Tata Harrier

The Tata Harrier was first launched in 2019 where it was positioned as a premium mid-size SUV placed above the Nexon in Tata’s lineup. Since then, it has seen some small updates, many special editions, and a major facelift which is currently on sale. and with the launch of the new turbo-petrol engine along with a few new feature additions, the Harrier now offers that one missing piece in its package. 

I’ve already driven the Harrier diesel extensively and have also spent some time driving the new petrol engine. In my experience, the Harrier did give me some troubles, but the overall experience did not disappoint. Here is a detailed review of the Tata Harrier.

Design & Build Quality

Recognising a Tata car has become extremely easy due to their new design language which suits this SUV’s appeal perfectly. The Harrier has a design that is modern as well as rugged. It keeps you up to date without straying away from a muscular SUV look. Be sure to take a detailed look at our image gallery.

This modern look, at the front, is brought by the elements like the connected LED DRLs, vertically-stacked LED headlamps, a detailed grille finished in chrome, and a chunky bumper. All of these elements come together to give it a face which won’t age anytime soon.

These modern elements further blend neatly with the 19-inch black alloy wheels, door cladding, and the overall big size of this SUV, which brings in a rugged factor. Lower variants of the Harrier get 17- and 18-inch alloy wheels, the designs of which differ.

Also, while yellow hasn't been a popular colour in cars for a long time, and most new cars don't have this shade on their palette, it somehow suits the Harrier perfectly, giving it a distinctive look.

At the back, the main highlight is the LED connected tail lamps with Z-shaped lighting elements. These lights, along with the front, come with a welcome and goodbye function which further personalizes the car. The rest is pretty basic: a chunky bumper, a rear spoiler, and a flat profile.

Tata offers the Harrier in six shades: Sunlit Yellow, Coral Red, Seaweed Green, Ash Grey, Pebble Grey, and Lunar White. The Dark edition is available in an all-black shade and the Stealth edition comes with a matte black exterior colour. 

There’s a new Nitro Crimson exterior shade added to the palette which goes really well with black elements on the Harrier. But if you want something truly sinister and eyecatching, then the new Red Dark edition with its all-black treatment and tasteful red inserts might be the better option.

Harrier commands a great road presence with its new design and big size, and this yellow colour will definitely make people notice you. But given that bright yellow may not be to everyone’s taste, the Harrier Dark and Stealth editions also complement this SUV’s personality very well.

Design & Quality

Like most tall SUVs, getting in and out of the Harrier takes some effort as you have to bend your knee a bit more than usual for ingress. Still for most people it won’t be much of a challenge. However, the elderly in your family may complain as it would be tiring for them.

Talking about the cabin, you get the same modern and premium look here like you do on the outside. The dashboard has multiple layers made up of soft touch plastic, gloss black elements, gloss yellow inserts, and soft touch padding, which adds an extra layer of premiumness.

The new top-spec variant now gets a white and brown dual-tone cabin theme borrowed from the Safari while the other variants get different cabin themes. You also get similar soft-touch padding on the centre console, door grab handles and on the doors pads.

The base colour remains black in all variants, but you do get brown and also grey themes in the lower variants. Also, if you go for the Dark edition, you will get an all-black cabin. Tata has also introduced a Red Dark edition of the Harrier, which brings Carnelian Red leatherette seats with contrasting elements all around the all-black cabin theme. 

In terms of quality, there isn't anything to complain about. You get a lot of soft touch padding, the plastics don't feel scratchy, and the buttons also have a satisfying click.

Tata has also used a generous amount of gloss black, which you can see in the centre console, climate control panel, and on the steering wheel, which looks and feels nice. But you should know that gloss black is a fingerprint and dust magnet, and can easily get scratches if not cared for properly.

Front Seats

You might assume that finding your ideal driving position will be easy since you get both tilt and telescopic steering adjustment from the base variant. However, height-adjustment for the driver seat is not offered from the base trim, which makes it difficult to get that perfect driving position, especially for shorter individuals, in the lower variants. While you won’t lack adjustment options in the higher variants, the dashboard design can have tall drivers finding their knees brushing up against the centre console.

The seats here are large, supporting, and can easily accommodate people with large frames. There is no lack of space and the footwell is also generously wide. The front seats are ventilated and powered for added comfort and convenience. 

There are no major blind spots here, and the windows along with the windshield are wide enough to offer great frontal visibility. But the rear windshield is a little short, which can lead to a compromised rearward visibility.

