Tata Harrier has been a sort of revelation in the Indian market. The SUV has been making waves in the market ever since its launch at the start of 2019. Indian automaker Tata made all the right noises around this car even before its launch, be it the Land Rover D8-derived OMEGA platform or the very unorthodox looks. However, there were some drawback too. Tata launched the Harrier with only a single engine and transmission combination. However, this might change soon and we may get to see a new combination where the Harrier might become as powerful as the Jeep Compass.
At present, Tata Harrier gets a 140 PS engine while the Jeep Compass diesel generates the maximum power of 170 PS. The difference is quite stark given that both cars are powered by the exact same engine from Fiat. Tata's 2.0-litre KRYOTEC diesel engine used in the all-new Harrier is sourced from Fiat. The same Multijet diesel engine powers the Jeep Compass in India.
In Tata Harrier, this engine generates lower power because of the tuning but both produce similar torque output of 350 Nm. Now, these figures will change drastically as Tata has been forced to make changes to its Harrier lineup due to the upcoming BS6 emission norms that will be enforced from April 2019. This might mean that Tata Harrier will get a power boost! Recently, a camouflaged version of Tata Harrier was caught testing with Jeep Compass. It seems both cars are testing the new upgraded version of the Multijet engine that will meet the upcoming BS6 emission norms.
However, the big news is increase in Tata Harrier’s power output. With the new BS6 engine, Tata will unleash the full potential of 170 PS power with the 2.0-litre diesel engine on the Harrier just like Jeep Compass. The same engine powers MG Hector as well with output figures of 170 PS and 350 Nm like Jeep Compass. These changes will put Tata Harrier at par with Jeep Compass and MG Hector while making it more powerful than Mahindra XUV500.
However, this new powerful Tata Harrier will be rolled out in India only next year when BS6 norms are implemented. With this updated, Tata might also introduce the much-awaited automatic transmission on the Harrier. Currently, Harrier is offered with a 6-speed manual transmission. The new automatic transmission will be sourced from Hyundai and is the same unit available with Hyundai Tucson in the Indian market. The new automatic variant will be the most expensive version of the Harrier.
In recent times, automatic transmissions have become a new rage in the Indian market with city dwellers preferring them for navigating traffic on busy roads. This new gearbox-engine combination is expected to increase sales of Harrier in India.