Tata Harrier : First Impressions

Tata's most advanced and the most awaited car is here. The Tata Harrier has finally made its way to the showrooms. The design hasn't changed much from the concept and I must say it looks absolutely stunning. I went to the Tata showroom here in Himayatnagar to check it out and I am thoroughly impressed. I was pressed for time, so I didn't get to take a test drive but I will go there this weekend for sure and write a detailed review. I didn't have my camera along either, so I couldn't take any high quality pictures but here is one I clicked on my cellphone and it sure is a stunner.

Please forgive the background and the poor image
quality. I promise to get better pictures and post them soon.

The interiors of the car were fantastic. I drive a Creta and I could see a world of difference as soon as I got into the Harrier. The whole instrument layout, the floating 8" touch screen, the wide seats and cushioning gave the car a very upmarket and rich feel. I simply loved it. As a lot of reviewers have already pointed out, I didn't really like the airplane style hand break lever and the center arm rest cubby hole which has to be pressed to get it opened. I sat in a parked car and could still make out that the A pillar and the rear view mirrors were too large and quite in the way of a clear view. A lot of cars I have driven don't have that problem so I found this to be a bit of an oddity. Another miss for a lot of people was the sun roof. I don't really feel its need so I don't miss it much. Its just a nice to have.

The rear seat was extremely comfortable. It didn't take too much of an effort to get in and the seats were wide and very accommodating. It is much bigger than my creta and I could feel that translate into space inside the cabin. The leg room and the head room were just massive. What I specially liked is the two level storage bins in the doors. It has space for the one liter water bottles and it also has an extra space to put your phone or other tiny items.

All in all it seems like a very good package. I am really looking forward to driving it this weekend. I heard about the engine noise and a few other little niggles but I would like to have a first hand feel of it before commenting further.

Tata seems to have gotten the pricing quite right as well. The Creta has been reigning supreme in the mid sized SUV segment since the past 3-4 years and it seems to have found the perfect rival. The Harrier is priced at around the same range, approximately 17-18 lakhs on road which is right around the Creta SX(O) price range. It is much bigger and more powerful than the creta and it sure promises to be its nemesis. Whats more noteworthy is that it will severely undercut the much costlier Jeep compass and is sure to hit its already dwindling sales. I havent seen to many new versions of the Mahindra XUV 500 but even that is bound to take a hit. Hyundai better pull up its socks and do something drastic for the next version of the Creta. If they don't watch out, the Harrier is sure to have their piece of the pie.

p.s. : I only compared the harrier to the Creta because I drive a creta. I will write a more exhaustive review soon.