Rear Seats 

Now, let’s talk about the rear seats. A good family car should have good space in the rear, and the Harrier delivers that generously. The rear seats of the Harrier are comfortable, with ample amount of knee room, legroom, and underthigh support. The headroom can feel a little less for taller people, but it is more than enough for an average sized adult.

While there is no headrest for the middle passenger, the outward passengers get big headrests with adjustable side support along with sunblinds for the windows, which adds on to the comfort.

Three people can comfortably sit in the rear, and while the middle passenger sits slightly ahead, the overall comfort here is good, and space is enough for three passengers. In terms of cabin visibility, while you do get a lot of light from the large window, the big front headrests and the dark cabin theme reduces the overall visibility of the cabin.

Storage Options

In the front, you get two cupholders in the centre console, a large glovebox, storage in the centre armrest, and 1-litre bottle holders in the doors.

At the back, you get the same bottle holders in the doors, above which are trays where you can keep your phone or wallet. The centre armrest gets two cupholders, there are seatback pockets, and there is a tray behind the front armrest to keep your phone while it's charging.

Charging Options

In terms of charging options, the front passengers get a wireless phone charger, the centre console has a USB type-A port and a 45W type-C port. In the front armrest, you get both USB type-A and type-C ports, along with a 12V socket, and the rear passengers also get the same USB ports behind the front armrest.

To sum up, the Harrier’s cabin has everything you need in a premium SUV. The quality is top notch, practicality is more than sufficient, and the space on offer will be enough for a family. Tall passengers might want a bit more headroom at the back, but it is more than enough for most people.

Features

The Tata Harrier is a feature-rich car with one of the best features in its segment, and Tata has taken this opportunity to further improve on this package. First, let’s take a look at some of the daily use features on offer:

Apart from these features, the biggest change, literally, in the Harrier is the addition of a 14.5-inch SAMSUNG OLED infotainment system, which replaces the 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system offered previously. The user interface is the same as before, but the resolution of the screen is much sharper than before. It works smoothly for the most part, but does lag a bit to jump between menus on initial start-up. This screen supports wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay and also gets Tata’s Arcade app suite. The latter can be used to download OTT platforms and watch shows on Youtube and Hotstar when the car is stationary. 

Another improvement is the 10-speaker JBL sound system with Dolby Atmos. It offers a surround-sound like experience with dedicated in-built modes to cater to a specific type of music. The experience is really premium and you will enjoy blasting music on this sound system.

The 10.25-inch driver’s display remains unchanged. It has neat and clear graphics, and it supports navigation so you don't have to turn your head towards the touchscreen while driving. It also shows the feed of the blind-view camera while indicating.

The Harrier also comes with a wireless phone charger, which is a good addition to the feature list, but its placement could have been better. The charging pad is placed ahead of the gear shifter, and is placed a little low, which doesn't give you much space to fit the phone easily. You have to fiddle around to get your phone in place, and if not done carefully, you can end up damaging your phone.

The last new feature addition in the Harrier is the washer for the front and rear camera, which are connected with the wiper. They spray water on the cameras and wipe off any dirt so that you can have a clear display on your screen.

Standard safety kit of the Harrier comprises 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), hill hold control, traction control, brake disc wiping, ISOFIX child seat anchors, and rear parking sensors.

Higher variants get a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), front parking sensors, a knee airbag, a 360-degree camera with a blind view monitor, and Level 2 ADAS features like lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, and autonomous emergency braking. Prudent to note that Tata’s used great quality cameras in the Harrier which make features like the blind-view monitor usable even in low light conditions. 

The Tata Harrier also has 5-star crash test safety ratings from Global NCAP as well as Bharat NCAP (check out our crash test report here). 

Harrier comes with a boot space of 445-litres, which means that you can easily keep an entire suitcase set here (small, medium, and larger) along with two soft bags, and still have space left for a small laptop bag.

Its rear seats also get a 60:40 split, which increases the capacity if you have a lot of luggage. But the best thing about this boot is that it is powered, and you can open and close it with the push of a button, making it more convenient. You can also operate this powered boot from the key, through gesture, and from the cabin.

However, since the boot lip is high, you do have to make some efforts to load and unload your luggage.

Tata continues to offer the Harrier with a 2-litre diesel engine which is paired to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. Alongside the diesel, the carmaker has finally intorduced the petrol engine in the Harrier, which is available with either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed automatic (torque converter). 

2-litre Diesel

Being a diesel engine, some vibrations are expected, but this engine should have been more refined as the diesel clatter is very apparent, especially when compared to rivals like the Mahindra XUV700.

City Performance

Inside the city, driving the Harrier is easy, but you have to deal with the engine’s rumble. Overtakes are effortless and while there is some turbo lag, power delivery is smooth enough for easy daily driving.

