Harrier is a decent effort. Marred by senseless systems
As you’d have read in our test of the impressive little Tiago a few weeks back, Tata is back in South Africa with an aggressive new range. This one, the all-new Harrier goes to war in probably the most competitive new car segment in Africa. So it has its work cut out. Whichever way the cookie crumbles.
Headlined as the safest car in India with its 5-star Global NCAP rating and promised to be most comprehensively equipped and technologically advanced, the Harrier is built on Tata’s new Land Rover D8 -derived Omega Arc platform. Powered by a zesty 125 kW 350 Nm 2-litre turbodiesel turning the front wheels via a paddle shiftable six-speed automatic, it certainly looks as good on paper, as it does in the flesh.
4.6 meters long, 2 1 m wide and 1.7 m tall, Harrier’s bold, elegant and robust SUV looks are most contemporary in ‘warrior spirit’. Slim Bi LED projector and DRL headlamps, sequential indicators and signature welcome and goodbye animation add to the buzz. As do smart black aero-insert 18-inch alloys, a dual tone roof with rugged rails and just as cute an arse.
The Fearless cookie crumbles
Tata says this premium Harrier Fearless rivals the best in its class. So far, as far as looks and safety go, it seems to deliver pretty handsomely, for want of a better word. Performance is adequate as the data below confirms. And economy is at least as good as claimed too. All good.
It opens up to a well-kitted leatherette-clad and personal theme mood lit five seater space and levels of spec expected from higher-level SUVs. The multifunctional steering wheel has a lit Tata logo. It sits ahead of clear 10.25-inch digital instrumentation with a hidden central panel.
They tell us said panel allows the driver to control functions of his or her car while staying focussed on the road. There’s also a smart E-shifter and jewel like terrain mode selector, auto headlamps, rain sensing wipers and an AQI display air purifier.
Tata Harrier is specced to the moon
Both front pews are ventilated with six-way power memory and welcome on the driver’s side. The passenger gets four-way adjustment and there’s a cooled front armrest binnacle too. The dual zone automatic climate control and panoramic sunroof are both voice enabled, and there’s a gesture-controlled power tailgate too. It opens up a 445-litre boot that expands to 815 litres with the rear seats folded down.
The intuitive 12.3-inch Harman touchscreen infotainment has CarPlay, Auto and multi input Alexa Car2Home Command connectivity. Sadly it’s all that horrid touchpad crap that Volkswagen and Ferrari among others, have long confined to the bin. But it can also be run via the lit Tata logo multifunction steering wheel. Device charging is via wireless pad or smart 45W USB C port. Add 360-degree view and front and rear parking sensors.
That five-star safety comes courtesy of the tough new Landy shell, seven airbags, ABS anti-skid braking with EBD, corner stability control, and ESP stability control. And then we have the ADAS Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Which they reckon set a new benchmark for safety and driving confidence. But is where we really struggled with the Harrier.
Harrier literally screams at you
To be complimentary, let’s just say it is annoying to live with. To be honest, it proved impossible to figure the system out. In our efforts to do just that, we let our tame pro UX designer have a shot. She was just as stumped. While the user interface is pretty, the user experience is pretty well useless. And that’s what the pro says.
A few paragraphs up we quote Tata verbatim when we say ,‘it lets the driver control functions of their car while staying focussed on the road’. In reality this system verges on downright dangerous to operate. For instance, say you’re using the navigation, but if you indicate, the entire screen switches to a door side camera view. Which blocks the navigation map for way too long that you could’ve missed a turn.
Worst of all, the car continually tries to override the driver. To the extent it that the car quite literally screams at you. Which makes it horrible to drive. We’d be fine if we could simply prod a button or flick a switch to override it all. But that function is there, its ten steps too far in.
A decent effort. Flawed by stupidity
Much of this ‘logic’ completely defies that five star safety claim. Any car with systems that causes you to take your eye of the road, is simply not safe. No many how many stars the car has.
It’s easy to fix. Just designate a button on the wheel or the dash to simply, and easily, turn it all off. And the problem will be gone. There were some other teething problems. Like the wing mirrors that remained tucked in. And figuring out how to open them again took ages because it was all dependent on the poorly developed UX on the screen. Buttons. All we need are buttons. Why reinvent the wheel?
The gearbox and gear selection was another bugbear that seemed to want a PHD to operate, but let’s leave it there. On the face of it, Tata’s pretty, new Harrier seems a decent effort. It’s just let down but too many ridiculous and infuriating systems that totally let an otherwise neat effort down.
Point, we suppose, is that many of this Fearless variant’s rivals have similarly idiotic systems. Which all makes it seem normal. But then normal is just a cycle on a washing machine. And if this is the new normal, it’s a good few steps too many beyond dealing with. We’d rather be fearful. And buy a simpler car. – Michele Lupini
Images & Testing: Giordano Lupini
ROAD TESTED: Tata Harrier 2.0TD Fearless + AT
Engine: 125 kW 350 Nm 2-litre turbodiesel I4
Drive: 6-speed automatic FWD
TESTED:
0-60 km/h: 4.54 sec
0-100 km/h: 10.21 sec
0-120 km/h: 14.47 sec
0-160 km/h: 27.23 sec
400m: 17.3 sec @ 131 km/h
80-120 km/h: 7.41 sec
120-160 km/h: 12.76 sec
CLAIMED:
VMax: 190 km/h
Fuel: 6.6 l/100 km
CO2: 175 g/km
Range: 750 km
Warranty/Service: 5y 125K/5y 75K km
LIST PRICE: R699K
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