Photography: Shrenith Bhandary
The petrol SUV segment has been gaining market share steadily, driven by not just tightening emissions regulations, but also by legislation like the rule that excommunicates diesel cars that are older than ten years old in the Delhi-NCR region. With this in mind, Tata has been working for a while on a petrol powerplant. It had displayed one at the Auto Expo in 2023, and it finally debuted in the petrol Sierra a short while ago. Now, it is available in the Harrier as well.
This 1.5 litre, four cylinder engine is turbocharged, has variable valve timing, and direct injection as well. Not only this, the turbo has variable vanes, and the compression ratio is an impossible 11.5:1. Tata says it uses the Miller Cycle to keep things from going bang with those sort of figures, and the result is one of the market’s most efficient engines, especially when paired with the automatic transmission. Tata managed to get into the India Book Of Records by achieving 25.6kpl with the petrol Harrier at the NATRAX proving grounds. It is powerful, too with peak power and torque figures of 170PS and 280Nm and a torque curve flatter than the coyote after the latest mishap in a roadrunner cartoon.
The automatic transmission is an Aisin six speed torque converter, and it is quite sprightly. Kickdown response is good, and you can manually select gears via paddle shifters. There is no way to lock it into manual mode, though, with the gearbox reverting to ‘D’ mode if the paddles aren’t used for a while. Features from the diesel like the ‘Eco’ and ‘Sport’ mode along with the three-mode dial and hill descent control have also been carried over. We didn’t get to sample the manual gearbox, but one will be available at the time of the launch.
The Harrier petrol also distinguishes itself with a “Nitro Crimson” exterior colour and “Oyster White” interior trim. Samsung’s 14.5 inch qLED display is paired with a 10 speaker JBL surround sound audio system as well. Other new features include a factory fitted front and rear dashcam, the rear view of which is displayed on the rear view mirror, and side mirrors that remember their position when you engage reverse or call up the driver seat memory. Safety remains a Tata trademark, with a 5 star BNCAP rating and level 2+ ADAS features.
The Harrier petrol has some stiff competition to spar with, like the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder, and the Maruti Suzuki Victoris. The Harrier petrol is no doubt a great addition to the Tata SUV range, with its advanced tech and enthusiastic performance. There is just one more thing we’ll need to deliver a proper verdict, and that is its price. Stay tuned.
Tata Harrier T-GDI
Engine Type: ‘Hyperion’ 1.5-litre turbocharged inline four cylinder
Special features: Variable-vane turbo, variable valve timing, direct injection
Compression ratio: 11.5:1
Power: 170PS @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,750-3,000rpm
Transmission: 6 speed manual/AT