Harrier is a fairly big car, and you feel it when you’re in the driver seat. So driving it though gaps will be challenging at first, but spend enough time driving and you will build your comfort with its dimensions soon enough.. 

I had the Harrier automatic for our review and this is the version I’d recommend. The gear changes are noticeable, but not jerky, and there is no delay. Also, if you want more control, you also get paddle shifters, so you can change gears manually.

The manual, on the other hand, comes with a fairly heavy clutch. So driving it around in the city can become tiresome after a while.

As for fuel efficiency, you can get around 11-13kmpl inside the city. The automatic will be less efficient, but that’s a trade off you’ll have to make for convenience.

Highway Performance

On the highways, the Harrier doesn’t disappoint. There is more than enough power for quick overtakes, and it does not take much time to get to triple digit speeds. Even here, the vibrations are felt every now and then, and the engine does get loud, but the cabin insulation keeps things at bay.

Gears shifts at high speeds are quick and smooth. The transmission also downshifts on time if you need to quickly overtake someone. It also gets three drive modes, including a sports mode which provides better throttle response. 

Here, you’ll be able to get a fuel efficiency of around 16-17kmpl.

​​​​​​1.5-litre turbo-petrol

This is one of the most refined petrol engines in this price point and offers a good driving experience. 

City Performance Driving the Harrier petrol in the city is a very refined experience. The car starts with a thrum, but settles very quickly. Getting off the line and low speed driveability is smooth and you don’t need to dial in a lot of throttle to keep pace with the traffic. 

At part throttle, the transmission feels super smooth and you won’t even feel them in most cases. It keeps you in the right gear too so you won’t need to use the paddle shifters. In case you do, there will be a certain delay in response, and I found it is best to leave the transmission to do its own thing.

You can expect the Harrier petrol to return a fuel efficiency figure of around 7-9kmpl.

Highway Performance Open highways are where you’ll feel the difference in performance with this petrol engine. Where the Harrier previously felt a little heavy and sluggish to pick up speed, it now feels quick. The performance isn’t exciting, but it hits triple digit speeds in no time, and has enough performance to keep building speeds quickly.

As a result, high-speed overtakes are not a problem at all. The transmission, while not as quick as a dual-clutch automatic (DCT), responds fairly well to your throttle inputs and drops a gear without much delay to make an overtake easier while cruising. In my experience, the paddle shifters did not respond at all at higher speeds. It wasn’t an isolated issue either, as other journalists also reported the same problem, and this is something that should not happen.

In terms of fuel efficiency, you can expect the Harrier Petrol to give an efficiency of around 13kmpl.

Ride Comfort

Harrier’s ride quality is comfortable, but not the best. The suspensions absorb the small bumps in the city pretty well and due to the longer travel of the suspension, it can also go over deeper potholes with ease.

However, the ride feels slightly stiff in the city, especially when driving over broken patches, and you can also hear a noise from the suspensions on those broken roads. If the suspension was a little softer, and had less noise, then the ride quality in the city would have been smoother.

But on the highway, the ride quality won't make you complain. It handles the uneven patches very easily, and you don't feel a lot of movement inside the cabin.

Handling

The Harrier is a family SUV meant to be driven in a relaxed manner, but when put in a situation where it needs to handle corners, it can hold its own. At high speeds, it remains stable during sudden lane changes, and the steering’s response along with its weight inspires confidence. 

It is not meant to be driven in a sporty manner, but it can handle some of your excitement.

The 2026 Tata Harrier is offered in 7 broad trims: Smart, Pure X, Adventure X, Adventure X +, Fearless X, Fearless X +, and Fearless Ultra. Here’s what each of the variants offer:

Smart

• Does not feel like a base variant with all LED lighting elements and 17-inch alloy wheels.

• Gets fabric seats, all adjustable headrest, and both tilt and telescopic steering adjustment.

• Feature list includes all power windows, auto AC with rear AC vents, and a 7-inch digital driver’s display.

• Comes with a good safety kit including 6 airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

Pure X

• Entry level automatic variant.

• Exterior updates include roof rails and a shark fin antenna.

• The infotainment package includes a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, 4-speakers, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

• Other features include a panoramic sunroof, a height adjustable driver seat, cruise control, and electrically adjustable ORVMs with auto fold.

• Safety kit gets a 360-degree camera, auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers, and a rear washer wiper.

Pure X DARK

• Only gets cosmetic updates in the form of an all black exterior and an all black interior.

• Comes with 18-inch all-black alloy wheels.

