Tata has always been a risk-taker among the many Indian automakers and Harrier is a bold move from the brand which, stands as a worthy homegrown competitor against the Kia Seltos. The updated Tata Harrier is BS6 compliant and has eradicated most of its underlying mechanical issues which plagued the first iteration. It stands as the only Indian automaker to challenge this Korean and gives it a tough fight. As Tata has discontinued its petrol variants, we have compared the base diesel variants below with that of Kia Seltos.
Model | Kia Seltos HTK | Tata Harrier XE |
Pricing(Ex-Showroom Delhi) | Rs. 10,34,000 | Rs. 13,69,000 |
Engine | 1.4-litre Turbo Diesel engine | Kryotec 2.0L turbo diesel engine |
Transmission | 6-Speed Manual | 6-Speed Manual |
Power(bhp) | ||
Torque(Nm) | ||
0-100 KMPH(Seconds) | 11.5 | 10.84 |
Top Speed(KMPH) | 170 | 180 |
Tata has an edge here with its more powerful in-house developed KRYOTEC engine with which the Kia struggles to cope up. Performance is on the higher side and so is the pricing!, with a bump of over Rs. 3 lakh. The Harrier also has a few tricks up its sleeve in the features on offer, or does it?!
Kia Seltos has a more youthful and edgy approach in its design language with the LED headlights dominating the front grille. It has a menacing look and its frontal grille is smartly designed with hexagonal elements which go well with the overall setup. The side is laden with muscular shoulder lines which adds to its appeal. Rear-end is comparatively subtle and is dominated by a chrome insert running across and connects both the LED taillights. “KIA” is embedded at the centre of this horizontal chrome insert and even has a top-lip spoiler to add to its sportiness.
Tata Harrier is the first car to start the trend of bumper-mounted headlights and it aced it. The Harrier has the looks to back its boldness. The DRLs upfront is LED and the unique tri port headlamp setup is projector-based. Tail Lights are LED and there is a prominent muscular shoulder line which connects the fog lamp borderline to the taillights.
Model | Kia Seltos HTK | Tata Harrier XE |
Length(mm) | 4315 | 4598 |
Width(mm) | 1800 | 1894 |
Height(mm) | 1620 | 1706 |
Wheelbase(mm) | 2610 | 2741 |
Ground Clearance(mm) | 190 | 205 |
Black treatment for the roof gives it a floating look and the reclining roofline is a neat touch to add a coupe-ish touch to it. It is a tough choice between the two and for this unique duo, we have a tie!
Kia has provided a plush and cosy interior setup that goes well with the exterior theme. The dashboard is laid out with the floating 10.25-inch infotainment display dominating the centre portion. The front seats are ventilated which is a boon in a tropical climate like ours. There is ample support for occupants in both the rows and will be a comfortable experience, even in long journeys.
Tata has cocooned the cabins with leather upholstery and soft-touch plastics to oomph up its premium appeal. The dashboard has a minimal layout and has a floating infotainment setup which is housed along with the air-con controls and vents in between them. Rear seats are a slim fit due to its reclining roofline but it's nothing to be worried about as the Harrier has a lower second row which helps in adding the much-needed headroom.
Model | Kia Seltos | Tata Harrier XE |
Interior Features | Premium Bose 8-speaker sound system | Dual-tone oak brown dashboard |
2-step rear reclining seats | Benecke Kaliko perforated leather upholstery | |
Ambient mood lighting | 8.8-inch floating infotainment unit | |
10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display | 9-speaker JBL sound system | |
8-inch digital instrument cluster | 7-inch MID in the instrument console | |
Smart air purifier | 6-way power driver seat | |
Ventilated and power seats | Front armrest with cooled storage |
Kia Seltos manages to have the sweeter bundle of features of the two. Tata has done well here but the sheer level of flexibility and ease of usage provided by Seltos is hard to match.
The features on offer are neck on neck in both the offerings. Kia has played it well with its irresistible packaging and is spot-on in the bang for buck proposition. There is no other automaker that provides such a wide variety of features which is laid out linearly across 13 variants. The highlighting features are listed below.
Model | Kia Seltos HTK | Tata Harrier XE |
Differentiating Features | 17-inch hyper metallic alloys | Xenon HID projector headlamps |
Crown jewel LED headlamps | Perforated leather upholstery | |
Heart-beat LED taillights | Panoramic sunroof | |
Rear spoiler | 9-Speaker JBL music system | |
UVO connected Car | Aero throttle style handbrake lever | |
8-inch head-up display | Front fog lamps with cornering function |
Tata does offer a commendable feature listing in a well-rounded package but Kia Seltos has a much more impressive features package for more aggressive pricing. Tata surely has come a long way with the Harrier but Kia Seltos just offers a lot of tricks up its sleeve and so we go with the Korean here.
Tata has worked hard on the Harrier and it is a unique proposition from an Indian manufacturer. It has the more powerful powertrain of the two and is underpinned by a heavily modified version of the Jaguar Land Rover D8 platform, called the OmegaArc. It has a promising package with ample creature comfort features but due to underlying issues and initial hiccups, it didn’t take off well. Tata rectified these issues and rolled out a revamped version but the dent was already made.
Kia, on the other hand, got the formula just perfect and so its Seltos took off with flying colours. With an array of variants on offer and flexible drivetrain options, it has enough options to cater to the needs of the Indian audience.