Indian carmaker Tata re-entered the local passenger car market last year with a line-up headed by the brand’s only diesel offering, the Harrier. The Citizen’s Charl Bosch put the SUV to the test.
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The arrival in South Africa of the first modern Tata in nearly a decade comes at a crucial time for the brand. Compared with offerings from China, the Harrier is more premium-focused and, given the supposedly stronger reputation of Indian versus Chinese cars, not as affordable.
An approach some will find hard to stomach, when remembering Tatas of old, is reflected in our Harrier test unit in top-spec Fearless+ guise, which showed that, unlike Chery’s incredible transformation and acceptance, the same level of consumer forgiveness isn’t going to be shown as quickly.
Aesthetically, the Harrier gets off to a good start, as the often dull connotations of silver, grey, black, and white combine to give it an attractive, aggressive look.
Shiny touches
Aside from the slim design of the LED headlights, Tata has added tasteful lashings of black and silver brightwork, as well as a dual-tone roof that comes standard on the Fearless+.
Mounted on gloss-black 18” alloy wheels, the Harrier retains the corporate Tata logo in the centre of the boot lid, set against the backdrop of a full-width LED light bar between the tail-light clusters.
At first glance, the interior is neat and modern, though the excessive use of piano-black trim is the biggest drawback. What’s more, material quality varies, from soft-touch surfaces to hard plastic, and includes impractical white fabric on the centre console and door handles.
While the comfort level of the front seat is acceptable, those seated in the rear will have to make do with harder-than-normal backrests. In addition, the panoramic sunroof robs taller passengers of headroom. However, legroom is sufficient, and boot space is rated at 445ℓ.
Generously specced
In Fearless+ guise, the Harrier comes with a 12″ Harman infotainment system and a 10,25″ digital instrument cluster. The nine-speaker JBL sound system, unique to this model, delivers decent but not earth-shattering audio.
The steering wheel features a central gloss-black rectangular panel with an illuminated Tata logo, which is likely to divide opinions.
The Fearless+ is also equipped with rain-sensing wipers, ambient lighting, a wireless smartphone charger, front and rear armrests, push-button start, rear window blinds, and folding electric mirrors.
Not left to chance is safety, as noteworthy items include front and rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitor, seven airbags, a 360° camera, hill descent control, adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, forward and rear collision warning, and traffic sign recognition.
Oil-burner disappoints
The biggest letdown is the Harrier’s 2ℓ Multijet engine, which produces 125kW of power and 350Nm of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox driving the front wheels.
On the move, the engine feels sluggish, as the turbo takes time to spool, leaving it feeling underpowered. Once the turbo engages, it becomes smoother, though not as quiet as more modern diesel engines.
The six-speed gearbox shifts reasonably smoothly but can hesitate when downshifting and struggles to maintain momentum at times. Aside from the sport mode, the selector offers four other settings: eco, normal, rough, and wet.
Fuel consumption is recorded in kilometres per litre in India, so our weeklong, 655km test returned a best of 14,2km/ℓ. Converted, that’s just over 7ℓ/100km – around 0,4ℓ/100km higher than Tata’s claim. In practice, the Harrier used fuel slightly faster than most other diesel SUVs we’ve tested.
What’s the verdict?
While it will appeal to buyers who avoid hybrids, or those looking for an alternative to the diesel Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, the Tata Harrier falls short in several key areas. Priced at R699 900, the Fearless+ is expensive, and Tata will find it difficult to lure buyers away from the Korean pair, not to mention the onslaught from China.
Vehicle fast facts
Tata Harrier 2.0TD Fearless+
Price: R699 900
Engine: 2ℓ turbo-diesel
Transmission: six-speed automatic
Power: 125kW
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel consumption (tested): 7,1ℓ/100km
Licensing mass: 1 823kg
Towing capacity: Not rated
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