Adventure X

• Cabin gets leatherette seats, front seatback pockets, and a rear parcel shelf.

• Feature additions are drive modes, 6 speakers, a 45W front type-C port, and a rear defogger.

Adventure X Dark

• Gets 18-inch black alloy wheels.

• Only gets cosmetic updates in the form of an all black exterior and an all black interior.

Adventure X +

• This variant brings in Level 2 ADAS features over the feature list of Adventure X.

• Other feature additions include an electronic parking brake with auto hold, all-wheel disc brakes, and advanced electronic stability program.

Adventure X + Dark

• Gets 18-inch black alloy wheels.

• Only gets cosmetic updates in the form of an all black exterior and an all black interior.

Fearless X

• Gets 18-inch alloy wheels, connected LED DRLs, and connected LED tail lamps.

• Cabin gets ambient lighting, winged headrests in the rear seats, rear armrest with cupholders, rear sunblinds, and an auto dimming IRVM.

• Other feature additions include ventilated front seats, dual-zone AC, voice assistance, a wireless phone charger, follow me home headlamps, and a tyre pressure monitoring system.

• Infotainment package gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 9-speaker JBL sound system.

Fearless X Dark

• Only gets cosmetic updates in the form of an all black exterior and an all black interior.

• Comes with 19-inch all-black alloy wheels.

Fearless X +

• Gets front LED fog lamps with cornering function along with rear fog lamps.

• Cabin gets ambient lighting around the sunroof, a 4-way powered co-driver seat, and a front armrest with cooled storage.

• Feature additions include air purifier, a 10-speaker JBL sound system, and a powered tail gate.

• Safety kit gets 7 airbags and brings back Level 2 ADAS features.

Fearless X + Dark

• Offers an all-black exterior and interior and gets the same features as Fearless X +

• Gets 19-inch all-black alloy wheels.

Fearless X + STEALTH

• Comes with a matte black exterior shade including 19-inch matte black alloys.

• Gets a different ‘Carbon Noir’ cabin theme and a sliding armrest.

• Features include Level 2+ ADAS, and an Arcade app store for apps like Amazon Prime and Hotstar.

Fearless Ultra

• Tech-heavy variant with bigger 14.5-inch Samsung OLED touchscreen, digital IRVM with in-built dashcam, and Dolby Atmos tune for the sound system.

• Adds features like 65W type-C fast charging ports, auto-dipping ORVM with memory function, and front and rear camera washer.

Fearless Ultra Dark

• Offers an all-black exterior and interior and gets the same features as Ultra variant.

• Gets 19-inch all-black alloy wheels.

Fearless Ultra Red Dark

• Sports 19-inch black alloy wheels with red accents all around the exterior.

• Interior features a Carnelian Red theme with red leatherette seats.

• No additional features or safety improvements.

CarDekho Recommends

• Pick the one-above-base Pure X variant for a well rounded entry level SUV. It gets a good design along with daily use features and a good infotainment package. This variant is also available with an automatic transmission.

• If you want a more premium experience, pick the Adventure X variant. Gets a better looking cabin along with a lot of feel good features. Stretch to Adventure X + only if you want ADAS.

• Pick the top-spec Fearless X or Fearless X + variants only if you want the full package. Choose between Dark and Stealth editions as per your liking.

• Fearless Ultra variant adds no must-have features to the package, but can be chosen if you want a digital-heavy experience. 

• If you also want to explore which variant gets what features, we have explained the same as well.

The Harrier has a lot of things in its favour, like its modern and rugged design, eye-catching road presence, premium cabin, space, and performance. It’s an SUV that not only wins you over with its sensible selling points but it also has great emotional appeal thanks to its size and style. The missing aspects of punchy performance and refinement of the diesel engine have now been fulfilled by the new turbo-petrol engine, thus making the Harrier a suitable pick for a wider costumer base.  

The only catch remains the inconsistent experience we, along with some customers have experienced with Tata cars, including the infotainment system and after sales services.

Other Options To Consider

MG Hector

Reasons To Consider

• Better rear seat space

Reasons To Ignore

• Not as feature rich

• Poor petrol engine fuel efficiency

Mahindra XUV 7XO

Reasons To Consider

• More comfortable ride quality

• Gets an AWD setup 

• Some more niceties like 3 screens.

Reasons To Ignore

• None

Jeep Compass

Reason To Consider

• Feels more premium with better build quality

• More sophisticated 9-speed automatic transmission

• Gets an AWD option

Reason To Ignore

• Limited rear seat space

• Much more expensive

• No petrol engine option