough stuff pretty well and feels tough. Efficiency has also been improved slightly at higher speeds at nearly 17kmpl now. Tata Motors has also added more ADAS features including Adaptive cruise with stop/go along with emergency braking/collision warning/blind spot detection etc. These features work very well.


Verdict


There is no doubt that the new Harrier is a massive improvement in almost all of the areas and scores highly in crucial segments like styling and the new cabin. The equipment list now is amongst the best too and remains a spacious SUV. Further, the lighter steering and the gearbox make it much easier to drive and a better driving experience. Tata Motors has removed all issues and made the Harrier a much more desirable SUV now while giving tough competition to rivals. That said, we wish the Harrier came with a petrol engine as that is what the Harrier needs the most but overall, this is a huge change and the Harrier is now a much more convincing proposition.

What we like: Looks, features, space, comfort, toughness

What we do not like: no petrol engine, firm low-speed ride


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