The Tata Harrier SUV will be the production version
of the Tata H5X concept that made its debut at the Auto Expo 2018. A new spy
image posted by Motoroids gives us a good look of the upcoming SUV's interior.
From the looks of it, the spy mule that has been
caught testing is equipped with a manual transmission. The spy image of the
interior shows that the Tata Harrier SUV will come with a floating display for
the infotainment unit. Also, there's a chrome strip that runs across the dashboard.
The instrument cluster looks more upmarket than the one on
the Hexa. It has a colour MID and chrome highlights around the dials. There are
digital semi-circular displays for the fuel gauge and instantaneous fuel
consumption. Also, there are 'MODE' and 'SET' buttons for toggling through
various options that the MID offers. The steering wheel looks somewhat similar
to that on the latest Tata models. However, it has a slightly different
centre-pad and new buttons.
The Tata Harrier SUV will get its juice from the
Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre Multijet II turbocharged diesel engine that powers the
Jeep Compass. However, the Harrier is likely to have lower power and torque
figures of 140 bhp and 350 Nm respectively. For the H7X, which will be
Harrier's 7-seater sibling, the same engine will offer 167 bhp. It will come
mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Also, the Harrier will reportedly get
a 6-speed automatic transmission from Hyundai. The upcoming flagship SUV will
be underpinned by the new ‘Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced (OMEGA)’
platform. This is basically a modified version of JLR's D8 platform.
The Harrier will go on sale in Q1 2019
(January-March 2019), Tata Motors has confirmed. It will rival the likes of
Jeep Compass. Prices should start at around Rs 13 lakh.
