2025 Tata Harrier Petrol Review - Smooth, Silent and Strong

There is no denying the fact that petrol engines are more important than diesels across segments in India. Buyers in metro cities are increasingly opting for petrol engines and ready to pay higher fuel bills. Moreover, the Government of India wants people to buy petrol cars over diesels. Tata Motors’ flagship SUVs, the Harrier and the Safari, were only offered with diesel powertrain; however, both now get a new petrol engine.

The company claims that petrol-powered vehicles account for 30% of sales in the premium SUV category, and Tata wants to have its strong presence in the petrol category as well. The Harrier and Tata Safari get a new 1.5-litre Hyperion turbo-petrol engine, which recently debuted on the Sierra. We tested the Harrier petrol across the Delhi-NCR and Delhi-Mumbai expressway to find out if the new petrol engine has enough muscle for this heavy SUV.

Design and Interior

The Harrier petrol gets a new Crimson Nitro colour, which is the only big change in terms of exterior design. It retains the large grille, and a slim LED light bar. Our unit rode on 18-inch black alloys; however, the range-topping Fearless Ultra Red Black has 19-inchers. The rear continues to offer the full-width LED tail-lamps and Harrier badge.

Similar to the exterior, the cabin of the Harrier petrol looks identical to the diesel version. However, Tata Motors has added a new, lighter interior scheme with dashboard and door panels finished in dark brown, while the reset is finished in Oyster white. Tata Motors should have used physical buttons instead of touch panel controls for the AC, and other functions including hazard lights and door lock/unlock.

The Tata Harrier petrol also gets new features from the Harrier EV. It gets a larger 14.53-inch Samsung Neo QLED infotainment unit, which has better resolution and colours, and feels more responsive than the older unit in the diesel Harrier. There is a 10-speaker JBL sound system with Dolby Atmos, which is the best-in-the-segment. The SUV has a digital rear-view mirror that also works as a built-in dash cam. The SUV has new front and rear camera washers, which will be helpful during the monsoons.

The SUV gets a powered driver’s seat with a memory function, which also includes an ORVM position. The ORVMs angle down on reversing and automatically return to their original position while put in drive mode. However, this tech works inconsistently in our unit. The ORVMs in our unit didn’t return to their original position after shifting the drive mode. It now has a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, which also works as a blind-spot monitor view.

Harrier Petrol Engine Performance - Surprisingly Good!

Powering the Harrier is a new 1.5-litre, turbo petrol, Hyperion engine that debuted on the Tata Sierra. Tata Motors has tuned the engine for the bigger and heavier Harrier. This powertrain produces 168bhp at 5000rpm and a peak torque of 280Nm between 1750-3500rpm, which is 10hp and 25Nm more than the Sierra. This engine offers 160Nm of torque at just 1,000rpm, which is adequate to pull a heavier vehicle.

This engine has a strong bottom end, which makes city driving effortless. There is minimal turbo lag, which again plays an important role in improving its city driving. Power delivery is linear, and it easily cruises at 80kmph at 1500rpms and 100kmph at about 1800rpm. Post 2500rpms, you will start getting some vibrations.

While the Tata Sierra turbo petrol is only available with a 6-speed torque converter automatic unit, the Harrier petrol is offered with either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed torque converter automatic. We drove the automatic version, which gets an Aisin-sourced 6-speed AT. Aisin has worked closely with Tata engineers to deliver a great engine-gearbox combination, and they succeeded in giving us one. For spirited performance, the Harrier petrol has paddle shifters. While using the paddle shifters, the Harrier petrol automatically switches to Sport mode. Tata Motors hasn’t revealed the fuel efficiency numbers for the Harrier petrol. In our drive, the SUV returns a mileage of around 8-11kmpl.

Based on the Land Rover D8 derived OMEGA Arc platform, the Tata Harrier petrol offers the best-in-class ride quality. The SUV’s suspension absorbs most of the potholes and bad patches, and offers a composed and confident drive. The body role is controlled, which makes it a great SUV for long drives.

Verdict

The Tata Harrier petrol came as a surprise to me. A 1800kg SUV with a smaller 1.5L turbo petrol engine, I had my doubts. But, Tata has done a superb job with Aisin to offer a great combination of power, performance and refinement in the form of Harrier petrol. The SUV will carry an aggressive price tag as well, which makes it a great buy. However, Tata needs to address couple of issues including its electronics (ORVMs) and the touch panel operation for AC, hazard lights and door lock/unlock. 

Also See - 2025 Tata Sierra Review