Tata Harrier

The Tata Harrier is a mid-size SUV priced between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 26.50 lakh (ex-showroom) The Harrier is a rival to SUVs like the Mahindra XUV700, MG Hector and Jeep Compass. This SUV gets a modern design inside and out, and comes with premium features along with a diesel powertrain, which makes it a desirable family car, but there are some small issues you should know before considering buying the Harrier.

• Harrier’s design looks fresh and I feel this design will continue to look new for the next few years.

• The connected LED DRL setup has become a signature for Tata cars, and it makes it easier to recognize them on the road.

• It also features vertically-stacked LED headlamps, and a connected LED tail lamp setup. 

• There’s a welcome and goodbye function in the DRLs and tail lamps which look neat and add another touch of modernity.

• This modern design gets some ruggedness from the cladding, size, and the 19-inch alloy wheels on the side.

• Lower variants get 17-inch alloys, mid-spec ones get 18-inch ones, and all variants come with a 16-inch steel spare wheel.

• At the back, the Harrier continues its bulky and rugged design, but the highlight here are the Z-shaped tail lamps, and the connecting element.

• Tata offers the Harrier in 6 shades: Sunlit Yellow, Coral Red, Ash Grey, Seaweed Green, Pebble Grey, and Lunar White. 

• These shades are also available in a dual-tone shade with a black roof.

• If you want your Harrier to look even more rugged, you can go for the Dark of the Stealth edition, which come with an all-black and matte black shades, respectively.

Design & Quality

• Harrier’s cabin takes a minimalist approach with a premium look and a curved design.

• The top-spec version that I drove had a black and yellow cabin theme, but this changes based on the variant and the exterior colour you choose.

• As far as cabin quality is concerned, there is nothing that makes you complain.

• You get glossy elements on the dashboard, leatherette padding on door pads, steering wheel, and grab handles, and the buttons are solid and sturdy.

• These glossy elements look good, but they attract a lot of dust and are prone to scratches.

• In terms of fit and finish, there are panel gaps around the glovebox, and the gear lever along with the drive mode selector feels a little flimsy.

• The overall cabin quality is what you expect for the price, but there is still room for improvement.

Driving Position

• The driver seat gets 6-way power adjustment along with a memory function, which makes finding your ideal driving position very easy.

• To make this even easier, the steering wheel comes with both tilt and telescopic adjustment.

• You also sit very high, which gives you a commanding driving position, and the massive windshield offers great visibility.

Passenger Comfort

• While the driver seat gets 6-way power adjustment and a memory function, the front passenger seat is only 4-way powered with manual seat height adjustment.

• These seats offer good side support and have ample space for taller passengers.

• The front armrest also makes long drives more comfortable.

• Harrier’s rear seats have sufficient space for 3 passengers, and outboard passengers get adjustable headrests.

• There is a good amount of headroom for taller passengers and you won’t complain about the legroom, kneeroom, and underthigh support.

• The middle passenger does sit slightly upright due to the bulging seat back and seat base, but there is enough space for the middle passenger to sit comfortably.

Storage Options

• All four doors get 1-litre bottle holders along with some space on the side for smaller items.

• Front passengers get two cupholders, a cooled glovebox, and centre armrest storage.

• Rear passengers get seat back pockets, cupholders in the centre armrest, and a tray below the rear AC vents to keep their phone.

Features

• The feature list of the 2025 Harrier will not leave you wanting for more. But might leave you slightly annoyed.

• It gets a 12.3-inch touchscreen which has a very user-friendly interface and it supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

• However, this screen is prone to glitches and in my experience it just stopped working for 3 hours.

• This screen is paired with a 10-speaker JBL sound system that has crisp and clear audio with multiple audio customization options.

• There’s also a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, which relays all information in a clean manner, and can also be used to view maps while driving.

• There are ventilated front seats which work well and do not create a lot of noise.

• You also get a 360-degree camera with good camera quality, but the feed can sometimes be laggy.

• Rest of the features include a panoramic sunroof, a wireless phone charger, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, and ambient lighting.

• Harrier has a 5-star crash test safety rating from both Global NCAP and Bharat NCAP.

• Its standard safety net includes 6 airbags, electronic stability program (ESP), hill hold control, traction control, corner stability control, rear parking sensors, and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

• Higher variants get a tyre pressure monitoring system, an additional (knee) airbag, all-wheel disc brakes, and a 360-degree camera with a blind view monitor.

• Tata also offers it with Level 2 ADAS (advanced driver assistance system) features like adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, high beam assist, lane keep and lane following assist, and autonomous emergency braking.

• Harrier gets a boot space of 445-litres which allows you to keep an entire suitcase set along with two soft bags, and you’ll still have space left for smaller items.

• For more luggage, you get 60:40 split rear seats which you can fold, and the boot lid is powered and gets gesture controls, which makes loading and unloading very convenient.

