Tata Harrier Petrol, Safari Petrol Launch On December 9

Tata Motors will finally add petrol variants to the Harrier and Safari ranges, years after the original reports of the two SUVs getting the engine option. Since their inception, the current-gen Harrier and Safari have been diesel-only SUVs with standard front-wheel drive, with the Harrier only recently getting an all-electric derivative.

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As for the engine of choice, it is likely to be the same 1.5-litre turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection (T-GDI) mill that Tata unveiled at the Auto Expo back in 2023. The carmaker at the time had unveiled two units as part of its all-new Hyperion series - a 1.2-litre three-cylinder mill and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit. The former was good for 123 bhp and 225 Nm while the latter developed a notably stronger 168bhp and 280Nm - similar power as the 2.0-litre diesel but down on torque.

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The 1.5 T-GDI unit would make perfect sense for the large SUV siblings, with the numbers on paper suggesting good levels of performance could be offered. The unit is expected to be paired with both manual and automatic gearbox options, the same as with the diesel. It, however, remains to be seen if the unit in the Harrier and Safari will make identical levels of power or if the company might have retuned the engine for a stronger output to better match the likes of the Mahindra XUV 700 petrol. The Mahindra gets a larger 2.0-litre turbo-petrol mill pushing out a strong 197 bhp and 380 Nm.

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The new 1.5 turbo-petrol mill, however, is expected to first make its debut on the all-new Sierra, which will be launched in India on November 25.