Tata showcased the car’s on & off-road capabilities at Harrier.ev Quad Day at the Buddh International Circuit
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Harrier.ev Quad Day – 2025 Harrier.ev at Buddh Int’l Circuit and Off-road
Tata recently launched the Harrier.ev in India. While we await a media drive to do a comprehensive review, Tata showcased the car’s on & off-road capabilities at Harrier.ev Quad Day at the Buddh International Circuit. The car in focus was their Quad Wheel Drive (QWD), dual-motor version, with Tata keen to position the product as a go-anywhere lifestyle SUV, rather than a run-of-the-mill urban crawler & highway cruiser.
This report has been jointly compiled with friendly moderator Ajmat. Thanks to him for his expert observations and photography.
The event was divided into multiple zones, each focusing on specific capabilities:
Precision Zone: Table Cloth Pull, Synchronised Driving, WhAP Tow
Performance Zone: Hot Lap, Speed Trap
Tech Zone: Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Intelligent Speed Assist, Park Assist, Reverse Trace
Offroad Zone: Rock Bed Crawl, Axle Twister, Water Wading, See-Saw, Side Incline, Stair Climb, and others.
Precision Zone
The event began with a demonstration of a tablecloth pulled clean off a set table. Neat.
Table cloth pull: Video link
We were then treated to some synchronised driving to orchestral music.
Reverse slalom: Video link
180-degree spin: Video link
A demo of the Harrier.ev’s towing capabilities, towing a 20+ ton Wheel Armored Platform (WhAP) tactical vehicle developed by Tata Advanced Systems.
WhAP pull: Video link
Performance Zone
We were taken on a lap of the circuit as a passenger, while the crew demonstrated the car’s acceleration (esp. in Boost Mode), top speed along the back straight, and its handling capabilities in the twisty bits. For a heavy SUV, the car was reasonably well-behaved around corners, with body roll well-controlled and neutral handling. The steering appeared a bit too light and lacked feel, but we’ll reserve judgment for the full review.
The Goodyear EV tyres and scorching mid-40°C ambient temperatures (the track surface would be much hotter) likely hindered grip and outright performance a fair bit. However, the car still managed to impress us with its overall composure and sheer straight-line grunt. The EV’s silence while you’re pushed back into your seat still takes some getting used to.
Performance hot lap: Video link
Tech Zone
We moved to the outer periphery of the circuit premises for a demo of the ADAS capabilities in the Harrier.ev.
First up, the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB). Tata claims the Harrier.ev is equipped with AEB capable of detecting and reacting to vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians in its path. Even at very low speeds, which is not possible in some of the other cars.
Emergency auto brake: Video link
Harrier.ev is equipped with Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA), capable of adapting vehicle speed to well-marked road signs, as well as map/navigation indicated speed limits.
Intelligent speed assist: Video link
Auto Park Assist is THE party trick in a bag of tricks, with the Harrier.ev capable of parallel, perpendicular and angular parking through its e-Valet Auto Park Assist feature. One can pick from suggested detected parking spots or mark one’s own. It also works without the driver present in the car, so you can step outside and watch with the onlookers while the car parks itself. Like we said, neat party trick!
Autonomous parking: Video link
Another impressive feature of the Harrier.ev’s repertoire; Reverse Trace. The car essentially remembers the last ~50 meters you drove, and if you find yourself stuck in a tight spot, it’s capable of retracing the memorised path to get you out. It could come in very handy on road trips through unknown locales when Google Maps invariably leads you down one of those narrow, never-meant-for-cars ‘shortcuts’.
Reverse trace: Video link
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