Safety Oriented Vehicle

The engine of TATA Harrier is a familiar one and feels sprightly off the mark. In fact, engine performance is good enough for you to not find the Harrier to be underpowered as compared to the Compass with its acceleration, and it also builds revs quickly. The clutch is light for a diesel, but pedal travel is too long, which makes it slightly cumbersome to use until you get used to the bite point. And almost every time I got on or off the throttle, there was a bit of noise from the engine compartment which felt odd. The gearbox is pretty good to use though, but having said that I wish the shift quality was slightly better. And one thing that might disappoint some buyers is the lack of the option of an automatic transmission in the Harrier, especially those looking to drive in metropolitan cities where rush hour traffic can be a serious concern. I felt engine refinement could have been half a notch better, apart from which the engine also makes itself audible at high revs. But unfortunately, the 2.0-liter Fiat diesel engine is a noisy one by nature, though better sound insulation should help in making the cabin quieter. Tata Motors has assured us that the cars we drove were pre-production units though and that these issues will be taken care of in production vehicles.