Tata Harrier with 1.5L Petrol Engine (MG Hector Petrol Rival) Spotted
Tata Motors has been regularly updating the Harrier 5-seater premium SUV since its launch in January 2019. The company has recently updated the SUV with more powerful BS6 compliant 2.0L diesel engine and automatic gearbox option. Tata Motors has also confirmed that it will launch the petrol version of the Harrier SUV. An undisguised prototype of the Tata Harrier petrol has been spotted testing by Rushlane reader Prem Kumar.
The spotted model was equipped with portable emission test rig, which suggests that the SUV is currently undergoing homologation process. It is expected that the Tata Harrier petrol will be launched in our market by mid-2020. It is based on the OMEGA architecture, which also underpins the Gravitas 6-seater SUV.
The Tata Harrier petrol version will receive a new 1.5-litre direct injection turbocharged petrol engine. It is basically a four-cylinder version of the 1.2-litre 3-cylinder Revotron engine that powers the Nexon. The 4-cylinder engine is likely to produce somewhere around 150bhp of power and 250Nm of torque. Power will be transmitted to the front wheels via a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The Harrier petrol is also likely to receive an automatic gearbox with paddle shifters, but on a later stage. Similar to the 3-cylinder unit, the new 1.5L petrol engine with Harrier will offer different driving modes. The company could also introduce the mild-hybrid version of the SUV.
With the addition of petrol variant, Tata Motors is expected to significantly increase the sales of the Harrier SUV. For example, petrol version accounts for nearly 50 per cent of the total MG Hector sales. The new 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine will also power the upcoming Gravitas. The Tata Harrier petrol will directly rival the likes of the MG Hector Petrol, Jeep Compass petrol and the Kia Seltos 1.4L.
