Tata launched the Harrier in the market at the start of this year and the latest SUV from the brand takes on the likes of Mahindra XUV500 and Jeep Compass in the Indian market. However, in a recent move by the Indian carmaker the rivalry between Tata Harrier and Jeep Compass was taken a notch higher. What actually happened, is that Tata Motors installed a humongous hoarding for their latest SUV. This is an outright one-up against the Jeep Compass that had adopted the hoarding method of marketing on Mumbai-Pune expressway. Tata Motors took a leaf out of Jeep Compass' book and installed a huge 123 feet tall and 225 feet wide hoarding on the very same expressway. In a massive one-up against the Jeep Compass, the hoarding covers 27,500 square feet of area and weighs over 260 tons. In contrast, the hoarding of the Jeep Compass is 100 feet tall and 253 feet wide, which means that it’s clearly smaller in terms of overall size. Tata Motors is playing up the ‘Above All’ tagline of the Harrier, and the sheer height of the hoarding does fit the messaging that the Indian automaker is using for the SUV.
While there is no straight up rivalry between the two SUVs in the market, save for the price clashes between the two. This tongue in cheek ribbing between the two brands is surely a novelty marketing tactic. One can now only wait for Jeep's response, if any. The prices for Jeep Compass start at Rs. 15.65 lakhs and the Tata Harrier is priced at Rs. 13.01 lakhs in the Indian market and it is in their trim levels that the prices of the two SUVs overlaps.
Talking of the engine on Jeep Compass, it is a 2L diesel unit made by Fiat and is rated to produce 173 PS and 350 Nm. As of now it only comes with a manual gearbox. The other option on Compass is the 1.4L turbo petrol unit rated to produce 160 Bhp and 250 Nm. The petrol comes with the option of a 7 speed twin clutch gearbox as well. While the diesel variants come with an AWD option, the petrol is only offered with a front wheel drivetrain.
There are also reports on the internet stating that the brand is working on bringing out automatic options for the lower diesel trims of the vehicle as well. The reports state that the move by the company is expected to happen sometime before the introduction of the BS-VI emission norms, around the festive season in India. This would bode well for the company as the sales generally get a huge spike during the festive season which happens to fall around the October-November period.
Tata Harrier comes with the same lone diesel engine as the Jeep Compass but the output on the Harrier is rated as 140 PS and 350 Nm. The engine on Tata SUV currently comes equipped only with a 6-speed manual gearbox. A 6-speed torque converter unit sourced from Hyundai will be offered sometime this year as well. Tata is also expected to bring out a 7-seater version of the Harrier by the name of Cassini in the Indian market in the coming months. This combination is expected to be seen on the Cassini as well.