Tata’s advertising of its vehicles has always been very classy, sophisticated and purposeful but the same could not have been said about some of its vehicles – till the launch of the Harrier and the new Safari in 2019. One good thing about Tata is it’s a very progressive company in terms of its learning curve and has kept improving the product by addition of new features. The fit and finish on the older Harrier and its Safari version was beyond reproach, but on the new facelifted versions they have taken it onto the next level.
The silhouette remains the same, but otherwise changes on the outside are extensive. In keeping with trends (and I blame BMW for this!) the front grille is now bigger and has lovely ‘chrome’ highlights which has been made using a new technology called ‘hot foiling’ that is environmentally sustainable.
In the Safari, the grille has body colour embellishments, again achieved by ‘hot foil’ technology. There is a light bar, that now connects the front DRLs, with its new ‘Welcome’ and ‘Goodbye’ displays, as first seen on the new Nexon. This is at the rear of the vehicle as well. Also gone are the large projector headlights of yore, now replaced by sleek, rectangular headlights, with ‘jewel cube’ fog lights, all LED of course. Wheel sizes are now bigger at 17-19 inches, depending on version.
On the inside, the changes are even bigger. One of the biggest gripes I had with Tata was that their screens were very small and not very readable, but all that has been changed with the new Harrier and Safari duo. The bigger of the new infotainment touchscreens is 12.3 inches, and comes with a very slick UI. The resolution of the screen is very crisp, and this extends to the 360-degree camera, whose resolution is also fantastic. The screen is also very quick to respond and the infotainment has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
There is also a new 10-speaker setup by JBL with 13 sound modes. (the 13th sound mode is called ‘Kids sleeping!’). I am an audio enthusiast and can tell you that this is easily one of the best ICE systems in the market at this level, bar none. Throw any music at it – rock, pop, classical, jazz, Western, Indian – there is an equaliser mode for every genre. You can also custom set your sound preferences!
The driver gets a new 10.25-inch display unit that provides all the information needed, and it has the additional capability to display Google Maps on it as well. There are many modes and visuals that you can conjure up here – pick one that suits you.
However, one of the greatest party tricks has to be the four-spoke steering wheel, with a Tata logo that illuminates when you turn on the ignition! There is also now a dual zone fully automatic climate control system, that depends mostly on touch switches. This can get a little fiddly to use while driving, though old-fashioned toggles for setting temperature are a life saver. You also get cooled seats up front (the drivers’ seat has a memory function as well) and the Safari has cooled seats in the second row as well, which is unique in this segment.
In terms of driving, the new Harrier-Safari duo have the same powertrain specification as before, so nothing new to report here. The 170 ps diesel with its 350 Nm of torque does the job sufficiently well, though the lack of a petrol engine as of now is a let-down. There is a new jewelled knob that can be turned to select various driving modes – this has its own TFT display. The gear lever in the automatics is shift-by-wire, and hence is of a completely new design, not unlike selectors seen in more premium cars.
Safety-wise, six airbags come standard, with top versions getting seven with a new knee airbag thrown into the mix. All other safety gee-gaws are standard and the new Harrier and Safari have both been offered a 5-star safety rating by Global NCAP, and I am sure they will meet and exceed the requirements for a 5-star rating in the upcoming BharatNCAP as well.
The 2023 Harrier has been priced between INR 15.5 lakh and INR 24.5 lakh, while the new Safari costs between INR 16.2 lakh and INR 25.5 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). The prices are competitive, given both the SUVs’ feature set, though the lack of a petrol engine at this point is disappointing. However, according to the rumour mill, a fix is around the corner and then both of these would become truly formidable!