• The 2025 Tata Harrier is available only with a 2-litre diesel engine, which can be had either with a 6-speed manual or with a 6-speed automatic transmission (torque converter).

• This engine is not as refined as the diesel units of some of its rivals, which results in vibrations and clatter.

• In the city, the power delivery is smooth enough for easy driving.

• It packs more than enough power for your daily city drives and can perform effortless overtakes.

• The clutch feels light and gear shifts are easy to do.

• You can easily keep driving in 2nd gear in the city, and you won’t feel the need to change gears that often.

• Highway drives are exciting and you can get to triple digits very quickly. Overtakes here are effortless as well.

• It comes with multiple drive modes, one of which is the sports mode, that offers slightly better throttle response.

• Tata has also given it wet and rough road modes, but you can easily drive on those surfaces without changing modes.

• Out of the two transmissions, we’d recommend the automatic as it provides a smooth drive experience and is more convenient in the city.

• Fuel efficiency in the city will be around 12-13 kmpl for the manual and around 11-12 kmpl for the automatic. 

• On the highway, the manual will give you close to 17 kmpl, while the automatic will return around 15-16 kmpl.

• Since it is a diesel, you can get even better mileage while cruising at 80-90 kmph.

• Harrier offers a comfortable ride quality on most surfaces.

• When driving in the city, it easily absorbs potholes and speedbreakers and does not translate much to the cabin.

• However, on bad roads, it does give the passengers some jerks, and the suspension noise is clearly audible.

• On the highways, it remains stable and handles cracks and undulations well.

• Even with the SUV body style, side to side movement is well controlled, so the passengers do not have to face a lot of movement.

• As far as handling is concerned, it remains planted on corners, the steering has some weight to it, and it does not scare you.

Smart

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

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

• Feature list, however, only includes basic equipment like all power windows, auto AC, and tilt and telescopic steering wheel.

Smart (O)

• Gets minor design upgrades like roof rails and connected LED tail lamps.

• Feature additions include front centre armrest, tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and electrically adjustable ORVMs.

Pure

• One above base trim that gets feature additions like a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

• The only addition in the safety kit is a rear view camera.

• Gets minor cosmetic updates like a shark fin antenna.

Pure (O)

• Gets the same updates which the Smart (O) offers over the Smart variant.

Pure +

• This is the entry level automatic variant.

• Feature upgrades over Pure (O) include push button start/stop, cruise control, and paddle shifters.

• The cabin also gets a height adjustable driver seat and leather wrapped steering wheel.

Pure + S

• The highlight of this variant is a voice assisted panoramic sunroof.

• Other features additions include rain sensing wipers and auto headlamps.

Pure + S #DARK

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

Adventure

• Exterior updates include 17-inch diamond cut alloy wheels and front LED fog lamps.

• Feature additions are ambient lighting, rear window sunshade, and a rear defogger.

• It also gets a front armrest with cooled storage and a rear armrest with cupholders.

Adventure +

• Gets 18-inch alloy wheels as part of exterior updates.

• New features include a voice assisted panoramic sunroof, wireless phone charger, and auto headlamps.

• The safety kit gets additional features like a 360-degree camera, electronic parking brake with auto hold, rain sensing wipers, and all-wheel disc brakes.

Adventure + #DARK

• Gets an all-black exterior with 19-inch black alloys along with an all-black cabin theme,

Adventure + A

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

• These features include adaptive cruise control with stop and go function, lane keep assist, and autonomous emergency braking.

Fearless

• This is the top-spec trim of the Harrier which gets exterior updates like sequential turn indicators, welcome and goodbye function for the DRLs and tail lamps, and cornering function in the front fog lamps.

• The cabin gets leatherette seats and leather wrap on door pads.

• Gets a bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen and a 9-speaker JBL sound system.

• Other feature additions include 6-way powered driver seat with memory function, 4-way powered front passenger seat, ventilated front seats, auto dimming IRVM, and hill descent control.

Fearless #DARK

• Gets an all-black exterior with 19-inch black alloys along with an all-black cabin theme,

Fearless +

• Gets improvements in the safety kit with Level-2 ADAS features and an additional airbag (knee).

• New features include a 10-speaker JBL sound system and gesture controlled powered tailgate.

Fearless + #DARK

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

Fearless + 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.

CarDekho Recommends

• Pick the mid-spec Pure + 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 Fearless variant. Gets a better looking cabin along with a lot of feel good features. Stretch to Fearless + only if you want ADAS.

• Choose the + S variant of the Pure trim if you want a sunroof, and pick between DARK and STEALTH as per your liking.

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 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

• Option of a petrol engine

Reasons To Ignore

• Not as feature rich

• Poor petrol engine fuel efficiency

Mahindra XUV700

Reasons To Consider

• Option of petrol engine

• More comfortable ride quality

• Gets an AWD setup 

Reasons To Ignore

• High waiting period in some cities

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