Tata Harrier VS Jeep Compass: Which SUV Is Quicker In The Real World?

The Tata Harrier and Jeep Compass are two mid-size SUVs which share the same heart - a 2.0-litre diesel engine which is made by neither of the respective brands. It is a Fiat-sourced engine, which is also found in the Tata Safari. The only difference between the Harrier and Compass is that the latter gets a 9-speed automatic torque convertor, while the Harrier’s unit is a 6-speed automatic.

Naturally, we had to put them together and find out which one is quicker in the real world. But before we do that, a quick look at the numbers:

Spec check

As mentioned earlier, both the Harrier and Compass are powered by the same unit, but geared by a different transmission. But while both of them are driven using the front wheels, the Compass also gets an all-wheel drive system in its top variants. But to keep the comparison fair, we are only going to compare the front-wheel drive variants. Place your bets!

Performance Comparison

That was a close one! The Jeep Compass just knicks the win by a margin of three tenths in the 0-100kmph sprint. The quarter mile test was close too, but the Harrier’s gearbox is quicker to drop gears in the kickdown 20-80kmph test. 

The Jeep wins comfortably in the braking test with a margin of 3.57 metres. But to be fair to the Harrier, it probably would’ve performed slightly better if its braking test wasn’t conducted in the wet. 

Price

Jeep retails the Compass between Rs 18.99 lakh and Rs 32.41 lakh, while the Harrier is sold from Rs 15.49 lakh to Rs 26.44 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). Apart from rivaling each other, they fend off competition from Mahindra XUV700 5-seater and MG Hector. The Jeep Compass can also be considered as a rival to the VW Tiguan, Citroen C5 Aircross, and Hyundai Tucson.