Tata Harrier and Safari petrol: They get the Sierra’s engine

One glimpse at the photos in this piece and it’s easy to guess that these cars were shot in Delhi. In the winter months, the grey skies and thick smog now visually represent Delhi more than some of its historical monuments. The situation is so dire that the government has even recently banned the use of tandoors and other coal-based stoves for cooking. In the automotive world, there is an urgent push towards EVs by the government, but technological shifts take time to adapt to. In the meantime, new CAFE norms are making it increasingly difficult for diesels to survive, leaving petrol as the fuel of choice. The premium SUV category, once dominated by diesel engines, today sees nearly 30 per cent of its sales coming from petrol engines. That has led Tata Motors to take petrol more seriously and invest in a self-developed engine – the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol named Hyperion.

Tata Harrier and Safari petrol engine

We first saw this unit with the recently launched Sierra, and it has now made its way to the Harrier and Safari, albeit in a different state of tune. With 10 more bhp and 35Nm more than in the Sierra, the output stands at 168bhp and 280Nm. Straight off the bat, that’s quite a bit lower than the near-200bhp outputs of the Mahindra Scorpio N and XUV700, with their larger 2-litre engines. There is no replacement for displacement, after all. Yet, it would be unwise to dismiss the Hyperion owing just to its lower capacity. The VBOX results show that the Harrier managed the 0-100kmph sprint in 10.9 seconds, which is on the fringes of acceptability for the segment. By comparison, that is around 1.5 seconds slower than the Sierra, despite the latter being in a lower state of tune.

The engine is tuned to deliver a healthy amount of grunt between 1,000 and 2,000rpm, making it very easy to drive in the city, where traffic dictates the pace. The electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger is tuned to add torque in the lower rev range and also helps maintain power at the top end.

The new Aisin-sourced six-speed torque converter complements this character well. Shifts are smooth and imperceptible, and the gearbox quickly upshifts to save as much fuel as possible. Though it sometimes feels slow to respond to manual inputs – it is probably a second after your command in certain situations. Mileage is one of this engine’s aces, according to Tata Motors. They have achieved a mileage of 25.9kmpl for the Harrier and 25kmpl for the Safari. However, this was under very controlled conditions, driven at a constant speed on the NATRAX oval, specifically to extract maximum efficiency. Real-world figures will be significantly different. The engine uses high-pressure direct fuel injection (350 bar) for better fuel atomisation, which improves combustion efficiency and reduces emissions. This injection pressure matches that of the VW 1.5 turbo-petrol and is 150 bar higher than Hyundai’s 1.5 TGDi units.

We at evo India also like our turbo-petrols to sing a nice tune. It is also only after 3,000rpm that you really begin to hear the engine. And I say ‘hear’ because it’s not the symphonic purr of VW’s turbo-petrols, but rather an increasing decibel of white noise. That said, refinement is impeccable. Not a single iota of vibration filters through to the cabin across the rev range – different from what we experienced on the Sierra.

Tata Harrier and Safari petrol features and visual changes

Visually, there is no way to differentiate the diesel from the petrol variants, as there are no distinguishing badges, except if you opt for the Nitro Crimson (dark red) shade on the Harrier, which, in my opinion, looks fantastic. The two SUVs also receive a few tech updates, carried over from the Harrier EV. These include the crisp 14.5-inch Samsung QLED infotainment display, the fantastic-sounding JBL 10-speaker audio system, and the camera-fed rear-view mirror. In addition, Tata Motors has added a washer for the front and rear cameras, along with automatically dipping ORVMs when reverse gear is engaged.

Tata Harrier and Safari petrol verdict

We do not yet know the prices of the petrol versions of the Harrier and the Safari, making it difficult to deliver a final verdict. However, considering the lower power output, we expect them to be ₹2-3 lakh more affordable than their diesel counterparts which currently range between ₹14 lakh and ₹25.9 lakh, and ₹14.66 lakh and ₹26 lakh respectively.

What we do know is that both SUVs remain true to their character. They are still extremely comfortable to drive or be driven in, the ride quality remains top notch, the handling characteristics are similar to the diesel counterparts and they continue to be very good-looking, modern SUVs. They make sense if you’re looking for a petrol SUV and are willing to compromise on outright power output in the premium SUV space. With diesels expected to depreciate faster and face increasing scrutiny amid worsening urban air quality, petrol SUVs may well become the default choice for many buyers.