The Tata Harrier and Safari have been around for quite some time now. And with frequent spotting of their test mules, one always wonders about the next probable update on these SUVs. While there are many speculations of the Harrier and Safari to be offered with a petrol engine, our recent interaction with Rajan Amba, Vice President, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Care, Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Limited hints that Tata Motors is unlikely to introduce a gasoline alternative for its flagship SUVs.

The Safari and Harrier duo are powered by a 2.0-litre diesel engine that has an output of 168bhp and 350Nm of torque. The motor is coupled with a six-speed automatic and six-speed automatic transmission. As stated by Rajan Amba, ”…In these cases, the diesel engines give themselves a kind of driveability that is expected from an SUV. That’s our take on it. It’s been pretty successful for us in the diesel version. I don’t think it’s a priority for now to introduce a petrol alternative in that range.”

However, the three-row SUV segment currently comprises quite a few petrol options. The MG Hector, Mahindra XUV700, Hyundai Alcazar, and even the recently launched Mahindra Scorpio-N are offered with a gasoline engine in both manual and automatic gearboxes.