Tata Harrier is also very popular in the aftermarket customisation industry too
SUVs have been the blue-eyed boys of the Indian automotive market for quite some time now. True since nothing can match the road presence of an SUV even though it means shelling out a few extra bucks for it. Though Indian consumers have been crazy about SUVs off late, they haven’t shown that same love towards pickup trucks.
Pickup trucks are very popular in international markets as a lifestyle utility vehicle. Unfortunately in India, pickup trucks have been limited to commercial segments of vehicles and could not carry the same success in passenger vehicle segment. The only exception being Isuzu D-Max V-Cross which found reasonable success in the country.
Tata Harrier as a pickup truck
However, that hasn’t stopped auto enthusiasts designing a UTE based on an SUV. The latest example being a Harrier being digitally imagined as a lifestyle pickup truck. Interestingly, the model looks very proportionate in a pickup truck. The digital illustration was picked up from social media account of XLR8 and looks outrageously cool in this form.
Design Updates
For starters, the designer has chopped off the roof beyond the C-pillar and has extended the rear overhang to create a tray bed which increased the overall length of the SUV. Moreover, it carries the same design language of the stock Harrier up to the C-pillar. Harrier’s front end gives it a butch and aggressive feel to it which matches very well with the rendered images of the pickup truck.
All-black exterior colour suggests that the designer has opted for Harrier Dark Edition which comes in a similar exterior paint and blacked-out components such as front grille, bumpers and so on. This is cleverly complemented by opting for a set of super-wide blacked-out alloy wheels which are wrapped around by chunky all-terrain tyres. This helps in accentuating its lifestyle vehicle look and enhancing its ruggedness.
Apart from these changes mentioned, the designer has done well to keep it similar to the regular Harrier. There have been previous occasions as well where Harrier has been imagined as a pure off-road oriented vehicle.
However, it isn’t a proper off-roader since it misses out on a 4×4 drivetrain. But thanks to 14 ESP modes, it could manage rough terrains up to a certain extent.
Harrier Details
Harrier is powered by a 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel unit sourced from Fiat which kicks out 168 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. This unit is mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic gearbox. Prices of Harrier start from Rs 13.84 lakh. It competes against the likes of MG Hector, Mahindra XUV500, Kia Seltos, Hyundai Creta and more.
