Introduction

Tata Motors launched the new Harrier facelift in India on 17 October, 2023. The popular SUV has undergone heavy exterior and interior overhauls with unchanged mechanicals. It can be had in 10 variants across seven colour options at a starting price of Rs. 15.49 lakh (ex-showroom). The flagship five-seater SUV of the Indian automaker has many segment-first features to offer with new variants. In this article, we will reveal why you should buy the 2023 Tata Harrier.

What’s good about the new Tata Harrier?

With the facelift, the Tata Harrier has gained some muscle, new colours, features, and feels sportier than before. The SUV can be had in seven colour options, namely, Sunlit Yellow, Coral Red, Pebble Grey, Lunar White, Oberon Black, Seaweed Green, and Ash Grey. The Sunlit Yellow one is our personal favourite. With the new parametric split grille, this bright colour gives the new Harrier a menacing character, making the already aggressive-looking SUV even more striking.

On the equipment front, the updated Harrier is loaded to the brim with features such as a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with a 10-speaker JBL-sourced music system, all-digital instrument cluster with navigation support, touch-controlled HVAC panel, and a four-spoke steering wheel with an illuminated logo. Further, it also gets an air purifier, dual-zone climate control, wireless charger, ambient mood lighting, jewelled terrain response selector, powered tailgate, ventilated and powered front-row seats, auto-dimming IRVM, and a panoramic sunroof.

In terms of safety features, the Harrier comes equipped with up to seven airbags, ABS with EBD, hill descent and hill hold control, front and rear parking sensors, three-point seatbelts, TPMS, ISOFIX, 360-degree surround camera, blind-spot monitoring system, updated ADAS suite, and electronic parking brake with auto hold function. Also worth noting is that, the new Harrier has scored five stars in the GNCAP crash test safety ratings.

What’s not so good about the Tata Harrier facelift?

The new Tata Harrier is a great product overall but there are some niggles which we also faced during our first drive review. Starting with the ergonomic issues, the wireless charging pad and the ports are awkwardly placed and are difficult to access. Then the fit and finish are inconsistent around the centre console area and door pads which could have been better. Also, the manual gearbox is notchy and slotting into the right gear is not as smooth as we expected. Compared to the competition, Tata Motors is only offering a diesel engine with their SUV duo. However, a turbo-petrol engine is on its way and we will likely see the Harrier benefit from it in the coming year.

Best variant of the Tata Harrier to buy?

The Tata Harrier facelift can be had in 10 variants, namely, Smart (O), Pure (O), Adventure, Adventure +, Adventure + Dark, Adventure + A, Fearless, Fearless Dark, Fearless +, and Fearless + Dark. Out of these, the Adventure range could ideally be the best trims to opt for as they offer many of the new features in the price range of Rs. 20.19 lakh to Rs. 24.09 lakh (ex-showroom). Notably, customers can also get the Dark Edition with the Adventure trims at a starting price of Rs. 22.24 lakh (ex-showroom).

Engine and specifications of the updated Harrier

Under the hood, the new Tata Harrier retains the same 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel engine from the previous iteration. This engine is BS6 2.0-compliant and is capable of producing 168bhp and 350Nm of torque while being mated to a six-speed manual and an automatic torque converter unit.