This Could Be The 2021 Tata Harrier Petrol

• Tata Harrier petrol to come with an in-house developed 1.6-litre petrol engine.
• It will be offered with both manual and automatic transmission options.
• The Harrier petrol is expected to be launched in 2021.
• Prices could start at Rs 12.90 lakh, around a lakh lesser than the diesel model.

The Tata Harrier is currently offered only with a 170PS 2.0-litre diesel engine. The homegrown carmaker has been mulling over a petrol variant for a while and now, a test mule with emission testing equipment has been spotted, raising speculations that it could be the petrol-powered Harrier.  

The Harrier’s petrol variant will be powered by an in-house developed 1.6-litre turbo-petrol engine, as confirmed by the company at the Geneva Motor Show. Performance figures are yet to be revealed, but we expect this motor to develop around 150PS of power and 250Nm of torque. This engine will feature direct-injection tech that should offer better performance and fuel efficiency than an MPFI engine.  

Like the diesel engine, the petrol variants will be offered with both manual and automatic transmissions. However, the petrol automatic variant could rely on a dual-clutch automatic transmission rather than the 6-speed Hyundai-sourced automatic gearbox found in the diesel-powered Harrier. 

The introduction of the Harrier petrol would massively improve its appeal as it could draw more customers to the showroom. The Harrier, like the XUV500, is offered only with a diesel engine which is a disadvantage as the Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, and MG Hector feature turbo-petrol engines. The Hyundai and Kia can also be had with a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. These variants come at an attractive starting price of just under Rs 10 lakh.  

Speaking of which, the Harrier petrol, when launched, will also see a reduction in the starting price of the SUV by a margin. Currently, the diesel-powered Harrier is priced from Rs 13.84 lakh (ex-showroom). We expect the petrol model to have a starting price of around Rs 12.90 lakh when it goes on sale, possibly in 2021.

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