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The facelift of the Harrier offers some bold colours that make it a head-turner, drawing attention to itself while being high on equipment and style. Does it drive better than its predecessor, though? We hit some roads and a trail in and around Pune

- Jim Gorde

A HOME-GROWN product with futuristic design never fails to tug at the heart-strings of many in the country. With Tata bidding adieu to the Safari about five years ago, the new "Harrier" nameplate, based on the H5X concept car, showed a lot of promise. The production car looked a lot similar to the concept car and that helped big-time. Just before the lockdown kicked in hard, Tata Motors brought in a more powerful version as well as the automatic transmission choice. Now the facelift raises the styling game yet again and gains an even longer equipment list.

The design makes the 2024 Tata Harrier look like a concept car with sharp creases and distinct new elements make this new model a bold and proud Tata; complete with head-turning looks and a list of what could be cutting-edge equipment. The large grille gets body-coloured accents and a revised lower air-dam-distinct from its seven-seater counterpart, the Safari. The lighting remains the same as its larger counterpart. The "persona" we have here is the fully loaded "Fearless+" that also brings unique colours, such as this "Sunlit Yellow" example, as well as new 18-inch diamond-cut wheels with 235/60 tyres.