Tata Harrier vs Land Rover Discovery Sport: Basic Differences

While the Discovery Sport is available with an all-wheel-drive system, the Harrier makes do with front-wheel drive only

• In terms of dimensions, the Discovery Sport and Harrier are pretty evenly matched, courtesy of the similarities in their platforms.

• Despite similar displacements, the power output of the advanced Ingenium diesel engine of the Discovery Sport is higher.

• The Harrier will not be available in a seven-seat configuration at the time of launch.

Update: The Tata Harrier has been launched in India and is priced between Rs 12.69 lakh and Rs 16.25 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai). Read the launch story to find out more.

It is a well known fact that Tata-owned Jaguar Land Rover had an instrumental part in making the Harrier SUV. So much so, that the OMEGA-ARC platform that the Harrier is based on is a derivative of the D8 Architecture, that underpins the Land Rover Discovery Sport, which is priced in the range of Rs 44.68 lakh to Rs 60.44 lakh (ex-showroom). But what are the basic differences between the two? Let’s have a look.

For the purpose of this comparison, we have not delved into the features list of the cars as the Discovery Sport costs much more than the price band the Harrier will sit in. Also, the Discovery Sport we have pitted the Harrier against is the global model and just not the models sold in India.

Dimensions & platform

As we can see, the Harrier and Discovery Sport are very similarly sized as they are based on similar platforms. However, the engineers at Land Rover have given the Discovery Sport multiple aluminium parts like body panels, suspension components. Magnesium has also been used to further reduce weight. However, in the Harrier, high tensile steel has been used to keep costs in check. Overall, both platforms use steel to provide rigidity.

• Tata Harrier Platform Details Revealed

Powertrain

The Discovery Sport is powered by Land Rover’s 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel and petrol engines whose power outputs range from 150PS to 290PS. Tata initially wanted to use the Ingenium family of engines for the Harrier, however it would have been a rather expensive option. Therefore, Fiat’s 2.0-litre diesel MultiJet engine was chosen. The Discovery Sport is available in both manual and automatic transmission variants while the Harrier will only be available with a six-speed manual at launch.

Four-wheel Drive functionality

The Discovery Sport is available in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive configurations globally. There are a plethora of options that allow the driver to select different drive modes and terrain settings. The Harrier does get driving modes which control engine characteristics and terrain response modes. However, it misses out on an all-wheel-drive system or even a part-time four-wheel drive system.

Also read: Spec Comparison: Tata Harrier Vs Jeep Compass Vs Hyundai Tucson Vs Mahindra XUV500

Suspension setup

Both the SUVs employ a MacPherson strut at the front. At the rear, however, while the Discovery Sport has a multi-link suspension setup, the Harrier has a Torsion beam below the rear bench that has been tuned by Lotus.

Seating configuration

While the Land Rover Discovery Sport can be had as a 5-seater or in a 5+2 configuration, the Tata Harrier will only be available as a 5-seater at launch. However, a 7-seater variant of the Harrier is expected to arrive in the near future.

Well, what do you think of the upcoming Tata Harrier SUV, compared to the Land Rover Discovery Sport? Does the Harrier have enough to become a Land Rover of the masses in India? Let us know in the comments below.

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