TATA HARRIER & SAFARI

IS A 1.5-LITRE TURBO PETROL ENOUGH TO BROADEN THE APPEAL OF THESE BIG SUVS

- WORDS TUHIN GUHA

The Tata Harrier and Safari have evolved quite a bit since they first launched, but a gap that always remained was that of a petrol engine option. This was a handicap, since Tata Motors could not play in a significant share of the market in this segment. But with a new turbo petrol debuting with the Sierra, it is only logical that Tata Motors has extended this engine option to its biggest SUVs.

Styling

Not much has changed visually with this update, at least on the outside. So you continue to have that strong presence to both these cars. There is a new Nitro Crimson paint option that looks fetching, as seen with the Harrier here, and you can get the Red Dark treatment too with these petrol variants. You get 420 litres of boot space in the Safari with the third row flat. The Harrier holds a bit more at 445 litres but the space is not level to the lip like the Safari.

Interiors

There are a few more changes on the inside than outside. The Red Dark edition Safari seen here continues with its quite tastefully done black interiors with the red highlighting and seat covers. It doesn’t feel loud and creates a unique, sporty feel inside the cabin.

But it doesn’t quite have the airiness of the new beige and brown colour option that has been brought in with this update. The Harrier with this interior feels quite plush, especially the look of the wood finish on the central dash panel. But like before, we think there could have been a textured finish to this instead of the current gloss plastic look.