Currently, assembly lines for Tata both Harrier and Safari are undergoing changes ahead of their crash tests at Global NCAP
A few years ago, safety was never a subject that was discussed ahead of buying a car in India. But today, times have changed. More and more people want cars that are safer, have a proven safety rating. In a matter of 18 months or so, sales of Tata Motors passenger cars have doubled. One of the USP of Tata cars is the safety offered.
Cars from Tata Motors are vouched to be one of the safest in the Indian market with offerings such as Altroz, Nexon and the latest inclusion- Punch, all scoring a full 5-star rating at Global NCAP. Other models like Tiago and Tigor have received a satisfactory 4-star rating by the largest safety rating body.
Tata Harrier, Safari- GNCAP crash tests
Surprisingly, the flagship Tata cars Harrier and Safari have not been crash-tested yet. It has been more than three years since Harrier has been introduced in the market and one year since Safari was launched.
Though there have been no complaints from owners of Harrier and Safari regarding the safety; it remains a mystery as to why the two have no safety rating yet. After-all these are flagship cars of the company that has pushed for safer cars in India.
It has now been reported that crash test of Harrier and Safari will take place later this year by Global NCAP. The same agency that has awarded 4 and 5 stars to existing Tata cars. It is further revealed that the homegrown carmaker is making some changes to its production line ahead of the GNCAP tests.
Both SUVs are underpinned by the OMEGARC platform that has been derived from the D8 architecture of the previous-gen Land Rover Discovery. The platform is capable of hosting multiple powertrain and drivetrain options. Both SUVs are front-wheel drive and share the same powertrain options.
Powertrain Specs, Features
Powering Harrier and Safari is the same 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel engine that kicks out 168 bhp and 350 Nm of peak torque. Transmission duties are carried out either by a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed speed torque converter automatic gearbox. Tata Motors is also reportedly developing a petrol powertrain as an option for both these SUVs.
Both SUVs are decently kitted with common features like an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system enabled with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, rain-sensing wipers, panoramic sunroof, auto climate control, cruise control and iRA connected car tech. Most importantly, both come with standard safety features like ABS with EBD, an electronic stability program, rollover mitigation, and dual front airbags.
Variants & Rivals
Tata Motors offers Harrier and Safari in six trims each including XE, XM, XT, XT+, XZ, XZ+. Apart from the standard range, Harrier and Safari are available in special avatars including the Dark Edition and the recently launched Kaziranga Edition. Safari comes in a couple more special edition models called Adventure Persona and Gold Edition range. The twin SUV siblings from Tata Motors compete against their counterparts from MG Motor (Hector and Hector Plus), Mahindra (XUV700), Kia (Seltos and Carens) and Hyundai (Creta and Alcazar).
