Details emerge of the Tata Harrier SUV's engine
Tata Motors has revealed a new engine family that will power the upcoming Tata Harrier SUV. The company has already revealed details about the Land Rover-derived Omega arc architecture of the new SUV and this reveals now paints a clearer picture of what this new flagship will be like.
The new engine is called the 2.0-litre Kryotec and is derived from FCA's Multijet II motor seen on the Jeep Compass. This four-cylinder, turbo-charged motor is expected to produce around 140PS in the five-seater variant that is set to debut first, the seven-seater Harrier will likely make 170PS.
The new motor will have an electronically controlled variable geometry turbocharger (eVGT) for better responses. The engine has also been adapted to run on varying drive modes via the terrain response system that the Harrier will come equipped with. The engine will be mated to a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic.
We already know that this architecture is derived from Jaguar Land Rover's entry-level SUV platform, variations of which support cars like the Land Rover Discovery Sport, Jaguar E-Pace and the Range Rover Evoque. Tata's version, called Omega-Arc (Optimal Modular Efficient Global Advanced Architecture), will involve the use of cheaper materials and components to keep costs down.
The Harrier will have optimized torsional and bending stiffness which will give it better driving dynamics both on and off-road. Build quality and reliability are set to increase with the new highly automated assembly line while the SUV will also be very refined due to auxiliary isolation panels present alongside the engine's firewall. Further, the architecture will use high strength steel to improve strength.
The exterior design of the production car will follow Tata's Impact Design 2.0 showcased at the 2018 Auto Expo. So, a slimmer front grille and lights, aggressively contoured side profiles, steeply raked roofline and large wheel sizes can be expected. The interior also will have to be the best ever fitted to a Tata car and build on the progress the firm has been making in this aspect.
The production car, when launched in the first quarter of 2019, will compete with the likes of the Hyundai Creta and Jeep Compass. Tata had been in a rut until sometime back and is now turning things around with cars like the Tiago, Tigor and Nexon. While these successes have been in the sub-10 lakh end of the market, the new SUV will be the company's first serious contender in the mid-size crossover segment.