REVIEW | Why the Tata Harrier fails to soar above its rivals

The dodgy build quality of Tata’s budget cars did not resonate with local buyers, resulting in the brand pulling out of South Africa’s passenger car market seven years ago, while its truck and bus business continued to operate.

The Indian marque returned here in late 2025 with a range of hatchbacks and SUVs, partnering with motoring giant Motus Holdings to distribute the Tiago, Punch, Curvv and Harrier.

All modern Tata cars come with improved safety and technology compared to their forebears and are offered standard with five-year/125,000km warranties. Service plans vary depending on model range, from a two-year/30,000km plan on the Tiago to a five-year/75,000km plan on the Harrier.

Based on first impressions of the Harrier, Tata’s flagship model range, the brand has lifted its game but hasn’t shot the lights out in a highly competitive market.

At 4,605mm in length the front-wheel-drive Harrier is a rival to SUVs such as the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Omoda C7, Chery Tiggo 8 Pro and Mahindra Scorpio N in the midsized SUV segment.

We tested the Harrier 2.0TD Fearless+, the most expensive variant, which has a lot of spec to offer for R699,900, including a 12.3” infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, ventilated front seats, a 360° surround view system, gesture-controlled power tailgate and cooled front armrest storage, among others.

Safety fare comprises seven airbags, an electronic stability programme and advanced driver-assistance features, which earned the car a five-star Global NCAP rating.

That’s a good level of kit and the Harrier bundles it in a modern design that makes a bold statement with its slim headlights and swoopy shape.

The interior design follows suit with a breezy, uncluttered look that has artificial leather upholstery and subtle flourishes of colour to prevent it from looking drab. That said, it feels a little plasticky and some materials don’t radiate the same upmarket feel as some rival cars.

The cabin is neatly styled if a little plasticky. (Denis Droppa)

The Harrier has a heavily digitised cabin as per the modern trend, but the often-used climate control has mostly physical controls in a bid to create less distraction, apart from a finicky touch slider for adjusting fan speed.

The infotainment system is generally user friendly except that you have to exit Android Auto to control the car’s other functions. There’s no split screen to access both at the same time, which causes unecessary driving distraction as you have to navigate through digital menus.

Another bugbear is the lane-keeping assist becomes obtrusive when you’re dodging potholes — which is unfortunately most of the time on our roads — and disabling the function requires a distracting dive into the digital menu every time you start the car. A quick-access button for the lane-keeping function would be a far better idea.

On the plus side, the Harrier makes a practical family SUV with a generously sized cabin that takes four adults in comfort, while the boot swallows a lot of family luggage, with a full-sized spare wheel mounted under the chassis. There are USB and wireless chargers for phones, and a nice touch is the digital blind-spot display that pops up in the instrument panel when you signal to change lanes.

Driving the Harrier is a mixed experience. A plush ride quality is its standout feature and the car absorbs bumps with a calm demeanour, though it feels slightly tinny and doesn’t have the solid torsional rigidity of some class competitors. Overall refinement is good though, with wind noise well supressed and the engine audible but not intrusive.

The 2.0l turbo diesel unit sends 125kW and 350Nm to the front wheels and feels punchy once it gets going, with easy cruising ability and decent overtaking grunt. The tester delivered good fuel economy, averaging 6.9l/ 100km in a town-freeway combo.

The standing-start acceleration at Gauteng altitude isn’t great, however, and the turbo lag is a buzz kill when you’re in a hurry.

The Harrier makes a bold statement with its slim headlights and swoopy shape. (Denis Droppa)

The six-speed automatic transmission has modes for economy, normal and sport, but the gearshifter was finicky to use, sometimes requiring more than one yank before slotting. Also, the test car’s steering wheel paddles weren’t working. When we tried to to use them it threw up an error message in the display.

The two-wheel drive Harrier has no off-roading ambitions but an elevated ground cleareance, high-profile tyres and terrain response modes provide some rough road ability.

In summary, the Tata Harrier is far more sophisticated than the brand’s earlier budget offerings, but while many Chinese rivals have leapt forward in quality, Tata’s progress feels as if it’s lagging.

There’s plenty to like — notably its styling, ride comfort and practicality — yet in perceived build quality and overall polish it still trails established players and newer Chinese competitors. In a fiercely competitive segment, the Harrier is not a bargain.

Tata Harrier vs rivals: