The Tata Harrier is easily among the most highly-awaited SUVs of all times. The Harrier made its public debut at the Auto Expo 2018 in a concept avatar that was called the Tata H5X. Now, however, the upcoming Tata flagship is closer to production. Quite obviously, the production version of the H5X, nay, the Harrier, won’t be exactly like the concept that was showcased at the Auto Expo 2018. Here is a lowdown on the changes that the production-spec SUV will carry. We’ve also talked a bit about the bits that will be retained.
Name – H5X to Harrier
Like we said, the Harrier’s concept version was called the H5X. Quite obviously, the initial name had to be replaced with something that had a higher appeal. Recently, Tata announced that the production version of the H5X will be called the Harrier. That said, the seven-seat version of this SUV will have a different market name. Interestingly, Japanese auto giant Toyota sells a mid-size SUV with the same name. However, the identical name won’t be an issue in our country as the Toyota Harrier isn’t sold in India.
Straight lines instead of some of the curves
Some of the curves seen on the H5X concept won’t make it to the production version. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as most cars lose a lot of their initial design cues along the process of reaching the production stage from being merely a design study. In order to keep costs competitive, some of the design elements are eliminated. In case of the Harrier, some of the curves possessed by the H5X will be replaced with straight lines.
Headlamps will take a more conventional position just below the hood
Other than the elimination of some of the curves, even the striking LED headlamps will see a change. No, they won’t be done away with. However, they’ll be repositioned to a more conventional position just below the hood.
Toned down styling bits on the front-end
The front-end will see some more revisions. The huge skid plate, for example, will make way for a smaller unit. Also, the air-dams will receive a set of fog lamps and auxiliary lamps. The Harrier will also get a slightly different grille that will have a honeycomb pattern.
Dashboard won’t have a buttonless design
The H5X offered a buttonless dashboard that comprised of several touchscreen interfaces. The production-spec version, however, won’t be as radical. The dashboard of the Harrier won’t have a buttonless design and is expected to have a lot more conventional look. That said, the central touchscreen for the infotainment system will be retained.
Higher profile tires
As seen on almost every concept car, the H5X came with huge alloy wheels shod with low-profile tires. The production-spec SUV, however, will have slightly smaller rims that will be shod with higher profile tires. Having low-profile tires on the production-spec version makes little sense as it will have a direct impact on the ride quality.
Will get online configurator
The Tata Harrier SUV will become the first-ever Tata Motors product to get an online configurator that will allow buyers to choose the engine, gearbox, add-on accessories and other bits for their new SUV. While such configurators have been available for many high-end cars, the Harrier will become the first-ever mass-market Indian vehicle to offer this feature.
What won’t change
Will retain much of the design cues
Like we said, some of the curves of the Harrier’s exterior design will be replaced with straight lines. However, a majority of the design cues will remain intact. Pratap Bose, Head of Design, Tata Motors, has said that the Harrier will look at least 80% like the H5X concept, which means you can expect the SUV to have many sharp elements and an overall futuristic design.
Will retain Land Rover LS550-based OMEGA platform
The Tata Harrier will also retain the new ‘Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced (OMEGA)’ platform, which is, in turn, a modified version of the LS550 platform of Jaguar Land Rover.
Will also retail the Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre diesel engine
The upcoming flagship will also retain the Fiat-sourced 2.0-litre diesel motor. This Multijet II engine can be tuned to output as much as 170 bhp. Basically, this is the same engine that powers the Jeep Compass. Six-speed manual transmission will be standard. Tata is yet to reveal if the ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic transmission that the Compass offers in many international markets would make it to the Harrier.
Rendering source – Indian Autos Blog
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